The Old Teahouse
- Price Range: $
- Accepts Credit Cards: No
- Parking: Private Lot
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
17 Reviews for The Old Teahouse
This is the closest thing you'll find to those HK dessert places in San Francisco. That being said, remember that this place is very, very AZN (not Asian... A-Z-N) - you get the point.
This place would never survive in San Fran, but since they are in Davis and the stars are curved, they get 2.75 stars.
The food and drinks aren't too bad, but dear god it feels like it takes an hour for then to fulfill your order! Speed it up yo!
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Two of the workers there have the worst attitudes in the world. :|
The food portions they offer are huge; the snacks are a bit pricey.. I probably wouldn't go here if it weren't the only place that offered tapioca drinks in Davis, but frankly, I don't have much of a choice.
The place is, as many others have mentioned, very Asian. They play a lot of Chinese music videos. They're getting more and more graphic these days. :O d-damnn.
They only take cash, so take that into account. There's a Bank of America ATM in the parking lot though!
I eat here either when I get lazy, when I crave spicy popcorn chicken and rice, or when I just want a boba drink (strawberry blizzard is my beverage of choice). Otherwise, stay away.
If you do decide to go, have cash in your wallet - they don't accept debit or credit cards. That, and don't look up; the whole ceiling is a makeshift fly strip.
Review Reliability/Frequency:
Once or twice a week.
Food/Selection:
To each and to every one's own, right? They've got a lot of things on their menu, however nothing really feels like it's worth the money. The food isn't absolutely terrible, but it's still sub par to a Chinese restaurant. However, things to note about the food is that: it's going to generally be very greasy; poor quality rice; meats will be mostly bones; and it's going to have a lot of MSG.
To be honest though, the place itself isn't that bad. For what it's known for, boba (pearl tapioca milk tea drinks) and the widely popular Asian snack: popcorn chicken, it lives up to being possibly the best place in Davis for them. It's just the food that one might have reason to be wary about. Just be aware that some of the things on the menu can be displeasing to various people. For me, I don't have too much taste for seafood, greasy foods, or their (strange) concoctions such as "Eggplant and Sliced Pork With Special Chili Sauce Over Rice" or "Tomato Fried Rice". So chances are if you're looking for something new to eat, you'll either find it or won't want to find it. (Hahaha.) However they'll also have the normal things like Orange Chicken, Fried Rice, or Chow Fun.
Service:
I've read various things about the service at the counter, but in my opinion, I think they aren't too bad. The employees, save the chefs, are mostly Asian students. In terms of wait time, the drinks are made by the student employees and are made fairly quick, but for the food is a different story comprising of wait times as long as 20 minutes. Even longer if there was a long line before you. Once the food is ready, they'll shout its order number and expect someone to come pick it up. Make sure to hold on to your receipt, because they require you to give it back as proof of your order. If one doesn't hear/pick it up, it'll be the orderee's own responsibility to get their food.
I believe they take food orders over the phone if I'm not mistaken.
Conclusion:
Sporting four TVs with current Asian pop sensations and air conditioning, it's an inviting place to drop by and have something to eat. The place is sometimes jam-packed with couples or groups with friends. Do note the place is fairly cramped and can be very crowded and there isn't much room for maneuvering. Food is questionable leaning into being poor, but from the popularity, the drinks must be decent.
Tips:
They ONLY take cash, go figure. To go or dining in, they only use disposable containers and plastic bags to give you your food possibly encouraging take-outs. (An environmentalist's nightmare!)
Bottom-line:
I'd only recommend this place for drinks or their popcorn chicken. The rest is probably a hit or miss. You may of course find SOMETHING you'll like on their menu, but my tongue isn't the same as yours.
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**updated 42408**
Been back a couple more times for some drinks and more popcorn chicken. Popcorn chicken was still not bad but some of the spicy seasoning on there were all on one spot!
Drink wise, I've only tried the taro black milk tea. Didn't really taste like taro to me at all so I wouldn't really recommend it. BUT I really like their strawberry blizzard. If you've ever had strawberry tapioca at Wonderful Foods Co., it taste just like that but like a milkshake without the ice cream? I can;t really explain it.. It just really yummy!
**********************
BF brought me here on our "date". It seems like a Quickly, tapioca, fried snacks, etc but with Chinese dishes in addition to their menu. Again, another popular spot in Davis since there's really nothing here! This place was busy busy busy but we managed to get our popcorn chicken (around $4) in a timely manner. For around $4, they give you a shit load of popcorn chicken! It was actually not bad either... Nicely seasoned and huge pieces of chicken.
Only three stars since I've only tried their popcorn chicken... My BF brought me on a cheap date!!! =) JK!!
I'll come back for the rest!
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Are you deaf??? Why the hell do you need tvs blasting Die Hard 3 from every view of this place. It can't be more than 800 square feet and you have 3 tvs???? What the hell? Yes, they have boba drinks but not very good, food is ok, and the service is nothing to talk about. The staff at the counter usually seems frazzled which gives me the impression that the place treats them like crap. They all seem too scared to talk to the cooks if you want to make a request. The only thing great about this place is that its open late and that they have a pretty decent menu.
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I think this is the biggest AZN spot in Davis! Just the vibe of the place screams out AZN especially with all that cheezy music videos on the plasma tv screens.
However, this place is the closest thing to getting decent boba drinks in Davis. Sometimes, depending on a good day, they'll serve soft boba balls and other times are really hard. I don't know about you, but I can't get too much pleasure from hard balls. Hahah--just joking! Oh, and the pan-fried noodles are usually good too but a little over-priced. Their chicken is ayt, I've had better in SF before at Tap-Ex or something. But what can you say, this is in the University Mall. This joint is also mainly for Freshmen who have no access to cars and who are avoiding DC food for the millionth time. Some just like to sit there, not order anything and play cards. Gaaah. If you're not eating, then bounce! It's also hard to eat there in peace if you do sit in, so order whatever you need to order and take it to go. FYI: Bring cash.
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I frequented this joint during my freshmen year in the Cuarto dorms, as it was the only place open late. It has the ambiance of any PMT place, ie: TVs with Asian music videos.
Most things on the menu (drinks/food included) are mediocre. PMT is made in the typical fashion (milk+tea+syrups+(tapioca). I'm not real big on PMT (too sweet for me), so I typically go here for the food.
I recommend any of the noodle dishes (chao mien, chao hua, etc.) I also like their eggplant/tofu plate. Some of the dishes are quasi-fusion - I saw one dish that had bbq meat and french fries.
If you come here late, it'll definitely be crowded - often times with lines stretching outside the doors. Sometimes, the store hours are wrong and they close when they feel like it. Once my friends and I went around 11:45pm and they told us the kitchen was closed. So if you're going for late night snacks, be sure to go at least 30 minutes before closing.
Overall, it's a decent place for Chinese food, and an especially good place to fulfill late night hunger. Oh, and they only accept CASH, no plastic here! (there is a Bank of America ATM in the parking lot).
note: I heard a typical PMT (with pearls) contains around 800-1000 calories (mostly from the tapioca balls)
This place is sooooooo AZN!!
I used to come here on a regular basis (i.e. every few weeks) to check with with my peeps (i.e. fellow AZNs) and see what sorts of revolutionizing is going on in the AZN music industry (i.e. there's a big plasma tv that plays AZN music videos).
This place takes me home!
The food can be good (but still a little bland) if you order the right thing. Pan-fried noodles are always good. But I'm not going to kid myself. The food isn't the reason I go to The Old Teahouse. I go to get a taste of my homeland.
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wow this place in intense. I have been to nightclubs that were quieter than this place. I have tasted boba from several different places and this one was, well....no different. Still sucks. I honestly don't know what the fuss is about.
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Typical HK boba type of restaurant.
Over-priced HK food (but hey, what do you expect from a college town?) and decent tapioca drinks.
I've never gotten sick but have been served with food that did taste funny (ended up spitting it out) so they lose 2 stars.
On a typical day, they will have some type of asian music concert/videos playing on the many tvs they have. Long lines tend to start during the evening hours and during lunch. The wait for drinks are not too long if they are not busy but the food is a bit longer.
Popcorn chicken is yummy but since I suck at handling spicy foods, I usually get mild. They used to serve a white colored tapioca which to my opinion, tasted better than the typical black ones now. Occassionally, they run out of tapioca or jelly ( how do you run out of something that you sell throughout the entire day?!) and you can either have no tapioca or wait.
This is definitely not a place to relax and have a quiet meal. Lots of college students often make this restaurant their dinner table/hang out spot after classes so it gets crowded and noisey. They do not accept credit cards...no exceptions! Although it is nothing compared to home, I will keep coming here for my tapioca and popcorn chicken fix!
The generous rating is not because this is some amazing four-star restaurant, but because it's a good example of what it's supposed to be: good bubble tea and a small selection of fast, fresh food.
The food can be inconsistent, but you have to know what to order (like the congee with fish balls and shredded lettuce, one of the things I crave when I'm sick) and what to steadfastly avoid (like seafood + imitation crab baked in a cream sauce - WTF?). Oh, and the food is best ordered to go: The place is good for tea and casual socializing, but it's not made for quiet, relaxed eating.
And if I'm being completely honest I should say that this place really deserves 3.5 stars, but the extra 0.5 is in honor of the hot guys who used to work behind the register a few years ago. (Sadly, the current crop isn't as cute anymore!)
Good boba tea, and even better selections. There's a lot of choices as far as stuff to eat.
It's always very noisy with the Cantonese channel on the television. It's a common hangout for the first years, since it's really close to Segundo (and Cuarto).
I can't really rave about the food. Go there to get a Boba to go.
If you are craving boba in Davis, then you can come to Old Teahouse. The menu has a bazillion bobas to choose from. You can also order food here. I've had a seafood pan fried noodle dish. The dish was terrible! The seafood was not fresh. The food was drenched in oil. I practically gagged just eating it all.
Boo. The restaurant is cash only. The cashiers need to be friendlier.
Boba lovers paradise. Some of the best tapioca in northern california. Yes it is seriously the best. you must try the jasmine milk tea. it's definitely worth the long line and the slow service.
I think what makes me sad about this place is that 1) it does have potential, but...(see below) and 2) it makes me miss San Francisco and all the HK type joints there. This place definitely does not serve the best tapioca, but if you need a quick fix and don't wanna leave town this is probably the place to go. Then again, I'm spoiled by awesome tapioca places like Wonderful Foods on Irving in SF. *drool* It also takes forever to get food here! You can try calling it in but there was this one time I did, they put me on hold and forgot about me! If I do order food, it's usually the yang chow fried rice, the Indian fried rice, the two-sauce fried rice, chow fun, or some variation of pan-fried noodles. Sometimes the lines here are hella long, but go figure - it's one of the few establishments open late-ish in Davis and it's right by a buncha dorms. The popcorn chicken - or the crack chicken, as I like to call it - is the main reason why I stop in. That, and every once in awhile stopping in and watching a music video I for a Chinese song I actually recognize makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. :D And damnit, OTH, accept credit cards already!
jesus the fucking "repeat all" of music videos is annoying as FUCK, but only because i can't stop watching them
or when they play shaolin soccer and everyone giggles
asians of davis unite
anyway i like drinking the tapioca here, and i eat the food sometimes even though it gives me a tummy ache
they're so annoyingly environmentally unfriendly. why do they give every customer a styrofoam box and plastic bag for every order?
okay, i'm a bitch...sorry...
something i like is that they're open hella late, and it's close to campus
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