These are reviews of Old Teahouse from 2005. For more recent reviews, see the reviews from 2006, 2007, 2008 or the main entry.
Until I visited Old Teahouse, I used to say that TapEx had better tea, and Pork Bagel had better tapioca pearls. But neither holds a candle to Old Teahouse for several reasons. First, you can get a huge cup of really good tea for a good price. Second, the pearls are nice and chewy. And finally (and most important), the ratios are right so that you finish your tea and pearls at the same time and you aren't left with a sealed cup of ice the way TapEx often winds up. — jw
Random tidbit: The store logo features the characters 古茶天,, which as far as I know means something along the lines of "Old Tea Heaven," rather than "Old Teahouse" as you'd expect. (Please feel free to yell at me if this is incorrect) - AV
Adding my comment higher up because it is a bit more recent. Anyway, it was late at night and everything was closed, so I decided to try some food from the Old Teahouse. The service was not the greatest, they are busy, tired, open late into the night and have many students bugging them for on order cuisine, which is kinda understandable, I did get kinda a cold vibe from them and they seemed a bit begrudging in giving me water, but eh, it was not like I expected terribly personal service anyway. The food took a bit of time, I expected as much because it is made to order, and the kitchen seems a bit small, and it is a Tea House that sells mostly drinks, I expect people think they are taking so long because the drink orders are processed several times faster, my friend had a boba drink that arrived about seven orders faster than my single dish, her food took a bit longer though. The food was interesting, though not as sweet as many other Chinese food places, it was pretty odd, a bit greasy (I did order the fried noodles which were pretty neat, though dry), but pretty damn tasty and filling, though honestly I cannot compare it much to any of the places in Davis, it was around the same goodness as what my room-mate from Taiwan makes, so I guess it is pretty decent, definitely worth the six bucks, but then again what do I know. ~DavePoole —On a last note, the popcorn chicken that my friend ordered was a bit spicier than advertised, so probably order a degree down from what you would normally assume.
One major complaint, is that they don't have Thai Iced Tea pearl drinks, but that's just a personal favorite -anon
I'm a white boy but... their food is pretty nauseating. It looks like it came out of a frozen packet and cooked with oil until it resembled something edible. Don't get strawberry pearl tea. It tastes like pink penicillin. - MichaelGiardina
2005-04-11 19:18:29 I was addicted to their red bean ice crush for many weeks straight, but I got tired of how they always ran out of it. Otherwise, this place generally has a FOB customer base, which is fine, but may make some people uncomfortable due to the lack of diversity. Food is okay for the price, a good change of pace on occasion. —TurDz
2005-04-22 18:35:12 At some point between 2003 and present (presumably recently, as it is still listed on the drink menu) they got rid of toast. This is very sad, as it was yummy and cheap, basically my only reason for going there, and I never got the chance to try some of the odder spreads (green tea spread?). —JessicaLuedtke
2005-04-23 13:26:02 My roommate and I were there once; we're both vegetarian. I ordered some braised tofu rice dish, he orders Tomato Fried Rice and specifically asks that it has no meat. When he gets his dish, they seem to have forgotten the "no meat" part. He tells this to the server and asks for the correct dish, server tells him that if he wants another one he should get back in line and pay for it. Yeah, we don't eat there anymore. —JesseSingh
That seems to be a recurring problem for them. The other day my sister ordered a tofu dish but she got beef instead. Tonight I ordered the Eggplant Tofu Special, which turned out to be pretty good, and when I got my receipt I noticed I was about to get eggplant and pork. I like the food there so I plan on coming back, but vegetarians run the risk of not getting what they ordered. Just make sure they heard you or check the receipt before sitting down. —AmyZimmerman
2005-05-10 16:12:58 If you're vegeterian, make sure to specify "no oyster sauce"...there is only one vegetarian option that doesn't come with oyster sauce, and even the tofu dishes do. so yea, just ask. —SharonZimmerman
2005-05-12 10:58:42 Food quality is not awesome, but acceptable as it is the most authentic Asian/Hong Kongish food in Davis. Good for Asian American kids who are tired of general chicken. Lately the tea has gotten better than Tapioca Express (and cheaper for large size), so if I have a choice, I always choose OTH. Plus the tall girl that works there is pretty ^_^ —AlexChan
2005-05-23 20:58:48 Haven't had the friendliest service, pretty much any time I've been there. My roommate corroborates this and a bunch of stares when he went in there with his Asian girlfriend (we're both white). Not exactly the most welcoming clientele or staff, in my experiences there. I don't usually go there anymore. —DanielMedinaCleghorn
"2006-08-11 16:11:03" Daniel, I don't think either you, your roommate, or his girlfriend need to feel special or like celebs when you go into Old Teahouse. I don't think most people would give two shits that he happens to be white and she happens to be Asian. The only people who seem to create those kinds of accusations are those who WANT attention for something or the other. —ArlenKwong
2005-06-03 15:53:03 The drinks are delicious and much better than tapioca express. The food is pretty disgusting. Prices are high too. Service is crap. They don't seem to care about their customers.
and yes, the tall girl that works at OTH is very pretty :) —DougMiller
2005-06-17 04:05:35 While I enjoy Tapioca Express at home, the Davis location doesn't compare. Old Tea House is the best tea house in Davis, and has the most authentic Chinese food in Davis (with the crap in Davis, that's not hard). They don't make food asian parents make at home, but a type of "snacky" food that is still authentic for those of you who have experienced "Pao Muo Hong Cai" type of food in Taiwan. Avoid any menu item with fries. Best Vegetarian Option: Tofu and Eggplant Special. Best Dish: Spareribs in a black bean sauce —AlvinTsao
Old Teahouse actually has stuff that makes me sick. —SS
I have heard about Old Tea House food, but I can only judge on what I eat (I can eat street food in China and not get sick). —AlvinTsao
2005-07-15 00:30:33 This place has perhaps the WORST customer service I have ever encountered in my entire life. Last week I went in for a tapioca drink and was told they only had the large sizes available. When I told the cashier that I only wanted the smaller size, she told me she could make it for the smaller cup but would charge me for the bigger cup. Long story short, I asked (confirming my options) if what she was saying was that either I pay for the bigger cup and get a regular amount of boba, or I leave? She said yes. I left. —ComoPrada
2005-07-15 00:32:21 Today I went in with a friend and my boba drink was made without ice. After pointing I pointed that out the person behind the counter took it back and was literally trying to drain some of the liquid out of my original cup through the hole my straw had made (no joke). Then she filled the remaining amount with new tea and tossed it towards the counter for me to grab. Needless to say, today was my last time at the Old Teahouse. —ComoPrada
2005-10-28 10:07:01 WEll, the popcorn chicken and the green tea are both very good. The pan fried noodles, the ones that the girls behind the counter claim are crispy...aren't. I think the service is consitently horrible. The kids working there are so RUDE, they always act very superior...Finally my food takes a while to get to me, which I would just consider normal if only I didn't get weird looks from the customers (maybe I don't dress HK enough?). —JennNguyen
2005-11-06 21:17:38 I remember some racial accusations when this was on Davis411, but I've never really had a problem there. I used to love going late at night when I lived in Segundo and I still trek there two years later. I'm Whitey McWhiterson and other than a few glances I've never really felt uncomfortable. Frequently I may be one of the only non-asian people in there, but it's never really been a problem. —DominicBulone
2005-11-06 23:53:19 I've gotten drinks (expensive, but good) and eaten there several times. I never felt unwelcome there, or perceived the staff to be rude. Reading it here was the first time I heard of it. YMMV. —SteveDavison
2005-12-02 22:57:31 I love the Strawberry Blizzard and the Cripsy Chicken. But their baked dishes are delicious. I suggest getting the Pork Chop. —JoAnnaRich
