Samovar Tea Lounge
San Francisco, CA 94114
Phone: (415) 626-4700
- Price:
- $
- Hours:
- Daily 10am-10:30pm
Editorial Review for Samovar Tea Lounge – by Citysearch Staff
In Short
Woven mats cover the floors, a Buddha holds court in a corner, and gold curtains frame tall windows at this elegant, low-key lounge. Staff here takes tea seriously -- the extensive menu offers rare picks like 1993 cultivated menghal select leaves -- but service is as friendly and unpretentious as it comes. Light bites include tea-infused dishes like ginger tofu tea soup and green tea mousse along with curry egg salad sandwiches, edamame with toasted seaweed and rice bowls.
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Insider Tips
Where to SitAt the entrance, two large benches covered in colorful silk pillows give a view of the busy corner's foot traffic.
User Reviews for Samovar Tea Lounge
03/29/2006 Posted by elizready
This was more than mere tea, it was an experience. The food I agree is overpriced and the portions are tiny, but I have to admit it's very good. I love the atmosphere. My only complaint was the noise. When it's busy, it's way too noisy. The service was way too slow. I ended up being there for like 2 hours. I ordered the Russian tea which came with wonderful black tea, 3 tiny salmon-filled crepes, a bergamot-flavored bread pudding, and a deviled egg with caviar (which was my favorite part!). That cost me $15, and I was still hungry after so I ordered an egg salad sandwich. Spending $25 for lunch including tip was WAY more than I wanted to spend. They have an amazingly diverse menu though.
Pros: food, tea, atmosphere
Cons: crowds on weekends, slow service
02/14/2006 Posted by gskhalsa
As a reader of countless Citysearch restaurant reviews, I have finally decided to put in my .02$ on Samovar, a genuinely enchanting tea lounge, perfectly suited for a casual romantic occasion. Admittedly, this is my first official encounter at a tea house and I had second thoughts about the seemingly unrealistic claims of robust flavor and delicate aromas, so I cheated and ordered a Moroccan mint tea (a tea I was already familiar with, allowing it to act as a benchmark). Said tea is a close to a liquid nectar as one will taste this side of the Milky Way galaxy. In addition to the marvelous tea and morsels, our server was equally sweet and pleasant.
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