Columbia Kate's Teahouse

Unique place in a unique town. Blend their own teas. Serve coffee too. Food items and some unique deserts, bake their own breads. Small place, gets busy quickly, reservations recommended. Their bakery is across the street. No bathrooms.

+2

So quaint and cute and different. Have been. Twice now, and both were great experiences. Strongly suggest the power blend salad, the chicken pot pie, and the savory bread pudding. So tasty and unique even though their such traditional items. The tea selection is also impressive and everyone we have tried has been good. The venue is so cute. And the owner makes and sells beautiful jewelry as well. A must stop if your in the area

Such an amazing place. Had the Power Salad with chicken and it was amazing! Will order the 1/2 size next time. The pear pie was the best! Will be going back, even though it's an hour away from my house!

Friendly and several vegan options on the menu. Amazing selection of tea too. The Hildreth sandwich was on a generous slab of fresh whole wheat bread with delicious ingredients.

Sweet little place in Columbia, the women who greeted us was friendly and super amazing, she got us situated in the outdoor area and brought us out irish tea with creme, this was our 1st tea sitting and with a place like this many more here will surely come, thanks for the pot of tea guys it was wonderful, you have a sweet heart

+6

My boyfriend and I are here for lunch and it was super cute and delicious! We had the Motherlode for Two, which was a full meal. I definitely want to come back, someday! Imagine having a whole tea party!!

We love Kate’s! On this occasion we brought our daughter from Alabama because it is a tradition to visit Kate’s! But we come for other occasions also throughout the year! Love it here!

...we held our daughters 30th birthday party in the outside seating garden area with a group of 20 people. Every aspect of the visit was perfect. Great food, great service, great atmosphere. It was very reasonable to have it there. A perfect tea party!!!

I literally went on a 6hr road trip just to come here. Everything so good and fresh. Lovely atmosphere and great service. Cant wait to come back again.

I love this place, you can go here and have an experience. The atmosphere is so unique. Also you can taste different teas to find what you like. Teas are high quality and unique. You can buy loose teas to take home as well. I stayed KETO, the grean salad with tumric lime dressing. And the quiche that is crustless. I had the coconut tea. The coconut and the wedding white are favorites of mine.

Small cozy place. Very friendly owner. Great atmosphere. Good food. Awesome back yard.

I had just lost my job of many years and my girlfriend brought me here to cheer me up and we had the most delightful time. The place is amazing we got to wear hats and feel adorable and the staff were just as pleasing as the atmosphere and food

Great food and excellent service in a nice outdoor setting. Back again. Had the delicious chicken cabbage salad this time. Never disappointed.

Food, tea, and service was supreme! Michelle was an absolute joy and we had an overall magical time!

Best scone i ever had Tea was delicious

The power blend salad is the best salad I’ve ever had! The chicken pot pie was amazing. Scones were also delish. I can’t wait to come back and try more items on the menu. The ingredients all tasted so fresh and high quality and for such a good price.

Columbia Kate’s Teahouse – Columbia, CA Columbia Kate’s Teahouse is an absolute gem tucked away in a charming little corner of California history. The food is house-made, fresh, and absolutely delicious—you can taste the care in every bite. Whether you’re having a crisp salad, a warm quiche, or a delicate dessert, it all feels like it came straight from a storybook kitchen. It’s the perfect spot for a mother-daughter outing, a bridal shower, a tea party, or just a group of ladies getting together for a beautiful afternoon. The atmosphere is cozy, quaint, and filled with character—like stepping into the pages of a classic novel. If you’re looking for a relaxing, memorable lunch with a personal touch, don’t miss this place. It’s the kind of experience you’ll want to revisit again and again.

Very quaint and cozy, this place is like stepping back in time - which is probably what you're looking for if you're visiting Columbia. The tea selection is very interesting, and the food was decent. We will visit again when in the mood for a light, slightly fancy teatime lunch that makes you feel a bit like you're in the English countryside. I would never have been interested in ordering pecan pie for dessert, but I noticed it was a PEAR pecan pie, which is totally different. It was really good, warm, flaky, and just the right amount of sweet vs savory. Don't go without trying this treat!

Absolutely delicious chicken salad sandwich on amazingly thick and fresh baked bread. The sprinkles of dried rose and other flowers and herbs on the sandwich was a fantastic and impressive touch. Had the Russian Caravan tea, so smokey and inticing, and my partner had the Early Grey which was so delicately floral, both very complex and perfectly brewed. Lovely garden seating, super relaxed atmosphere and lovely staff.

We love this place very friendly staff amazing food, great selection of teas, all baked good are delicious. My favorite are their apricot scones get there early they do run out.

Absolutely love Kate's...not only is the food delicious and staff can't do enough to accommodate, but the atmosphere is so warm an welcoming you feel like you just stepped in to your grandmother's parlor. Totally reccomend for any occasion.

Love visiting Kate’s teahouse when I am in the area! Great atmosphere with the best chicken pot pie. Wonderful teas and scones as well. Thank you Jessica and Jose

We enjoyed a wonderful meal with tea. The portions are very generous. The Buttons tea is a favorite. The Almond Orange rooibus or black is extraordinary. And if you're getting tea (which you really should), then the apricot scone is a must pairing. Service today was cordial & helpful, but on the slow side.

This was my first High Tea, but my wife has been to many. We found the service good and the food excellent. We liked the iced tea so much my wife purchased some loose tea to take home.

We were walk-ins as we waited for our session on with photographer. We were seated outside in the shade. We did not do the tea service as we did not have time. Iced black tea in the heat was great. I ran over to the bakery while we waited for our savory bread pudding, chicken salad sandwich, and cowboy turkey sandwich with butter not mayo and two scones. When I came back from the bakery, we were relocated to the air conditioned interior . We enjoyed our food. We will come back. My sister and I brought back half a sandwich . The bread for the sandwiches was made at the bakery ( they do not sell the loaves, the brand goes to Kate’s).

I LOVE Columbia Kate's!! Any time we have a visitor from out of town/state, etc I take them there! It's such a cute little, relaxing place to have tea and lunch with friends and family! They have such a wide variety of teas and have descriptions with them all! The bakery items come from their bakery right across the street. We got the 4-6 cup pot of "Butte Tea" (has health benefits for heart, stress and tummy!) and had plenty left over after about 4 tea cups each!! My Mom and I had the cowboy sandwich on a croissant, she had the salad and I had sweet potato soup. (I believe it was the daily soup provided) YUMMY! I LOVED the soup!! And my Grandmother had the Three Tea Sandwich Trio with salad. You can mix and match the sandwiches for that one. (Egg Salad, Cucumber and/or Chicken Salad) Their presentation for all of it is so beautiful!! This place is classic and such a joy! Definitely give it a try!!

Outstanding Motherload Tea for 2. Everything was outstanding. Get one of each scone, one of each salad. Dessertsbwe got Bread pudding, chocolate tart, and cheesecake. Glad we stopped! We'll remember this tea experience forever.

Kate's teahouse is a must visit while in, or going through Columbia. The food is excellent, the service is great, & the atmosphere is charming. Their creamy zucchini soup is to die for(their creamy garlic soup is great too). Food is delicious, & very aesthetically pleasing as well. These pictures are of two different visits to this teahouse.

It's a great experience. The Tea is all super good, the scones were a big hit, and the desserts were great. The sandwiches we had were fine, but they weren't as big of a hit as the other courses. But overall it was a great experience. Be warned though, if you do the Motherlode, it's gonna take a while, but that's kinda the point.

this is my favorite restaurant in the area. the food is so fresh and delicious. the tea and scones are amazing. and their soups are always top tier. i love the vegetarian hildreth sandwich on a croissant and the kale salad- it has an amazing lime turmeric dressing and the most wonderful textures. if you can go on a day with their lavender scones, you’re in for a treat. i would love for them to add more vegetarian options too! ♥️

Everything we ordered was delicious and fresh, from quiche and soup to salads (their selection of salads is huge, making it really hard to choose from, - we had a "hidden treasures" and chicken salads). The tea was superb, of course, both hot and iced. Didn't mind the wait - they were pretty busy during the Christmas break. Very cute little place and homey atmosphere.

An adorable tea house just one block from downtown Columbia. No one is too young or too old to enjoy having a tea party. Endless tea selection, good comfort food. Charming atmosphere amidst bone china tea cups and saucers and tea pots with cozies. Wonderful experience and memories.

Anne Catrina

We enjoyed a wonderful meal with tea. The portions are very generous. The Buttons tea is a favorite. The Almond Orange rooibus or black is extraordinary. And if you're getting tea (which you really should), then the apricot scone is a must pairing. Service today was cordial & helpful, but on the slow side.

Dan C.

This was my first High Tea, but my wife has been to many. We found the service good and the food excellent. We liked the iced tea so much my wife purchased some loose tea to take home.

Paula Stubblefield

We were walk-ins as we waited for our session on with photographer. We were seated outside in the shade. We did not do the tea service as we did not have time. Iced black tea in the heat was great. I ran over to the bakery while we waited for our savory bread pudding, chicken salad sandwich, and cowboy turkey sandwich with butter not mayo and two scones. When I came back from the bakery, we were relocated to the air conditioned interior . We enjoyed our food. We will come back. My sister and I brought back half a sandwich . The bread for the sandwiches was made at the bakery ( they do not sell the loaves, the brand goes to Kate’s).

Channie Alise

I LOVE Columbia Kate's!! Any time we have a visitor from out of town/state, etc I take them there! It's such a cute little, relaxing place to have tea and lunch with friends and family! They have such a wide variety of teas and have descriptions with them all! The bakery items come from their bakery right across the street. We got the 4-6 cup pot of "Butte Tea" (has health benefits for heart, stress and tummy!) and had plenty left over after about 4 tea cups each!! My Mom and I had the cowboy sandwich on a croissant, she had the salad and I had sweet potato soup. (I believe it was the daily soup provided) YUMMY! I LOVED the soup!! And my Grandmother had the Three Tea Sandwich Trio with salad. You can mix and match the sandwiches for that one. (Egg Salad, Cucumber and/or Chicken Salad) Their presentation for all of it is so beautiful!! This place is classic and such a joy! Definitely give it a try!!

eleanor jones

Columbia Kate’s Teahouse – Columbia, CA Columbia Kate’s Teahouse is an absolute gem tucked away in a charming little corner of California history. The food is house-made, fresh, and absolutely delicious—you can taste the care in every bite. Whether you’re having a crisp salad, a warm quiche, or a delicate dessert, it all feels like it came straight from a storybook kitchen. It’s the perfect spot for a mother-daughter outing, a bridal shower, a tea party, or just a group of ladies getting together for a beautiful afternoon. The atmosphere is cozy, quaint, and filled with character—like stepping into the pages of a classic novel. If you’re looking for a relaxing, memorable lunch with a personal touch, don’t miss this place. It’s the kind of experience you’ll want to revisit again and again.

Elizabeth Dickens

Outstanding Motherload Tea for 2. Everything was outstanding. Get one of each scone, one of each salad. Dessertsbwe got Bread pudding, chocolate tart, and cheesecake. Glad we stopped! We'll remember this tea experience forever.

Jessica Hinman

Kate's teahouse is a must visit while in, or going through Columbia. The food is excellent, the service is great, & the atmosphere is charming. Their creamy zucchini soup is to die for(their creamy garlic soup is great too). Food is delicious, & very aesthetically pleasing as well. These pictures are of two different visits to this teahouse.

Corey Strock

It's a great experience. The Tea is all super good, the scones were a big hit, and the desserts were great. The sandwiches we had were fine, but they weren't as big of a hit as the other courses. But overall it was a great experience. Be warned though, if you do the Motherlode, it's gonna take a while, but that's kinda the point.

Lauren Luhn

An adorable tea house just one block from downtown Columbia. No one is too young or too old to enjoy having a tea party. Endless tea selection, good comfort food. Charming atmosphere amidst bone china tea cups and saucers and tea pots with cozies. Wonderful experience and memories.

Michelle Halevi

this is my favorite restaurant in the area. the food is so fresh and delicious. the tea and scones are amazing. and their soups are always top tier. i love the vegetarian hildreth sandwich on a croissant and the kale salad- it has an amazing lime turmeric dressing and the most wonderful textures. if you can go on a day with their lavender scones, you’re in for a treat. i would love for them to add more vegetarian options too! ♥️

Liliya Bederov

Everything we ordered was delicious and fresh, from quiche and soup to salads (their selection of salads is huge, making it really hard to choose from, - we had a "hidden treasures" and chicken salads). The tea was superb, of course, both hot and iced. Didn't mind the wait - they were pretty busy during the Christmas break. Very cute little place and homey atmosphere.

L

Very quaint and cozy, this place is like stepping back in time - which is probably what you're looking for if you're visiting Columbia. The tea selection is very interesting, and the food was decent. We will visit again when in the mood for a light, slightly fancy teatime lunch that makes you feel a bit like you're in the English countryside. I would never have been interested in ordering pecan pie for dessert, but I noticed it was a PEAR pecan pie, which is totally different. It was really good, warm, flaky, and just the right amount of sweet vs savory. Don't go without trying this treat!

Viccordion

Absolutely delicious chicken salad sandwich on amazingly thick and fresh baked bread. The sprinkles of dried rose and other flowers and herbs on the sandwich was a fantastic and impressive touch. Had the Russian Caravan tea, so smokey and inticing, and my partner had the Early Grey which was so delicately floral, both very complex and perfectly brewed. Lovely garden seating, super relaxed atmosphere and lovely staff.

Julie Duran-Soriano

We love this place very friendly staff amazing food, great selection of teas, all baked good are delicious. My favorite are their apricot scones get there early they do run out.

Maggie May

Absolutely love Kate's...not only is the food delicious and staff can't do enough to accommodate, but the atmosphere is so warm an welcoming you feel like you just stepped in to your grandmother's parlor. Totally reccomend for any occasion.

Nora H

Love visiting Kate’s teahouse when I am in the area! Great atmosphere with the best chicken pot pie. Wonderful teas and scones as well. Thank you Jessica and Jose

Honestly, best food in Sonora and Tuolumne county. My wife and I frequented here quite a bit. Their sandwiches, tea, and french onion soup are worth it every time. Also both of the owners are amazing.

A one-of-a-kind Tuolumne County experience in historic Columbia. Great food and tea; and extremely kind, hard-working owners who are directly involved in every aspect of the business. Highly recommended.

Justin Rizzo-Weaver

A one-of-a-kind Tuolumne County experience in historic Columbia. Great food and tea; and extremely kind, hard-working owners who are directly involved in every aspect of the business. Highly recommended.

Peter

Honestly, best food in Sonora and Tuolumne county. My wife and I frequented here quite a bit. Their sandwiches, tea, and french onion soup are worth it every time. Also both of the owners are amazing.

This place is super cute! We had the tea service for two. There is so much food! I saw other people get service and their portions were also big! The Lemon Poppy seed scones were delish, the tea was great, the sandwichs were okay, and the bread was homemade. The chocolate torte was perfection! Absolutely, heaven sent. The bread pudding was awesome. The service was nice. I hope to make it back one day and have the pot pie and more of the heavenly chocolate torte.

This teahouse used to be great until the new owner took over. Now, the service quality and the ambient have taken a dive. It feels more like a Mexican restaurant now. The same goes for the bakery across the street, which is owned by the same family.

Been coming here for at least 15 years. Columbia Kates used to be some of the best food in all of central CA. Unfortunately due to new ownership, they may have jumped the shark. They would not seat us outside (we had a dog) and so turned us away - with a smirk. Terrible customer service will no doubt be the end of this place. Oh well, nothing lasts forever.

Not the typical afternoon tea experience and service. The service needs improvement; the staff is hanging out inside the kitchen while customers are waiting to be seated or looking for their waiters for assistance. The clotted cream tasted old. The strawberry shortcake was very dry. Have said that, bread puddling was probably the only thing I enjoyed from the motherlode for two menu.

Alex Chang

Not the typical afternoon tea experience and service. The service needs improvement; the staff is hanging out inside the kitchen while customers are waiting to be seated or looking for their waiters for assistance. The clotted cream tasted old. The strawberry shortcake was very dry. Have said that, bread puddling was probably the only thing I enjoyed from the motherlode for two menu.

Words can not express how terrible, disorganized, and slow the service was here. Other reviews highlighting poor and slow service drastically understate the problem. We were a group of 5 ladies for mothers day and a birthday. We waited 45 minutes before we were able to track down some staff to take our order and then we waited more than an HOUR AND A HALF before we got anything we ordered. Wait staff was nowhere to be found at any point and when we did get up and find someone they were irritated and dismissive. We should have known something was wrong when we walked in on Mothers day and the place was half empty. Throughout our ordeal there were so many mishaps - they said they had run out of ice but dont worry in about 20 minutes someone would be here with some. No one ever brought us any we had to go find some staff after about 40 more minutes to ask if ice for iced tea (at a tea house!) was here or not yet. At 2pm they said we couldnt get a croissant because they were out - not that by that point we were willing to wait until 4pm to see one had they had it! 2 of our group are highly allergic to walnuts. We got up to ask the kitchen (because remember not one time during our entire sit down here did a waiter or waitress come to us for anything) to please be sure no walnuts came on any of the salads. When the food finally did arrive, there were walnuts on one of the salads. Over 2 hours after arriving we were beyond ready to leave. Still no server in sight coming to check on us or offer us anything - we had to again get up and find one. No boxes offered to go. No check brought to the table. Same indifferent attitude about it. Leaving this place knowing I will never return after they took more than 2 hours of what was supposed to be such a nice and special day was the best part of the experience.

Right after my sister’s memorial, we decided to come to a place she and I frequently visited. It was bittersweet walking in and realizing Kate wasn’t in the kitchen. This was a very hot day, and as a Columbia native, I know hot days but even some other locals said this particular day was unusually intense. We had a larger party and didn’t make reservations, which we take full accountability for. That said, we stood at the front for quite some time without being acknowledged. Multiple people walked past us without so much as a smile. Eventually, a very scattered man spoke to us. We let him know we wanted to sit outside, and he quickly said there were no tables. I mentioned that I saw several empty ones, and he explained that although they were empty, he was too busy to get to them for a long while, so we should sit inside. We agreed and began an incredibly uncomfortable, long wait for a table. No water was offered to us, despite the intense heat and the fact that we had two little babies with us. After about 30 minutes (with many tables sitting empty but uncleared for long stretches), a young child seemingly the child of the new owners ran around the restaurant. When we were finally seated, it was in a room that felt like a greenhouse. I won’t lie I was upset, but I kept my composure. We waited even longer for drinks, and the ice melted instantly from the heat. The air conditioner wasn’t working, so I had to get up and stand by a fan in another room just so my 4-month-old baby wouldn’t overheat. I ordered a cucumber sandwich with a side of potato salad to split with my daughter, along with specialty drinks. The waiter repeatedly mixed up where items went, set things in front of the wrong people, and didn’t take everyone’s order properly one of our group members didn’t even get to order. Did I mention it was sweltering? The plastic over the windows made the room feel like a hot box. Everything tasted stale, like old bread. The love and care that Kate once put into this place was completely gone. Tables sat dirty for extended periods, the flavor was off, and the service while I understand he was also working in the heat was lackluster. Sadly, this place has lost its charm.

DM T

Right after my sister’s memorial, we decided to come to a place she and I frequently visited. It was bittersweet walking in and realizing Kate wasn’t in the kitchen. This was a very hot day, and as a Columbia native, I know hot days but even some other locals said this particular day was unusually intense. We had a larger party and didn’t make reservations, which we take full accountability for. That said, we stood at the front for quite some time without being acknowledged. Multiple people walked past us without so much as a smile. Eventually, a very scattered man spoke to us. We let him know we wanted to sit outside, and he quickly said there were no tables. I mentioned that I saw several empty ones, and he explained that although they were empty, he was too busy to get to them for a long while, so we should sit inside. We agreed and began an incredibly uncomfortable, long wait for a table. No water was offered to us, despite the intense heat and the fact that we had two little babies with us. After about 30 minutes (with many tables sitting empty but uncleared for long stretches), a young child seemingly the child of the new owners ran around the restaurant. When we were finally seated, it was in a room that felt like a greenhouse. I won’t lie I was upset, but I kept my composure. We waited even longer for drinks, and the ice melted instantly from the heat. The air conditioner wasn’t working, so I had to get up and stand by a fan in another room just so my 4-month-old baby wouldn’t overheat. I ordered a cucumber sandwich with a side of potato salad to split with my daughter, along with specialty drinks. The waiter repeatedly mixed up where items went, set things in front of the wrong people, and didn’t take everyone’s order properly one of our group members didn’t even get to order. Did I mention it was sweltering? The plastic over the windows made the room feel like a hot box. Everything tasted stale, like old bread. The love and care that Kate once put into this place was completely gone. Tables sat dirty for extended periods, the flavor was off, and the service while I understand he was also working in the heat was lackluster. Sadly, this place has lost its charm.