Blue Willow Teaspot

Fabulous tea house in Berkeley, CA, with a nice selection of Japanese and Chinese teas. Different spaces, including outdoor seating, Indoor tables have tea kettles on stands nearby if you order traditional tea service. The main space also has a bookshelf with many books and magazines on the subject of tea. The only drawback for me is that there isn’t much in the way of detailed descriptions, provenance, etc. for each tea. But for ambiance and a really nice environment to have tea with friends, this is very good.

The pastry was decent but the tea really makes up for it! I really enjoyed being able to have a flight of tea to taste. Definitely a one of a kind place as I don't think this kind of shop exists anywhere else. I definitely would love to return to try out their different seasonal teas :)

Perfect place to spend a afternoon here! Wonderful collection of tea and amazing staff! My favorite is duck sh*t aroma tea, yeah I know it sounds weird but it’s so aromatic and has a sweet after tone. Highly recommend!!!

Very lovely cafe and staff. Ambience is beautiful and good vibes.

Ryan Burns

BW is the friendliest, loveliest place to sit and enjoy a tasty drink in Berkeley. Their tea is so consistently delicious and the staff is so knowledgeable and welcoming. Everyone who works here has been so warm and generous in creating a space that truly feels like a community hub that brings the best of all the colorful sides of life that the bay has to offer. I’ve spent hours talking with strangers at the bar about art and poetry and life, and I’ve spent hours reading and writing in peaceful solitude. Blue willow is truly an escape from the stress of daily life. Their wide range of teas is a testament to the very intentional curation and selection of really special cakes and leaves from around the world. Their in house blends and herbal options are also a treat. But nothing beats their hojicha latte on a cloudy day. The acupressure + tea tasting I did there in the fall was one of the sweetest little moments of last year. Pairing a grounding puerh with a lesson on acupressure points related to the lungs and grief, giving me a chance to tune into my body and mind in a safe, educating space. I’m so grateful that such a beautiful place like this exists and is thriving so well, community spaces like this are what allow us to share our lives and selves, and spaces like this are what makes Berkeley and the east bay feel like home. Thanks BW for offering a sense of place, and a beautiful space to inspire creativity and community.

Gary Cole

Superb Japanese tea house experience in the heart of Berkeley with caring people and clean, artfully decorated premises. Just learned about this establishment today due to recommendation from Artis Coffee (top notch roastery) and hit the mother lode. Aly, the exceptionally kind and engaged owner took care of us personally while Niko served the beverages with authentic courtesy and care. The establishment is bright and airy, with several intimate spaces creatively designed for Zen like relaxation which encourages one to linger. I’ve never observed a broader selection of quality teas, however, Aly and Niko helped us efficiently navigate choices to match our taste profile. You can even order a flight to sample several teas and from there decide what to purchase for taking home (Blood Orange super tasty). In addition to tea, Blue Willow offers high quality pastries and Japanese cookies as well as tea preparation and serving ware. Happened to hit their 9 year anniversary which elevated the experience. This establishment which exudes pride of ownership throughout fit us to a ‘tea’ and we can’t wait to return. Bravo Aly!

Jenny Xu

This was such a fun find in Berkeley! We came after wanting to try something different that didn't involve alcohol and tea sounded perfect. Good: - The private room was really good! We got out own private spot for about an hour and thirty minutes - The service was great - we had our own tea steeper and had enough tea for the entire time - Loved the duck s*** tea and the dragon tea and puerh tea, super tasty and we even tried mixing it a lot - The place is so cute! Very relaxing Bad: - Gets super busy, so make a reservation ahead of time! Overall, really enjoyed having the time to sit and relax and be present with me and my boyfriend!

UrbanGirl

AMAZING, quaint, quiet, authentic tea house🫖🍵☕️ This place is the real deal. Open 8 years (as of ‘25) the owner apparently travels throughout Asia each year exploring new teas and forming bonds with farmer-suppliers. Wow. Who does that? Vibe is cozy and special. Tea cup price is same as Starbucks venti latte ($7)..worth it because most teas are served clear, w/o milk, but because they’re so sophisticated that allows you to taste so many flavors in the layered profile teas actually have. (I’m a morning Pg Tips with Oatly kind of girl ;) It’s like a wine bar but aromatic teas. They have milks and sugar if you want, but most won’t once you take a sip😉 What a sweet little special place🥰🏡🧡✨

Oneill Mclean

This place is a charming spot that truly captures the essence of a cozy tea experience. During my recent visit, I had the pleasure of trying the oolong tea flight, which was a delightful journey through various oolong flavors. Each tea was distinct, showcasing the rich, complex profiles that oolong is known for. I also enjoyed a cup of Summer Down tea, which was refreshing and light. Its floral notes and subtleat fist but the bold flavor came towards the bottom of the cup. Overall, a fantastic place to unwind and explore a variety of teas.

Brandon Dickson

I love the atmosphere here. It’s a really cool place to hangout, drink tea, and spend time connecting with people. We tried the 2023 Full Circle Shou, 2021 Sticky Rice Shou, Jin Xuan Oolong, and Genmaicha. If you’re in the area, stop by 👌

Jane Lee

Went to this chill spot with a few friends without reservations on a Saturday afternoon! We got our own little room and great recommendations for teas. The tea descriptions on the menu matched their actual taste. If you’re going with a group, order pots of tea which you can get multiple rounds of tea from. We order Liu Bao Puer, Duck sh!t oolong, Black Phoenix black tea and herbal mint tea. Forgot to take photos of the other teas. Would go again if we’re in the area. Also, feels like a good date spot! Quite a lot of free road side parking, no troubles there.

adriana estrella

My friend and I went to hang out for the first time ever here! The tea was great, and we ordered a lot of it. Given the amount that a flight gives you, (with re-steeping the leaves to their maximum), the price is super reasonable, cheap even, considering how much a full cup of the teas we got costed. We also got our own cups of tea and it was less than $45. I had to change the reservation time because I was running late due to traveling 3 hours to the Bay, and it was super easy. If we had a question, we’d just go up and ask and it was chill. And then when we finished we just went up and paid, which is pretty common at small businesses. Overall, it was a great experience and the shop is super cute.

Valerie Hall

Beautiful, lovely atmosphere. While in town I went three times. They were very accommodating despite our lack of reservations on the weekend. Sometimes service felt slow despite it being uncrowded, but it’s the pace that is a part of the place.

Manish Bhatt

Beautiful place for drinking tea and a wide selection. Some desserts available like mochi.

Rachel Cannon

100% worth visiting and visiting again. Warm, bright and inviting- this is a place that has something for everyone. The staff are incredibly friendly and knowledgeable. There are options to get something to go, tea flights to sample a few or choose one and steep away. This place has something special in the ambiance and atmosphere and it genuinely feels impossible to leave this establishment in a bad mood. All of the team deserves more kudos than I can muster. For the curated collection that is here, the prices are absolutely fair. In addition to fantastic tea, there are small bites options from Third Culture Bakery. If tea is your thing, especially if gong fu tea is your thing, DONT miss this place. If you need a little guidance, never fear because these folks are more than willing to help you out. For the COVID cautious, the tables to sit down at are spaced apart adequately and the staff are diligent in wiping them down between customers.

Bijoux Beauregard

Perhaps it's worth noting that this is one of the few tea houses I've encountered that offers both a traditional tea ceremony and iced/milk teas. Blue Willow offers an impressive selection of pu'erh, as well as layered black and green teas. The white and herbal menu is nothing to scoff at, either. The array of glass and porcelain delivered to the tables might seem a tad intimidating to customers that aren't super familiar with them, but I promise the staff are courteous, friendly, and more than happy to teach patrons about steep times and pour techniques.

Paul Nakazawa

Fabulous tea house in Berkeley, CA, with a nice selection of Japanese and Chinese teas. Different spaces, including outdoor seating, Indoor tables have tea kettles on stands nearby if you order traditional tea service. The main space also has a bookshelf with many books and magazines on the subject of tea. The only drawback for me is that there isn’t much in the way of detailed descriptions, provenance, etc. for each tea. But for ambiance and a really nice environment to have tea with friends, this is very good.

Michelle Wang

The pastry was decent but the tea really makes up for it! I really enjoyed being able to have a flight of tea to taste. Definitely a one of a kind place as I don't think this kind of shop exists anywhere else. I definitely would love to return to try out their different seasonal teas :)

Ursula K

I really really liked this place. They celebrate and respect tea. 🫖 every tea is carefully prepared as it must be. they have a great and large selection of different teas in great quality. The place exudes a sense of calmness. Perfect for a break and me-time or a chat with a good friend.

I’m excited to come back and try a different beverage. The chai latte was pretty flavorless. This place takes tea seriously and would make a great date spot. The ambiance is warm and cozy.

Seating is pretty uncomfortable but the whole tea experience was so lovely it nearly made up for it, I had a tasting flight and a sweet potato muffin and both were excellent.

Jen Dimov

Seating is pretty uncomfortable but the whole tea experience was so lovely it nearly made up for it, I had a tasting flight and a sweet potato muffin and both were excellent.

Talia Karasinski

I’m excited to come back and try a different beverage. The chai latte was pretty flavorless. This place takes tea seriously and would make a great date spot. The ambiance is warm and cozy.

Highlights are the pastries from Oakland's Bake Sum. The tea options are plentiful and taste pretty good but unfortunately the whole experience is soured by the horrible service. Super inattentive but worse: extremely condescending and seem bothered by any questions. I thought it was perhaps the server we had the first time but the second time with a different server was basically the same. They have a nice selection teacups and whatnot and have to-go options so perhaps that is the better choice for next time.

Bamboo lies splintered, Hope wrapped in plastic deceit. Taste? Like empty fog. — Don’t order their $12 chashoku online. It arrived in a cheap plastic envelope and looks like it cost 2 cents to make in a factory. The back side is uneven throughout and is already splintering inside the bag. Honestly, it looks worse than the scoops you get in basic matcha kits on Amazon. The matcha was also tasteless and heavily marked up for what it is.

Vic C

Bamboo lies splintered, Hope wrapped in plastic deceit. Taste? Like empty fog. — Don’t order their $12 chashoku online. It arrived in a cheap plastic envelope and looks like it cost 2 cents to make in a factory. The back side is uneven throughout and is already splintering inside the bag. Honestly, it looks worse than the scoops you get in basic matcha kits on Amazon. The matcha was also tasteless and heavily marked up for what it is.

I really wanted to love this place because the tea itself was excellent. The matcha I ordered was very fresh and tasted great. Unfortunately, the overall experience was overshadowed by poor customer service. After being seated with three other guests, our waitress gave us a brief overview of the menu and then disappeared. We waited almost 20 minutes before anyone came to take our order. I eventually had to politely track down a worker myself, only to be told rather pretentiously that they were “busy.” What made this more frustrating was that the table behind us—who arrived after we did—had their order taken immediately and received their tea before we even got a chance to order. The situation made me feel overlooked and excluded, and there was a clear lack of hospitality. While the tea itself was very good, the customer service was disappointing and needs serious improvement.

⭐☆☆☆☆ Unfortunately, this was a very disappointing experience. Although the scenery was nice, we felt unwelcome from the start and the customer service was slow and inattentive. It took over 40 minutes to receive one tea flight and two teas, while other customers who arrived after us were served much faster and received more items. Being consistently overlooked really ruined the experience. Sadly, I wouldn’t return.

Andy Wardell

⭐☆☆☆☆ Unfortunately, this was a very disappointing experience. Although the scenery was nice, we felt unwelcome from the start and the customer service was slow and inattentive. It took over 40 minutes to receive one tea flight and two teas, while other customers who arrived after us were served much faster and received more items. Being consistently overlooked really ruined the experience. Sadly, I wouldn’t return.

Aaliyah Crawford

I really wanted to love this place because the tea itself was excellent. The matcha I ordered was very fresh and tasted great. Unfortunately, the overall experience was overshadowed by poor customer service. After being seated with three other guests, our waitress gave us a brief overview of the menu and then disappeared. We waited almost 20 minutes before anyone came to take our order. I eventually had to politely track down a worker myself, only to be told rather pretentiously that they were “busy.” What made this more frustrating was that the table behind us—who arrived after we did—had their order taken immediately and received their tea before we even got a chance to order. The situation made me feel overlooked and excluded, and there was a clear lack of hospitality. While the tea itself was very good, the customer service was disappointing and needs serious improvement.