Malaya Tea Room

Make your reservations TODAY! I absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVE Malaya Tea Room! I have been countless times and have recommended it to so many different people and everyone has LOVED it and raved about it once they go or once I’ve taken them! The whole experience is amazing, delicious variety of teas to choose from: black teas, green teas, Asian teas, no caffeine herbal teas. There is also a large variety of traditional European sandwiches to choose from as well as delicious Malaysian/asian flavored sandwiches! During December they have a special fixed holiday menu that’s also different than usual. They also change the desserts selections frequently so it’s always a different experience every time you go. The service is always impeccable and kind. Atmosphere and decor is beautiful and comfortable, like a favorite auntie’s warm and inviting home who loves to feed you! Visit this place to treat yourself (I’ve gone solo and they have tea for one!), or book for a special event or your besties birthday. They have 3 seatings a day on their open days which are Thursday - Sunday. The times are 11 am, 1 pm, and 3 pm. They very often get booked out and full, so plan ahead and make your reservations!

**credentials: Teahead with a good amount of tea experience in the US, BC, and UK; recently relocated to the Bay and on the hunt for the best tea service locally.** Kicking off the series here with Malaya, a tribute to British Malayan culture; an unconventional but intriguing pick. Ambiance: Tea for two on a rainy Saturday afternoon. 1:15 p.m. time slot; full house, too packed for an audible conversation. I’d recommend booking the proper 3 p.m. slot. Our table was directly in front of the open entrance, so expect some wind and chills. Tea: Refillable water, non-refillable tea. The Apple Cider lacked apple flavor. The Genmaicha with Coconut was pleasant but weak; I had to ask for a double bag. Eats: The Southeast Asian–style sardine sandwich was well-seasoned and balanced with cucumbers, absolutely phenomenal! The Chicken Apple came on brown bread with generous apple chunks. The Turkey and Smoked Salmon sandwiches were mediocre. The scone was on the dry side, but the clotted cream was proper. Unsure if the jam was homemade or commercial. Fruits were fresh and sweet. The pandan cake was a nice twist, subtle enough for those unfamiliar with the flavor. Service: The servers were very polite and kind, with some training in tea knowledge. They kept interactions minimal to avoid disruption. Ring the bell for service. Amenities: The room was clean and well kept, with a spacious restroom in the back. Non-formal china. Low coffee table. Chairs and tiered stands can be wobbly. Accessibility: The entrance is ADA-compliant, though the packed seating can pose challenges for wheelchair access. I’d recommend noting your needs during booking to ensure the best seating. Overall: A cozy neighborhood spot for those seeking a casual outing. A lot of thought and emphasis have been put into showcasing the owner’s Southeast Asian heritage, and I’d highly recommend exploring that when ordering.

Delicious delicious delicious! What a fantastic experience, the menu was enticing and the food absolutely delivered, it was beautiful, enchanting and so tasty! The service was so authentic, kind, fast and caring. The the decor was so interesting and beautiful. But the best was the ambiance - it was so soothing, comforting and enjoyable. I will absolutely be back.

Very cute Malaysian tea room. Food was ok but not really high tea quality. You'll fill up on white bread and hot water. Unfortunately the tiered platter was too big and prevented my friend and I from being able to see each other very well. We had to peek through the gap in the plates. Apart from that, it was a pleasant experience overall.

Love love love! Malaya tea room provided my group with our own teas, delicious bites, and quick service. The place is so cozy and literally everything I ate was fresh and yummy. They really have the tea service thing dialed in. Been to lots of tea services in the bay and Malaya is a new favorite.

Amazing! Great date spot, took my girlfriend here. The sandwich selections are delicious and the staff is attentive and friendly! The tea flavors were also super unique, quite addictive. The presentation of the food was also very impressive, beyond what my camera skills could capture. Highly recommend and I can't wait to come back!

This was a nice experience! I loved the selection of food and tea available, and the service was top-notch. It's a great place to go if you've never experienced a tea hour before and it's not too expensive like other places. Very kid friendly, but I do recommend 7 and up as it is a very small and quiet shop. Each person gets their own individual tea pot! (PICTURED: Sandwich flavors- Curry Chicken, Cucumber, Turkey and Fig, Smoked Salmon. Tea- Butterfly Pea Flower)

Afternoon tea at Malaya was a fun and different experience. Asian meets western in this fusion afternoon tea experience. I loved all of the flavorful tea sandwiches which you wouldn’t be able to try at your traditional tea services. They had an array of sides and desserts and the tea was delicious. You have to make reservations which is standard for most afternoon teas and I would recommend going here. Parking is a bit difficult as it is all street parking and there is no private parking lot.

We hosted family visiting from out of town last month & we decided to share our neighborhood gem, Malaya Tea Room. We were all delighted with the experience. Each of us had our own favorite sandwiches & enjoyed sharing. The food, service, & ambiance are uniquely curated by the owner & we look forward to our next visit. Thanks Malaya Tea Room for brightening our neighborhood!!

This is such a quaint little tearoom that pays tribute to the owner's South East Asian (SEA) roots. Very clean and very efficient use of space. Service was very personable and quick. We were quickly seated and given a menu that offers a variety of sandwiches and pastry, both English and South East Asian. Everything we had was delicious. I highly recommend the Chicken Curry and Pork Floss sandwiches (SEA menu) and had the 'Golden Monkey' black tea.

To put it simply: Tea: 8.5/10 Food: 8.5/10 Ambience: 10/10 Service: 6.5/10 My boyfriend and I enjoy exploring tea rooms, and so we've been to quite few in and out of the Bay Area overall we can say that Malaya tea room would rank pretty high on our list of tea room experiences so far. Malaya has a very good tea selection with many classics as well as some unique teas that we enjoyed. He got no. 44 which was a very fruity black tea, it wasn't overbearing at all. I got the Earl Grey with vanilla flavorings, which was a bit disappointing as it did not really meet my expectations due to the lack of vanilla flavor but EG is always a safe choice. The food was by far the best part of the experience! Malaya did an amazing job with integrating a Malaysian twist to an English tea time experience. We got an order of the Malaysian afternoon tea set as well as the regular English afternoon tea set. For each set we got to pick 2/4 sandwich types that's allocated to each afternoon tea set. We ordered the Salmon, turkey fig brie, and cucumber (on the side) sandwiches for the English set. The salmon was a bit too salty for us but was very creamy and is definitely a good option, while the turkey fig brie was excellent (it was our favorite from this set). For the Malaysian set we ordered the chicken curry, and jerky sandwiches. The jerky sandwich had a good taste to it my boyfriend really enjoyed it, but as a "texture person" myself the texture was just very off since it was just a slice of jerky between soft slices of bread. The chicken curry sandwich was our favorite from this set, it wasn't too salty or had an overbearing curry taste, it was perfectly creamy and the texture was spot on. The ambiance was very nice as well! It was definitely maximalistic but not cluttered. It looked very clean and organized as well. It gave off a very soft and cozy atmosphere which makes it a perfect date spot! It'd also be nice for friendly catch ups :) As for the service, we understand that there may be times when there are tough days for everyone including people in the service industry, but there's a clear line between simple disinterest and a foul day. Our server wasn't the friendliest face there and she seemed very burdened to be serving us, making us feel bad for being there as customers at one point. While we can't say that the service was awful we can say that service is definitely a point Malaya could work on. We as customers book reservations and come in excited to experience the afternoon tea sets, but sometimes a foul mood and disinterested attitude could spoil our experience. Nonetheless, we recommend this place to anyone and everyone looking to experience afternoon tea for the first time or people who'd like to experience afternoon tea with a twist and we'll definitely come back! We just hope it'll be a better day for everyone :)

A lovely high tea room! Great worth for the price you pay. I've been to other high teas in the city and always end up needing to supplement with a meal somewhere else. I accepted this as normal since I know part of what you're paying for is the experience. But at Malaya, my party and I were very satisfied with the amount of food we got! I got the afternoon tea for two with pork jerky, coconut jam (Kaya), salmon, sardine sandwiches. My favorite was the coconut jam. The sardine was a bit salty and pork jerky could've used a little more flavor. The sweets were yummy! I especially liked the mini cheesecakes and pandan cake. Overall cute decor and nice ambiance. Service could have been better, they didn't refill our waters until the very end when we made a request.

High tea with Malaysian flavors, count me in! We made a reservation for 8 people and when we arrived, our table was labeled with a cute little card to welcome us. Each person selects two sandwich fillings and can pick from British and Malaya flavors. Each flavor will come with 4 small sandwiches and they serve you on one tiered tea tray for every two people, so we found it easy to share with the person across from you if you want to try four sandwich fillings. They have an extensive tea menu and their signature Malaysian pulled tea is a special offered only on weekends. My favorites were the curry chicken, yuk sung (meat floss), and kaya (coconut jam) sandwiches. The clotted cream that comes with the scones was incredible! It's $37 a person (before tip) which felt pretty reasonable considering Bay Area pricing. You can walk in, but I recommend making a reservation. They have 3 seating time slots a day at 11am, 1:15pm, and 3:30pm. The decor is cute and all and all Malaya Tea Room makes for a fun group outing!

When you first go in, your table is already set up with a name card and you are expected to go there. There is no front area due to the small restaurant space, so the servers are in the back and no one is there to greet you in the front. I walked to the back and the server showed me my table was set up. This was confusing as my first time here. I really enjoyed the quality of the food and tea. My friend and I celebrated our birthday and wanted to go somewhere nice for brunch. We got the afternoon tea and chose 2 sandwiches each and one tea each. I had bai mu dan and my friend had no. 24 passion fruit and mango tea. We enjoyed them with milk and sugar. Bottom tier: sandwiches - We got 1 British selection - the smoked salmon and 3 Malaysian selections - pork jerky, sardines, and chicken curry. I would order those sandwiches again, except for the sardines since I prefer to eat sardines hot; the flavor was good though with a kick. My friend's favorite was the sardines. Middle tier: The next tier had scones and clotted cream with strawberry jam, fresh pineapples, and canapés, which are whipped potato tarts. The scones with clotted cream and jam were so good and the best ones I've had and I've had high tea in London before. These were delicious and weren't dry. It was my first time trying a canapé I loved the crispy wafer-like crackers and the flavors of the potatoes. Uppermost tier: desserts - My friend and I were too full and packed them to go. The desserts didn't stand out to me. The pandan cake was nice and light and I couldn't identify the cream tart flavor. The service was nice. They have a bell you're supposed to ring to call a server, which I felt weird doing, but the server would arrive with a smile on her face. They also gave us a strawberry ice cream mochi since we were celebrating our birthday. The space is beautifully decorated, but so tight that you could hear the conversations from the other tables. Overall, I recognized the attention to detail and quality in the food and decorations of the place. I'd recommend this spot for a pair of two or group of four.

I had high expectations for this 4.5-star-rated High Tea, but it did fall just a bit short. The service was pleasant, and the ambiance was charming--perfect for a date or catching up with friends. I'd definitely recommend making reservations; when we arrived on a busy Saturday afternoon, every table was taken, with name cards set for the next reserved groups. To place your order, you ring a small bell on your table, which can feel a bit awkward. It was amusing to watch different tables ring their bells, only to see the waitstaff glance around uncertainly. Nonetheless, the service was friendly and attentive! The food was decent, with the scones, clotted butter, and jam being the highlight for me. However, I couldn't help but feel that the experience could be elevated by replacing the plastic cups for the butter and jam with something more elegant, like glass or porcelain. The plastic cups detracted from the overall ambiance, prompting my friend to jokingly call them an eyesore. Despite the minor flaws, it wasn't a terrible experience overall. However, aside from the scones, much of the High Tea left something to be desired. The green cake lacked flavor, and the Apple Cider was disappointingly bland--stick to the delicious Earl Grey tea with lavender instead!

I'm glad I came back to Malaya a second time, this time it was much better! I think I prefer their standard menu to the holiday one. Everything was delicious and as criticized in my previous review, not everything was cold this time. The scone was a bit warm, as were some of the sandwiches. I love Malaya's signature sandwiches especially. The meat floss with basil and curry chicken ones were my favorite. All the sandwiches were perfectly soft and portioned. Love this place!

A really lovely morning or afternoon tea spot. Two options for tea - full tea or light tea. One person at my table got the full tea, and the rest of us got the light tea. I think the light tea option was the perfect amount unless you're really hungry. They have vegetarian options but no vegan options. I really enjoyed how there were classic British options as well. I got the #42 tea and it was the favorite of the table. Highly recommend for the experience!

Excellent service, great selection of teas and a lovely atmosphere in a quaint area of Alameda! Bonus points for the on-concept decor. Will come back again and again!

This was my first time doing an afternoon tea service and I loooooooved it! The interior is cozy, and eclectically decorated, which really added to the charm. All the food that came out was great, I felt so fancy hahaha. Each person in your group can choose their own tea, and their own finger foods. I would hiiiiighly recommend trying out a tea service for the experience and especially for the food.

I've never been to a Malaysian-style tea room nor have I been to anything other than English high tea, so this was a treat. We had the afternoon tea service which included a pot of tea, two of your choice sandwiches, a British scone with clotted cream, savory canape, and three kinds of sweets. The Kaya sandwich was delicious -- it was coconut jam with sliced butter, that's it. Just butter in between two white bread slices. DELISH. I had to opt for a traditional one as well, so I got the turkey, Brie, and fig jam sandwich which was also tasty because you can never go wrong with a sandwich with Brie in it. It's a very small spot with limited tables, but the tea house is decorated so beautifully, I would definitely come back to enjoy another spot of tea soon!

Malaya Tea Room although small is a cool little spot to get some out of this world tea and delectable pastries and sandwiches. I prefer seating outside especially on a warm day and experience all the buzz in the neighborhood. Food is pretty limited in terms of selection but the ones they do have a very good. They have many selections of tea that are brewed loose leaf style. The vibe is great and is definitely a tea room you should put on your list to come check out.

I've been here a couple of times . I absolutely love it ! It's so filling and the sandwiches and pastries are very unique and I've been to almost every tea house in the bay . I love how close this one is to home . I love the tea selection as well and how small and intimate it is !

We went for the first time today and it was lovely. The space is nicely decorated, the food was great -- really an interesting selection. And the tea itself was excellent as well. Service was very good as well. We like to go to "afternoon tea" for a treat sometimes. We will definitely go back!

I had tea there yesterday to celebrate a birthday. They have a full English tea menu and a Southeast Asian menu. It's lovely.

This review is for Malaya Tea Room's afternoon tea to-go boxes. While I haven't joined a tea service on-site, I would recommend visiting and trying out their afternoon tea. The indoor space is nicely decorated with a wonderful theme and the customer service is always excellent. They also change up the menu and serve unique sandwich flavors and cute desserts. I have certain dietary preferences and they were willing to accommodate and be flexible when I placed an order for pick-up. You can also request to-go cups with hot water, which is great! Definitely recommend visiting Malaya Tea Room if you're in the area.

My husband and I came here to check it out. I've been wanting to go to an afternoon tea place with him for the longest time and finally, we were able to schedule a reservation here! We had their holiday pre-made menu. I ordered the golden monkey tea and my husband ordered a chamomile. I didn't try the chamomile, but I did enjoy my Golden monkey tea. Our tea came with a 3-tiered tray with sandwiches/breaded items at the bottom, more savory treats in the middle, and desserts at the top! The tea shop itself is cute and cozy. I love the decor, and I you're lucky, you'll get the window seats! When you need service, just ring the bell and they'll come for you! Would definitely recommend others to try this place out! It was super fun and an awesome experience.

This will be my second time here, excellent, 4.5 they try hard there to please all, yes ALL their customers tastes and needs for a scrumptious afternoon tea, slight Malay Styled. Some twists, not too much for the scared fearful. It's a nice change and during my second visit, parking was alittle easier this time, it's all luck, neighborhood folk come and go. No EV connectors for mile and a half for slow chargers. This place is great like a forest vs. jungle, first time me and the server fought off a yellow jacket mini that wanted the honey pot for my hot tea. Several choices and some unusual. Loose and bagged. Was a year apart since my prior visit just past C-19 activity post dining out. Get two tea pots larger and end up sharing with your guest/partner. Yes it could be semi romantic due to flowerage and bushes/shrubage/ivy around. no large parties here, they just can't do it inside and space outside are really not good together for a large fam. They do a good job and I have been to over fourty Afternoon Tea houses, resorts, hotels, and infamous such as Love's (both), Bellagio and Ceasar's Palace and SF's infamous Palace Hotel as well as Scottsdale's Princess and also Camelback Inn where President's have had. And the infamous Biltmore in Phx as well. Also a tiny place downtown. Here is more relaxed outdorsey setting, not high tea prices, and doable. Twist is a couple of Malaysian style curried chicken, another unique small bites and two desserts including purple rice. Other items are the norm including classic cucumber/cream cheese and other assortments with strawberries and Mangoes and pastry as well. One of my TOP FIVE West Coast regions including NV, AZ, CA and HI. Give it a try if you venture out on this Island and be patient for parking.

Reservations only! We made a reservation for 2 on Thursday at 1pm. I've always wanted to have a tea party and I didn't know there was a place nearby until recently! I was super excited to try it out and it did not disappoint. Since tables are reserved, they put your name on a placard and I honestly think it's so cute. There aren't too many servers, so you have a little bell that you can ring if you need something. We had 2 afternoon tea services and ordered turkey/Brie/fig jam, curry chicken, coconut jam, pork jerky as our sandwiches. It comes with a scone, a savory canape (ours was potato), and some desserts on top. We could each choose our pot of tea and there are so many options. We both asked for recommendations and it was pretty good. Shortly later, our tea was ready and so was our food. Curry chicken (5/5): this was the best sandwich. The bread was pillowy soft and the curry chicken was really good (the chicken was in small little pieces, kinda like a tuna salad). Coconut jam (3/5): this didn't taste like coconut, but it sorta tastes like condense milk, but not as sweet. There is also a slice of butter in it and it gives it a bit of a texture when biting into the sandwich. It was interesting. Pork jerky (2/5): this was literally a slice of pork jerky in between 2 slices of bread. Very underwhelming but I guess it is what it said it was. Nothing special about this. I would say buy some jerky and put it between 2 pillowy bread and don't order this. Turkey/Brie/fig jam (4/5): the combination of this was really good together. I wouldn't have thought to use this combination in a sandwich. Now I can make this sandwich. As for the rest of the items that comes with each order, the scones were really good with the lemon curd jam. The scone was still warm and it had a nice crunch on the outside and warm on the inside. Add some lemon jam so it's not as dry, but really good! The potato canape was so good. It was a little savory and had really good flavor. I'm not sure what's in it, but it's amazing! The dessert tray had a pandan cake, mango sago, and some macaroons. All very good. Overall, I really enjoyed the food and variety and had great time. Would come again!

I thought a tea room would be kind of silly but I had an eventful time. They use an appointment based system to ease the flow of service. Patrons use a bell at a table to have the wait staff come to you. So many food and tea options to pair with. Our group mixed and matched some British classics with Malaysian options. I stuck to the British menu (how imperialistic of me). Sandwiches were good the salmon and fig, turkey, with Brie were nice. I would say the highlights were the ambiance as well as the various bites that came with each food option. Recommend coming with 4 people and sharing food to get a lil bit of everything. I had their white which had some caffeine but not a lot. I would come here again to try the menu or impress folks from out of town.

I LOVE THIS PLACE!! From the food to the ambiance to the service and everything in between. My friends and I have been coming here since they first opened. It is our go to place to catch up with old friends, celebrate birthdays or any special occasions. Malaya Tea Room never disappoints. I am so grateful for this unique Asian fusion Tea Room that brings life and a special flare to our community and Alameda. To have this gem survive through the hardships and difficulties of the pandemic and thrive to where it is right now, is a testimate to the owner herself in how wonderful her food is and how she knows how to treat her customers and employees well (not to mention business savvy). It's no wonder Malaya Tea has garnered such an incredibly great reputation!! If you haven't already tried Malaya Tea Room... what are you waiting for?!?! I highly recommend you do! You will not regret it!!

Cute little tea place in Alameda. Came here with my friend over the weekend for an Asian inspired tea time experience. We did the afternoon tea service ($35 pp). For our sandwiches we ordered the brie and fig jam, curry chicken, kaya, and smoked salmon. It was accompanied with scones with jam and clotted cream, orange slices, a savory canape, macarons, pandan flavored cake with a taro cream, and mango sago. Overall the food was quite tasty - I especially liked the curry chicken sandwich as it was very kaffir lime leaf forward. The citrus notes were perfect with the curry chicken (not spicy though). I liked pandan cake - it was moist and not too sweet. One letdown was the sago dessert - it wasn't sweet very sweet - it relied on the mango to bring out the sweetness. My friend ordered the blue pea flower tea, which she liked. I ordered the number 54 tea, which had a nice but faint flavor - however it was not very strong. Whoever made the tea didn't add enough tea leaves. I was a little disappointed given that the tea I had was a bit dilute. If it only had a bit more tea leaves, then I would have enjoyed the tea much more. As for service, it was attentive, and was just the right amount of staff attention/interaction without it being too bothersome. Parking is plentiful too - you can park on the side streets with either 2 hour limit (or no limit depending on the street). Overall I would give Malaya a 3.5 star rating, rounded down to a 3 since the tea was a bit bland. As this is a tea room, one would expect that the tea should be more robust/stronger.

Such a cute spot for afternoon tea with a perfect Southeast Asian fusion colonial type of vibe. I loved the variety in their selection where you can mix and match plus a lot of unique tea flavors to choose from. I had a tough time but everything was delicious. It's a good value and I would definitely come again. They're really efficient with their seatings being at specific times. We had plenty of food and couldn't even finish it all so took some sweets with us.

I love supporting small Asian businesses, and I grew up going to British-style afternoon tea. What better thing than to put the two together?! I can honestly say the Malaysian-style tea at Malaya was the best afternoon tea I ever had. The meat floss, curry chicken, and bak kwa sandwiches were delicious with authentic Southeast Asian flavours, and the pandan desserts and British scones weren't too sweet. I left very satisfied. 10/10 recommend this place to anyone wanting a special tea service for an event or just because.

Malaya Tea Room offers a charming high tea experience with an elegant Asian twist. With its wide array of tea selections and delectable sandwiches and sweet treats, it's a haven for tea enthusiasts and food lovers alike. On two separate occasions, I've been enchanted by the attentive and helpful staff, guiding me to the perfect tea to complement my experience. Without a doubt, I'll be returning for more delightful moments at Malaya Tea Room.

Excellent service and good vibes!! Highly recommended but deposit for reservation is needed.

My friend made the reservations for us. It's a unique experience. We had a table next to the window. It was intimate and lovely. This place is a mix of southeast Asia and Britain. I really liked their sandwiches and have not tried it elsewhere. I think it was the sweet coconut finger sandwhich and two other ones which I forgot because the descriptions were long. :) We also all had our own pot of tea, which meant we could try out different flavors. I'd love to be back here again for tea.

WHEN: Sat @3:30pm PARKING: I lucked out with a spot right in front. Otherwise you may some some free street parking across the street or around the block. This spot offers both indoors and outdoor parking (heated!). Reservations are required and they have 3 times lots for seatings: 11am 1:15pm 3:30pm I came here for my friend's farewell to work, so there was a total of 7 of us, which means there is a gratuity of 25% (I know but everything is pricier now and running a food business is hard enough already). This Team Spot is a tribute to the British Malaya era. So there is the more British Flavors option, and the Malaysian Flavors options. Here's what I had: AFTERNOON TEA SERVICE FOR ONE - $35 This includes: + POT OF TEA - I chose the TEH TERIK (Malaysian Pulled Tea), which is only available on weekends. It's a local street drink that is milky and pulled between 2 cups to achieve a frothy topping. There's a bit of ginger in it too so there's a bit of spice. I really enjoyed this warm beverage. + CHOICE OF 2 SANDWICHES - I chose KAYA (Coconut Jam) and sliced cold butter, which was amazing. No pandan but still good. The other I chose BAK WA (Malaysian style pork jerky) which reminded me of thin slice of Chinese sausage--sweet. Thing dry cut. I tried the Southeast Asian style CHicken Curry and that was better. So was the Meat Floss. + BRITISH SCONE - Comes with Housemade clotted cream and Strawberry Jam - I enjoyed this! + A SAVORY CANAPÉ - This was puréed potato on cracker. Reminded me of deviled eggs and it was good. + 3 KINDS OF SWEET - This was a Pandan Chiffon Cake, Macaron, and Chocolate rock candy (similar to M&M's). The chiffon cake was subtle in flavor but good, and the tiny macaron was lovely. The service here is made very clear that they will not check on you since they are super busy in the back prepping the orders. But they come immediately when you ring the bell. I appreciate the service, and the food was good, though the filling in the sandwiches is very thin. The filling makes up 1/10th of the whole sandwich (crust less of course). I really enjoyed it here. I was here last during the holidays and was only able to try their holiday menu. I love how this place is decorated and only wish it's was a normal cafe I can work in.

Lovely East Bay tea service. My friend brought me here for afternoon tea service. Quaint space with only 6 tables, so be sure to make a reservation! Your table has a bell that you ring when you are ready to order/need service. I ordered a pot of their genmacha with coconut tea, along with smoked salmon, curried chicken, turkey and brie with fig jam, and Malaysian style pork jerky finger sandwiches. The curried chicken and smoked salmon sandwiches were clear favorites! The small nibbles and desserts were all lovely and light. Definitely a nice way to enjoy a light lunch with some delicious tea!

Malaya Tea Room provides a unique Asian spin on high tea, but the overall experience felt a little bit of a letdown. Catching up with an old friend, we decided to do brunch at Malaya Tea Room in Alameda. I have always wanted to do high tea so this seemed like a great opportunity to not only catch up but also try something new. While I thought everything was fine, I guess the experience was not my cup of tea? The tea room is pretty small so reservations are highly recommended especially if you are hoping to sit inside! I would say sitting inside definitely adds to the experience because you get the fancy decor you would expect from high tea. Otherwise, it seemed like those who didn't have a reservation were required to sit outside. Be mindful they have three seatings for reservations at 11 AM, 1:15 PM, and 3:30 PM! Therefore, in order to accommodate these times, you are limited to roughly two hours so makes sense to get there on time to maximize your time! Given that the inspiration of the tea room was the British Malaya era, they have a mix of traditional English and South East Asian type sandwiches to choose from when you are selecting. Although the Asian inspired sandwiches were interesting, I didn't like any of them enough to recommend. My favorites were the traditional smoked salmon and chicken apple sandwiches since it was more full than the others. Out of the included items I really enjoyed the scone with the strawberry jam which was a nice contrast with the clotted cream. They were paired well with their Signature Golden Monkey Black Tea which was strong and bitter enough to have enough of a contrast to the sweetness. They also offer a Malaysian Pull Tea for an extra cost on the weekends. I definitely enjoyed it because it has the extra punch from the spices but mellowed slightly with cream. However, as a result, the cost of the whole experience came out to be more than expected. Although I was full of tea, I am not sure I was fully satisfied which may be expected from high tea. In terms of service, it was a little disjointed when I went. When we first come in, they were about to seat us outside because they didn't realize we had a reservation. Throughout the service, the server required us to repeat ourselves multiple times with despite us trying multiple times to rephrase to make it simpler to understand. Perhaps it was an off-day but was frustrating. Parking can be a challenge since it is on a pretty main street. Though there was street parking several blocks away that required about a five minute walk. Overall, Malaya Tea was a fine high tea experience in the Alameda area but may require some level expectations.

Another delicious, wonderful time at Malaya Tea Room! Service is great! Very attentive. A nice variety of tea options, caffeinated and caffeine free. Decor is beautiful. Feels so nice here still.

A quaint & whimsical cafe in Alameda that serves high tea daily, reservation is required since seating is limited. They have different time slots to choose from starting at 11 am. Street parking is available around the neighborhood. You have a choice of sandwiches, some fusion with an Asian flare. I chose the spicy pork jerky that reminds me of Singapore's Bee Cheng Huang and the curry chicken. They are very creative with their ingredients including the strawberry mousse with edible flowers that was too beautiful to eat. Each diner has their own individual tea pot with free hot water refills. The brass utensils and personalized hand written reservation sign is a nice touch. I would like to try their hand pulled Malaysian tea only available on the weekends. Their menu also offers tea service to go on a box as well as cater to young children.

Been here 4 times now. It certainly fills a good niche, both in location and type of tea service. I do like most of their food, but there are a few things each time that leave us disappointed (slightly). On our most recent visit, the gluten free tea was served with a Gluten FULL scone. The server said "we didn't have any gluten free scones so. . " Hmm. Well, when we order in advance a GF tea (thank you for offering one) it's really odd to not prepare a GF option for the bread and even odder to just put some gluten on the tray for a person who (in our case) is actually alergic to gluten. The Malaysian options in the sandos are something you can't get anywhere else.

What a gem of a tea room in the East Bay! It's a very small place in Alameda, and is so cute! If I can, I like coming on weekdays when there's fewer people, but I've gotten a reservation on a Saturday as well. My face sandwiches are the Malaya sandwiches, which include sardine, curry chicken, and pork floss. Those are my favorite flavors since they're unique to Malaya Tea Room (at least in the Bay Area). A couple of my favorite teas include the lychee tea (I'm a sucker for lychee flavors), and the Dragonfruit flower tea, which has a very floral aroma. The desserts change every time I'm here. Some standouts for me have included the Black sesame cake, and pandan cake. It's a woman-owned small business with GREAT customer service!

Celiac review! I'll say the nice things first. Scroll to the end for an update. Malaya Tea Room is a nice high tea experience. Each time I go I call and ask if they can do gf and they say YES. It's relatively inexpensive compared to other high tea places in the bay. They have flavors for both picky and adventurous eaters, and their desserts change seasonally. What I like about them is that the desserts are usually gluten free; mango sago, ondeh ondeh, macarons, and chocolates. My parents got some of the items (not the macaron), in addition to a small slice of cake (they are not gf)-- they also received scones and potato canapés and fruit, none of which I received. They SOMETIMES have gluten free bread for the sandwiches, plus gf crackers. They have a summer item (this cost extra-- not included) of Air Batu Campur which is shaved ice with toppings: red bean, sweet corn, pandan jelly, grass jelly, rose syrup, coconut palm sugar, and evaporated milk. It's gf and refreshing! Overall the staff seems aware and knowledgeable about what gf is. Staff is very friendly. Service is good. Here are the critiques: My one chief complaint is that I didn't get any fruit but my parents did-- since when is fruit glutinous??? This, in addition to not having gf scones or canapés (even though the price of the meal includes the scone and canapés whether or not you receive it). They offered neither to replace fruit nor scone and canapés with another gf sandwich flavor, or an gf extra dessert. So the lack of fruit and scone with no replacement makes it $35 for two sandwiches, three small (SMALL) desserts, and tea. It was good but just disappointing that they did not want to substitute either. You can check out the other pictures posted here to see the difference of how much food regular diners get here vs what I got. Did not get glutened. I want to make a special note or something else: when I originally posted this review on another platform, I received a pretty rude response from the owner, claiming that they would never do gluten free tea, and that I demanded it despite them telling me they couldn't do gf. I want to make it very clear that each time I've gone, I called well in advance to make sure that they were OK with it, and they always said yes. I'm not going to change my rating to less stars in light of this rude interaction, but I wasn't pleased with it and I feel like it's important to know.

This whole experience was so cute and I enjoyed every minute of it! The sandwiches are super tasty and the scone was also so delicious. The presentation and flavors were impressive, and servers were kind and attentive. I will definitely be coming back :)

Remember to make a reservation! I love high tea and I'm so happy we have one in the east bay. It's a small place but it's so cute here! You can't go wrong with the teas and sandwiches, they're all so good! The service here is also great, everyone is so sweet and friendly. I would recommend taking lots of photos here cause the photos will turn out great!

Malaya tea house is a delightful spot to visit. They offer a wide range of teas and a choice of delicious sandwich bites. Additionally, their menu includes freshly baked scones and some other sweet treats. The ambiance at the tea house is calm and inviting, creating a pleasant atmosphere. I thoroughly enjoyed my meal and the time spent there, and would highly recommend it.

Love this place. We came here twice now--once for my mom's bday, and a second time for my sis' bday. We love the Malaysian flavors and the colonial decorations. Their tea selection is also the best we've had yet!

Came back to celebrate my birthday. Ordered afternoon tea service for one. For my two sandwiches I chose the meat floss with basil spread and the Turkey, brie and fig sandwich. The husband chose the chicken curry and the smoked salmon with chive cream cheese. The sandwiches were delicious. As were the scones, the savory canapés which were Procuitto with blueberries and cheese and a mint leaf. Sooo good. The desserts were over the top with deliciousness. Review by the seven year old: "The food was great. I got the Wee Tea menu with hot chocolate, the desserts were a cotton candy ice cream cone thingamajig, macaroon, some mini cookies with solid frosting and chocolate rocks. The hot chocolate has sprinkles and whipped cream Overall I think it's worth coming back. Oh, and it's super fancy."

This is a review for the to-go service for their tea set. I've been to Malaya before with my girlfriends and had loved it. But it's not a great space for roudy young boys. So I decided to host a tea at home by picking up the tea set from Malaya. They made the ordering and pickup super easy. It even came with decorative orchids and pretty wooden knife. It was as tasty as if we were there!!

Great cozy spot for an afternoon tea. It took me a while to try this place because they're always booked out. After the third try (and remembering to check a week and a half ahead), I was able to reserve a table for three. The experience is lovely. They have a large selection of caffeinated and non caffeinated teas to choose from and you get your own pot. The food that came with it was light bites so I suggest you eat beforehand if you are hungry. They did not have a lot of staff that day so it took really long to wait for someone to walk by.

The food is good, with a nice variety of English or Malaysian tea sandwiches to choose from. However, I think they are trying to cut corners to cut costs. They no longer offer lemon curd with their scones, and instead offer strawberry preserves. And the tea now seems pretty bland, as if they reduced the amount of tea leaves they serve. The storefront is tiny but the ambiance is pretty nice despite being crowded, and they even have a small outdoor parklet area which offers some shade and privacy. Definitely not the best tea house, but it's nice to have a local spot for afternoon tea.

What a beautiful tea experience. Visited on a chilly Sunday so the tea pairing was perfect. Make sure you try to make reservations since it's a small and intimate place. I was able to snag a walk in slot but it was 1:30pm. I got the afternoon tea package for $35. You get a tea of your choice and 2 sandwiches option alongside the desserts. The display and eating-ware was super adorable. I enjoy the Asian flavors sandwiches and loved their scone. The vibes are super laid back and friendly. I will happily return.

Went here with my daughter and a dear friend to catch up over tea! Perfect place to do so. A slightly unique menu compared to other tea places. Everything tasted great! Good tea collection as well. Can't go wrong with this place! Service was great.. they do batch seating so don't be late.

A perfect way to spend an afternoon with special ones. Food was delicious & beautifully plated, open face "sandwiches" exceptional. Each guest chooses a tea that will be served in a gleaming teapot, my choice was the lavender Earl Grey which was gorgeous, properly brewed & exquisite. Desserts were lovely, portion to complexity ratio spot on. The space is relaxing but refined, elegant without being overly fussy or Grandma doily.

Quick Summary: - Elegant interior - There are two types of sandwiches: the common English tea sandwiches and the Malayan - inside and outside seating available - Recommend to reserve a spot online before attending: there are three time slots per day - The sweets are uniquely special and very delicious - Malayan sandwiches are mostly protein and meat based We reserved a spot a couple weeks before visiting here. It's been a common sight to see tea rooms that are small, so not many table and chairs. This one has outdoor seating (and it was furnished very fancy. The chairs and benches are so gorgeous). We have opted for indoor seating, so we got the area in the corner of the room and away from the entrance and windows. We browsed through the menu and decided to order all of the sandwiches from Malayan. The only sandwich we picked from the English tea menu was the smoked salmon because that is my most favorite -- can't leave that one off. Each person got their own tea kettle, so we picked different tea leaves. It's been a while since I wrote this review, so I don't recall what I chose, but I remember the one my relative got. It was named with the word 'caramel' on it, and when a sugar cube and cream was added, the tea tasted like boba milk tea. That was one magical tea. The sandwiches arrived a couple minutes later after the tea. The Malayan sandwich filling mostly contain meat and protein. I recall one, that tasted like sweet ham and another also was a different pork like filling. While they were good, in my next visit, I might swap around and pick some fillings from Malayan and the other from English. While I liked the sandwiches with the meat, my family preferred some with vegetable. I'm very pleased to see more sandwich options here because sandwich fillings mostly are the same from one tea room to another. Malayan Tea Room stood out to have more options than the others I have tried. From the Malayan selection, my most favorite is the one with the coconut butter. This one is sweet but the butter creates an even saltiness. My family and I agreed, that we love the desserts. Each of them were dainty sweet, so it was easy to eat and the sugar was not overpowering. I am torn on deciding which was my favorite: the pandan cake or the raspberry cream cake in a cup. So far, I would say the team room here serves the best cakes and desserts.It goes well with the tea. Definitely would return here for another good tea time.

Cute tea place with Asian and traditional British teas and eats. The standard scones with lemon and clotted cream were expected but boring compared to the unusual tea sandwich varieties of meat floss with basil spread and the kaya coconut spread. We rounded out our high tea experience with chicken curry and pork jerky sandwiches--yes I said JERKY. It's a little like Dog the Bounty Hunter meets Kate Middleton. Weird and surprising combo but definitely interesting. Loved everything about this place except that bell on the table they ask you to ring when you want a refill or hot water. I couldn't bring myself to summoning people with a bell. That's a little too 'Upstairs, Downstairs' for me.

This place is so much fun! PRO-TIP #1: If you are coming here for Mother's Day, make your reservations at least one month in advance. They book up very quickly. Reservations can be made from their website. This little tea joint is open Thursday through Sunday from 11am to 5:30pm. But watch out - they seat the last party at 3:30pm! They only seat at 11am, 1:15pm, and 3:30pm. We arrived a little early for our reservation and they seated us promptly. The price is moderate. Its $35 for afternoon tea. Each child (less than 10yrs) is only $22. PRO-TIP #2: When you book online, be sure to ask for sidewalk dining. They have outdoor heaters, so it doesn't get too cold.