Malaya Tea Room

I've never gone to a place for afternoon tea before so this was a really cute experience. The place had a lot of character and the employees were nice. The fusion of British and Malay options and flavors was pretty cool! I'm not sure how much on average afternoon tea is so it did feel pricey. They had outdoor seating with blankets and heaters which I really appreciated and the food was decent. I would say it's definitely for special occasions and something to experience at least once.

I stumbled across this place and thought what a perfect spot for an afternoon. My friends and I had the best time here. The staff is very efficient and helpful. The tea was absolutely amazing, very aromatic & flavourful but not over the top. There was really cute seating outdoor that I would recommend on a nice sunny day as they provide shade. To be nit picky, it was quite cold in the space… the ac and fans were going and would have been a little more comfortable if it was a tad warmer whilst waiting for the tea and afterwards. Highly recommend this place for cute dates/special occasions/family & friend outings

Fantastic tea room! Loved the Malaysian flavours. The owners were so kind too, some small mistakes were made with our order and they offered us things for free. A great choice for a birthday celebration.

My friend wanted to have Malaysian tea at Malaya for her birthday, but there weren’t any reservations available online. Luckily the owner Leena responded promptly to my email and booked an outdoor table for us. She warned us that it’ll be a bit chilly so we wore thick coats; they provided one small heat lamp for one side of the table and offered blankets too, but we didn’t use the blankets. My favorites were the meat floss with basil spread sandwich and the Malaysian pull tea. Each sandwich flavor comes with 4 slices. The Malaysian tea was strong and sweet. We also enjoyed the apple cider tea and no. 24 tea with passionfruit and mango, and requested almond milk and sugar for our tea. Our server recommended the flowering tea too, but that one had an unpleasant flavor so they were nice to let us switch it out for their Malaya English breakfast blend (they were out of the Malaya signature golden monkey tea that I wanted to try). For my friend’s birthday they surprised us with an ice cream mochi with a candle and two Pocky sticks. This was the first time we actually got full from afternoon tea. Their scones were good too and we barely finished the desserts. We were thinking it’s good that they are waiting until the end to bring us our pull tea, but realized they forgot the tea since they brought us the bill and charged us for the tea, so they brought the tea over. The three of us shared one tea to try which was perfect since we were full. I’d get one for myself next time; the Malaysian pull tea is available on weekends only. It’s a small space with one bathroom, so it can feel tight and cramped inside. I liked the outdoor table. The only issue was we felt rushed to leave; at first another staff member came over to tell us that we can have the table as long as we wanted because there’s no reservation after ours, but then he suddenly came over to tell us we had to leave in 10 minutes because another party needed our table.

Shared a lovely morning here for tea. Everything was delicious and tasty. I got a pot of Paris black tea with hints of cherry. With a splash of milk it almost tasted like chocolate. The sandwich not to miss is the curry chicken and the meat floss! Both have excellent deep flavors and give you a taste of Malaysia. The Kaya is one for sweet lovers, the salmon has a nice blend of herbs and fish. The dessert that comes with the tea are so so cute and so so good. Mini macaroons, a custard and mini chocolate candy. The service was terrific, the atmosphere was friendly and calm. We got the largest tier of regular sized tea : 1 pot per person of tea, canapés, desserts, scones and 2 sandwiches per person ( 4 slices each) but you CAN order extras. More than enough. They do have kid version. Great place for a sweet meet-up, highly recommended!

I was visiting from IL and took my granddaughter (also, my daughter-in-law) for Afternoon Tea to celebrate her middle school school graduation. We ate outdoors which was lovely. The service was fabulous, the food scrumptious, and the Butterfly Tea was magical. All employees wore masks and were very friendly. My granddaughter just loved everything. Perfect for any celebration or just a relaxing treat to chat over a divine tea.

Cute, tasty, friendly experience, and I especially enjoyed the fine details! My friend made reservations. There are 3 tables for seating outside with umbrellas for shade, 2 tea services for adults and I think 1 for children. My friend and I both had the main afternoon tea service. The English menu has 2 veggie options (but I wish they would add an apple or other fruit slice to the brie and fig jam because that's pretty skimpy with just the 2 ingredients if you take out the turkey) for sandwiches but unfortunately, the Malay sandwiches do not. The hummus on top of the cracker was curry flavored and I feel like that was the only Malay part of my experience there. The scone was quite crunchy and tasted more like a cookie, however, everything we ate was delicious. I liked my mango passion fruit black tea more than my friend's house special, Malaya's Signature Golden Monkey. I did not go inside. I'm not sure if I will return.

It's really not a lot for the money. If you're used to afternoon teas in the UK, this is unlike that in so much as your $85 gets you literally JUST what you see in the photo. No second rounds of sandwiches, pastries or tea, literally just that. The sandwiches were pleasant enough, the pastries were fine, the space was cool (if you're outside bring a jacket), service was ok. But man, $85 for effectively one sandwich and a few pastries is insane even by Bay Area standards.

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.