Teaism Lafayette Park

Donna, the manager here is incredibly rude and insensitive. We placed an order for a food delivery last night to celebrate a birthday this morning. They cancelled our order and did not notify us until the order was supposed to arrive. When I called the restaurant and spoke with the manager Donna, she was very rude and did not help at all and spoke in an incredibly condescending tone which genuinely came from a source of frustration with DoorDash, but instead of dealing with them and their errors and the way they handled her 12 year client, she yelled at me on the phone and proceeded to say that it was not her fault or the restraints fault. While I have an appreciation for that, it is unacceptable and we should have been notified. We have a birthday celebration with no food. We still love Teaism, but try to patronize Penn Quarter.

My husband and I were pleasantly surprised by the large portions and beautiful plating! The food was delicious. I had the scrambled egg sandwich and a ginger limeade - both so good! He had the french toast and enjoyed it. Would definitely stop back in here again!

I got the udon with vegetables, which I enjoyed. The udon noodles were nice and chewy, like they should be. It was very filling. I also got the classic milk tea with boba pearls, which was good. I ordered everything eat-in and was happily surprised that even the boba was served in a real glass and not in a plastic take away cup. It's nice that they are eco friendly and conscious of the plastic waste produced. I will definitely be returning.

Fresh food at an incredibly affordable price point, I was very surprised! The people who work here are super nice and genuine, the food was a bonus!!! I had the lentil soup, chicken curry and boba tea, which were VERY generous portions. Clean restaurant with lots of natural light and comfortable seating made for a great lunch. Dining amongst the men and women that serve our nation’s capitol, our country and the White House, was a new experience for me.

Second time eating at Teaism. Their food and tea selection is very good. It's counter service, very fast, and quality ingredients in their food. They have breakfast all day. Great for finding loose leaf tea that isn't easily available.

My new favorite lunch spot!! Don’t be fooled by the name of the restaurant—it’s not just teas here—there’s a good variety of food options to eat! I’ve been here three times this past month just to try a variety of their dishes and so far have not been let down. Highly recommend the “bento boxes” for lunch—it’s a huge portion with your meat option and three sides. My favorites are the Korean Beef Brisket and Panko Fried Chicken Bento Boxes! If you’re not feeling the bento box style, you can order these as “side dishes” which is a huge portion too. The Thai Chicken Curry is also delicious—tons of chicken meat and well flavored. It’s a cafe style—you order at the register, wait for your food and then bring it to your table. Food comes out fairly quick!

The food, the service, and the dining area are incredible. Do not skip out on trying this place. Their Korean BBQ and Vegan sandwiches are delicious!

Just like their sister location in Penn Quarter, this Teaism location offers great teas in a space close to the north side of the White House. I do appreciate the addition of outdoor dining space, and they have a cozier interior. The menus are the same, so I would recommend their bento boxes.

Finally checked out this location and it was super cute! I grabbed my usual classic bubble tea, and my mom tried their mushroom chai - she said it tasted like a normal chai but less sweet which is exactly what she was looking for

Came for lunch today with a couple of friends. Place is comfortable and well lit. Also has outdoor seating. One person got a boba tea, which they said was very good. My bento box (Korean brisket) was delicious. Chunks of sweet potato, broccoli, a nice portion of brisket and a scoop of rice. Comes with a small amount of schiracha, which is nice - the brisket was good by itself and also with the schiracha. Delicious and plenty to eat. Oh, I also got a bowl of lentil soup, which was flavorful and hearty and worth the $6. One friend got the chicken curry, which had a good, and not overpowering spiciness. The other got the Vegan Plum Ochazuke (Japanese rice and tea soup), which I was told was delicious. But the warning on this dish is to make sure you control how you introduce the wasabi, because it's potent and a little goes a long way - don't just throw the whole portion into the soup at the beginning! They have a nice selection of drinks and teas, but I stuck with water. The water is self-serve from a large container of iced water in the front. The water glasses are a bit small for me; I had to go up for a few refills. But it's a small item simply to note it for you. The one disappointment with our lunch is not the food or the atmosphere or the Staff. It's that the place is simply too loud when it is crowded. When we got there at noon, it was quiet and inviting, but by 12:30 pm it was difficult to have a conversation. We all said that as we were getting up to leave from our delicious lunch. The loud atmosphere may stop us from coming back during the busy lunch hours.

This is long overdue, I have been meaning to congratulate the fine group of workers at this location for their almost "unreasonable hospitality" .

PSA they have vegan scones! I was running around trying to find baked goods that were vegan, and Teaism was the only one nearby that had any!! 2 ginger vegan scones for $5.50!

I love love love this place! They have a great selection of teas and the tastiest vegan burger! The service is always great and fairly quick, considering it is a small cafe with a large menu. I recommend the lavender ginger limeade, the ginger scones and the vegan burger. 10/10 delicious and satisfying. I don't believe they have wifi, but early mornings and later afternoons are fairly quiet and it is a cute place to sit, eat and read. During lunch time, it gets really busy.

One of my top cravings is located here! I will say the wait time can be a little lengthy but it's soooo worth it! The Spicy glass noodles and tofu is the only thing I've tried and it has me in a chokehold! they have a cute outdoor seating area, which I love when I need to get away from the office.

A must try place in DC. The service is always welcoming. The food is always great for light bites and the atmosphere is always uplifting. Make sure you grab there cookies here. They are beyond tasty

So glad a business meeting suggested this Teaism location. I've met folks at the Penn Quarter location but find this one vastly preferable with friendly servers, plenty of indoor and outdoor seating, free WiFi, and (if you can snag the right table) good outlets near seats. The food, like other locations, is delicious and well priced. If you're coming here around noon, be prepared for a lunch rush with a line out the door. It can get quite loud during that time. Very glad I came early to snag a table.

When you walk in you can take a look at the menu and order at the counter. Then you choose whether you are dining inside or taking the food out to go. Once you pick up your order, you can find a seat! You also have to clean up after yourself once you finish eating. We ordered two bento boxes which were pretty good. The panko fried chicken was very nice and crispy, and the beef brisket was very flavorful! Thanks!

I love this spot. Food is always delicious. They get super packed but are so quick. I adore their bubble tea--whenever I'm in a mood it is my jolt of happiness.

Just like their sister location in Penn Quarter, this Teaism location offers great teas in a space close to the north side of the White House. I do appreciate the addition of outdoor dining space, and they have a cozier interior. The menus are the same, so I would recommend their bento boxes.

My new favorite lunch spot!! Been working in DC nearby for years and never tried this place--I'm sure glad I did because I love this place!! It's a small cafe with plenty of indoor seating (and outdoor). Don't be fooled by the name of the restaurant--it's not just teas here--there's a good variety of food options to eat! I've been here three times this past month just to try a variety of their dishes and so far have not been let down. Highly recommend the "bento boxes" for lunch--it's a huge portion with your meat option and three sides (the broccoli one is so good!). My favorites are the Korean Beef Brisket and Panko Fried Chicken Bento Boxes! If you're not feeling the bento box style, you can order these as "side dishes" which is a huge portion too, and almost half the price. The Thai Chicken Curry is also delicious--tons of chicken meat and well flavored. It's a cafe style--you order at the register, wait for your food and then bring it to your table. Food comes out fairly quick!

We decided to pop in here as we were visiting the White House gift shop right across the street and we needed something to drink with a little bit of caffeine. I opted in for the Silver Needle Fuding - which I got iced. This was some of the best tea that I have ever had! They also have a full food menu that I would love to go back and try out!

I'll start by saying that I always enjoy a visit to Teaism. This was my first time at the Lafayette Square location. I loved the bright and airy feel of the interior, and there's a nice, cozy outdoor patio for the nice weather days. Onto the food, I ordered the bento box (panko-fried chicken) and the okinomiyaki with shrimp. I love that there's a good mix of dishes that can be made vegetarian easily. For a to-go order, my wait time was short and allowed me a few moments to collect myself. Masks were required and from what I saw, everyone who dined in was properly distanced. The only thing I missed was some tea and the oh so delicious salty oat cookies :-) I look forward to those the next time.

Most amazing chai!! Add a salty oats cookie for a delightful afternoon treat. Great atmosphere and lovely outdoor tables!

My last review here was five years ago and I have continued to eat here regularly for lunch. Even through the pandemic, the food remains very good. I hope they will get back to using real cutlery and plates soon but I understand the need for plastic. Helpful cheerful staff, good options of interesting food, great location. Keep it up!!

This is my first time here but it will definitely NOT be my last. I ordered the Thai Chicken Curry with the Dragonwell green tea. Can I tell you something?! It was sooo delicious I had to apologize to the order taker Lordes because I doubted how good the food was here. The curry was so flavorful and literally packed with chicken. There were huge chunks of vegetables that were prepared just right. Did I mention how friendly the people are here? Lordes was very friendly and humbly accepted my apology after I tasted my delicious dish. Another way you know the food is good here, even before you eat. Come in, take a seat watch and listen. Lordes seemed to know most of the people that came in, even to the point of lovingly chastising some of the regulars who had not been in in while. Right away this tells you (1) the food is great and (2) the folks who work here know the people they serve! You can't lose, you're going to get an awesome meal with a beautiful smile, plus you won't have to wait long to eat. Don't take my word for it, find out for yourself.

I tried the lavender lemon mint tea. It was okay to me. I probably would have liked it better without the mint. My friend who got the same thing loved it.

Several friends and I were in town, and they needed a coffee. As a non-coffee drinker, I'm always on the hunt for a good chai latte wherever we end up stopping, so I was so excited to have so many delicious options! My chai was delicious with lavendar added in, and I also picked up a chunky pecan salty oat cookie that was just delectable! We all snacked on it so it disappeared far too quickly.

The ambiance was cute, the service was quick, and the food was good. I had.... the spicy glass noodles and tofu. It was my first and I enjoyed it.

The salty oat cookies are very interesting . . . and expensive. If you are following Yelp or Maps directions, the REAL ENTRANCE is NOT off Connecticut Ave. Enter on the side of 1610 H street NW Washington D.C. Also, the sign is tricky, very small, maybe the large sign was damaged after riots of 2020. There is another sign that says: Teahouse Restaurant - very misleading if you're looking for TEAISM. Staff was friendly today on a rainy day.

Why have I never reviewed one of my absolutely favorite restaurants before now?! I am correcting this mistake NOW! This is just a solid go-to for healthy and delicious food. I have been coming here for years and it seriously never disappoints. And who doesn't love a Salty Oat cookie to help brighten your day? (NO ONE.) I usually stick with my old favorite of a salmon bento box, or the tacos. Teas are all delicious, and please don't pass on dessert. If you don't have room, just buy a pack of the Salty Oat cookies to go and thank me later.

I was hoping when Google warned me this Teaism would be packed for lunch it would be wrong, but indeed is was a circus in here even past 1:00. Ordering and finding a table took some time, and they didn't seem to be clearing tables efficiently. This is one of the most downtown-y crowds you'll ever see. I sampled a vegan cheeseburger. By default this came with broccoli, but they didn't have any problem switching the side, and I took the beet hummus. The burger itself and the ciabatta it was on were both excellent. That being said, Leon nearby offers one that's almost as good for half the price, so the real reason to come here is for the tea, and the white tea I ordered was also excellent. Compared to the other Teaisms, this location has less generous hours and offers a more limited menu, so I don't see why I'd go to this one (considering the other ones are better and not that far), unless I really needed to eat right in the area.

Food is fine. Do not order here if you want anything authentic. The udon has chunks of tomato in it and is overly salty, much closer to a minestrone soup than udon. It will probably suffice for anyone that has never had asian food.

The perfect pairing with a trip to the Renwick. Lovely bistro interior. The panko chicken bento is filled with a delicious array. The broccoli cheese bites are a perfect share. Tea selection is inspired. Take away some of their cookies and pastries.

I stopped by Teaism today just before the lunch rush, so it was a lovely atmosphere--still an upbeat vibe but plenty of seating. I ordered the hot chai and the chicken apple sausage okonomiyaki. Unfortunately, I did not get a picture of the items. I definitely recommend the okonomiyaki! The drink: the chai was fine, but I was hoping it would be spicier, so it did not quite live up to my expectations. I will try a different tea instead the next time I go. The food: the breakfast okonomiyaki came with 2 eggs and chicken apple sausages. This dish was so good! It was tasty, filling, and very reasonably priced ($9 for the breakfast one). I also appreciated that the utensils rack included chopsticks. Overall, I would definitely recommend this fusion place for a satisfying breakfast/lunch, especially because it is at a better price point than some of its peers. If the chai had been really good it would be closer to a 5 than 4. I had a good experience at Teaism, so I am sure I will be back to try more of the options.

I just got into town, checked into the Mayflower hotel and found this lovely restaurant. I ordered the Salmon Bento Box, with yuzu dipping sauce, broccoli & orange-fennel vinaigrette, roasted spaghetti squash with sesame drizzle, and brown rice . Oh my goodness. Soooo delicious!! The atmosphere was elegant but not stuffy. A great place to meet up with friends or colleagues.

Wonderful place near the White House to grab breakfast-Lunch and daily break time. Yummy Udon Noodles Bowl-Make sure to order a chocolate Chip Cookie to finish any meal!

They've reopened! 9-4 during the week. Always get their bubble tea here. Place looks great after remodeling. Their curry is really yummy. I'm waiting for their broccoli bites to come back.

What I expected & what I got are two different things. I got an herbal iced tea but received a hot one instead. So she poured the hot tea over ice & then of course that watered it down. This became an issue when I told her how it didn't taste like anything. She gave me the rest of the cup w/ the hot tea in it. Um seriously, that didn't help. Why the tea bag isn't automatically given to you makes no sense to me at all. Everywhere else I have gone to get tea it is there steeping, especially for herbal tea which steeps longer. I ordered french toast. It was over cooked which was unfortunate. Since I didn't want to bother complaining about this as well considering what happened w/ the tea, I ended up eating some of it but just left the tea behind & left. Although the person was trying to be helpful, she could have done more to accommodate & didn't.

Teaism is an interesting chain of unique tea house / cafe combo. They have Asian bento boxes, Japanese style tea sets (tea with snacks) as well as Western-Asian fusion tea sets. We had the latter today and it was great. Service was efficient and good. Compared to their location at Penn Quarter, the decor at this location doesn't have any wow factor or anything special. It looks like a run-of-the-mill cafe unless you know what they offer (different from the Starbucks). I do like their warmer booth seats. Also, it's at the corner of Connecticut Ave and H St, with a tiny sign that's nearly invisible (which says Teaism, Tea House). Easy to miss. Address is 800 Connecticut Ave, but that's a separate building with a lobby. Teaism is right next to it (not to be confused).

I had some training in the area for a week and was craving some bubble tea close by. This was the only place I found nearby, so I thought I would give it a try. They only had one bubble tea option, which is not surprising considering that it was a coffee and tea place. The tea tasted decent and most of the bubbles were nice and chewy. There were some bubbles that did not seem to be completely cooked as they were a bit harder to chew. It's not on or with the bubble tea places like Kung Fu, but I think the bubble tea was okay given the establishment and immediate area.

So this place is quite convenient to my office but I have not visited yet. Today was super cold so convenient won over. I got the tea smoked salmon bento box. The salmon was super salty, like someone had soaked the whole thing in salt and tasted nothing of tea. I've had regular smoked salmon and cured salmon that wasn't as salty. Too salty to eat. I understand that the whole bento thing means it usually comes with rice. I did not want the rice and wanted to replace it with a hot broccoli side, but was told that they only swap out to cold sides, despite the fact that the rice should technically be a hot side. (which is not mentioned on the menu anywhere). They had a cold broccoli which I got. The broccoli with vinaigrette was very tasty, but the Korean pickles had no flavor and the pickled onions were good, but rather pointless. Maybe this box is better with the rice, but I saw it on another plate and it looked mushy. Overall it was disappointing. On a positive note both the sumac dressing and the gochujang sauce are very good, so I don't know what got lost in translation.

It's a no for me. Ordered Morrocan mint tea. Was Luke warm and underwhelming with flavor. My teapot leaked when pouring. Was thankful it wasn't hot. I could've gotten burned. When I mentioned it to the worker she was like what do you want me to do. Not joking. Wont be back. It's a cute store but the customer service is lacking.

Delicious, healthy food and fantastic teas. You order and pick up at the counter -- so service isn't really a factor. I have always found the staff to be awesome -- helpful with recommendations and patient when the abundance of tea choices seems daunting. The ambiance is warm and welcoming, and the tea shop has loads of great items and gifts for tea lovers (but isn't in-your-face commercial). Don't miss the salty oat cookies!

It was so good that by the time I remembered to take a picture, I have already eaten it all. Ordered a bento box ( last item on bento menu- roll your own roll, cones with Norwegian salmon and brown rice ) at 14. 95 per box. Plenty for quick lunch. Fresh, flavorful, good value for money. I also ordered a miso soup. It an interesting version, tastes quite sour ( it has cilantro and lime in it). It is full of flavors and I know friends who would love it. For me, when it comes to miso soup, I prefer the basic original taste. So it is really love it or hate it. I am glad to try it, it is very good, just not my taste.

A very nice place for a light sit down lunch when you want to eat quickly but well; very healthy. Good service, clean, quiet and really civilized. I always enjoy the food and especially the baked treats.

Always a win. Assuming the proximity to the Trump White House doesn't suck your soul out, this is an excellent option for dining or tea. As with all the Teaism locations, the food is healthy and delicious. HOW DO THEY DO THAT? It seems to defy the laws of physics, or at least dining; normally you can have doughnuts OR kale, chicken parm OR squash, flavor OR health -- but both? Science needs to get on this, because they have pulled off something amazing here. Many ingredients are organic (including the chicken); I think nearly all are local, and 100% for sure are tasty. I especially recommend the Bento boxes for lunch. The tea is also fantastic. Tons of flavors, you really can't go wrong. High quality stuff. Lastly, if you need a charming gift item, they also have a small selection of teaware (kettles, cups etc), and you can buy loose-leaf tea to go, chocolates and their truly remarkable (and not overly sweet) cookies. Oh, and the ambiance is great too -- indoor and outdoor dining. Limited street parking in the area, close to Metro. Definitely worth a visit!

Teaism is the perfect spot for a lunch break. Even though I'm not a huge fan of wasabi, my co-worker talked me into trying the Okomomiyaki! So delicious & crispy. The cookies are also really tasty & fresh. The service was quick & everyone was very friendly & accommodating. Can't wait to go back & try all the other delicious looking dishes!

Visited Teaism with a coworker today for lunch. I ordered the brisket tacos which were pretty good and a decent portion size. It was incredibly crowded and the orders were prepared randomly which is why I rated it 3 stars.

I really like the concept of Teaism- a quaint little tea shop and cafe that isn't too pricey or formal. You order and pick up your food at the counter- making it convenient for a quick lunch. The menu looks promising and healthy, with fresh salads, curries, and sushi rolls. I like the Middle Eastern, Japanese, Indian, and Korean influence on the menu and extensive selection of side dishes. However, I was pretty unimpressed by the few menu items I tried. The ochazuke soup with salmon was slightly bland and lackluster. I get that it's supposed to be a relatively mild soup with green tea as a broth, but it needed a spicy kick to enhance the earthiness of the seaweed and fishiness of the poached salmon. I got the bento box with fried chicken, potato mix, pickled veggies, and seaweed salad (instead of brown rice). The fried chicken was the size of Chick-Fila nuggets.. It was coated in a panko crust but was so dry I had to keep drowning it in the onion mayo sauce for some flavor. I was really unimpressed with how dry and boring it tasted. The potato mix consisted of sweet potatoes and new potatoes that had been cooked a while ago and refrigerated- resulting in a dry starchy taste. The seaweed salad was standard- something you would packaged from an Asian grocery store or sushi restaurant. The picked cucumbers and onions were crunchy and salty- the only thing I really enjoyed. Overall, I was disappointed with my meal, but I'm sure the tea and some of the desserts are better (what they are more known for).

It was some time in the afternoon after work and I was looking for some boba tea when I Yelped and found this quaint little tea place near my office. It has been a nice seating area outside and inside. I arrived around 5:15 and since they close at 5:30 I didn't really get the chance to explore the menu. Again, I was looking for some boba tea but I turned up selecting the Chai shake. They also have a variety of cookies and pastries and I went with the chocolate chunky salty oatmeal cookie which was huge. I sat down and enjoyed my cookie while I sipped on my Chai shake. Both of the cookie and the shake were delicious. The service was quick and the price was right. I paid about $6.25 for my early evening snack. A lot of the items that were for sale looked delicious and I would love to go back and try them. I noticed other people were eating meals and green juice so I am sure they have a lot more delicious items on the menu.

Love this place, lots of great Plant-based options, relaxing atmosphere, and good for hosting meetings/events.

I think of myself as a nice little Teaism devotee but I was unaware that this location existed. It is called Teaism Lafayette Park for a reason. It has some prime real estate. At this point, my visits to Teaism are for the Zhengzhou Pearls, their Milk Tea with Boba. I have no problems with the food and their Boba is not the best I've had but I enjoy it. I love it as a nice transition betwixt tasks on a busy day, or as a snack. This last visit followed a trip to the Renwick. My first time. Hence, I didn't know there was a Teaism this close. Perfect to grab your stuff to go and make a go of Lafayette Park. Since it was shortly before closing, and I didn't find that out until I was ordering, my hopes weren't up for Zhengzhou pearls. But per usual, Teaism came through! In and out antes de closure. This experience was A+ but I can't give it 5 Stars. Teaism Penn Quarter has a beautiful layout. It looks and feels nice but the Dupont Circle location is in a beautiful space and Penn Quarter has the two floors and the koy pond. Great location but compared to the other locations, the positive energy isn't swirling as much. p.d. Staff was amazing!

This place is quite pricey for the amount of food, but the quality of good makes up for it a little. In the words of my parents, "nothing was amazing, but it was much better than expected so I'm satisfied". Best deal here are the 3-5$ pots of tea! You get free refill of waters so I recommend sharing them between two people. I got the Anxi oolong tea and loved it :) not too bitter and not too sweet

One star for their teas. Although since they serve only one size, the price is kinda like paying for a Starbucks latte. But then again its DC... Love that they have brown rice which I always take out to eat with my homemade lunch curries. They have good soups too but the sucky part is the special soup of the day are not on the menu so I can never guess when they are serving my fave, the Indian Mulligatawny. I used to call every day at one point but then I felt stalkerish and gave up :-D

I visited this Teaism location almost 2 years ago and gave it just 2 stars. I had had a bad experience and did not enjoy the food during that visit. However, nearly two years later, I visited again and have to say that I was quite satisfied with my meal. Perhaps it was the difference between taking my food to go (as I did last time) and eating at the restaurant itself (as I did recently). The portions are much larger when you dine in, as I had suspected the last time I visited this Teaism location 2 years ago. I ordered the salmon bento box again and loved the combination of the chilled salmon, pickled cucumbers, broccoli, seaweed, and brown rice. I still think $10.95 is still a bit pricey, but it's a healthy, tasty, and filling enough meal. And this time, there were actually places to sit for lunch around noon! This Teaism location certainly has "redeemed" itself!

Very sad to see how this place brought down size and quality severely of its dishes over the years. I guess owners have gotten greedy. I hope the better value competition teaches them a lesson! I won't come back.

I went with a friend and got the Afternoon Tea (the Asian version). This came with some tea cured salmon & nori, spicy cucumber salad, rice balls with pickle and sesame, green tea ice cream, mochi, chocolate truffles and a pot of tea. The salmon was surprisingly pretty fresh. I got the ginger zing tea. The flavor was crisp and refreshing. A great way to end a Museum Day trip at the Newseum! The Afternoon Tea deal is $20 per person. Slightly overpriced but definitely something to experience.