These are reviews of Old Teahouse from 2008. See also the reviews from 2005, 2006, and 2007. For more current reviews, visit the main entry.
2008-01-26 15:12:22 I've eaten there once. Service was extremely slow. They have a sign that lights up with your order number, except they forgot to use it for my order, which sat there for quite a long time. They said that they called out the number, but the place is so crowded and noisy that there was no chance of hearing a number being called from more than 2 or 3 feet away.
When I finally got my order (Chow fun), I discovered that it really wasn't edible because it was so greasy. Despite being very hungry, and having waited at least 40 minutes for my food, I barely touched it.
Seating was very difficult to find due to crowding.
Slow service, bad, greasy food, poor seating, overcrowding, and a poor method of getting people their food make this a place that I don't particularly want to go back to. —IDoNotExist
2008-01-27 11:01:34 i agree, its greasy, but then again, its like going to Coco's n order fettuccine alfredo and then complain how cheesy and how oily it is (and the fact that if you take it home + microwave , ur asking to die). Its chinese chow fun, its suppose to be greasy, wat do you expect? GET THE DAMN BEEF CHOW FUN! —JamesLi
2008-01-27 11:30:39 I often get Chow Fun at Noodle Express, and it isn't greasy. However, it is quite yummy. I got beef chow fun at both places. Noodle Express' chow fun was great. Old Teahouse's chow fun wasn't edible. —IDoNotExist
2008-02-13 05:40:05 Again, Mr. James Li, I am browsing at work night shift, and I love silver dragon, but if someone else hates it, that's fine and I live my life. It is just funny, nay weird and/or suspicious, how you do strongly defend this ( crappy ) restaurant whenever someone simply detracts and says it is not good. —DCWine
2008-02-16 07:50:27 you know , i agree that sometimes the food they made is craappy, sometime extremely crappy. —JamesLi
2008-02-19 01:33:22 This place is a little below average. The food here makes you feel more unhealthy than usual compared to other chinese food of better or same quality. The food lacked some authenticity which would make the food more delicious. however, their tea is extremely delicious! Their jelly with the tea is SOOO YUMMY. If I could get only jelly and in masses, I totally would! Go for passion fruit! —chand3123k
2008-02-22 04:47:57 I don't know how to email, but James Li....would you happen to be from Southern California? If so, I think we may have gone to high school together......random question —DCWine
2008-02-26 17:49:45 Unfortunately, I am from san jose haha —JamesLi
2008-03-19 16:36:24 The popcorn chicken is amazing! If you get a chance, get it EXTRA EXTRA spicy, because it's delicious! The drinks are pretty good and I've never been there when they were out of tapioca. I only go for drinks and the chicken, so I'm not so sure about the food. —VTang
2008-03-19 18:52:49 While I have to go here because I need pearl tea (there's not really anywhere else you can get it in town), I find the staff really unprofessional. They sit/stand behind the counter and eat right in front of you. Whether or not they are on break, they should really go somewhere else and not sit behind the counter eating and chatting amongst themselves while you're trying to order. Really, really unprofessional. —AndreaPasiliao
2008-03-21 15:20:45 I am quite disappointed. The first couple of times that I went there with my boyfriend to get Boba, they were pretty nice! But then the current couple of times that I went there to get lunch, their manners seem to descend...I am trying to go from Vegetarian to Vegan, so I ordered an Eggplant Tofu Special, and they had bits of meat in there! It was absolutely outrageous. Today, when I was ordering, the worker was rude and I felt pushed away. I really really liked going there, but I am afraid that after these incidents, I won't go there unless I am going to get Boba with my boyfriend and friends, and that's if I really crave it that badly anymore. :((((((((( —ThisIsSoHard
2008-05-03 17:32:05 Food is so so, but is fast to get. They do sometimes make the rice too hard, and that just ruins the order in my opinion. You do get full, but the fullness is most likely due to the rice. Each box has a lot more rice relative to the order. —Noobster123
2008-05-09 15:06:09 i stop here maybe once or twice a month for the salt and pepper tofu and a boba when i'm having a craving - and i have to say that on at least five or six occasions i have either been given incorrect change (initially), or made the wrong drink (like today), or otherwise jerked around at the register - and i am white, and have always felt the vibe that my business/presence isn't appreciated. and i'm never here when it's busy and there's an excuse for confusion or rudeness - i usually come in when it's dead. i wouldn't come here at all if it wasn't the only place in davis that fit that particular snack niche. last time i paid with a $20 (i read the other entry about this) and the girl behind the counter insisted that i'd paid with a $10, too, so i imagine she might have a *lot* of "bad days"... but what do you expect from a place that doesn't take credit cards? pretty sketchy all around. —calvin2
2008-05-14 23:04:16 this place sucks. 3 reasons: 1. it's over crowded with first year teeny boppers, who haven't realized this place taste like cheap crap 2. they once charged me .50 cents for a cup of water (which i think is actually illegal in california because it was not bottled water)i was thirsty tho i didn't feellike wasting energy arguing over 50 cents 3. more than once they've gotten the wrong order 4. the food is not good, and over the years they are getting cheaper...ie. less meat, crappier veggies, etc —foodexpert
- Its not illegal because they are technically charging you for a cup. And really, even if you brought in your own cup, they could refuse to get you water or charge you for the service for getting you water. Its a lose-lose situation if you try to argue it, though I agree its rather lame. Who charges for a cup of water nowadays? —SunjeetBaadkar
2008-05-17 02:44:55 Although I have never asked for a glass of water (Nor if they charge for it), Im pretty sure its not illegal, if you consider it, the CoHo also charges you for a cup of water, excpet its in a disposable cup instead of reusable one. —JimL
- now i don't like old tea house that much, but bad music videos have nothing to do with racism, and come on your evidence is "pauses" between drink calls. I am white and have never felt unwelcomed. They are perfectly within their right not to accept 4.03 for 4.04. Its not like you didn't have the money, you just didn't want change. But i agree that it would have been nice of them if they said yes, in fact i think most businesses would say yes, but Im not seeing the racism here. Actually after reading the part of your post that was so inappropriate it had to be deleted, i think it is more likely that the racism goes the other way. — MattHh
2008-05-22 12:03:59 this place is sooooooooo bad. and the service is sooooooo crappy. —C.H.Kuo
2008-05-28 21:50:51 if you can, get 44 and only 44. 44 is the best. —chand3123k
2008-05-29 02:44:52 The Tofu dish I ordered (after asking if it was vegetarian) had bits of greasy meat at the bottom of the container. I threw the food out & will never set foot in there again. —AprilAries
2008-05-29 13:07:57 I've felt put off by OTH a number of times, but on the other side of the coin I know a Davisite who works there, and the fried chicken is good, but I have heard vegetarian horror stories for sure. —StevenDaubert
2008-06-06 21:02:42 The only positive things I can find about this place is that it is open till 2am on Thursdays and Fridays, the fact that it is the only boba place in Davis, its proximity to campus, and their fried rice. —susiekim
2008-06-10 02:09:29 Greasy/oily & salty..
I took a bite of eggplant-tofu and I could taste the MSG D: —xcutioners
2008-06-11 09:44:34 This restaurant has its flaws, but it's not necessarily as bad as people say (though I certainly wouldn't laud it as the greatest, either). Service does tend to be a little laconic, but the employees are often exhausted—have you seen the peak hour lines? Some of the food isn't really that good, but it's not terrible as far as Davis standards of Chinese. There is some fluctuation of quality. It's also a very, very crowded restaurant and very popular.
To get a table and much faster food preparation, just come by during less busy hours. For some reason, college students seem to like eating late, so after about 9 or 10 pm it gets pretty busy all the way until the restaurant closes. This is really annoying to a lot of customers, but the restaurant can't help when people decide to come by in huge masses, that's up to the customers. Come by in the middle of the afternoon, which generally means your pick of tables and food being prepared much more quickly. Most of their problems like terseness, mistakes, slow service and so on can actually be attributed to how busy they are, so. —KayChang
2008-07-16 15:23:45 this is the only place in davis where you can get salted fish and chicken fried rice. i hate this restaurant, but i cant deny the awesome fried rice. —julpham
You can get Salted fish w/ chicken fried rice at Jade Garden over in Mace Ranch. —Aaron.Curtin
2008-07-20 01:23:07 I hate you Old Teahouse! It's HORRIBLE service. The cashier has been mean to me of over 3 accounts. They rudely tell me that they don't take my credit card and they only accept cash. Then they give me a disdain look while I dig for cash in my wallet. On another occasion I tried to order peach flavor and they tell me it's not available so I ask for something else and cut me off before I finish to tell me it's not available. Their tone of voice was continually rude.
I don't go there anymore, I refuse to support their establishment which hires rude people. Plus I'm not a fan of their food anyways. —cnk.midori
2008-07-27 02:27:54 hey cnk.midori, shouldn't you learn by your third visit that they only take cash?? Although they might have been disdainful, it MAY be due to the fact that they've got a HUGE 'CASH ONLY' sign on their cashier...but JUST maybe.....
I think its pretty obvious he meant that they were rude on three visits, and the first time was because of the cash issue..
2008-07-27 23:33:01 Hey cnk.midori, third time you're there and you had a problem seeing the huge "Cash Only" sign after 2 visits? what can i say? —AvilaVoom
- Points for originality. —JoePomidor
2008-07-28 21:41:05 holy drama —fredchen
2008-09-02 18:39:45 Anything is edible if you just food it... —SunjeetBaadkar
2008-09-21 03:15:16 I LOVE TO PAY $3 to $4 dollars TO DRINK POWDER FLAVORED WATER! I LOVE TO PAY $3 to $4 dollars TO DRINK POWDER FLAVORED WATER!
seriously. it's overpriced like crazy but who cares, all the cool kids are drinking it and i love wasting money. —2point0student
2008-10-23 20:41:59 I used to come here when I was a freshman. I like the popcorn chicken, then I really examined what I was eating. It was like spicy shake and bake chicken fat. —CodyDuncan
- Mmmm... Kentucky Fried Schmaltz... —jw
2008-10-26 10:21:19 I'm glad that another tapioca place opened their store. Much more friendly and accommodating than Old Teahouse. So maybe they must learn not to treat their customers like SH*T and recognize the competition. Hopefully they will shape up and realize that without customers like us, they wouldn't exist. —KimN.
- Where? —KellyM
- Quickly
- Located in same complex as Savemart, Guadalajara, and across Sushi Unlimited. —KimN.
2008-10-26 10:37:07 Where is this new store? —IDoNotExist
"2008-10-27" I've never actually gotten anything to eat or drink at OTH, but I do think that it's interesting that half of the posts on this page are people sticking up for what seems like really bad service here. I've worked at busy restaurants in this town where people are served tableside and those places NEVER get the benefit of the doubt on the wiki for being busy. Just thought I'd point that out. RussellAnderson
2008-10-28 16:25:31 I got food poisoning from their popcorn chicken. I guess once in a while I still need to be reminded of why I should come only for the drinks. —BenLee
2008-11-01 12:43:52 Yea, the new store opened. But I am still a big fan of the Tea House. Their tapioca drinks are good and there so many choices of foods for me. I would come by at least 2 or 3 times a week. It is true that workers their shouldn't be mean to customers, but for people who are complaining, have you ever thought about, maybe you're just too not likable to receive a good service from them? I mean, if you always go there with a Sxxxty face, HOW, seriously, HOW do you expect them to still treat you nicely? You're not so nice yourself either. I've been there for n times already, but never experience a bad service. So you know, if you expect something good, be good yourself, too. —QueenOfBigPrint
2008-11-04 19:55:12 hey,queen i love you so much. —dd
2008-11-10 00:30:47 I tried the beef fried rice and the chicken fried rice my friends got. The chicken fried rice was pretty dry but the beef fried rice was good. —kkash
2008-11-19 18:00:55 I love the tea drinks here. Addicted, really, and I'm trying cut back, both for health and monetary reasons. But they are soooo delicious. I rarely order food from here. Although the orange chicken is dynamite and well portioned, the wait time is simply unbearable when the Hawaiian joint two doors down has your food ready in a couple minutes. I don't know what people are talking about with service, though. Everyone is nice and attentive. I don't like that they check your receipt upon pickup either, but I actually think this is more because they want to ensure orders aren't mixed up, rather than someone coming in and stealing food. —condemned2bfree
2008-11-20 15:32:56 food is ok, drinks are good. service is hilarious. The first time i went and asked if they take cards and the cashier looked super taken a back and made an x with her arms and said no! You could see my reaction to that but its fine. Also, if you understand mandarin, sometimes the cashiers talk shit about customers in chinese. Keep your ears up, its hilarious. all in all, still the best tapioca place in davis...sadly still a monopoly. —boked
2008-12-03 20:53:31 My BF & I frequently come here for the drinks & SPARINGLY for the food. I ordered food here once with my BF & I guess it depends on what you order b/c my food order tasted terrible & nothing of what I expected it to taste like while my BF's food tasted fine & decent. Secomd came back with a friend & food tasted fine with different orders this time.
Second note, YES addiction is an ugly thing. I am addicted tea drinks period. Back home I like to drink tea HOT or COLD brewed out in stores & at home. I have a HUGE problem with drinking teas. I don't usually like to order their fruity tapioca drinks ( though I have tried), my friends, BF, & I usually order GREEN/BLACK teas for ourselves or for each other ( when someone picks it up). The teas are decent but it is PRICEY compared to other tea shops I've been to. Overall the place is decent & convenient to a lot of students who live nearby. The ppl who work there are nice & approachable but they've got to drop the occasional attitude change/ mood swings toward customers.
PRO = Place looks nice, clean, & tidy. Offers a good selection of drinks. Convenient stop. CON = Don't like to wait for my order esp during one of those busy crowded nights. Waiting is frequent. Only accept CASH, NO CARD! Not the best place for decent Chinese food in Davis ( and YES, I too can taste the heavy MSG in their food which I avoid.) Sometimes I do noticed that the girls/ boys behind the counter do gossip a lot / even say something shitty about the customers which I find very immature, unprofessional, & ugly.
IF the workers @ OLD TEAHOUSE is reading this, PLEASE TAKE NOTE... just b/c the place is noisy & busy doesn't mean we can't hear your gossips. Just b/c we speak English/ Cantonese to you doesn't mean we don't understand your RUDE UNNECESSARY Mandarin comments. Sure it's none of my business but I am being blunt & sincere about that previous comment, it is sometimes really unnecessary. Thanks for reading! —AlyceeLeung
2008-12-04 15:27:52 The best popcorn chicken in Davis... SOOO GOOD!! I am not a big fan of their Black Milk Tea, Quickly's is better. —hazeleyes16
2008-12-28 16:33:45 I was unpleasantly surprised by the oyster sauce in my vegetarian dish, even after specifically asking that it be withheld. Be careful as they don't list in the ingredients list. I suppose in general I would recommend avoiding this restaurant due to its bad service and mediocre food. —VinceLee
