A lot of people on Steepster are already aware of how much I love Samovar [a lot]. So, not to be redundant, but seeing as how I recently made it out to San Francisco and spent a fair amount of time at a couple of their locations while I was out there, I must wax on about them a bit more.

It was sunny out, with a bit of a nip in the air. When it gets like that, a lot of San Franciscans comment that it’s cold outside. To a girl who recently experienced the business end of a snowstorm and her BFF who hails from Fargo, North Dakota, however, it was absolute paradise. We walked through the open entryway and then did a 180 and walked straight back outside to the patio with our server.

A breeze coasted through, nonchalantly brushing against the small horde of people who had taken a cue from the weather and were scattered around the tables outside, reading and chatting. A preliminary round of food and tea was ordered and then we both shut our eyes and sprawled back in our respective chairs, soaking in sunshine and appreciating the day for a few minutes before a server, chuckling at our very best starfish impressions, came around asking us if we wanted to sample a new pu-erh tea. YES PLEASE.

Samovar’s Yerba Buena location is gorgeous in a way that defies description, and the crowds of people that flock to it indicate so. Nestled a small jaunt away from the major shopping meccas that are Westfield Mall and Union Square, directly adjacent to the Museum of Modern Art and a movie theater, it offers respite to shoppers, tourists, convention-goers, movie-watchers, business-lunchers, and everyone in between.

If you’ve never stumbled upon the Yerba Buena Gardens area in the city, you’d probably be a bit shocked to discover its existence. It’s not unlike an oasis in a sea of concrete. That’s not that San Francisco hasn’t done well to preserve its fair share of trees and parks, but…let me try to lay this down for you. When you turn the corner, you’re greeted by a vast stretch of lawn whose greenness and sheer size fly brightly in the face of its urban residence. [As a DC’er, I’m used to scraggly, clumpy grass that peeks through clay-laden dirt.] Raised up in the distance, you can see Samovar’s sign peering over the edge of cascading water and greenery.

It’s bliss. Even on a rainy day, it’s bliss. The location is cozy, while maintaining a sense of airiness and space [achieved effectively through the use of high ceilings and lots of glass].

I should accompany this with a caveat that the Yerba Buena location can fill up quickly, and on the days when it does, it REALLY does. If there’s a convention in town, you might as well forget about it and leave a visit to another day. At one point on this trip, I popped in to pick up a tin of Hawaiian Oolong while the Game Developers’ Conference was on lunch break and WHOO. However, the staff was friendly and talkative regardless of crowd volume, and within minutes I was out and on my way to do some damage around Union Square.

Whenever I go to San Francisco, I like to pick up little Zen moments that I can close my eyes and reflect upon whenever things get particularly stressful around here. As far as Zen moments go, being stretched out on a chair, sipping on a matcha shake, noshing on a fruit and cheese platter, and chatting with a good friend in the sun is a pretty damn good one.

Tips: There’s a big bamboo shoot packed with pu-erh sitting on the bar that’s worth a look. Also, if they happen to get in a limited quantity of a tea, this is probably where they’re keeping it.

I have been here multiple times, a perfect way to end a trip to SF MOMA. The price is a bit steep but this is SF we are talking about. Otherwise the peaceful atmosphere, gorgeous view, expertely brewed teas, and delicious food are really hard to beat. Love their jook with duck bacon! Also Californian Persian black tea blend is a must for those that love rose and spice notes.

LOVE IT. This is the best place for a friend date as well. Sign up for their mailing list for a free cup of chai!

Also, best to reserve a table on opentable if you plan on going on the weekend.

This is one of my favorite places to visit (and taking visiting friends to) when I’m in the area. Samovar is pricey but always delivers on quality tea and delicious food. I love the curry egg salad sandwiches and the scones with clotted cream. Clotted cream is a serious weakness of mine.

If it is a nice day and you can score a seat, try sitting outside! It’s a great view and one of the most peaceful places I’ve found in SF.

Incredible place, it’s one of my favorite places I love to go when I’m in San Francisco. Every time I go it’s such an awesome place to relax, enjoy some tea and/or food, and enjoy the ambient atmosphere. The employees there are always so nice too. Having talked with the founder Jesse Jacobs a few times, he’s a great guy and knows what he’s doing with these tea lounges. The tea is sometimes a bit pricey, but if you relax and enjoy re-steeping it’s definitely worth your while.

Great outdoor seating option, if you can happen to visit on a pleasant day—though if there is an event going on, you might get some noisy entertainment, as well

Fun place. The food is nice and fancy and the garden is great. Pretty overpriced though so unfortunately it’s a bit pricey to come here too often. Pots of tea at $9 and $13 is a bit hefty for my tastes. But the quality is very nice and you can’t beat the location. Good for a date or a special night out.

I had the Bai Hao Oolong Tea for breakfast. I ordered it as there was no Golden Phoenix Oolong Tea available. The waitress suggested this as an alternative and i enjoyed it. I had the Ginger Quinoa Waffle (Soft like a pillow, heavenly. Served with fresh fruit & real maple syrup) along with this tea.

MilitiaJim had the Russian Chay Platter & Bottomless Samovar House-Blend Black Tea. The Chay Platter included: Tarragon-Marinated Beets, Smoked Whitefish & Horseradish, paprika Devilled Egg w/ Caviar, Wheat Crackers, Fresh Fruit, Chocolate Brownie.

The location has comfortable benches, outdoor seating, huge windows for natural light and is very cozy. The staff is friendly, knowledgeable, and helpful. The food was great, and the tea was amazing.

Pictures: http://amazonv.blogspot.com/2010/12/samovar-tea-lounge-yerba-buena-gardens.html

A beautiful lounge in a beautiful location. This location was meant for sharing with friends. Not many sit-down choices for solo imbibers. Lots of lovely dark wood and red cushions. If only the outside had some heating lamps then it would be perfect!

Nice, attentive service with friendly smiling faces. The bread pudding with melted chocolate chips was delicious!! A wonderful choice to enjoy with their stunning Russian Blend tea.

This was my first time in San Francisco and went directly to Samovar Tea Lounge.
I immediately was struck by the calmness that went into my mind as soon as I entered. I don’t know if it was the soft lounge music, or the different tea aromas floating in the air but I immediately felt at home and relaxed.
My waitress recommended me to try a Yame Sencha they’ve just received and I love it!
Then I decided to stay a little bit while reading a book and having some cookies.
Next time I took a look outside it was already dark and it was too late to visit all the other touristic places I had planed to, so I ordered an Oolong Tea and a Japanese Maki Bowl: amazing! What a great evening!

I highly recommend this place to all the Tea Lovers out there!

Most of what everyone else has been saying pretty much sums it up. I’m originally from the bay area but not sure when Samovar starting popping up in SF. I recently went by this location (after finding out about Samovar on steepster!) and fell in love the moment I saw it. It is absolutely gorgeous, and as another reviewer mentioned, a surprising industrial oasis. I’ve been to the raised pavilion that its situated in before, and its always been a nice little area to walk around in, but now you can sit outside (I was also lucky to go on a picture-perfect SF day), sip on amazing loose leaf tea, and peace out from all the craziness around you. Tea meditation.

When I was there I splurged on their morrocan tea service, where they have a really nice traditional tea set and prepare the tea for you at your table, plus it comes with their tea snacks dish. A bit pricey but totally worth it. Best part was they didn’t even bother me once for sitting there for a solid 2+ hours, just me, my friend, and our tea. This may have been because it wasn’t a particularly packed day (although there were plenty of customers still no doubt) but its great that the staff understands what you’re doing and why you’re there, because they love it the same way you do.

Tea Heaven.

Loved this place. Can’t wait to visit SF again to get my tea on.

Love this place.

A lot of people on Steepster are already aware of how much I love Samovar [a lot]. So, not to be redundant, but seeing as how I recently made it out to San Francisco and spent a fair amount of time at a couple of their locations while I was out there, I must wax on about them a bit more.

It was sunny out, with a bit of a nip in the air. When it gets like that, a lot of San Franciscans comment that it’s cold outside. To a girl who recently experienced the business end of a snowstorm and her BFF who hails from Fargo, North Dakota, however, it was absolute paradise. We walked through the open entryway and then did a 180 and walked straight back outside to the patio with our server.

A breeze coasted through, nonchalantly brushing against the small horde of people who had taken a cue from the weather and were scattered around the tables outside, reading and chatting. A preliminary round of food and tea was ordered and then we both shut our eyes and sprawled back in our respective chairs, soaking in sunshine and appreciating the day for a few minutes before a server, chuckling at our very best starfish impressions, came around asking us if we wanted to sample a new pu-erh tea. YES PLEASE.

Samovar’s Yerba Buena location is gorgeous in a way that defies description, and the crowds of people that flock to it indicate so. Nestled a small jaunt away from the major shopping meccas that are Westfield Mall and Union Square, directly adjacent to the Museum of Modern Art and a movie theater, it offers respite to shoppers, tourists, convention-goers, movie-watchers, business-lunchers, and everyone in between.

If you’ve never stumbled upon the Yerba Buena Gardens area in the city, you’d probably be a bit shocked to discover its existence. It’s not unlike an oasis in a sea of concrete. That’s not that San Francisco hasn’t done well to preserve its fair share of trees and parks, but…let me try to lay this down for you. When you turn the corner, you’re greeted by a vast stretch of lawn whose greenness and sheer size fly brightly in the face of its urban residence. [As a DC’er, I’m used to scraggly, clumpy grass that peeks through clay-laden dirt.] Raised up in the distance, you can see Samovar’s sign peering over the edge of cascading water and greenery.

It’s bliss. Even on a rainy day, it’s bliss. The location is cozy, while maintaining a sense of airiness and space [achieved effectively through the use of high ceilings and lots of glass].

I should accompany this with a caveat that the Yerba Buena location can fill up quickly, and on the days when it does, it REALLY does. If there’s a convention in town, you might as well forget about it and leave a visit to another day. At one point on this trip, I popped in to pick up a tin of Hawaiian Oolong while the Game Developers’ Conference was on lunch break and WHOO. However, the staff was friendly and talkative regardless of crowd volume, and within minutes I was out and on my way to do some damage around Union Square.

Whenever I go to San Francisco, I like to pick up little Zen moments that I can close my eyes and reflect upon whenever things get particularly stressful around here. As far as Zen moments go, being stretched out on a chair, sipping on a matcha shake, noshing on a fruit and cheese platter, and chatting with a good friend in the sun is a pretty damn good one.

Tips: There’s a big bamboo shoot packed with pu-erh sitting on the bar that’s worth a look. Also, if they happen to get in a limited quantity of a tea, this is probably where they’re keeping it.

The teas. The location. On a nice SF day. PERFECTION.

Lovely decor. Friendly people.

Agreed, it can be pricey, but I enjoy every time I am there.

At one point, I was eating here about 2 times a week because people were visiting from out of town. Although the place can get expensive really fast, all of the tea and the food is high quality and worth it. They can cater to meat eaters “I don’t drink tea” to vegan “I love tea” people. Their tea soup is amazing and I’ve been craving it for a while. The staff is very knowledgeable about their tea and their food and are willing to help you in your choice. This is great for an intimate date or for a larger group.

I love this place. Fantastic location, menu, ambiance. Can’t go to San Francisco without at least one visit.