Steeping Room Edit

I’ve actually been to The Steeping Room a few times now, but have never written a note about it before today. I have to say, both myself and my boyfriend have been very impressed by both the tea and the food.

First off – the tea. They have a surprisingly diverse tea list, offering a variety of both straight and flavored teas of all types, including black, green, white, oolong, puerh, and heicha teas along with maté, rooibos, and herbal tisanes. In most cases, there are several different single origin teas available in each category. For this visit, I tried the Noble Concubine (gui fei) oolong along with the White Tea #18. The gui fei was very good, with honeyed dried fruit notes. I was less enamored with the white tea, it was enjoyable but much less complex.

One thing I love about this tea room is that they present you with the steeped leaves along with the tea itself. I enjoy being able to see and smell the wet leaves, and they can also be resteeped multiple times.

The food menu is also quite diverse. There are multiple different tea services available, from the traditional English style to more modern takes on afternoon tea, such as the Asian-inspired Zen Tea Service. Personally, I particularly enjoy their selection of scones. They also offer a myriad of sandwiches, soups, and salads, along with more unusual plates such as Buddha bowls. There’s also a breakfast menu, and a brunch menu on Sundays, though I have not personally tried either of these items.

Definitely try out The Steeping Room if you ever find yourself in Austin, Texas!

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When I lived in Austin I would buy my loose leaf tea here. It is a nice, brightly lit tea house, however, it gets quite crowded on weekends. I find their teas to be very good quality. I’m glad that I can order them online. The Steeping Room is a great place to check out if you are in the area.

My detailed review for these two shops disappeared :( to sum up, they have nice loose leaf, tasty iced tea, and amazing food that caters to many dietary needs. Overall a very lovely place

Nice selection, reasonable prices. I usually just pick up their loose tea rather than dine in.

Nice selection of tea. Great tea room.

The only reason I don’t give this 5 stars is due to the size of the place. It is quite small inside, a little cramped. Otherwise they offer a nice variety of food (the have options for gluten-free and vegan, too) and a great selection of teas. I’ve so far enjoyed each that I’ve had and bought some to take home (the sell all the teas they serve by the ounce). Definitely recommended.

I really, really like this tea house and their food is pretty scrumptious, too. The only thing I docked it for is that the tables are TINY. It’s understandable, given its location, but oh, how I wish they weren’t. Then I could camp out there all day, sipping tea, while catching up on work. Alas, I have to buy some of their excellent product and drink it at home, instead. :)

The Domain store is Closed, Out of Business as of 2018 – Small shop wedged in small storefront. Always seems to be busy and noisey. I only ever stop in for some loose leaf and a cup to go, as I couldn’t take the noise and still enjoy a cup of tea and conversation.
Their people know tea, at least the ones I’ve interacted with. Despite the ongoing busy busy, they’ve taken time to talk to me about their teas and help me find something I might like. I’d recommend their house Morning Blend. I was skeptical, they insisted; I caved, they were right. ‘nuf said.
They have a fairly good selection of teas, straight up and blends, crammed into a small space. If you don’t see what you’re looking for, ask. They have a bunch stuck up on high shelves that might not be readily visible.

Great selection of loose teas. Perhaps a bit on the pricey side for some of their options.

The food is tasty and inventive, but slightly pricey as well for what is mostly salads, sandwiches, and soups. I enjoyed the roast beef on my last visit.

They offer some tea service options from simple scones w/ clotted cream to Asian inspired wraps. I have not tried them yet, but a companion of mine enjoyed her scones.

Drink menu offers pots of tea, tea smoothies, and tea-based cocktails (non-alcoholic).

Wait staff is knowledgeable and helpful, even offering To-Go cups at the end of the meal for your leftover tea. I do not recommend going during prime lunch hour unless you intend to sit outside and have some time to spare. Acoustics inside are awful and the noise levels were way too loud. We had to shout at our poor waitress to order food; I hope she wears earplugs.

Wonderful place for teas – hot and cold- along with some good food, often made from local produce. Teas served very well by people who know what they are doing. Sell some teas and have a great collection of tea pots, cups/mugs and accessories – all geared to modern and/or Asian style tea service, i.e. no bone china.