Twisted Branch Tea Bazaar — Restaurant in Charlottesville

I have been to the Twisted Branch twice now, and have had two very unpleasant experiences. While the restaurant itself seems to be very charming, the staff has been incredibly rude on both occasions.

The first time I attempted to be a patron of Twisted Branch was late on a Saturday night. My friends and I showed up a little over an hour before closing time. They were busy, and we had to wait for a spot in the hookah lounge. It was a perfectly acceptable request (although the staff member behind the counter was very blunt and unhelpful) so we waited for our turn. When that came, we ordered and took our place in the back. It had a nice atmosphere, but again, bad service. We waited fifteen minutes and still no one had come to serve us. Unfortunately by that time, it was also fifteen minutes to close. We walked out of the smoking room and into the main area to discover that no one had even started our order. Luckily, they gave us a full refund. Perhaps that is the reason we decided the service wasn't bad enough to keep us away for long.

Tonight, we tried to visit again. It was less busy, and we were able to walk right up to the counter. One of my friends had forgotten her ID and so they were unable to serve her. Again, understandable! However, after asking what they could use as an ID other than a driver's license, the hostess began to get very snide. It turns out that a short while ago, two of their employees had to go to trial for serving minors without identification. Later during our discussion, a man behind the counter chipped in with, "Yeah, I had to go to trial!" Doesn't seem like something to be proud of, but to each their own.

I digress. After asking several questions (as respectfully as possible), the hostess began getting angry. My friend tried to apologize for bothering her, but the hostess continued speaking over her and refused to hear her apologize. When we stated that we were leaving, the hostess claimed that was best because we were being very rude to them. Instead of getting a pleasant night out, I got my ear bitten off by a woman that enjoyed playing the victim of nonexistent cruelty. Considering that I have now had two horrible visits to the Twisted Branch Tea Bazaar, it is safe to say that they will no longer gain the patronage of myself...

This was such a quaint spot to stop into while browsing the Downtown Mall area of Charlottesville! It’s a little hidden and we stumbled upon it by accident, but I believe that adds to the charm of the place. It’s on the top floor so you will need to walk up steps and I didn’t see an elevator for those with mobility concerns. At the top you’re greeted by a Bedouin themed area with both table and chair seating and traditional Bedouin style seating (low tables and cushions for seats). There is also a private seating area in the back with similar Bedouin style seating and a few outdoor table/chair seats.

Although it has varying tea options, there were a decent amount of food options as well. The restaurant is vegetarian with a decent number of vegan options as well. They do also have the option to add salmon to some of their dishes if you prefer meat protein. Vegetarian/Vegan/Gluten Free options are labeled on the menu so no need for guessing. We ordered Blossoming Tea, the Smoked Salmon Sandwich with a side of Dahl, the Coconut Cardamon Cake, and the Vegan Spice Cake. First time trying dahl so for those who also haven’t tried it before, it’s made of lentils so tastes like a grainer porridge. We enjoyed the spice cake but found the Cardamon Teacake a tad dry. The Smoked Salmon Sandwich was wonderful.

As a tea enthusiast this was a great visit, but this is also a must visit if you just want a cool place to take a break or if you want a cozy spot to eat. Will visit again if in town.

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TERRIBLE CUSTOMER SERVICE!! I'm a student who just tried to find a nice quiet place to study. When I entered this establishment at the time it had many open tables. I chose my table and begin my studying. Shortly after an older lady with dark red hair approached me and asked if I was going to order something. I said not at the moment.. She left me alone but kept eyeing me consistently (very uncomfortable). After about five to ten minutes she came back and said, "I need to purchase something in order to stay here and If I wanted to study somewhere I could go to the library." Her reasoning was that they're an establishment trying to pay rent. I get it but when you're kicking people out, that's not going to help you pay rent. I was in there for 15 minutes and had my worst customer experience ever. So bad that I never post reviews until now. As I was leaving I commented about all the open tables they had and she replied with "never come back here again". Believe me, I won't. I was already having a bad day dealing with the invasion of my home country of the Ukraine and I didn't think my day could get any worse. It did and I want to thank the employee of Twisted Branch Tea Bazaar for her overwhelming pride and ego that led to this...