Tea Bar & Fusion Kitchen - Chico Forest Avenue — Restaurant in Chico

Warning to anyone getting the Monday night $10 bowl - make sure they actually give you the discount. I was here April 1st with two companions and we were all charged full price for our bowls during the discount time. I was pleasantly relieved that when I called after we left, the person I spoke with said her manager was comping two free bowls to my points account to make up for it.

However, when I went in to use this credit, there was no record of it associated with my phone number. The person who rang up my order did end up honoring the comped bowls, but said "it's not gonna happen again" as if I was trying to take advantage of them, when this whole problem was created by them just not having the prices automatically fixed for Monday evening's discount, AND not having good records for promised compensation. I guess part of it is on me for not remembering the employee's name who offered me that compensation...but I don't even want to deal with that stress. Businesses offering deals and then not actually applying the discount undermines my trust, as did the reluctance to offer the promised comped meals. Definitely left a bad taste in my mouth.

All this being said, their mango pork and creamy teriyaki and Israeli couscous are all delicious, but my enthusiasm will be tempered going forward by these experiences.

Edit 1: The employee who said "it's not gonna happen again" did give me two free tea cards, I guess to lure me back in as a customer. I can concede she maybe just didn't think through how she originally reacted, I don't know, but the bad feeling I get from the whole situation is not cancelled out by the free teas, although I appreciate the effort.

Edit 2: Maybe this manager realized she had done some really bad math and that's why she gave me the tea cards. She tried to tell me the $6 in credit I had from general purchases was my compensation for the overcharges on April 1, which makes no sense. Usually the bowls are $14.95, and we were charged that instead of $10 on 3 bowls. 4.95*3 does...

This is the last time I will ever eat here again. I have come here 3 times recently hoping each time it would get better, but it never did.

I ordered the Feed Me Bowl with salmon and it was just not up to par. The lettuce didn't seem like it was washed and bad pieces were not picked out. The couscous didn't even seem like couscous this time. It wasn't the usual small couscous, instead they were much larger pearl size balls. They had a strange consistency. Then I came a second time and decided to try something different and got the Avocado Toast. For 1 it wasn't toast, 2 it was pita bread and 3 it was not toasted. It was very soggy and could not bear the weight of the mashed avocado on top. It ran all over my hands along with the added tahini when I ate it- very messy.

The 3rd time I came I thought well I'm going to give it one more chance and see if it gets any better. I ordered a Freeze Me and it was good. I didn't order anything else on the menu because I didn't want to be disappointed.

However, I did have a chance to observe the staff. They we're talking very loud and obviously didn't care about us customers eating in the dining area. They were horsing around as though no management staff were present at all. I also observed that there were plenty of staff working here. However, I thought, what it boils down to is having adequately trained cooks/chefs to make delicious and healthy food. That's not what's going on here. They are...

A Love Story with T-Bar – Five Years and Four Hours Later

In 2020, my wife and I spent our honeymoon in Oroville, California. During that trip, we stumbled upon T-Bar in Chico and Redding, and it quickly became one of our favorite spots. Everything about it—the fresh ingredients, the flavors, the atmosphere—made it special. Fast forward five years: we now have two little ones, my wife is expecting again, and we live in Fortuna, about four hours away from the nearest T-Bar.

Then one day, my wife turns to me and says, "I’m really craving a T-Bar sandwich." Now, when a pregnant wife has a craving, you don’t ask questions—you just make it happen. So, we loaded up the entire family, piled into the car, and drove four hours just to satisfy that one specific craving.

The moment we walked in and shared our story, the T-Bar team made our experience even more memorable. Their excitement and hospitality were just as incredible as the food itself. It wasn’t just a meal—it was a reminder of why we fell in love with this place in the first place.

T-Bar, you’ve got lifelong fans here, and we can’t wait for the day you open locations closer to the coast—or even better, in SoCal. Until then, we’ll keep making the drive, because some things in life are just worth it.

-Much Love From...