Tea House Chinese Restaurant — Restaurant in Minneapolis

I have previously been here and had a good experience, but last Friday I had one of the worse dining experiences of my life. We arrived hungry and excited to eat just after 6pm and it was busy. We were told it was a 15 to 20 minute wait. We were second in line when we arrived so this seemed right. My gf was very excited to eat here so we sat down and waited. 20 minutes came and went and we were not seated. Around 7pm (40 to 50 minutes after arriving) a table finally opened up and we were seated. At this point I was unhappy because I was past hungry and my gf was hangry. Shortly after we sat down the server asked us to move to a different table. Ok, that's fine. We moved to another table and waited to be served. And waited. And waited. 10 minutes went by. 20 minutes. 30 minutes. I stand up and go talk to a waiter. He says there was a mixup after we moved tables and someone else was supposed to be our waiter. At this point I am past angry - I'm just disappointed. I go back and sit down. Our new waiter comes by and walks past our table to help someone else and then disappears. We wait more. 5 to 10 minutes later he comes by to take our order. He seems nice. We order. The food comes. My body passed hunger pains and is into starvation mode. I can't really process the food, but only one of the 4 dishes we ordered tastes good. We also ordered a drink the server recommended which was fine but not great.

25 to 40 minutes later we finish eating and get up and leave. When we got to the restaurant my gf was happy. By the time we left I was disappointed and my gf was mad at me and she was having an awful evening especially for a Friday night, the end of a long work week.

2 stars because I gave this restaurant 5 stars last time I ate here. But I will never come back here again. My life was made worse by patronizing this restaurant and this negative experience is something I will remember and reflect back upon with sadness and disappointment for...

Ever since still in college, I have been visiting Tea House whenever I could get a chance to, despite the long commute. I am a frequent visitor of this establishment (probably been here 200+ times), and that speaks to how much I love this place. As a person from northeastern China (the Manchurian region), I can attest to Tea House's food authenticity. A lot of dishes taste exactly like what I have had at home. I do think, however, that they cater to northern Chinese people more in terms of their cuisine type. There are other places in the Twin Cities that cater to Canton food more. In terms of dishes, I will not describe how I feel after trying each dish, because I have, over the years, pretty much tried their entire menu, so the 19 pictures I have are the only 19 I have taken. I will recommend the following: eggplant in garlic sauce (鱼香茄子), Szechuan green beans (干煸四季豆), pea tips (清炒豆苗, not sure if it is still on the menu), chive scrambled egg (韭菜炒鸡蛋), family tofu (家常豆腐), grandma's braised tofu (外婆烧豆腐), chestnut chicken (板栗烧鸡, although quality has decreased over the years), Dongpo steamed sliced pork (东坡扣肉), Chairman Mao's favorite pork (毛氏红烧肉), beef with potato (土豆烧牛肉), serrano pepper beef (青椒肥牛), and finally, the fried milk (脆皮鲜奶). What I love the most about this establishment is the fact that I have seen them trying to improve their menu over the years by keeping items and introducing new items that people may enjoy. It shows genuine interest in catering to the customers' food preferences, and I am in support, especially knowing that there are many Chinese restaurants in the country that don't do such. I will highly recommend anyone looking for authentic Chinese food to give Tea House a try, or even...

If you haven't been here yet and you enjoy truly authentic Chinese food... what are you waiting for? This place has been a go-to spot for my partner and I for over a year now and it never gets old.

As far as their American Classics go, my partner orders the General Tso's Chicken each and every time we go! He says it's the best he's ever had.

I've tried a handful of dishes here, but on the American Classics menu, my favorite is the Tiger Pork. Holy moly, is it delicious! The Tiger Pork is so crispy and is tossed in a tangy, spicy-sweet Tiger Sauce. This one is a 10/10 for me and I've ordered it more than 5 times now.

I would also highly recommend the following: Eggplant Pork Noodles Beijing Mu Shu Pork Sesame Chicken (A very safe choice for those who are used to Chinese-American classics) House Spicy Pork (This dish is served in a spicy, chili-oil broth and I would highly recommend it on a cold day!)

If you're feeling adventurous and you want to try one of the more authentic and interesting dishes, I'd tell you to try the "Guo Bao Pork." This dish was truly unique in regards to my own palate, and although the flavor caught me off-guard at first, I ended up really enjoying it!

Our favorite appetizers are: Meizhou Pork Buns Pork Soup Dumplings Szechuan Dumplings (Served in a spicy, chili-oil)

And for dessert? They have the absolute BEST Sesame Balls (filled with sweet red bean paste) I've ever had. I'm pretty sure they make them in house (but don't quote me on that) and they are incredibly soft, chewy and bigger than others I've had elsewhere.

The bottom line is... GO TO...