Enthea Teahouse — Restaurant in Portland

Premium teas at a reasonably premium price, absolutely fair for the quality, accompanied by modest range of tasty snacks. Sadly, the overall experience left a rancid and persistent aftertaste, but the proprietor has since responded more than satisfactorily once the problem was brought to his attention.

Accompanied by a friend who'd not had gongfu tea service before, we asked the server if he'd explain a little about the equipment and process as he served. "No," the server told us, "the owner offers classes for that, I'm not permitted to just give it away but you can enroll for a [$X.XX] fee." So we began explaining to our friend the equipment and how it's used, given that (the server's implication notwithstanding) items like a cha he and a gaiwan are not proprietary trade secrets but, rather, ancient components of our people's material culture widely available to all. And the server in turn went to great lengths to silence us, interrupting and talking over us aggressively with everything from observations about the weather to tales of supernatural occurrences. Under the circumstances, a two star rating may be over-generous, but anything less seems petty.

There is nothing at all wrong with a white person appreciating Chinese tea culture, adopting Chinese tea culture, adapting and innovating and even making a living from Chinese tea culture. The opposite, in fact -- our tea culture is for all to freely engage and enjoy, to the extent of their interest and capacity. But this is precisely why there is something especially wrong with a white tea server asserting (to a Chinese customer, no less) that he and his employer are gate-keepers of Chinese tea culture entitled to demand a toll for entry. Wrong, and infuriating.

Happily, the server's employer has now made amply clear that he is in thorough agreement with our critique, deeply regrets the incident, and is prepared to go to great lengths to make good. Such lengths, however, are unnecessary, as he has already made good with his response. We are entirely satisfied that our experience will not be repeated at this establishment, and look forward to revisiting should we pass through...

Enthea Teahouse is a magical and beautiful wonderland that is warm and inviting. A place I automatically feel at ease and at home in. SO many incredible and delightful things to look at and be in awe of (almost all of which, as a sign says, are for sale). A place I could and have easily spent many hours wrapped in wonder and enchantment. Rustic refined opulence ♡ And that doesn't even begin to speak to the TEA! Those I've tried (and I've tried a LOT) are without exaggeration some of the most affirming, grounding, and unique teas I've ever had.

They offer a menu of teas that changes each month. You buy a pot's worth of tea for approximately $8-14 and are equipped with a house tea tray, a tea set, and an unending supply of freshly boiled water. If gongfu tea is new to you, they will happily show you the ropes and/or serve you at the bar. This is NOT your "in and out get a paper or styrofoam cup of something hot" business. It would be much more accurate to describe it as a way of life. An opportunity to slow the f* down and enjoy something beautiful, because you're worth it. A place to bring a good book or a friend and share/have a opportunity to set your burdens down for a bit and relax.

This is by far (in my opinion) one of the most precious hidden jewels in Portland. WELL worth driving down from our home in Olympia.

And ALL of that isn't even including the incredible community events, live music, and their "SpeakTeasy Underground" - which is held downstairs on a weekly basis and features themed evenings of shared community connection over tea.

So whether you are alone and want to enjoy some quality solo time, or you want to connect with like-minded friends, old or new, this place has you covered. It is a wellspring of awesome pretty much all the time.

If you like tea, you owe it to yourself to go.

P.S. They also have great handmade snacks available. Vegan and gf options too.

-Omar &...

Disappointing experience. My daughter booked a tea tasting for me and her but when we arrived the staff didn’t seem to know we had a reservation. They said they would see what they could do since they were the only staff person there and they would have to call the owner. We were supposed to be able to order teas that were not on the menu, but were never given any of those options. We waited 30 minutes past our reservation time before we were finally led upstairs to our private tasting room. We thought we were going to be able to hang out together and talk however, the experience involves someone pouring your tea for you and sitting with you the entire time. The gentleman pouring our tea was not the owner, and I don’t think had ever led a private tea tasting before. He did his best, but it was very awkward. He admitted that he was not familiar with the teas that we were drinking and couldn’t tell us anything about them. The teas in my opinion were not good. The atmosphere was uncomfortable and unwelcoming. The overall experience was not enjoyable. Overall a very disappointing experience. I would have preferred if they had told us they couldn’t honor our reservation and if we were able to come back at another time when they were...