Samovar Tea Lounge - Zen Valley Edit

It’s somewhat inconceivable to me that I’ve only been to one Samovar Tea Lounge (this one) and then only once though I live in the Bay Area. But such is life when you live and work down the peninsula and have young kids. We hardly ever get up to “the city” and when we do, we are usually on a mission and time is tight.

One weekend about a year ago, we had taken the kids to the SF zoo and were deciding whether to have dinner before heading back home. My BF knew I’d been wanting to pay a visit to one of the Samovar locations for a long time and kindly suggested we make that our dinner destination.

What a lovely place. The atmosphere is so calming despite being full of people having lively conversation. We sat in the back and had dinner and enjoyed our tea. I wish I could remember exactly what we ate as it’s been a while now, but I think the kids had rice bowls (I distinctly remember the one with poached eggs), I had the smoked salmon salad, and the BF had the duck sandwich. I definitely remember the tea: one son had tea lemonade, the other had Moorish mint, the BF had tart peach and I had velvet cacoa pu-erh and golden phoenix. I wrote notes about the teas I drank so I won’t describe them here, but suffice it to say I have been wanting to go back since the minute we left!

I literally live down the street. Been in lots of times.
Nice atmosphere – very peaceful. Lovely decor.
Cons:
Ever-changing staff.
AND, hate to say this, but you can find a lot of their teas elsewhere for less.

A place Not to miss when visiting San Francisco. The experience, not unlike the tea, lingers in your memory.

Really nice place. Nice, knowledgeable staff, good food, great tea.

Relaxing and low-key. Great Neighborhood

While on vacation in San Francisco we visited Samovar Tea Lounge – Zen Valley for dinner on Saurday night.

I ordered the Maiden’s Ecstasy Pu-Erh Tea with Squash Dumplings w/ Dipping Sauce (Handmade vegetarian squash dumplings w/ spicy sesame-soy sauce).

MilitiaJim ordered Breakfast Blend with the Wasabi Caesar Salad w/ Wild Smoked Salmon (Organic hearts of romaine, wild smoked salmon, shaved parmesan, garlic, croutons, & Caesar dressing w/ a wasabi kick).

We were seated in the upper area in the back at a table for two. The back area was dimly lit. The place was a very relaxed atmosphere with an attentive staff. We purchased a tin of Russian blend and tea oil to take home (sadly the tea oil was confiscated by the TSA because we forgot to mail it home or check a bag). The place was not very busy, there were two other couples there when we first arrived for dinner Saturday night.

I enjoyed the other Samovar lounge location (Yerba Buena Gardens) more and would prefer to return there rather than this one. We did not get to try the Mission-Castro location.

Nice, relaxing space. Loved the wood plank window counters!

Although I liked the music——atmospheric drum and bass mixed with clubby world music bhangra beats—I thought it was a bit loud and kind of distracting (for a tea haven in the middle of the afternoon).

Excellent service—attentive and smiley.

I thoroughly enjoyed my portobello and melted gruyere sandwich. I also had the fudge brownie with matcha mousse—the mousse was delicious but the brownie was dry and crumbly! :(

The Palace Puerh tea was pretty good. Served in such a cute trio of tea accoutrements on a little bamboo tray.

Overall, a good place to while away the afternoon. I did not feel rushed at all. It was a good 3 & 1/2 hours spent!

This was my second day discovering San Francisco with a couple of friends and when I realized that our tour bus was going to pass by several blocks from Samovar Tea Lounge I convinced them that it was a good time for a Tea break.
We all enjoyed our break from the city tour. We found peace, amazing teas and very knowledgeable and friendly waiters that helped us feel as if time stood still and we just entered a peaceful haven of paradise.
We even had a Tarot card reading and was able to buy the transparent Tea pots I was looking for.

This may be my favorite Samovar location. It’s a nice stroll away from where my brother lives [and where I usually stay when I’m visiting] and a convenient block away from the 6 line bus.

Convenience aside, this is a place where you come to ride the vibe. It’s intimate, but not sleepy. Relaxing, but not comatose. I’ve never been there when it’s been packed, but I’ve also never been there when it’s been empty.

The food and the tea are both excellent. I spent an hour or so with a pot of Downy Sprout and their ginger quinoa waffles and…aaaaaargh. Those waffles are damn good. And I had this tofu sandwich that was delicious.

I also had the great opportunity to sit down with Jesse Jacobs and Jack Cheng over a cup or twenty of tea and shoot the breeze for a few hours. There’s something about lounging around in that place…it’s like hanging out with a good friend you don’t get to see too often – comfortably refreshing.

On sunny days, I recommend either grabbing a table outside or catching a seat along the benches because the windows are optimally placed for sun catching. Or, if you’re feeling chatty, pull a seat up at the bar. Everyone’s friendly and knowledgeable, which fosters good conversation.

Ah, Samovar. Heart.

I love the vibe from this place. Also the tea is very good and the employees are very knowledgeable.