Portland stands out among U.S. cities for the many teahouses that offer gongfu tea, a Chinese style of service that translates as making tea with skill. This isn’t your old high British tea, served milky and sweet, with a side of cucumber sandwiches.
If you go, plan to sit down, take your time, and even talk to some strangers. Maybe you’ll make some friends and find a new favorite drink.
(Bonus: The gloomy winter weather makes it the perfect time to escape your home for a warm beverage. And tea is a great option if you’re missing bars while observing Dry January or otherwise not partaking.)
Gongfu tea can be a little like wine. The taste can range from a floral oolong to an earthy pu'er. (I’ve tasted peaches, steak, and forest floor for example.)
In a recent interview with the City Cast Portland podcast, local tea aficionado Percy Scoffern dished some tea on the local scene. Here are some of their favorite teahouses:
3533 SE Milwaukie Ave. (Brooklyn neighborhood)
Hours: Wednesday - Sunday, 1 - 9 p.m.
Expect to leave your shoes at the door. They have slippers.
Weekly events:
- Tea Bar Wednesdays, 2 - 6 p.m., $5 pots of tea brewed for you.
- Speakteasy. Fridays, 7 - 10 p.m., $10 cover for all the tea you can drink and a conversation prompt that involves the whole teahouse.
2926 NE Killingsworth St. (Concordia neighborhood)
Hours: Closed Tuesdays, Noon to 6 p.m. on Saturdays, 11 a.m. - 5 p.m. other days.
Bardo opened last year, and like all the other spots on this list has a unique space. One room is shoes-off, with seats on tatami mats.
Events: Bardo previously offered meditation over tea on Saturdays, and now have tea classes.
909 N Beech St. (off North Mississippi Avenue)
Hours: Noon - 7 p.m. every day
My suggestion is you ask for a recommendation, based both on what you want it to taste like and how you want to feel. Drinking a cup of tea can feel really different than a cup of coffee, and there are major differences in the effects of different tea.
Also, you can get a tarot card reading. You may want to call ahead to see if it’s available when you’re visiting.
239 NW Everett St. (Old Town-Chinatown)
Hours: 10 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. every day
Visitors to Lan Su Chinese Garden can go for some good tea. The pandemic closed their previous shop. It reopened last year.
If you’re looking for more options or other styles of tea, check out these options:
- Steven Smith has a teahouse and manufacturing at their Central Eastside location. Take your time over tea and check out their factory too.
- Portal Tea (formerly Tea Cha Te) serves gongfu style but also more familiar options at its Northwest and Sellwood locations.
- Behind the Museum Café serves Japanese-style teas.
- Umami Café also serves Japanese-style tea for visitors to the Portland Japanese Garden.
- Pip’s serves some amazing chai options. Bonus: there are warm doughnuts.
- Plus, check out Eater Portland’s list of the best places for high British tea.
Where are your favorite places to drink tea? Please email me your recommendations.
