Columbia Kate's
22727 Columbia St
Columbia, CA
209-532-1885
visit website
Hours
Wed - Sun 11:00am to 4:00pm
#17
of 300in CA
Map of Columbia Kate's
Overview
The teahouse is occupying a designated historic building in the historic Columbia State Park. The nucleus of the building is a barn built in the 1890’s by long time resident, barber and County Supervisor, Frank Dondero. The building has been added to and remodeled many times over the years and is a perfect venue for enjoying the comforts of tea, food and nice things.
The teahouse is occupying a designated historic building in the historic Columbia State Park. The nucleus of the building is a barn built in the 1890’s by long time resident, barber and County Supervisor, Frank Dondero. The building has been added to and remodeled many times over the years and is a perfect venue for enjoying the comforts of tea, food and nice things.
Traditional tea accompaniments such as fresh baked scones and tea sandwiches share a diverse menu including artisan soups, quiche (egg pie for men), salads, chicken pot pie, apple crumble, bread pudding and fabulous homemade bread. All items are made fresh daily right on the premises. “We want every visitor to enjoy the teahouse experience and we try to provide a relaxing and comfortable venue to explore our food and teas”
Reviews
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Food: We've been visiting tea rooms as we travel and so far this one is my favorite. Loved the way the cups are presented, (see photos) discovered a new favorite tea from the extensive selection. I especially like that the tea comes to you perfectly brewed and the leaves are left in the kitchen. The fresh fruit was a work of art, tea bread delectable. One of the servers didn't seem to enjoy her job much, or maybe we offended her in some way, but everything else about the experience was above our expectations. |
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- Debra 06/24/09 |
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Food: I was on a tearoom trip with a friend this weekend. We drove from the Bay Area to experience Columbia Kate's. It was wonderful. Claire and her staff were very attentive and knowledgable. The homemade bread, sandwiches, scones and desserts were yummy. They have an extentsive tea list, something for everyone. An overall pleasure to have tea here. |
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- Frances 06/22/09 |
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Food: I had the distinct pleasure to visit Columbia Kate's for high tea today. I agree that the place is haunted by spirits of good things. Every item I devoured was of top quality! The scones and tea breads were so wonderful I felt that I had already enjoyed dessert when the excellent waitress asked me if I wanted any. I had to indulge my gluttony and order the apple, berry, cherry crumble. I know now how this delicacy is supposed to taste. It was so sweet and tarte at the same time, a masterpiece.My wife had to take some of the African Solstice loose leaf tea for a repeat of her ice tea enjoyed at high tea. The last time I had tea at Kate's the resident spirit had transported me to another realm of peace and tranquillity. I ended by expanding my tea education and tea items I could not find elsewhere. This exquisite 'barn' is truely a destination to experience for mental and physical health. Everyone owes it to themselves to indulge this perfect gift at least once in their lifetime. |
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- Richard 05-30-09 05/30/09 |
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Food: This is still the best tea room I have been to. The atmosphere is cozy and victorian, but also funky, which is fun. Their tea assortment had its own menu and was at least 8 pages long, if not more. The food was yummy and the tea was excellent. The employees were friendly, helpful and dressed to match to tearoom. The gift shop has awesome jewelry made by the owner, and drawers and drawers of vintage and new buttons for purchase. It was a great experience! |
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- Rachel F. 04/12/09 |
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Food: We just spent our 14th Anniversary on Valentine's Day at Columbia Kate's. We had visited two teashops in San Francisco the previous day, but decided to celebrate at Kate's. Super decision! The Valentine's menu was delicious, colorful and beautifully presented. Even the teacups were heartshaped so poured tea looked like a heart (we had raspberry tea, so our 'tea heart' was red). The atmosphere was warm, the service friendly. Columbia Kate's was the perfect place for a very special day. |
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- Roberta 02/16/09 |
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Food: Our Merced Roaming Elks Red Hat ladies group enjoyed the wonderful hospitality again this year at Columbia Kate's. This has become a 'must' for our group when we are camping in Columbia. We feel so welcome and Kate and her staff are so accommodating to our needs. The quality of the food and service is outstanding. |
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- Barb 02/09/09 |
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Food: My boyfriend and I took a drive up to the snow and stopped into Columbia for a spell (1/25/09). I fell in love with Columbia Kate's. We stopped in on a cold rainy afternoon for a nice pot of hot tea and were amazed to find the overwhelming variety of teas offered. I had the Monks Blend and my boyfriend opted for the Grapefruit. We went home with some loose teas including the Bosphorus, and let me tell you, that tea is addicting! Clare was very gracious and her staff was very attentive and sweet. That visit really made the rest of the day very special for both of us. We will remember it for a long time and do plan to re-visit as often as we are able. The teahouse is very quaint, adorned and festooned with lovely little treasures. A very pleasant time was had by all. We did not have any of the food as it is difficult to eat out when you are diabetic, but I did appreciate the fact that they offer Splenda as their alternative to sugar. |
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- Sandra 01/26/09 |
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Food: My friend and I, two retired teachers who are now locals in Tuolumne County, enjoyed another delightful tea lunch today at Kate's. The lentil soup was superb, as was the scone I couldn't resist. The service was excellent, prompt and friendly. We both had places we had to be this New Year's Eve afternoon, but getting out through the enticements in the gift shop still took longer than we meant it to. We will continue to visit this oasis often. |
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- Janet 12/31/08 |
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Food: Last Sunday, Dec. 21, my family and I wanted to escape the hustle and rush of holiday happenings and find a quiet respite to truly enjoy the beauty of the season. We drove 2 1/2 hours from our home in Clayton to the charming, historic town of Columbia, CA to enjoy tea, scones and chicken pot pie! What a treat it was! We were inspired by the web page and the pictures of Columbia Kate's, which was our reason for choosing it over other tea rooms nearby. My children who are 13 and 15 loved it as much as my husband and I, and we hope to make it a yearly tradition during the Christmas season. Please take some time yourself, during the busy holiday season to unwind, relax and enjoy this wonderful little tea house. After you enjoy your tea luncheon, you can walk around the little town of Columbia to browse the small shops and discover some history of California's gold country. Thank you, Columbia Kate's, for making our visit a very special and memorable family day! |
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- Corinne & Brent Egle 12/27/08 |
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Food: Five friends and I had a wonderful tea/lunch at Columbia Kates on Nov. 1, 2008. For us who had lunch--it was DELICIOUS and the pumpkin spice soup was exquisite!! The one gal who had high tea had a variety of 'tea food' and she was delighted. Our service was great and the gift shop had a huge variety of fun tea things. Most of us bought 'tea to go'--mine was vanilla and it was a wonderful reminder of a wonderful day. THANK YOU! |
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- California Tea Queen 12/27/08 |
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Food: Wow and wow!! My family and I found this place last Saturday, Nov. 29th 2008, while trying to find some vegetarian food in Columbia. What a wonderful surprise! This place reminded me of my Great Grandmother's Parlor and the food was fresh and absolutely superb. I had 'Maria's Favorite' and a cup of fresh homemade vegetable soup. The bread tasted exactly like my Grandsmother's homemade bread, it was soooo good it almost brought tears to my eyes. The soup tasted far better than Olive Garden's Minestrone. Then the bread pudding was excellent, I can see how it has won awards. We ordered a large pot of the Jasmine tea, and once again I was wowed by the flavor. Absolutely the best Jasmine tea I've ever tasted. This is a wonderful place with warm and friendly service. I saw people coming in and out looking at the nic nacs for sale and thinking to myself that these people were missing the best experience of all... their wonderful food. I will definitely be back, Perhaps next weekend. |
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- Randy Lundgren 12/01/08 |
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Food: This tea room has a wonderful choice of teas but visiting from England and not having had a 'proper cup of tea' for 2 weeks,the English breakfast tea was the definite choice for us. Perfectly served with a delicious apricot scone in delightful surroundings, we really enjoyed our visit. |
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- Janet 10/30/08 |
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Food: Some friends and I visited Columbia Kate's while on a Yoga retreat. We loved it. The salads were amazing! |
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- Claire 10/09/08 |
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Food: An absolutely blissful experience. Claire was friendly, helpful, and informative! We shared our memories of English cream teas, and - in my opinion - she has devised the best clotted cream this side of the Atlantic. She also serves a proper pot of tea, perfectly warmed and steeped. The food was wonderful, too. The squash soup and chili (not a usual afternoon tea meal for me!) were both terrific, and warmed us through. The Tea Sampler was perfect for two people, augmented with the soup and an extra scone. The ambiance is delightful without being frilly. I cannot say enough about Columbia Kate's. It set us right for the rest of the afternoon and evening. I wish I lived close by! |
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- Julia 10/06/08 |
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Food: Columbia Kate's Teahouse just off the main road in Columbia is a lovely oasis of tea and gourmet food pleasure. My quiche was amazing and the peach cobbler was made from Farmers Market produce Kate purchased and made herself. She makes every effort to have a quiet and delightful experience in her well appointed and thoughtful tearoom of historical significance. We are a small family of three and there was something for all of us on the extensive menu. Kate will bring you a sample of lemonade-homemade of course! We look forward to returning to this gem of a tearoom soon. The Weintraub Family |
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- Treya 08/21/08 |
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Food: I just want to say that AI stand by my review. To Eleanor- Did you read my review? I have been there 3 disapointing times. And to Gary- I have nothing to do with that other teahouse, except as loyal customer. Maybe you should try it. Reminder, this is an opinion!!! There are obviously a lot of satified patrons, I just don't happen to be one of them. |
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- Julia 07/13/08 |
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Food: Consistent with all the other reviews (apart from one grumpy outlier who must have been in the wrong tea house), I feel lucky to say that I've found one of the best tea houses: Columbia Kate's Teahouse. My husband who grew up in both England and Ireland knows his teas and his scones and double cream and lemon curd. He, too, was blown away with the delicious food, wonderful presentation, fabulous flavors (loved the apricot scone, but the lavinder one was my favorite), and impressive variety of teas. The service is great as well. I recommend this teahouse to anyone. |
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- Britt 07/08/08 |
