The Tea Grotto
(32 reviews)401 900 S, Salt Lake City, UT 84111, USA 801-466-8255 Website Suggest Changes
Visit the Tea Grotto blog at http://blog.tea-grotto.com/ to read about our travels to tea producing countries. Recently added our travels to India. See photo's on facebook
Recent reviews
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Maxine
An unexpected gem, this tearoom is a wonderful spot to unwind with such a relaxed ambiance and a wide selection of teas. The staff are super knowledgeable regarding their teas and, additionally, they have an array of tea ware to choose from that's absolutely gorgeous! I highly recommend them, everything from their loose tea to their boba is absolute perfection.
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Alan Coughlin
These people are passionate about tea and want to share that passion with you. I don't drink tea much (I'm a coffee connoiseuer myself), but my wife and my brother are fanatics with refined palates for tea. They just loved interacting at length with the owner, Rebecca, about all of the idiosyncrasies of what they were drinking. They are so knowledgeable and spent so much time with us! I felt like we were having a relaxing evening with friends. (I think that fellow with the review below whose experience was exactly the opposite of the truth must be a shill for the place he plugged.)
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Jasper
Wonderful! I love the vastness of the menu, the food quality, and the customer service. Everyone is very nice, and willing to help you find what you are looking for. I liked how many types of black teas they had, and the atmosphere is fun. I would very much recommend the tea grotto to anyone who asks.
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Rosemary
I also feel that the staff and owner of The Tea Grotto are very helpful, and willing to share all of their knowledge. I have learned alot about tea and the health benefits each tea provides. I instantly feel calm and welcome with every visit. I would definatly suggest giving The Tea Grotto a visit. It has switched my morning drink from coffee to tea.
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Barbara
I love the Tea Grotto. A calm comes over me when I walk through the door. The decor and the background music are very soothing.
Contrary to the last poster, I find the staff to have great energy and they are very helpful. The owner is also extremely knowledgeable about tea and seems to enjoy sharing her love of tea with anyone who is interested--she has actually visited several tea plantations in India and Taiwan and is one of only 15 Certified Tea Specialists in the US.
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CJ L.
The owner and staff here are arrogant - as if they know more about tea than anyone but won't tell you what they know. They are inattentive and put-off when you want service. Go to the Beehive Tea Room. Anywhere but the Tea Grotto. As much as I love tea out, I will never set foot in this place again.
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Sam F.
'The Tea Grotto' can be thought of as a Starbucks for the tea crowd; which in its own right is a rarity inside of Utah. I decided to try the place out one afternoon after seeing it listed on Adagio’s Tea Map. The decor was very loft-like and open, maybe even a little trendy with a couple of IKEA sofas adorning a large Buddha statue in the main room. Before my party and I ordered, we browsed through the other half of the store which contains additional seating and the bulk of the teaware and teas offered. I could recognize many of the wholesale teaware pieces I’ve seen offered by online vendors, some that were priced quite fair, and others that were an obvious pull at a foolish wallet. Being a newcomer to the world of tea, I was hoping to add a new gaiwan or decorative canister to my collection, but the variety of teawares offered isn’t very large, and you’d be better off ordering online.
There is however a good variety of loose leaf teas being carried. You’ll find a lot of the classics and a few interesting ones offered in labeled and resealable pouches. The prices are good though I will say that I would have preferred to have samples of the tea be visible alongside to smell and judge the quality of the leaves. True tea aficionados may be disappointed by the lack of rarer teas or the lack of apparent detailed information about the teas. Back in the main room we stood dazed at the giant chalkboard with a list of teas being offered brewed to order scrawled across it. While I decided what to try, the rest of my party freely sampled a cherry and rose flavored sencha. The young man taking our order (I don’t have names because I don’t recall nametags being worn) seemed genuinely helpful as he offered to tell us about the teas or suggest a tea to match our tastes. Others in my party liked the sencha so we decided to get a pot of that and a pot of gunpowder green tea to share. I also ordered a veggie humus sandwich since I had skipped breakfast.
The tea came out in nice little pots that you are free to pour from at your table. This is awesome for parties who are ordering and sharing numerous teas. A nitpick was that the cups were dark stone, meaning that you really couldn’t appreciate the color of the tea. One smell of the cherry rose sencha and I could tell it was flavored with the very ambiguously listed “…and natural flavors.” Definitely not an issue for some, but I tend to shy away from this sort of thing. My party thoroughly enjoyed the tea regardless so it really is just a preference thing. Having tasted other gunpowder teas, the one I tasted here was average. It could have been just brewed poorly, but it lacked a tangible smokiness that you’d expect in good gunpowder. I have no ill words for the sandwich, it was fresh and delicious.
Our overall experience was a good one, and I’d definitely consider returning with friends, maybe even for an event night. It’s great to see a place like this in Utah, introducing people to the art of tea. The Tea Grotto is a nice place to exit the busy world, empty your mind, and fill it with tea.
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rachael
The Tea Grotto is fabulous. I have been to tea room all over the country and have found the Grotto to be among the very top around. Huge selection and great quality. The knowledge that the staff and the owner have are incredible. The ambiance is very serene and peaceful. The person who rated this so low was apparently upset about not knowing about the remodeling but didn't rate the room accordingly. The Tea Grotto is the #1 room in Salt Lake and among the top in the country.
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Mr. Dunmyer
My experience with the Tea Grotto was great. Staff were really friendly and helpful, and the tea was great. They also had a great food menu, although, I had already eaten at ESTE's, which is a neighboring business.
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george thomson
I went to the tea grotto this evening and I had a wonderful experience! The workers where incredibly helpful and patient. They helped me through the the extensive menu and suggested teas that tasted amazing. This was my first time to a tea room and I will definalty recommend the Tea Grotto to my friends and family because of the great tea selection and top notch service. I also learned that they have a free tea tasting on saturday. I am very excited about learning more about tea! :)
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Charles
I visited from Seattle, Googling in advance for anyplace in SLC that served loose-leaf teas for that taste of home. I was stunned to find a place that served high-end traditional Chinese teas gongfu cha style that rivaled many of the best tea houses in Seattle and Vancouver. The ambiance was perfect for enjoying a gaiwan of ti kuan yin, bao zhong, or lung ching and I went back every day I could during my visit. The staff (and owner) were likewise excellent and accommodating and made The Tea Grotto the highlight of my week in Salt Lake City.
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Connie
I hosted my daughter's baby shower at the Tea Grotto..a great time was had by all! The staff was wonderful to work with, the service was good, the food was delicious(prepared fresh just prior to our arrival) and the assortment of tea was fabulous. The Tea Grotto is a great place for small family/friend get-togethers -- highly recommended.
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Sean
Very poor coordination. When we called for a reservation we were told nothing about the fact that it was under renovation. Because of this, we drove two hours for nothing. I certainly hope the experience improves when the finish expanding and I hope they communicate better with their customers.
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Elin
With huge vertical windows, brick walls, and modern lighting, the atmosphere of the Tea Grotto is contemporary, loft-like and inspired by pan-Asian tea growing countries. They have created a special environment including a “Zen Room” with bamboo floor, low tables and pillows for the ultimate in tea meditation. Their selection is vast, from several versions of chai to matcha to estate specific oolongs. The owner, Rebecca, suggested Jade Oolong served gongfu style. It was my first experience with this Chinese service and I enjoyed the methodical preparation and several steepings of my delicious oolong. My husband, who has yet to decide if he even likes tea, had two full pots of Assam. Both delicious. Light meal offerings are served. We chose the pumpkin tart, deliciously savory with onion and garlic and a tomato, olive and feta galette. We lingered, enjoying the relaxing music and environment. Can’t wait to return.
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Susan
The Tea Grotto has an amazing selection, a great staff, and a very cozy atmosphere. I recommend the jasmine pearl, the green sweet flower, the gingerbread rooibos, or the black caramel. There's so much to choose from! If you don't know very much about tea, just ask, they're SO helpful! Take off your shoes and enjoy the zen room while you're there, it's really relaxing! It's just a great place.
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James
The Grotto provided great selection of all tea that conaseaurs and novices will both enjoy. Knowledgable staff can help you sort through the options.
The japanese room is quite nice, but small, if you and a friend are alone it is great but if others join in be prepared to hear everything they say and visa versa. The atmosphere in the rest of the grotto is very modern and hip, but is not as intimate as the Beehive.
in short, highly recomended.
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Lana...Bountiful, UT
The Tea Grotto was my first experience in my mad frenze into the Tea world. The service was very friendly and helpful towards this beginner.I loved the atmosphere. The selection of Teas
are amazing, and the huge quanity of supplies and teaware got me hooked...See you soon