ZenCha Tea Salon

Loved ZenCha for brunch! It’s an open and beautiful space downtown, high ceilings and a retail tea shop in one corner. When we arrived, they were cleaning up after a large party, but we were seated in good time.
Their tea menu is HUGE. Of course, right? I found my matcha, and my co-​diner her preferred chai. Tea is an art when it’s made properly — a skill for which I have no patience but am willing to pay for.
ANYWAY. Order your favorite tea and enjoy it while you try to decide which awesome-​sounding brunch item to order. All types of pancakes (thin, delicate, almost-​crêpe), gluten-​free waffles, omelets, quiche, eggs benedict, okonomiyaki (Japanese savory pancakes), ramen, udon, shrimp and grits — you get the idea. SO MANY CHOICES.
I ended up choosing the Earl Grey pancakes with baked apples and turkey bacon and Renee ordered the quiche with potatoes and side salad. Lots of lovely, well-​made food. The pancakes were light and lovely, and the apples soft and spiced. YUM. I got to try the quiche and immediately wanted all of that, too! The potatoes were big and herbed and yummy, too. Great turkey bacon. It’s the little things.
My only quibble was extremely slow service. Our server was still in the restaurant, but we were unsure whether she was on or off shift, which meant a long, awkward wait before I went to get a take-​home box and pay the check at the counter. This, however, will not keep me from coming back — the tea and the food were spot-​on. I’d enjoy a lazy Sunday brunch there any day.

I love this place so much– the tea selection is great and the food is excellent. Literally each dish has so many layers of flavor. For tea we got (my favorite) Coconut Chai and the Russian Caravan (which is the manliest tea there is, smells like leather but tastes great)
My boyfriend had the Mushroom Udon soup with thin sliced pork, a rich broth with zucchini, onion, mushroom and tender pork on top. I ordered the blueberry lavender pancakes– they were perfectly cooked pancakes with fresh blueberries and sliced banana, whip cream and slivered almonds on top. The syrup was not your typical sugary blueberry, but a fresh slightly tart blueberry flavor with a hint of almond and maybe anise– such a great complement to the rest of the flavors!
We also got an order of the chicken dumplings that were excellent and came with a rice vinegar/​ginger sauce that tasted exactly like the dumplings I had in Shanghai.
The ONLY reason I give Zen Cha a 4 instead of 5 is because they just need a little more help– the service is pretty slow because they only have one person working and they get backed up. I would hate to see people leave or not come back just for this reason– it’s too good of a place to miss out on!

Now that is what I call sunshine in a cup on this rainy day! Coconut bubble tea is amazing. One of the best around, well in fact one of the only places around that I have been able to find with bubble tea. This could be dangerous since I am pretty sure I can live off of bubble tea

Interesting place! Had taro bubble tea. Tea part was pretty good, but bubbles were slightly uncooked and too hard to chew. Place was very dead at night on a Friday though!

A latte, a rooibos, a bubble.
Pu-​erh bricks look kind of like rubble.
A press or a pot,
Some iced and some hot.
A matcha, and make it a double.
I’ve been to ZenCha in the Short North at least 91 times (given that there are 91 teas on the tea list and I’m obsessive-​compulsive enough to have tried all of them), but this was only the second time I’ve visited the downtown one.
I like how it’s more intimate (but not cramped) and has a variety of seating options: low tables, high tables, and counter seating, both at the bar and at the window. I have lamented and will always lament that it’s more restaurant and less chill-​with-​your-​tea house than I’d like (Tehku gets the balance down more in the way I like), but I’ve gradually accepted that what I want is not what ZenCha is supposed to be.
Today I had the autumn fruit tea; the seasonally themed fruit teas are among my favorites on the menu, and you can have them with either green or black tea. It came in a pretty little pitcher with apple slices floating in it. The first teacup they gave me was cracked, and my tea leaked into the saucer, but I was quickly able to get someone’s attention, and they replaced it with apologies.
I had the shrimp tempura appetizer and mushroom udon for my lunch, and both were lovely. Of course I took half the udon home; it’ll make a nice lunch tomorrow.
There are a couple of things I’d like to note about menu items, though, for the sake of others’ info. There are a few prior reviews that conflict in terms of whether there’s sushi at ZenCha, so I asked my server. He said that when this location first opened, there was sushi, but it was phased out at some point. They’ve been talking about putting it back on the menu, but there are no solid plans or guarantees. So at the moment, February 2016, no sushi. But that could change.
Second, the menu has a pretty good number of dishes presented with a little V for «vegetarian option available.» One of those is the miso ramen, but I asked about the broth anyway because I knew that at one point, at least, the ramen at the Short North location used a meat broth. The server initially said the broth was vegetarian but that customers could ask for meat to be added. But after he put my order in and double-​checked with the chefs, he came back to correct himself: the broth for the miso ramen is beef. I suggested (politely, I hope – I don’t like being rude about this stuff) that the V tag shouldn’t be on that menu item if a veg version isn’t actually possible. (Just because I eat fish doesn’t mean I don’t look out for the veggies out there!)
The mushroom udon is veg, though. And it was hearty and very good. The mushrooms were plump and fresh, and the noodles were cooked perfectly. I wouldn’t change a thing. The shrimp tempura was very pretty. The coating was more like breading than traditional batter, and the accompanying sauce was tasty.

Loved it! A Million different tea options, great food, even better service, tons of take home tea options! The service was even better! A young lady really took the time to show me my options and her recommendations were spot on. Think I make this a regular spot!
Might I suggest to the business to expand their options for customers to purchase variety backs of different teas to see which could be their favorite. As well as starter kits for the beginner tea lovers. The current selection of tea pots and cups were far too expensive.

Love the drinks here and the décor is pretty. But again service is still slow, (there’s no one in here right now) but the hostess this time was very nice unlike that I’ve met.

Went in for bubble tea and food, but got there and found out the kitchen was closed. Disappointed, but I still got my taro bubble tea which was really good and the staff was super nice and friendly.

I was only in the area for about 48 hours and I stopped into this place 3 times. From the vast variety of teas from around the world to the simple but expensive décor I love this place. You can get full tea service or get your tea to go. Each time I ordered to go. I do wish I would have had the chance to sit and enjoy the place a bit more. I tried 3 different teas; taro bubble tea, coconut chai, and cardamom, ginger. They were all flavorful and crave worthy. It does take a bit for the order to be made because they are made fresh but it’s well worth the 5 min wait. I wish they weren’t 4 hours from me so I could stop in and get a different tea every day.

I am a tea lover; therefore, I am a ZenCha lover.
This is the first ZenCha location I’ve ever tried, and since my first visit, I’m hooked. I’ve been to all three ZenChas within the Columbus area!
I’ve tried multiple teas on the menu, all of which have left me feeling warm and happy, but what bugs is me that their food menu and business hours differ from place to place! I do wish it was more consistent.
At this location, I tried the Masala Chai Waffle for breakfast, and it was good. If I come for brunch again, I will be trying the other brunch options. I also had the Miso Ramen, which was okay, not the best ramen I’ve ever had.
I’m a huge fan of the Cinnamon Mint Chai Tea. The waitress described it as Christmas in a cup, and I couldn’t agree more! Location-​wise, I think the downtown location has the best décor!

Wow, the Bubble Tea is delicious! Finding a parking space was trouble during lunch time & the wait on the tea was about twenty minutes, but it was worth it. I’m definitely returning to try the variety of teas they offer.

So I had a date here and tell you what… I enjoyed the chai here more than the date herself… She was pretty hot too!
That says a lot.
Relaxing ambience.
Prime location in the heart of trendy short north.

Have I mentioned that the service here is slow? I know that getting tea is supposed to be a relaxing endeavor, but I swear, I break out in hives every time I’m here because it takes so long to get a check. Anyways, the bubble tea is still solid, and I’m still grateful that I can get my bubble tea fix downtown. Additionally, the bento lunch box special is deliciously amazing. Just tried the shrimp one today: Shrimp tempura, teriyaki veggies, rice, fried pot stickers, edamame, and fruit. Slightly sinful, but enough veggie components to not make you feel like you ate a completely unhealthy lunch.

I’ve only stopped here to purchase their packaged tea, since this is the location where they actually do the preparations for that. As is such, they have the greatest selection of teas to choose from, so you’re most likely to find whatever flavor you want here. My personal favorite is Cardamom Ginger, although I have yet to find a tea that I don’t like at Zencha!
Another unique aspect of this location is that they have a bunch of delicious-​looking cakes and pastries on display in the front. I’m always tempted to order one, but never really got around to doing so. Next time, though, I swear I’ll actually order real food here so that I can write a more complete review of this place!

When I went, the tea of the day was Strawberry Valley. This is a black tea, with strawberries, rose hips, hibiscus and other flavors. I really like hibiscus so I was eager to try it. I sampled it and enjoyed it. I asked the young lady helping me had anything been added to the demo pitcher such as honey, sugar etc. She assured me that it was just tea. So I bought a bag. Well, I got home and made some and it did not taste like what I had tasted in the store which disappointed me. I am a tea person and know about steeping and things of that nature. So, that’s not the issue. Besides how can one spoil tea? Shrugs. I will finish it but I’ll be sad that it won’t be like what I experienced in-​store.

Look this place has great food and tea, but the service is TERRIBLE. I keep going back despite it, but after today I might officially call it quits. This was the 3^rd time it has taken obscenely long to get food. 1^st time I was told the kitchen was backed up, okay. 2^nd time the waitress said the kitchen lost our order, 3^rd time today after waiting 45 minutes our waitress came up and asked if we had ordered food. Which we had from
HER 45 minutes earlier. She said she didn’t remember taking it even though when we repeated our order she clearly had it written on her pad– she never put it in. After another 20 minutes we finally got food– they offered us free tea but at that point I feel like the food should have been free. So sad to miss out on their food, but I can t afford to take anymore 2 hour lunch breaks dealing with this service.

I walked in a member of the coffee clergy and walked out a true blue tea evangelist.
That’s not to say I didn’t enjoy tea before my visit to ZenCha, I just think I hadn’t done it right.
I tried 6 different teas while at ZenCha but my stand-​out favorite was the cardamom ginger blend. Who doesn’t love cardamom? I loved it so much that I ended up leaving with bags on bags of tea blends to take back home to Chicago for myself and gifts for friends.
When you go, def give yourself a hefty few minutes to peruse the menu as they’ve got way more teas and tea blends available for in-​house consumption than in their shop area, which also has a small but well-​curated collection of fine, authentic artisan tea pots.
If you’re a chai tea connoisseur such as myself, you’ll be over the moon for their 7 different infusions, including: Masala Chai, Mango Green Chai, Cinnamon Mint Chai, Hazelnut Chai, Vanilla Chai, Almond Chai, and Coconut Chai.
You really can’t go wrong here.

I’ve only been to the Gay Street location a couple of times, but I love ZenCha in general. This one has more of a coffee shop feel than the restaurant/​café hybrid style in Bexley.
If you’re looking at this and you’re not familiar with ZenCha at all, here are the basics that you need to know:
–Good quality tea served to you by the pot. Very good range of green teas, black teas, flavored teas, herbal teas. They put in fresh spices instead of using stale tea mixes.
–You can get cold tea and I believe they also have bubble tea, though I don’t do bubble tea so I could be fuzzy on that. They also have tea lattes.
–Peaceful atmosphere and good service, though I find the Bexley location to be slightly better service-​wise.
–Small retail section where you can buy tea and tea-​related items.
–They also have food and baked goods to nosh with your tea.
–Gay Street is an excellent location to have tea and then go for a walk, if you’re looking for an afternoon of being out or if you’re wanting to experience downtown. You’re within walking distance of a lot of cool stuff.
If you usually do coffee when you’re downtown, I highly recommend switching it up sometime and heading over to ZenCha. You’ll be happy that you did.

I’m going to sound like a broken record here (I have two other five star reviews for the Bexley and ShoNo locations), but I freaking love ZenCha. When other people meet for coffee or a drink, I meet for tea.
The owners, Jean and I-​Cheng (hyphenated?), are some of my favorite people in town. They are so lovely and giving, and they treat me like family every time I’m in the store. Jean is usually found at the Short North, and I-​Cheng is here Downtown.
Of course the tea is amazing. Not good-​for-​Columbus amazing… comparable to the best tea anywhere. The staff is always, always friendly, helpful, and knowledgeable. I love getting to chit chat with them all! And the best part? They serve grits! Yes… I know this is weird… it’s a tea place… in the Midwest… and I’m talking about grits. But seriously, these are some of the best grits I’ve had since leaving my home in the South. It’s random, but trust me here.
I can’t recommend enough to run here and have a wonderful tea experience. And if you’re a first timer, you might just find me here… I’ll help ya out.

We’ve been here twice now, and we’ve had a good experience both times.
The first time, we came for breakfast. I had eggs in a basket and my boyfriend had pancakes. It was a nice experience and we said we’d come back.
This time, we stopped in for tea and a dessert. We shared a strawberry bubble tea with soy milk and black tea. The bubble tea was good, though the bubbles were a little smaller than we’d like. I really liked that it retained the tea flavor, and the strawberry wasn’t too strong or overpowering. We also got a three-​layer moose, which was good, though not anything unique. It had garnish that was a nice touch, and it was pretty cute. The free tea sample is a nice touch, and we really enjoyed it this time in particular; a sweetened orange spice tea.
Our waiter was very friendly and personable though, as other reviewers have stated, service isn’t very quick. I think that almost adds to the experience, though, because you’re there to enjoy the tea. For what we had, it was a perfect amount of time between ordering, getting our food, and getting our check.
It was a little pricey, with the dessert coming to almost $ 8 (I would say it was worth about $ 4 or $ 5). I thought the tea was a lot more reasonable, at about $ 4.50. Also, the last time we were here, there was cool artwork; now it’s gone, leaving relatively bare walls.
Overall, we will probably be returning, or at least going to another ZenCha location (though the ample and easy parking near this one is definitely a plus!)