The Steeping Room

Thoughtful, conscientious, and delicious food. The tea concept is excellent, but it is only the tip of the iceberg. The Steeping Room offers an intelligent menu that’s hard to find, blending a unique combination of healthy and fresh food. Highly recommend this place for anyone seeking to go beyond BBQ and the run-​of-​the-​mill American «cuisine» (i.e. SAD).

Ok, The Steeping Room IS awesome. How do they have so many great menu items. Of course they have LOTS of teas, but they have numerous gluten free AND vegan choices. Thank you, Thank You, THANK YOU. Ok if there is one complaint, it is that there is no steeping room in south Austin, east Austin or Westlake. Love you guys.

Red haired woman who greeted us was very unpleasant. She did not seem happy to be there.

At the Domain to meet a friend who had an appointment at the Apple Store. Advisor there recommended The Steeping Room so we gave it a try. Not our best decision of the day.
Walked in and ordered drinks. Guy never asked if we were staying or going, but after paying and asking if we could sit anywhere he informed us the inside was table service and he forgot to tell us that. If we had known we would have gotten a table and been waited on. Next, there was only one couple waiting ahead of us for drinks and we still waited over 10 min for a plain coffee and chai.
Finally got our drinks and my coffee was cold. My friends chai was nothing special and a bit watery. We went outside and sat down since it was chilly and no one was being served by a waiter. After a few dirty looks from a server, we moved on.
Maybe it’s just the area, but found the whole thing lackluster and not worth the time or money.

So Tea is a thing. Not exactly my thing, but I am going to display my objectivity in this review. The Steeping Room is a bit unique. Tea, otherwise, is such an antiquated meal and tradition. And «High Tea»? Forget about it. I would never get that high. I have an Aunt in London who wanted to show off the British Tea experience. She recommended we all dress up in top hats and morning jackets and spend 100 pounds per person to do it. Talk about a pretentious scone. I am surprised it would even deign to have itself lathered up in clotted cream.
Anyway, this is not the Steeping Room. The Steeping Room is the Austin version of the same. Casual, yet not cheap. You can expect to spend $ 20pp for your tea service of which there are several varieties. And if you wish to go a-​la-​carte, there is a decent selection of items from which to construct a small-​mid sized meal.
The food gets as dietary conscience as you like. Are you gluten free? They got that covered. Are you on an auto-​immune protocol diet? Check! Vegan candida cleansing? They got your back! So, flexibility is the name of the game. And the execution is good. Flavors combine in a very favorable way at the Steeping Room.
On to the teas. The selection is well thought through.
And the staff? Totally friendly and helpful. It is a godsend for the clean eating set. And I dare say old chap, it even works decently well for someone who doesn’t give a damn about what they but in their bodies.

This was my first visit to this Steeping Room location, and we were able to get in immediately at 12:30 on a Saturday, while there was an hour plus wait for the Domain location, so that’s an obvious plus, as is the easy parking and back entrance.
We ordered water right away, and didn’t actually get it until asking a second or third time after our food had come. I got the seasonal pumpkin chai latte with almond milk, and my sister in law got the spring bud chai latte. Both were pretty good, though I do wish the tea flavor had been a bit stronger to stand up to the milk. I ordered the chai in the first place because I only wanted a single cup of tea and my companions didn’t want to share a pot. This is one of the flaws of Steeping Room in general: if you only want one cup of tea, there isn’t really a way to do this and take advantage of their great stock.
As far as food, I ordered the Brie, pear, and honey sandwich on sourdough, which was a grilled cheese and excellent. The mixed greens that came with it had no other veggies as toppings and the so-​called balsamic vinegar had a strange flavor of soy or ginger, and I wasn’t able to finish it.
Overall, I would say I had a good experience and will be back, though each time I’m honing what I do and don’t like for future reference.

Came here for a mini birthday gathering and the service was incredible. We came pretty late and stayed almost an hour past closing time (lost track of time), and we’re not rushed to get out.

I’ve often seen this restaurant as I work directly across the street. I erroneously assumed it simply served tea and pastries, and had never imagined the extensive brunch/​lunch items available.
For those seeking clean eating, gluten free, vegan options, this place is for you. For those who could care less, the food is good quality and tasty. I love, love, love that the basic salad offered has a lot of red and leafy green lettuce. Their balsamic has a nutty base (cashew I think) and not too tangy.
I was immensely impressed that despite how busy they were, there was a server who greeted me not long after I entered the door and explained the process (how to order if to-​go or dining in. This was especially important as I entered through the street entrance which is furthest from the counter/​hostess station.
I felt very comfortable to sit and peruse the menu and order in the time I needed. The cashier was also immensely friendly and helpful.
Plus, the food was delish, and they included a checklist showing that my order was checked before sent out.
It is more than most lunches, but the quality of food certainly meets the expectation of the cost. If you care more for high quantity/​low cost, skip. But if you are looking for a healthy, good quality meal with great service, check out the Steeping Room!

This is a great restaurant. I think they do a disservice to themselves by appearing to be a tea house. It took us forever to figure out it was a great restaurant, and tea was just part of what they do! The ingredients are fresh, local, organic. Real chef-​level thought out food. I love the salads. Best I’ve had in Austin. I can always find great gluten free options. The brunch is also great for gluten free options. Always impressed. I don’t have a favorite dish yet. Still trying one out new things each time I go. The staff is wonderful and never tires of my many questions. This location is nice and relaxing. (The domain location is loud and bustling, but you can sit outside, so pick your vibe.)

This place is heaven.
I’m no longer vegan (I know… my veganism didn’t last long…) so I went to town on my visit to The Steeping Room.
They have fantastic scones! My boyfriend, who is Scottish, loves the «proper» British-​style scones served here. They’re crumbly, moist, and not sweet at all — which is a GOOD thing! They are perfect to top with clotted cream and jam!
For my entrée, I ordered their strata with a greens salad. The strata tasted so good it made me want to find a recipe to make one at home! It had just the right amount of cheese, which had caramelized across the top of the egg dish, and the vegetables inside were fresh.
I also ordered a chai tea with almond milk. Everything here is delicious.

After making a reservation on their website, I had a lovely lunch at The Steeping Room. Their selection of teas is incredible. Today I had the Monaco & found it delicious. My server was kind & helpful. Special accolades go to their inventive soups & the cheddar/​Rosemary scone. Just a delightful experience.

I’m not sure what happened here! My hubs and I wanted to try out this location since I love the one in the Domain. The service was super slow and awkward and the food was very bland. This place is nice if you want a cup of hot tea I guess, but the food is definitely overpriced for what it is. There are just too many other great options in Austin that are more flavorful and give you more bang for your buck!

OMG! Try the Chai Spiced French Toast!!! I got it with the gluten-​free rice bread. I had my reservations about the bread because I’m not the type to eat at places that are vegan or gluten-​free but it was AMAZING!!! I especially loved that it was served with fresh fruit. So good!

On a whim my girlfriend and I packed up our dogs and headed up north Lamar to go grab some food and tea at the steeping room. We show up at 4:30, without knowledge that the establishment closes at 5 on sundays, and tentatively asked to be attended to outside. The staff was very attentive and helpful.
The menu was large but not intimidating. The vegetarian option on nearly every dish was a huge plus. The tea and coffee selection was right up our alley. With the kind staff and the good food I was happy enough.
After placing our order we waited about 5 minutes for a delicious edemame appetizer then an additional 15 minutes for two delicious sandwiches each came with a lightly dressed mixed green salad. The worst part of our experience was that our dogs were being very misbehaved… but that is nobody’s fault but ours.
Thank you guys!

Food is good but the place is noisy and the service is pretty inattentive. When I asked for a quieter table, the hostess kind of sneered at me. Eh — not worth it. So
many other great places to go

Today the strada was a nasty soggy mess
:(looked flavorful. I wanted to take it back and sadly I felt like I had to answer 100 questions ;(poor Saturday lunch not fun

I haven’t had dinner there prior to this evening. Of course the fresh brewed tea then iced was perfect for a hot summer night. We had Lychee Black. I also enjoyed purchasing some loose tea while I was there. I took home jasmine green. One of my favs.
Unfortunately, the dinner was less perfect. The $ 4 hummus and crackers was fine but nothing special. Looked and tasted like what I put out at home. We split a Tao of Green salad with salmon. The salmon was so tiny split, it was two small bites. We ordered another side of salmon. The salmon was dry and cold. The salad was abundant (even my half of the salad), fresh and rather surprisingly bland since it has cilantro in it, but reasonably tasty. The service was inattentive and they weren’t that busy. I think I’ll stick to breakfast and lunch at steeping room. My breakfast and lunch experiences have been really nice.

Cute tea shop/​café. So many teas to choose from — it can be a bit overwhelming for a tea novice, actually.
It has quite a few vegetarian and vegan options to choose from: Napa rolls, Antonelli’s cheese plate, bowls, salads, tea sandwiches, and sandwiches!

One thing I love about Austin is the friendly people. The friendliness of the servers at The Steeping Room definitely stood out! Not only was the service excellent, but the food and tea were also very delicious. It was a memorable experience and I’m glad we got the chance to try it out before heading back to Cali.
Luckily a couple of my friends in my group were tea connoisseurs so I let them choose the teas. My friend selected the Yame Gyokuro green tea and also the «Milk» Oolong. Both teas smelled heavenly and I really enjoyed the feeling of awareness I felt when sipped on them. I even brought some of lovely Yame Gyokuro home with me.
As far as food, we decided to share everything. I love sharing with friends so we can try several dishes. Below is what we ordered:
— Zen Tea Service — napa rolls with tofu/​walnut cucumber, edamame, matcha dusted vegan chocolate cupcake (subbed a vegan cupcake with the brownie). Loved the fresh rolls and the cupcake was to die for!
— Moroccan Spiced Carrot Hummus Tea Sandwich with shaved fennel and scallion with Tao of Green Salad — this was delicious. Enjoyed the hummus!
— Vegan BAT — tempeh bacon, arugula and tomato with basil veganaise with cashew caesar. This was super tasty with locally made tempeh. I loved it all and the cashew caesar was so good!
— Buddha Bowl — grain of the day (rice), beans, sauteed greens, sweet potato medallions, with added tempeh. We selected the peanut sauce and sesame tamari vinaigrette. Healthy and delicious!
I highly recommend The Steeping Room and will be sure to come back the next time I’m in Austin.

I love, love, love The Steeping Room. It’s become my go-​to for a quick, light dinner before going to art class. Grab a nice pot of tea or a tisane if I’m not wanting caffeine. The food is always great. The exact things you want to eat with tea. I recently had the tea service that came with napa rolls, edamame, and a macha-​dusted brownie. Holy cow! The rolls were huge, edamame tasty and I ended up taking home the brownie and making my husband’s night.
I ALWAYS get a ginger scone (if I don’t have dessert) with clotted cream. PERFECTION!
The people who work here are great and very helpful. Always get a smiling face when I come in and terrific service. This is a perfect spot for ladies to lunch together, a group to enjoy a nice tea service or even someone wanting a little alone time with a relaxing cuppa.