CK Cafe

I have never been treated with such disrespect. My niece finally came in town & had never been to dt Claremont before. I had read about this café months ago and have been waiting to go here and we were both so excited to fatty it out & have the blossoming flower tea!
…what a huge mistake that was.
The old Asian lady was who «helped» us out. Her attitude is absolutely disgusting. After going to the counter she yelled at me to grab my tea to the point my niece was annoyed. We ordered what we wanted not knowing we had to grab it ourselves that is no problem, but she screamed at us like we were idiots for not knowing.
She makes us our tea, every question is with an attitude, I ask where sugar is, instead of simply pointing it out she screams that she already put honey, cool but that’s not what I asked I would still like sugar. Thx
At this point everyone is looking at us and we no longer want to enjoy it here we want it to go.
I ask if I can also have a clear cup she screams again it is for iced tea and yells some other stuff I couldn’t even understand… I would pay for a freaking cup just give the customer what they want don’t act like its up to you!
I was so embarrassed & my poor niece seeing me being yelled at by this bitter old woman…
Thx for making 1 cup of tea near impossible to get.
Will NEVER be coming back or recommend this place to ANYONE.
If I could give negative stars I would

I LOVE CK Café, although I agree with the fact that the staff needs to be nicer, I love coming here and I don’t really notice the staffs rudeness anymore, since I solely go for tea… I LOVE THE TEAS!
It’s a great hideaway spot, not really too busy with people since I guess they don’t feel comfortable with the rudeness.
I like it.

I ordered the too healthy tea, iced, with a little bit of honey. It was very refreshing and light. I would come back for that tea. There is a big variety of teas to choose from. My friend ordered milk tea and it was standard. The place is nice to hang out. There is also outdoor seating. Place is a bit hard to find– if you’re coming from 1^st street, enter through the driveway alley between Indian Hill and Yale. It is behind the stores.

Yes the grumpy man is comedy but the tea is amazing, I enjoy playing games here and drinking the big mugs of tea, so calming, other then that the customer service is not that great. I have not been to any other places where the tea is served and shown this way, it’s worth it.

I think this place is absolutely delightful. After reading some other reviews I’m really shocked to hear people take offense to the customer service. I’ve never had anything but politeness from those behind the counter. They aren’t going out of their way to do anything else, but it’s just a tea and snack shop. There’s nothing else they should be doing. As for the signs, I think it’s normal to expect people who take time and tables at your place of business to actually be patrons there. Just buy a cup of tea and you’ll be fine.
As for the tea selection, it is huge and amazing. I really like coming here and opening the teas and smelling them and really being able to figure out what I’m in the mood for.
If you’re a smoker they carry cigarettes which you can smoke outside on the patio.
There’s wifi and plenty of seating. I think there are outlets for laptops and things. I can’t remember for sure.
It can be a little difficult to find (the entrance is in the back) but I like that it’s a little bit of a secret.
Oh and one last tip: the bathroom takes you into the Espiau’s bathroom so don’t worry — you’re in the right place.

Mr. Pongggg! That guy knows some serious kung fu. Service is excellent. Love the blossom tea!

Awesome!!! After reading all the reviews about this famously mean elderly man i decided to come for the experience. I was not let down at all. The place was completely empty, no music playing, and crouched behind the counter was a sullen old man glowering at me and my boyfriend. My boyfriend tried ordering drinks for us at the counter and he was instantly annoyed and replied «what?! You bring here!» We just smiled at each other and brought him our respective teas. He continued to mean mug me and my boyfriend as we finished our order and paid. We patiently awaited our teas and when we finally got them his demeanor seemed to have changed to that of a polite older gentleman, kill them with kindness as we always say. We take our teas which are beautiful, and quite captivating, they had plenty of flowers in them but tasted of nothing but honey. All in all, an entertaining experience.

It has great tea and boba. maybe even the best, but the owners are kinda dicks with signs and rules posted all over the place. I think people are afraid to talk here. Customer service leaves a lot to be desired but can’t beat the quality of the drinks. You can bet if the service was nicer and the interior a bit more pleasant this would be a five star place.

Even after reading the reviews for this place I wasn’t prepared for the rudeness of the staff. The place is littered with signs that scream «inhospitable!»
I guess it’s good if you’re just getting tea and don’t want to stay too long. It’s open late, which is really nice.
Don’t get the cookies. The packaged ones are the same that you’ll find at most gas stations (full of trans fat), and the non packaged ones are dry and crumbly, reminiscent of a big Chips Ahoy chocolate chip cookie.

Stop reading this review and go check it out !!
Great spot to relax or do homework or hang out with a group of friends
The tea here is amazing and I’m not a guy that likes tea at all but my wife dragged me along and I didn’t regret it at all it’s amazing from there ice tea and omg there amazing Thai tea you can’t go wrong with this place. The tea selection is also huge and really good I haven’t tried I tea there I dislike. I am only on tea 5 out of 30 flavors haha.
Customer Service: It’s not the best but tbh it’s not like the worse thing in the world.
P.S if you are a smoker they do have Hoohka

One of my favorite spots in Claremont or the IE in general. It’s a nice hangout spot and the tea is great. I would highly recommend this place. They also have board games and plenty of comfortable seating.

In all honesty the tea is very good
But the unhappy bitter old fart behind the counter ruins the experience to some extent
Sh*t customer service, great tea

This spot is cool to chill, I would rate this spot a 5 because it’s tea blossoms but the owner (dude) is a real dush, he can scare away customers, especially if it’s your first time. Impatient guy, the lady is a bit more nice.

Straight up, some people don’t like the old man. All I have to say is, he’s a Gangsta!
Best selection of tea. Quite and relaxing.
Great alone or with friends.

Took out one star because someone replied to my review telling me to I «need to learn how to deal» with the shitty customer service — lol.
I’m guessing this is someone who knows the owners. So fine, here’s an updated review dealing with your customer service. Cheers.

A friend recommended this place to me as we needed a late-​night spot to hang out for a bit, so off we went to CK Café.
It’s a cute little space with all kinds of tea. In all honesty, I don’t remember much about the place or the menu because the owner was intimidating. I saw him chase away a customer while we were dining. I told him this was my first time, hoping for a little bit of help, but he said nothing. I felt rushed and like I couldn’t take my time to order what I wanted or ask questions about the teas. I picked based off name alone and hoped for the best. Thankfully, my choice (Jasmine Rose) was a good one. This place is worth coming back to for the tea alone.
My friend and I chose to sit on the back patio. They’re supposed to be open until midnight, but at 11:30 p.m., the owner came out and announced he was closing in 15 minutes. Does that mean I still get to drink my tea? I had only gotten about ¹⁄₅ of the way through it in 25 minutes because it was so hot. I never got to finish my tea, which was really off-​putting but I know I’m partially responsible for coming so late.
The owner makes me want to stay away from this place, but the tea was so good that I don’t know if I can.

Met a friend here last night to chat over tea. I read the reviews before coming, but it was my first time there so I try to be unbiased.
When I entered, it was a cute little place with paintings on the wall with a sort of 80’s esque look to them (my friend remarked one looked like it belonged in the Last Unicorn), even though they appear to have been painted in ’03. Again, I wasn’t here when it was Nick’s, but I assume they’ve always been there. My friend is a returning customer that has been around the area for years, but he couldn’t remember when the paintings were there.
Teas of different types lined the shelves with different names. One was in German (I believe it was written as Ingwer Zitronen) which is Ginger Lemon tea. One was named Diarrhea, another Hell Angel. You get the idea. They also had the usuals such as Oriental Beauty and Matcha.
The place was crowded, people were outside smoking, and inside was filled with students. Eventually someone left and and we snagged two seats. I just got a regular milk tea, big size. The sizes are Big, and Bigger. The man (Mr. Pong?) at the front counter was a little gruff, but he wasn’t unfriendly by any means. I walked in, smiled at him, made sure to follow all the rules, and knew ahead of time what I needed to order. When my tea was up, he didn’t see us, so he went looking for me and when he found me he exclaimed how glad he was to have found me. He had a sense of humor and was kind. He walked around to check on everyone every now and again. The Wi-​Fi password is posted on the wall, and menus are near the front.
We stayed there until close and were the last ones to leave. My buddy is a tall goth guy and we received decent customer service and no judgment from anyone. They were polite and let us stay til the last minute, and a girl came by and politely picked up our cups and moved the seats. I don’t live in the Claremont area, but I’m sure I’ll be back to visit. The tea was quite good and I almost got a second one. No complaints here.

Okay so those pictures of the lady are mine. I was sitting inside doing my homework today, the woman from the photos comes to me and points at the sign behind me that says customers must buy something to stay. I had not bought anything yet, but I told her I would run out to get my wallet really soon. She walked away then came back telling me to buy something or get out. So I went to my car to grab my wallet, came back and bought something. We made eye contact when I gave her the money, she said thank you. Then a few minutes later (after attending a few customers), she comes up to me with their «We have the right to refuse service to anyone» sign. I was surprised and asked what she was trying to say. She kept saying «I dun kno da English» and just told me to to get out. I asked her why she was kicking me out, she only responded in the same way. I began to pack my things, dumbfounded. Just before I left, I snapped some photos of her and asked her one more time why she was kicking me out. She stayed quiet and then threatened to call the police. I laughed and walked out. The owner of the place (who did speak English) arrived and her employee explained her side of the story. I tried explaining mine but was constantly interrupted. The owner said that I did not buy anything and that I was not welcome back.
Thanks owner, you’re the real MVP.

Don’t go for the coffee or the food, go for the tea and the ambiance. This is a cool little coffee shop with a nice patio, an eclectic crew of regulars, and a grouchy-​but-​sweet owner. They are super serious about making minimum purchases and not bringing in outside food or drinks, but they’re also really cool about letting you hang out for hours and chill. All of the teas are wonderful.
Pros: Tea, patio, hanging out, free wireless.
Cons: Coffee, somewhat limited seating, somewhat irregular hours.

Place: it’s hidden and located in some alley. Once you find it its really cool I recommend you sit inside because the artwork is really cool.
Worker: he’s a bit intimidating maybe it’s because he’s kinda buff haha, but over all this old man was pretty cool.
Drink: I had the peach blossoming flower. The only sad part was I couldn’t mix it with another flavor I really really enjoyed my drink and I can’t wait to go back and try more flavors.
Tip: free wifi #blessed.
Totally coming back