Wanderer’s Teahouse and Cafe

Great place to study! Awesome teas and they know what they are doing for brewing it from tea temp to brew time. Some great options for food as well.

As someone who grew up, but no longer lives in East Lansing, I notice a lot of changes each time I come home. Most changes are not improvements. Each time I notice more favorite local shops that have closed, bland new complexes, and general sprawl. However, when I walked past Wanderer’s for the first time, something drew me inside. The café, though completely new to me, felt strangely homey. I have returned multiple times and the staff is always friendly, the tea/​food is always good, and the environment is always warm. The prices are reasonable as well.
Wanderer’s Café is one of East Lansing’s best changes. We need more unique, local, high quality establishments like this I hope that this place is around for awhile!

This is the best Café in Lansing in my opinion.
They obviously specialize in tea, which is excellent. Their owner is very knowledgeable and friendly and always excited to talk about his teas with the customers. I recommend the Ancient Forrest Tea.
Their coffee is okay. On par with their competitors currently. I wish the milk foam was done better more consistently and they only put two shots of espresso in their 20oz latte which is a bit on the milky side. I just order the extra shot.
I also think their savory crepes are excellent. I love getting lunch here while I do my weekly readings.
Unfortunately, once one of the baristas (and I know which one) charged a tip of $ 3 to my credit card when I did not write a tip onto the card slip. (I usually do but, I remember being very put off by her being particularly short and rude to me on this day.)
I make a point to pay in cash when she is checking me out at the register. I considered alerting visa to it but, I decided I liked the owner to much.

I’ve only been a few times, but the tea has been great and they have quite a selection. I’ve also had their veggie portabello sandwich which is heavy on the mayonnaise but otherwise yummy. Sandwiches are served with carrots and celery sticks with dipping sauce.
Seems like they’re also pretty tolerant of students who settle in to work for a few hours too.

This is an awesome place to stop for a pot of tea and relax. It has spacious seating, a huge collection of reading materials, and a historical, wooden, Eurasian décor.
There are a large number of high quality teas available in all forms (black, white, green, red, etc.). I recommend trying something new and different every time. It’s a great place to test out something you never thought of before. For example, Ancient Forest is a earthy, smokey black tea and Memory Tea is an herby signature blend. There are also an assortment of baked goods and sandwiches available. The staff has always been friendly and nice.

Friendly staff, and an excellent place to waste away an afternoon sipping on Hibiscus tea. Worth the stop.

I simply had to write my first review about Wanderer’s. I came in during their first week, and right away, I felt at home. The owner, Mike, still knows my name to this day and is welcoming and friendly, along with the rest of the staff.
The tea selection is wonderful, and contrary to other reviews I have read, the staff seem to know a great deal about their teas. As someone who knows very little about tea, they help me pick my ideal tea and inform me on the different types I can choose from.
I think that the best part about this spot is their amazing food. The hummus sandwich, which includes hummus, feta cheese, red peppers, caper mayo, and spinach, never disappoints. It is the perfect blend of flavors, and the homemade ranch sauce and carrots/​celery on the side is a nice addition. I also adore the crepes. The nutella/​banana crêpe is a great treat.
The events they offer range from special tea parties to casual open mic nights. They also have a great soundtrack going in the background at all times. The atmosphere is cozy, and overall, very welcoming and peaceful. Anyone in the East Lansing area would be missing out by not trying this place out. I dare you to dislike your experience.

Love this place. It’s small but it gives it a cozy vibe. Great staff and crowd. If u like tea visit wanderers !

When Wanderer’s first opened, I was really excited. I love loose-​leaf teas, and the Lansing area coffeehouses all have mediocre tea. Unfortunately, most of my experiences here have been overwhelmingly negative. This is partly because the staff just doesn’t know tea, and partly because the business stretches itself too thin — in trying to be both a teahouse and a café, it’s unsatisfactory at both.
My problem with the teahouse: The staff consistently put in twice as much tea as is necessary. (I drink black teas.) And that’s only when they have the tea I order, which is hit and miss. But every single time I order, I ask the server to only put in half the amount of tea. So far, this hasn’t happened. So while the tea may be good, I can’t tell because I’m too busy trying to scrape the tannins off my tongue. This infuriates me, not only because I can’t get what I order at Wanderer’s, but because it is a waste of my money and time. When my friend complained about the amount of tea to a staff member, he was told that he should just steep the tea for less time, which not only shows no knowledge about tea, but also the apathy that plagues the service here. Ditto to the server who said that with all that extra tea, you can steep the tea again. No, you can’t steep most black teas more than once. Black teas aren’t green or white teas.
The café: The food is okay. You’re really shelling out cash to soothe your (most likely) white (most likely) liberal guilt over the fact that you’re part of the process by which brown people are being oppressed. Because no matter how much Wanderer’s tries to promote environment and social justice through the drinking of organic tea and the eating of locally grown products, it’s ultimately a delusion. There is no such thing as fair-​trade tea — someone, somewhere, was oppressed in the production of the tea. No amount of gluten-​free vegan banana bread can change that.

Took my daughter to the tiny Tim afternoon tea. The owner was lovely and helpful, the teas was awesome, and the food was unique and delicious! Planning on going back soon. The atmosphere was entertaining. The only draw back is the parking in East Lansing but, the cost of parking is well worth the trip.

This is the kinda place where, when I’m there, I think ‘I should be coming here every day’.
The tea and staff are great. It can get a little full sometimes, but it is very cozy, kinda like a pub.
The baked goods are underwhelming, usually over cooked.
Overall, a very, very nice place and very grateful it is part of our community.

Want to get away from all the dorm food at MSU? Then Wanderer’s tea house is the right place to go. This local tea house is owned and operated by two MSU alums and is located on grand river right in the heart of downtown East Lansing. They are open generally at 8 am to 12 pm during the week and 9 am to 11 pm on the weekends. They are even open on labor day!!! They have a wide variety of green, red, and black teas. In addition they even have a menu of food options. My personal favorites are the giovanni crêpe which is made with nutella and bananas on the inside and powdered sugar and whip cream on the outside. In addition, one of my favorite teas to get is their homemade chai tea. Delicious!!! Overall, great place, friendly service, delicious food and drinks. Looking forward to coming back as much as I can!

This place is fabulous. I am a regular there, after years living in East Lansing without a ‘regular’ place that I hang out in. The owners are great people, eager to make the experience in their Teahouse as friendly as possible. The food is inventive and the tea selections are varied and wonderful. I highly recommend this place for anyone who wants to travel the world without buying a plane ticket.

This place is very, very good. I love their coffee AND their tea. The lunch options are great and today I saw that they added crepes to their menu. Awesome!
The owner is an extremely nice guy. I hope this place is thriving because it is exactly what EL needs: a local place with high quality and unique products that caters to college students but creates an environment appealing to everyone. Love it.

I’ve since been back a number of times, and the experiences have bumped my rating up to 5 stars. Good service, and very nice owners. The vegetarian food they offer is very nice and fresh.
I HIGHLY recommend the English Afternoon Teas. You’ll have to go to the website to check when the next one (s) will be, and reservations are required, but it’s a definite deal: a pot of tea and a three-​tiered arrangement of finger sandwiches, a scone with preserves/​rose «clotted» cream, and desserts. And with the exception of one or two of the desserts, everything is home-​made!
My favorite place in EL to sit and read, work or talk with friends.

YOU FOUND IT!!!
Wanderer’s boasts a wide variety of teas with a knowledgeable staff that can help you pick what your in the mood for. I have gone about 10 times so far and have not been disappointed yet. The tea is great, the price is outstanding, the staff is amazing, the ambiance is perfect for hanging, talking, reading, or studying.
I hate to be overly positive so ill say that their was a dog barking in the tea house today while i was reading. But that had never happened before and the woman apologized and left promptly.
Back the the review, try it. It won’t disappoint.
It’s an Eat!

Nice atmosphere, friendly and knowledgeable staff, but not the greatest food in town. While always very fresh the salad and sandwich menu seems to be lacking any really character. Still always tasty and reliable, with a fine selection of teas to pair it with.

Went to Wanderer’s with my boyfriend not expecting much, but the experience was fantastic! We went specifically for the English Tea Time seating that they offer every other Saturday at 2 and 4pm, and were welcomed with two pots of tea (of our choosing), delicious sandwiches, scones, and mini desserts! We were served not only by the wonderful waitress behind the counter, but we were actually served by the very humble and friendly owners throughout the course of the day. My boyfriend described the experience as having tea in someone’s living room, and I couldn’t agree more. A great place to spend the cruel Midwest winters!

One of the best dreary afternoon lunch spots I’ve ever been to. I loved my portobella mushroom sandwich — tons of flavor, grilled to perfection, melted cheese — and for only $ 5. I got a small pot of tea, which was good for about 4 cups, for $ 2.95. The ambiance was perfect — my kind of music (adult contemporary? Dave Matthews, Paul Simon), bohemian-​looking students with their books and MacBook Pros, framed photos with great quotes, and I found a copy of a National Geographic from 1997 with photos from the 50^th anniversary of India’s independence. It was such a warm and peaceful lunch, and a great investment of $ 10 and an hour of my time. If I went to MSU, I’d be here all the time. And just remember, «all those who wander are not lost.»

A nice little place on Grand River. I only had a scone there, as I just went for a snack, but I’m looking forward to going back to try other things. Good atmosphere, friendly service, nice menu.