Spice Island Tea House

Yum! This place is definitely a spot that I never would’ve looked twice at if my date had not suggested it. It’s a quiet, unassuming, almost residential spot that just BAM hits you with deliciousness that you’d never expect. I had some coconut chicken soup and tea and was absolutely blown away.

Don’t try any fried rice. It’s the worst Asian fried rice that I ever had. They charge tips for five people. The service is not good. They keep asking whether you finish or not.

I came here with some friends for really late lunch before going to class. The place was pretty empty when we were there. The restaurant looked small from the outside but there’s actually plenty of space inside. I didn’t care much for the atmosphere but the quality of the food. Since it was my first time there, I ordered my to go dish for Thai food which is Massaman curry. I did not like it at all! It was watery and there were big chunks of onions which I thought was weird. It did not taste like any curry that I’ve had before. I really did not like it at all but that’s just my tastes buds. The waiter was nice and asked if I wanted to pack it to go, i said no thank you. No way I was eating that. The price was okay, not too expensive or cheap but definitely not worth it since I didn’t like it. My friends liked their food though (or so I think so). Also, if you pay cash, you get 5% off.

Great asian food, had the Burmese Chicken Curry which I’d recommend

This place was real real good nah. I loved it with all my hearts and you are a DUMB need if you don’t come here and leave it. Amen.

If I’m craving Pad Thai this is always my go to. They make I with chicken AND shrimp and it is soooo good – and the portion is HUGE. It is kind of a hole-​in-​the-​wall can, but everything is delicious. I believe you can still do BYOB, though they had a decent cork fee, and they do have a wine list.

Friendly small spot with tasty food as well as a great choice of beer and tasty tea (whatever you are in the mood for!). They do have happy hour specials on beer and champagne cocktails. My absolute favorite is the Rangoon Night Market Particular — should you enjoy garlic, noodles, and pork you may be in love. Quite big pieces!

We love to come to this adorable place. Service is always fast, attentive, and seem like they really enjoy working there — always a good sign. We always get (and love) — the vegetable samosas, the Ono Kyowsway (Burmese Coconut Chicken Noodle Soup), the Panang Style Curry Shrimp, and/​or Mango Pork. It’s so good. EVERY time — and we have been coming here for almost 20 years.

The food here is amazing! I had a difficult time looking for this place and the restaurant appeared desolate and uninviting from the outside. But the inside of the restaurant was cozy and lively. The restaurant offers BYOB options but they have pretty strict rules as to what you can bring (I think only wine is allowed). I would just recommend getting drinks from there because they have drink specials pretty much everyday of the week.
The food is absolutely delicious. It was authentic and the portions were generous as well. They offer dishes from a variety of Southeast Asian countries (Thailand, Cambodia, Singapore, etc) so there’s plenty of things to try!

You cannot get Pad Thai like this anywhere else. It’s simply THE BEST.
We lived in Oakland for years and made Spice Island Tea House a regular visit. My husband and I could split an order of Pad Thai and an order of spring rolls and be comfortably full, spending less than $ 20 on takeout. We miss Spice Island very much, as we used to eat here about once every 2 weeks.
Should you try it? Yes
Ambience: It’s certainly a hard place to find, but that’s good because it’s truly a hidden gem and will stay that way. On the outside, it looks terrible and hardly even has a legible sign to mark the front door. On the inside, its ambiance is quaint with low-​lighting and refurbished antique-​like deco that’s sure to amuse and delight. They have a vibe all their own, and I’m having a hard time putting it into words.
To be honest, Spice Island was where my husband and I went on our first date. He introduced me to this place and it is now once of our must-​visits when visiting Pittsburgh.
Service: Great! It gets busy, but the food generally always comes out very quickly.
Location: Convenient location for anyone living in Oakland (we were on Dawson Street), as this area of the city is very walkable. Perfect for students at Pitt too!
3 Key Tips:
1) Try their teas — they are incredible!
2) Pad Thai. I get it without spice and the taste/​texture/​temperature is perfecto, but you can have them add spice if you want it!
3) Dishes are large, enough for splitting if you order an appetizer with it!
Recommended Dish: Pad Thai for sure. I also like the Mango Chicken.

I’ve had Spice Island Tea House on my radar for months now and finally made it there this past weekend with my boyfriend (and designated Thai food eating partner). It is right next to the pizza place he frequented in college, so we had no trouble finding it even though the sign is a bit faded. We walked in and were immediately greeted and seated by a hostess/​server. It wasn’t crowded when we arrived (maybe four of the twenty tables were full) but by the time we left the amount of guests had doubled. The décor is adorable, especially the string lights and plants. The place has a clean but worn and comfortable vibe… it’s been there since 1995, and it feels like that in a good way.
We took a few minutes to peruse the menus and saw they serve alcohol! Asian food and a nice beer happens to be a favorite combination of mine. Their cocktails look great as well. I’ll certainly be back to try the Bangkok mule. For food I went with the Pad Thai, and Kyle had the Thai Red Chili wok fry with chicken. Our food arrived within twenty minutes or so, and we immediately began eating.
I can see why people rave about the Pad Thai here. It’s incredibly rich with lots of egg and peanut and a delicious sauce that stands up to the accompaniments very well. I’ll get it again but with more spice next time. I didn’t specify a spice level when ordering (the waitress never asked and I totally forgot to be honest) so I assume what I received was the mild spice level. I requested Sriracha, which I was generous with, and that added a little kick. Kyle loved his wok fry and said it was plenty spicy for him. It looked very flavorful, with a deep red sauce and lots of chilies. The portions of both dishes were quite large for the quality of food we received. I feel like sometimes the nicer Thai-​style places give you a bit less for your money. We left full and satisfied with plans to come back very soon!

This is a nice quaint tea house with a good selection of teas to warm you up on a cold day. These are brewed and served in ceramic teapots.
They also have an interesting menu of curries, brick oven baked breads and fritters for example. A shrimp fritter appetizer was shared with my date and we both found it delicious.
Reversing roles in the famous Jack Spratt nursery rhyme I enjoyed the flatter, oilier man bread and she the puffier paratha. Based on a Unilocal recommendation, she ordered the Burmese pork curry and enjoyed it but not enough to have the take home as a meal the next day.
I have a passion for green curry and took the waitress’s suggestion for a large shrimp green curry. I enjoyed the dish and the leftovers the next day. (Waste not want not).
I recommend Spice Island Tea House as a pleasant restaurant. It is not highest among many options for Eastern food but is enjoyable. Parking can be tricky in this section of Oakland, so be aware.

Decent Thai food. I had the Java fried rice, which was quite delicious. The serving sizes are pretty large. The place is really small and intimate, and the food is priced pretty well. Service was quick and attentive.

I had their BBQ chicken, which were tasty but not particularly good deal. I’d like to try more though, just hoping that their other items are a better deal. Service was so-​so.

This is a great, solid 4 star restaurant. With food you’ve probably never tried before, along with a few staples tossed in there as well, Spice Island is a great local lunch spot or dinner if you live in South Oakland I guess. (Dear lord, I don’t think I could manage living in that area at my age, but I work around there, so yay Lunch!)
Spice Island is on my list of rotating Friday Lunch spots, so I’ve been there quite a few times. I try to get something different each time and have only been disappointed /​once/​in the past few years. (Don’t get the Chaing Mai here, it is NOTHING like Noodlehead’s interpretations. It’s more like spicy asian spaghetti.) My parenthesis aside, I’ve loved every dish I’ve gotten besides that and so have all of my friends.
I LOVE noodles, so I usually get something noodley, but do try all of the curries and meat dishes that they have too! Oh, and their thai salad is a really interesting addition to the start of your meal.
Keep in mind that they will only seat you when your whole party is there, so please don’t be rude if you have to wait and other people go before you because they all arrived at the same time.

Love coming here for the lovely SE Asian food. Spice Island is such a cozy restaurant that serves great comfort food. My boyfriend is from Singapore, so it’s difficult to find a SE Asian restaurant that’s up to his standards. The flavors here are extremely true to the region, but the dishes are much less spicy than the actual dishes. Really love the Malaysian Beef Rendang, Singapore Char Kway Teow, and Paratha from here, and we get these every time we go to Spice Island.
Overall, it’s a wonderful place to check out. Just be aware of the limited parking situation!

Awesome entrée the bermese pork curry. chunky well marinated meat
Wife had a veggie curry which was great too.
Will return for more for sure

I love this place! A quaint little tea shop, which sells delicious Asian food. We usually get the thai iced tea, which is good.
Our favorites are the Burmese Chicken Curry. We recently tried Thai-​style Wok-​charred Chili and Garlic Chicken, and it was really delicious.
There are SO many items in the menu, that we have a hard time to decide. Will definitely be back to try the other items.

SETTING
Chill sit-​down spot. Very earthy atmosphere and not much lighting. Caters to a very diverse group of students. families, working professionals.
FOOD
Every time I come here, I order Pad Thai (but no bean sprouts, please! Ugh!). I’ve tried other entrees like the Java Fried Rice (way too salty both times I had it) and a curry dish (not very memorable), but the Pad Thai has been the most appealing to me time after time. Portion sizes are always generous, and food comes out within 15 minutes.
Pad Thai comes with shrimp AND chicken together (SURF ‘n TURF Pad Thai! But not really), which is fantastic considering how most places that serve Pad Thai only give you one protein option. Or you can go with just 1 meat (chicken or shrimp), or tofu. Spice Island’s take on Pad Thai is a bit more saucy leaning towards the sweet side. It’s not the best Pad Thai I’ve had, but that doesn’t make it any less of a comfort food.
SERVICE
Okay. They are definitely busy, and it shows when the server and owner don’t smile much. Somebody tell them to relax a bit! Waters are kept filled and there isn’t much wait time.
IMPRESSIONS
This is my place to go to if I’m in the mood for a large helping of Pad Thai comfort food within a short walking distance from school. If you’re looking for a good sit-​down place in Oakland – that is not fast food – this is one of the few good spots I would recommend.

When I first walked in, I feel in love with the décor. It has a warm atmosphere with cute antique decorations. What a refuge from the cold winter outdoors.
We got recommendations from the server and ended up ordering the Vegetable Samosas, Java Fried Rice, Malaysian Beef Rendang, and a coconut cake with ice cream for dessert. The samosas were tasty. I thought the fried rice and beef rendang weren’t that spectacular, but they were good. The coconut cake with ice cream was scrumptious. I highly recommend it.
It was a nice experience overall, and I’ll probably go back to try other dishes.