Cederberg Tea House

After dealing with horrendous traffic on the way to a Queen Anne event (about a frillion Seattle road construction detours), it made me so late I missed the event (live chamber music concert so no admittance for even a minute late), I was road weary, hungry and thirsty. It was a Sunday afternoon, so some places were actually closed in cute little downtown Queen Anne – disappointing. Then I saw this place, wide open and busy, and it was such a relief. Turned out be a really great find!
The interior was spacious and pleasing. I was so happy to find an actual dedicated tea shop (rare in coffee-​town Seattle) where they had great food too! I and my friend loved our food and our tea. We had different selections of tea and food and it was all super good – well prepared and served in good time.
The only thing I didn’t like was the giant bathroom key you had to lug out of the building (gas station style) and into another place to use the facilities. But worse than that, there was so much competition for this key that you had to wait a lot, and some of the other customers were rude – as if it was a fight or something over who gets the key! But rude customers aren’t the business owner’s fault, and it was the only thing that detracted from an otherwise great experience that I will definitely repeat.

Unique and delicious tea house in Queen Anne! I’ve tried several of their tea drinks (I don’t like coffee), and they’ve all been great! The iced rooibos American is especially delicious during summer! Their pastries and pasties are also tasty :)

MUST ORDER the malva pudding. It looks deceivingly plain (the small rectangular cake-​looking thing in my picture), but is probably one of the best desserts I’ve ever had. It is amazingly moist, buttery, sweet (but not overly sweet) and addicting. You will not want to share. If you go with others, get one just for yourself. I will make the god-​awful climb from Lower Queen Anne just for the malva pudding any day, rain or shine. It is that good.
The teas are great, too. I personally stick with the rooibos tea latte — I think it’s a pretty safe bet for your first order. Creamy, not too bitter. My bf loves the rooibos earl grey, but I find it a bit too bitter. To each his own.

This place popped up on my Unilocal often and so I finally caved. I got the Red Latte. It was not just better than expected, it was great! Topped with cinnamon on top of the foam, I was glad for my new found latte discovery.
The vibe is very chill and the staff loves their regulars. And who doesn’t love a nice drink near a real fireplace on a cold rainy day? A new weekend stop for me for sure.

Weird interior… not terribly comfortable for sitting and sipping but the house specialty of the Rooibos latte is pretty special and I haven’t found anything like it anywhere else.
Wonderful service and extensive pastry selection.

4 MUST TRY’s! (In no particular order)
1. Roobois Tea latte
2. Chicken and Mushroom Pasty
3. Koeksisters
4. Malva pudding!
I really enjoyed my visit here. The staff is very kind, the café is quaint and cute. They host tea parties (cool points!) I have a South African friend and they love this place so that says something for sure!
Also my favorite thing is that they have a rewards program where they text you coupons and offers. Plus for that!

i HIGHLY recommend trying Cederberg Tea House! I don’t know of any other cafes that sell south african pastries/​sweets and red roobios drinks! I had the red roobios tea latte and it comes topped with cinnamon. My boyfriend had the white mocha red roobios. Both delicious, but the white mocha red roobios was my favorite! Their drinks are made with red roobios espresso powder, which they sell at the café as well!
As for the dessert — you must try the Malva Pudding! The flavors made my tastebuds dance. It’s a sponge cake made with their own syrup concoction. The Melkert custard was also very delicious made in a shortbread crust!
They accept credit cards and have wifi. This café is also within walking distance to Kerry Park and easily accessible by bus from downtown Seattle.

This place! So. Good.
It’s a coffee/​but mostly tea shop with South African pastries. They serve pots of tea, but the more unique drinks to me are the rooibos espresso beverages. Instead of using coffee beans/​grinds in an espresso machine to make say a latte, they use rooibos tea instead (still thru an espresso machine though) creating a «rooibos tea latte.» I love milk teas so this was perfect. The red latte has subtle honey and cinnamon in it. Def taste the tea more in this one and more lightly sweetened. The white chocolate red has white chocolate in it instead i think? Still very good, but less tea flavor bc of the white chocolate overpowering it. It’s more sweet and rich. I would get either again though.
I tried their Malva pudding which is this pound cake like pastry soaked in… some sort of syrup? Sounds super sweet but it was just perfect! It was very good! Would get again!

Tasty tasty tasty tea and tea accessories. The only one of its kind anywhere that I know of, this South African tea house is a unique treat. Everything on the menu is made in house and a great experience.
The rooibos drinks in are great. I really enjoyed the cinnamon sugar dusting on my red cappuccino.

I have only tasted the red tea cappuccino in this café, but I am stoked on the idea of another frothy drink to get cravings on in colder days! It’s not too sweet, but still creamy and full of flavor.
People working there are really friendly and patient. I imagine they get a lot of people who (just like me) saw pictures of their red tea drinks and have questions, or request the same beverage as seen on Unilocal or Instagram. I was surprised to learn that if you want more foam on top you need to get a cappuccino, although most pictures on Unilocal are titled «latte». However when my cappuccino arrived later, sadly, it actually had only about an 1″ layer of foam.
Because of that I would say that I am still confused about that matter: maybe it was somebody’s off day when making it, or maybe the lattes get more foam?
Regardless, I am looking forward to another urban walk up Queen Anne hill and then a little reward drink in this café, followed by checking out stores on nearby Queen Anne Avenue!

We were looking for a place to drink some hot beverages and enjoy baked goods with a small group of 6 adults and two kids.
We couldn’t make a reservation (I don’t think that its common here to do so in a café?) but we were allowed to put two tables together for our group which was nice.
As we’ve never been to Cederberg Tea House before we had a chat with the nice lady of the house and she was pleased to arrange us an assortment of different goods they have, half sweet, half salty/​hearty.
EVERYTHING I tried was really delicious.
Also the drinks were good and everyone was just really nice, even when we occupied this big table and spread coloring books and so on for the kids over it.
I think this is a place I like to step by more often :)

Came into Cederberg today with my husband for him to try some yummy rooibos tea and some South African savory bites. We ordered a sausage roll and a small chicken and mushroom pie. The sausage roll was absolutely scrumptious and my husband was thrilled with the pie as well. Loved the different pastries used for each and the tea was much needed. Our trip to Queen Anne wasn’t complete without a tex and bar one chocolate. Thanks for giving me another taste of home :-)

Mmmm! Malva pudding!
Came here with Saira A for a quick snack in the morning. We had bunny chow, red latte’s, and a malva pudding. I enjoyed the back and forth between sweet and savory. The malva pudding wasn’t too sweet, and the texture was perfect. I love that they warmed it up and only wish it was bigger than my head.
The red latte was yummy but not very unique I’d say. Good though, I’d get a red something or another again.
I’m sure their other sweets are just as great!

Before embarking on our Cederberg adventure, we checked this place out on Unilocal and was wondering how a place can have 5 stars. NOW I KNOW. THERE’S A REASON FOR EVERYTHING.
I’ve had my fair share of afternoon teas, from SF to NYC, and even London, but NOTHING compares to my experience at Cederberg. You know how there’s always at least one item that you wish was better in an afternoon tea experience? Well you won’t find one here. Every single item is delicious and pretty much mind blowing.
The afternoon tea is a great price, and comes with plenty of food. You will need a box. The top 2 tiers are sweets and the bottom tier is savory. All the savory items were hot, and they even came out with freshly baked, steaming hot scones. like WHAT!!! You also have a variety of teas to choose from (which comes in a teapot with a sweater!!). If you don’t want that, you can also go for something on their espresso menu. including the Rooibos Latte. They have some special tea packet that they run through the espresso machine to make super concentrated tea + steamed milk. with cinnamon on top! It is delicious. Everything is delicious. And the people that work there are super nice!
I thoroughly enjoyed my experience here and I would recommend it to anyone. I will definitely be back when I return to Seattle.

I’m speechless and it might be the curry spice from my Bunny Chow that’s giving me life to write this review. Imagine a fortress of thick Texas toast style white bread keeping a tender beef curry with sparse and hearty cubes of potato… Now slice into that soft bread monument and reveal the fall-​apart stewed beef goodness within.
No need to imagine if you view my photos.
Will return on my next visit to Seattle, and many times over in my dreams. Thank you, Cederberg!

Cederberg Tea House is a little coffee and tea shop with sweet and savoury pastries. During my visit, I had the sausage roll and the melktert. The sausage roll had a very unique dough around it, flakey on the outside, soft on the inside, and makes for great «comfort food». The colour and flavour of the melktert reminds me of a snickerdoodle cookie, it was sweet and very straight forward in the flavour department.
Despite the unique menu, the décor of the tea house is fairly basic.
If I lived within walking distance I would probably frequent here often.

I was downtown for the Tibet Fest so I decided to check this place out. When you walk in the first thing you notice is that there are not a lot of places to sit. I was lucky enough to get a sofa where Someone had just left (yeah!) but some people were staring at me and giving me dirty looks because I guess they wanted to sit in this little area, but I was here (awwwww!). A very nice woman actually came by and sat down so now I’m happy (yippee!). No attitude and very friendly! Just so you know, there are additional seats outside.
I was hoping for a large selection of teas but there were only about 20 teas. I was sort of bummed about that (boohoo!). I also got a Gouda and spinach sandwich without the egg and it was very tasty (yum!). They were even nice enough to put some extra cheese on it to make up for the egg.
The people who take your order are friendly and polite which is always nice and they bring the tray to your table (how polite).
I would have given them another star but I was hoping for more tea to choose from.

Do you want to feel posh as @#$% whilst drinking tea and eating delicious pastries? Then Cederberg is the place for you.
I came here for the afternoon tea with some lady friends and it was fantastic. The highlights were malva cake, a warm sweet delicacy from South Africa, sausage rolls and chicken curry sandwiches. You have to make a reservation a few days in advance for afternoon tea. They are very accommodating and have vegetarian and gluten free options. The service is warm and attentive. I can’t wait to return.

Thank you, Cederberg, for introducing me to the glory that is Rooibos, or bush tea as I’m told it’s known back in South Africa. You need to come here to experience it, and while I’ll argue that the food isn’t quite up to the very high bar set by the drinks, I’m amazed that other tea and coffee shops in the area can stay in business with Cederberg up and running.
Star 1: How were the service and atmosphere?
Wonderful. There’s a lot of real estate here at Cederberg, a prime location, and a grouping of lovely staff who cater to everyone from newbie to local. Order at the counter, have a seat, and enjoy. Star Granted.
Star 2: How were the portions relative to the cost?
To be very honest I don’t remember how much my Large Rooibos Latte was, but I don’t remember it being unreasonable when compared to coffee or tea elsewhere. My small chicken and mushroom pasty, on the other hand, was $ 5.50, which was admittedly a bit pricey for it being essentially an empanada. Even so, there’s good value here, and I can appreciate a modest premium when the product is so very unique. Star Granted.
Stars 3 and 4: How was the food?
My Rooibos Latte was absolutely marvelous, and as a tea fanatic I only wish that it were more readily available to me so that coffee could be entirely erased from my diet. The sweet yet spicy flavors blended marvelously with the milk, and everything came together in a way that made this as much a dessert as it was a pick me up for the day.
On the other hand, my chicken and mushroom pasty was a bit on the weak side. Outside of falling apart quite easily, it was extremely dry, and couldn’t be saved by a bit of standard gravy on the side. Not great, but entirely overshadowed in a good way by my latte. Single Star Granted.
Star 5: Would you eat here every day if you could?
I could, and would, drink Rooibos products all day every day, and this is the only place I’ve ever been to that serve them. Star Granted to uniqueness.

Red Rooibos Latte: Powdered Rooibos with milk. Lots of cinnamon and sugar on top — the whipped latte foam is smooth and delectable. The flavor is full and round. Definite notes of honey. Warm.
Oolong Tea: Good! Chinese, but no other info. Has floral hints, rose. Smooth but a little dry finish on the tongue. I wish there was more knowledge on where their tea comes from.
Melktert: Great! She described it as crème brûlée meets snicker doodle. Creamy. Custard like. A perfect balance of sweet and cinnamon.
I’ll definitely be back to try more!