Tin’s Tea House Lounge

I just cannot keep up! ANOTHER restaurant closes! No more tender Chinese broccoli at Tin’s? It sounds as it may not be a permanent close and that it might not have been for economic reasons.
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I found this letter on their website:
To Our Tin’s Tea House Friends, Closing of Tin’s Tea House Lounge Inc. April 12, 2009
It is with great sadness that I must tell you we are going to be closing the Tin’s Tea House Lounge Inc. We are dealing with some maintenance and structural issues that must be corrected by the Landlord and Property Manager. Since this impacts life, safety and other issues we must close. We are in search of another Walnut Creek restaurant location and will keep you informed of our progress.
All of us at Tin’s Tea House Lounge have made some wonderful friendships over the years and we thank you for your fantastic loyalty and support. Your kindness, throughout the years, has made our restaurant special and we really want to thank you for that, from the bottom of our heart. We will proceed as quickly as possible with the selection process and you can monitor our progress as we proceed by logging onto our website at
. We will miss you all and hope that you will understand our situation. You mean so very much to us, words cannot explain.
If you know of any property owner that would appreciate an excellent tenant and famous restaurant business and brand «Tin’s Tea House Lounge Inc.» refer my name to them as a possible great tenant. I would prefer the location to be in the Walnut Creek Area.
If you have any need for my services as an event planner or caterer, please let me know with an email to
. I look forward to being back with you all very soon. It has been an honor to serve you and get to know you over the past few years.
With great appreciation,
Alice Chan — Owner/​CFO Tin’s Tea House Lounge Inc.

Last night my friend told me it was closed. So, we drove by to confirm and then I read the message on their site. So sad, it’s been a cursed location for every who’s tried to make a go of it there.
Anyone who has and in-​site on a new location that might be available in Walnut Creek, please let the owner know. She put her info on her site. She wants to relocate.
This place was awesome, clean, good food, great Dim Sum, good service, nice people. I will miss it very much. But, I am confident this is just temporary.

Tin’s is closed as of April 12, 2009. Confirmed this on the website. They are having challenges with the structure and building maintenance. The owner posted that she is looking for a new site in Walnut Creek to re-​open.
I’ve only been here once a few years ago. Food was ok and service was decent for our party of 8 or so people. I agree that the small parking lot is a challenge. If people want parking challenges, they’d just go to SF :D

Craving dim sum, the hubby and I came here since we didn’t feel like driving to SF for Dim Sum (I kinda wish we had though)
The place was packed but fortunately our party of two was seated right away. As soon as we sat down the tray of dim sum passed and stop next to us. We barely had time to react so we just grabbed some shrimp dumplings, shrimp and mango fried roll and pork buns. They were pretty good, not as good as Good luck dim sum in SF but decent for the area.
We found prices to be a bit high, not ridiculous or anything but like double what you pay in SF for you’re regular non fancy places. I found it a bit annoying that they had the carts go by so fast and it seemed like it was always the same few dishes.
In additional to what we already tried, we got the fried shrimp balls, an order of beef and bok choy dry chow fun (thought theirs was too bland and lacking in flavor) and for dessert we split the mango pudding with coconut milk which was very good.
Overall, the atmosphere was nice and everything looked clean. The food was decent but nothing special. And I have to say that’s a bit much charging a dollar a per person for ONE pot of tea to share. Imagine 5 people wanting tea and they have to pay 5 bucks to split a small pot? That’s just ridiculous. In the SF, it’s usually 50 cents for the entire pot of tea at most places and that’s per order not person.
I may end up coming back if we wanted to try some other dim sums, however, I think I’ll pass on their noodle and beef dishes.

A refreshing change of pace for a working lunch location. We grazed as we talked and the service was adequate without being intrusive. What more could we ask for? The Shrimp with Chive dumpling is not to be missed, as well as the Shrimp and Mango rolls. This is pretty decent dim sum considering we are in Walnut Creek, not SF!

Lunch
1130am
Thursday
Occasion? Auntie’s birthday
Pretty standard Dim Sum. I can’t say it was a really memorable experience, but the food was tasty and ‘hit the spot’ when it came to my dim sum craving. They did have lots of variety.
Both Carts and waiters with large serving trays walked around with their offerings.
We had:
— Pork Dumplings (4 pieces) — Siu Mai — $ 2.65
— Steamed Chicken Feet — Foong Jow — $ 2.65
Shrimp Dumplings (4 pieces) — Ha Gow — $ 3.25
Steamed Jumbo Scallop Dumplings (3 pieces) — Dai Jee Gow Wong — $ 4.25
Steamed Broccoli — $ 4.25
Deep Fried Shrimp Dumpling (4 pieces) — Long Ha Gock — $ 4.25
Mango Shrimp Roll (3 pieces) — $ 5.25
–Hong Kong Style Chow Mein
–Juk
–mango pudding
Our list seemed long and we ordered 2 of each dimsum. But there was still lots of other dimsum that we did not get to order because we were just too full!
Total of bill including tip? $ 94

I agree with the 3.5 star average. Food ranged from excellent (the Beef Chow Fun, Siu Mai, Fried Rice) to meh (some of the dumplings). And with few exceptions, the Dim Sum came out less than hot. And this was the first time for me that we actually returned the fried taro dumplings (wu Kok). They tasted bad in a way that turned all of us off. They might have been cold or oily in other places but they never tasted bad, like burnt old oil or something else.
The service was quick and friendly. The portions were good, but some of the flavorings were just OK and not remarkable in any way.

Another standard push-​the-​cart dim sum restaurant except with a clean atmosphere. I loved the decorations in the patio-​esque room that I was dining in. Their food is alright but nothing special and the parking is seriously terrible here. I wouldn’t even bother trying to park in their lot just go find something in the streets! I don’t think I would return here. there are better places to go.

We came here to celebrate a family tradition of red bag exchanges and good food. We got our own private room for a group of 40 of us in the middle of a Sunday afternoon (3pm). The dishes were pre-​ordered for us, but probably the 2 standout dishes were the (1) sturgeon — the server told us it would be served in 2 ways. At first it came out with plain broth and a side dish of boiled sturgeon with various veggies. We weren’t sure if the soup and the side dish was how the sturgeon would be served «2 ways», so half of us put the fish in the broth, and half of us ate it separately. We eventually found out the 2^nd dish was stir-​fried with this kind of sweet and sour sauce. Either way, both ways were delicious.
(2) The second standout was the «sticky rice chicken» («nuo mi ji» in Mandarin), except instead of being wrapped in a bamboo leaves, they actually shaped the sticky rice into a chicken, wrapped it in chicken skin and I believe fried it as a whole, then chopped it up into bite size pieces. CRAZY. I can’t even imagine how much work was put into that. I mean, even the sticky rice drumstick was realistic. But DEFINITELY the dish to get here.
Overall, excellent food and service, though sometimes it was hard to get a refill on tea/​water. Also, those lazy susans are very well oiled. Haha, those things were flying around! When our waitress was serving us or combining plates together to make room, she’d just spin it, and didn’t even wait for it to come to a stop when scooping/​transferring the food onto other plates. Awesome.
Parking lot wasn’t very big, but there was enough street parking close by to accommodate.

First of all I was even shocked that there was a Dim Sum place in Walnut Creek. Since it was Chinese New Year, my coworkers and I decided to ring in the new year and try this place out for lunch. We got all the usual things such as shu mai, sticky rice and dumplings. Everything was decent but I must say it was a tad bit on the expensive side which is expected since this seems to be the only dim sum place in the area. All I have to say is that If you are giving this place 4 or 5 stars — you need to head to the city and try out the plentiful dim sum places they offer!
I would have given them three stars but for some odd reason they wanted to stick us in the corner table even when there were plenty of other tables open. Logic I did not understand since even the workers were having trouble accessing out table with the large carts they were carrying.

Best restaurant for Dim Sum in the bay area — What did he say? — It is true and the entrée items are at least equal if not better.
Their duck is perfect. The Wor Won Ton soup is truly excellent (although vegetarians will not like the Char Siu and chicken in the «Seafood Soup»…
I fell in love with Tin’s when it was located in downtown Oakland. was sad to see them close (actually they had moved) — Can’t tell you how thrilled I was to find them in Walnut Creek!
They have parking, they have great service (most of the time), and you can get Dim Sum at dinner (order from a second menu).
Nice friendly bar. Fair prices — My favorite restaurant!!!

I’ve been coming here on a sporadically regular basis for a few years now. Four stars beacuse 1) they have vegetarian options and 2) they have what may be the only (good) dim sum options in the burbs. (Other restaurants may some, but a smaller selection and only on weekends.)
Food: The food here is great. A bit expensive, but then again, we are in Walnut Creek, and I am use to cheap hole in the walls in Chinatown. So consider that, and it’s not a bad deal. As I mentioned earlier, they have vegetarian options. Not just chow mein without the meat. A whole menu section dedicated to dishes with meat alternatives (aka gluten). Which means I can get beef chow fun without eating real beef! There’s also a handful of vegetarian dim sum selections.
Service: Agree with Josh S. Service is hit or miss. Some days they are on top of it. Other days I have to flag them down to my table. You can order dim sum from the carts, but since I’m usually working with a one hour lunch, I order all mine ahead of time (and because veggie dim sum doesn’t show up on a cart as often). I often do take out there, and most of the time, the owner herself handles it. She always seems busy, but has enough time to help me put the bags of food in my car when I’ve ordered a lot of food.
Parking: Not gonna lie. Worst parking lot ever. The lot itself is tiny. And so are the spaces. The irony is that all the Asian people in this area drive S classes. And they shove them into those tiny spaces. You’re lucky if you get into the parking space, but getting out is another obstacle. FYI though, there’s a bit more parking in the back but not a lot. Metered parking is available on the street and usually easy to find (free on Sun).

I’m not really a tea drinker, but my friends told me it’s what they’re known for and it sure did live up to the name. The tea was excellent. Well tame texture, not very harsh at all. Not an over-​powering aroma of the tea.
The place looked typical, and seemed clean with cloth over the tables. Kinda small, so plan to go there early for dim sum, or you’ll be stuck in a corner, forgotten, and with no cart service hehe. We were seated in the middle table area, and man we got all the attention. The dim sum was freshly steamed, and made just right. I suggest the siu mai, spare ribs, walnut shrimp, egg custard pies, sesame balls, shrimp dumplings, pork buns, and the steamed broccoli. The cart ladies sometimes even chilled next to us waiting for us to pick something. How great was that. I felt honored.
The prices were average, $ 2.65 — $ 4.20 per plate size.
Parking can be horrible (minus a star)… So, like I said, go here early. Well worth it for tea and good food.
Enjoy!!!

My roommate and I made plans to yum cha (dim sum) yesterday. Our dilemma was deciding where to go since there are few dim sum joints in Walnut Creek and we did not want to drive to SF or to Dublin (Koi Palace)…
So we turned to Unilocal and TTHL showed up on all of our searches. The avg rating for TTHL was 3.5 with a bulk of the ratings being 3 and 4’s with service being the biggest draw back, but I was willing to sacrifice the service for some delicious dim sum. My attempt to quench my craving failed miserably at Fu Lam Mum.
Upon entering the restaurant, we observed quite a number of non-​Asian patrons so we were cautious. Fortunately, Tin was up to the task of proving us wrong. We ordered some traditional and some non-​traditional dim sum dishes such as Ha Gow, Siu Mai, Fong Jao (chicken feet), Churn Phun (rice noodle with shrimp and beef), Walnut Prawns. We devoured each dish like we had never eaten before. The service was not that bad. They were quite attentive because we never had to ask for refills on tea.
However, the parking was challenging. The parking lot where the restaurant is located has roughly 10 spaces making street parking the only choice assuming you have coins handy.

First of all I’d like to say I have a HUGE pet peeve: when restaurants list something on the menu and you receive it with a BILLION more ingredients than the menu mentioned. Call me boring, but when I order tofu and seaweed soup I expect three things in the bowl: tofu, seaweed and broth. I certainly don’t expect mushrooms, peas (WTF?) and wispy egg matter. Blech!
But anyways, this place was interesting to check out but I doubt I will be back, when there are far nicer AND cheaper (cough*DuCheval*cough) places to get Asiany tofu. The potstickers were good though.
ALSO, they charge you for a pot of tea, PFFFT.

I used to have to go to the Tins in Oakland with my ex and the in-​laws. As the designated «guai lo» I had to sit in the chair that the waiters always chose to deliver the food, usually hitting me in the head with the platter. The food was good, but the 3 hours of being ignored while they spoke Cantonese to each other got old after 3 or 4 years. After the divorce, I stopped eating Chinese food for years.
Then, I was asked to eat lunch here. I was reluctant, but after getting a seat against the wall, at least I knew my head was safe. The service was relaxed and slower, the atmosphere was quieter wich I really liked and hey, people at the table would actually engage me in a conversation. Oh yea, the food. It was the usual dim sum, chao siu bao, sui mi, ha gao, etc. etc. followed by red bean soup. It all tasted good, but I can’t compare it with the original Tins because I’ve erased that part of my life from my brain.
A good place to take other guai los and the occasional Chinese person who probably won’t sneer at the suburban Chinese food.

I think in a previous incarnation, Tin’s was a «Left at Albequerque.» It showed too. It didn’t have to be Baba’s Day for the crew to see that the layout was not conducive to dim sum carts pulling wheelies or fishtails in the aisles. We saw sideswipes and near misses all over the place, including JP’s head.
It’s too bad my mother didn’t accompany us. Not that I expect great service at any dim sum restaurant… I know better… but my mom has this regal air about her that commands immediate respect. She gives the staff a look that says, «You will come here and take my order patiently and politely, because if I don’t already know the owner, I will… then you will be cleaning toilets for the next 6 months if you’re lucky.» I wish I had that ability to smile while threatening a person’s life and /​or livelihood. No such luck.
We had to wave down some carts and one frazzled waitress simply to get water. We put the tip directly into her hands. It became apparent that we should have ordered off the menu as the carts became redundant with w the typical fare. I know we were in Walnut Creek, but come on! Just how much shu mai or ha gow did they need to unload? Where were the braised chicken feet or duck tongues in soy sauce?
All in all, I’ve had better service and better dim sum, but couldn’t have had better company. :)

Had dim sum here again this morning. Again, their Chinese broccoli is the best, more tender than we’ve found anywhere else. The shrimp stuffed green peppers weren’t as good today. The shrimp mixture tasted too salty. The calamari looked almost like onion rings. It was OK. Not as good as Asian Pearl’s. We impulsively ordered mango/​shrimp rolls because they sounded good but they didn’t taste as good as they sounded and we left half of them. Everything else was tasty and the staff were very helpful in making sure we received the dishes we requested that didn’t just happen by.

Tin’s has by far the best dim sum in Walnut Creek and the surrounding suburbs. For special family occasions like Mother’s and Father’s Day and the parents’ birthdays you’ll find us celebrating here.
I love their variety of teas, though slightly annoying that they charge by the person rather than the pot. I always choose the Chrysanthemum.
Most recently I was here for Mother’s Day when as usual, the place was packed for brunch. Go early on holidays or expect to wait up to an hour for a table. The variety of dim sum was somewhat lacking when compared to a usual weekend but you can always special order whatever you don’t see passing by on the carts.
We were able to get very good versions of the basics: har gow, siu mai, chee chong fun (steamed rice noodles, but I looove saying chee chong fun), chive dumplings, sticky rice packets, stuffed mushrooms, even roasted duck. I completely missed out on my favorite deep fried taro balls, but ended the meal happily with some dofu fah (sweet tofu).
Probably a bit more expensive than other dim sum restaurants but somehow we still get in/​out for about $ 15 a person. Not too bad and we always leave stuffed.
It’s really nice not having to drive out to Oakland for good dim sum anymore.

I have never eaten at a Dim Sum restaurant that has table service. And for craving’s it’s the best. ;)
Within 2 minutes of being seated on the lovely sunny patio we were shown plate after plate of delicious food to appease our appetites with. Sever after sever came and soon we had no more table space.
The pork buns were meltingly wonderful and the tin wrapped chicken a delicacy fit for kings. I love dim sum.
I’ve been back several times and unfortunately during the weekday, they don’t have dim sum table service and they won’t give you a Dim Sum menu unless you specifically request it. The service is also much much slower on weekdays and they seem almost inpatient to have you order and be done.
While I really like Tin’s Tea House, I will only be coming here on weekends from now on.