This store is now called the Tea Station. When I moved to Irvine, was desperate to find a good tea shop like what I'd had back home, and thought maybe Tea Station would be it. It isn't. The tea... More

This store is now called the Tea Station. When I moved to Irvine, was desperate to find a good tea shop like what I'd had back home, and thought maybe Tea Station would be it. It isn't. The tea quality and selection aren't bad, but priced absurdly high for "decent" tea. More importantly, the one (and only) time I went there the clerk was very rude. Though there were no other customers in the store at the time, he rushed me to make my decision quickly. The aesthetics of the store are poor, as well. I was looking for a good tea shop where I could settle down and read/study while sipping on some tea, and this in no way fit the bill. It has very bad ambiance (poor lighting, cramped seating, general dinginess, no music, etc.) The actual product they're selling is fine, if moderately overpriced. It's just everything else that disappoints.
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tonight was the worst dining experience ever. the strangest thing is, i didn't even eat anything. the food quality is shoddy and greasy. the tea selection & presentation is average. the service is... More

tonight was the worst dining experience ever. the strangest thing is, i didn't even eat anything. the food quality is shoddy and greasy. the tea selection & presentation is average. the service is horrendous - absolutely unresponsive, downright insulting. if you must eat there, don't tip - you'll quickly experience why not. otherwise, ORDER YOUR TEA TO GO. when you sit down, you'll experience a lengthy wait for bus service. the menus are in shabby condition and quite dirty. there are numerous items just plain crossed out as "unavailable". when you order, state the number, or the waiter will not understand you. if you are not ordering a drink, do not expect ice or lemons in your small cup of water, nor easy refills. once the food is delivered, there will be no service again until your bill. once paid, expect to receive lots of dirty looks signalling you to leave. Last week, I got horrible indigestion from my meal here. So tonite, I brought food instead, and ordered only tea. Unfortunately, I then found out of the STRICT no-outside-food policy here. (there is ALSO a min 1 order/person & $20 min credit chg.) so i politely waited until my friends' ordered food arrived, then unwrapped my sandwich. immediately, a woman with bad english came to berate me. i understand upholding store policies. but this was COMPLETE LACK OF CONCERN OR CARE for the customer. i politely informed her of my previous horrible meal. but she just harassed me. "well i'm sorry you had a bad meal last time but (repeat store policy)." the worst part was, she parroted "i'm sorry" but her attitude was insulting. ANY OTHER RESTAURANT would've shown concern over the previous dissatisfaction. but this woman NEVER offered ANY remorse. she was solely intent on berating me on policy. it was completely ridiculous because as usual, we could not get water or refills or condiments even after asking several times. yet the moment i unwrapped my sandwich, she showed up immediately.
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