“Spice” Up Your Day at Spice Island Tea House

Tired of ordering in Chinese food every weekend? Or going to the same Japanese steakhouse and watching the Hibachi chef do the same thing every time? If you’re looking to expand your Asian palette, how about trying a bit of Southeast Asia? There’s no better place to do that than at Spice Island Tea House in Oakland. 

Since I interned in Oakland over the summer, I can tell you that it’s home to several international eateries. And Spice Island Tea House is no exception. While the owners, the Lee family, are from Burma, Spice Island Tea House’s menu is a unique blend of Burmese, Thai, Indonesian, Malaysian, and Singaporean cuisines.

As its name implies, Spice Island Tea House is known for its wide tea selection from all across Asia. The teas are mainly made in-house.

Spice Island Tea House also has an extensive variety of cocktails. Many of these cocktails are made with homemade ginger beer. And yes, you read that correctly, Spice Island Tea House makes its own ginger beer.

The food consists of several traditional Southeast Asian appetizers, side dishes, salads, soups, and 
entrees. These include everything from fried rice, to spring rolls, to curries, to wok-fry.

Spice Island Tea House’s most popular dish is its Java Fried Rice. This fried rice is mixed with shrimp, chicken, onion, bell pepper, and sweet soy sauce. A reviewer on TripAdvisor stated that the Java Fried Rice was “exactly what they wanted and perfectly spiced.” The restaurant is also well-known for its pad Thai. A reviewer on Yelp said that the pad Thai was “the most amazing they’d ever eaten.”

Check out the video below for more information on Spice Island Tea House. Once again, I’m plugging WQED’s “Pittsburgh Eats” series with this restaurant. Also, check out Spice Island Tea House’s website (hyperlinked above) for their lunch and dinner menus, tea menu, cocktail/drink menu, or to order delivery. 

If you’re looking for some homemade Asian tea, a cocktail made with homemade ginger beer, or an eclectic variety of Asian cuisine, Spice Island Tea House is the place for you.