Review: Teapot Vegetarian House

The Teapot on Capitol Hill (Seattle, Washington) is a well-known vegan restaurant. It’s often included in votes for Seattle’s Best, and I’ve been curious but rarely get to that neighborhood. Recently, I was excited to notice a new Teapot Vegetarian House on the east side of Lake Washington. It’s even quite close to home, located on NE 24th Street in Redmond.

The tea there is of a decent quality, served loose leaf in a tsetsubin pot. There are two sizes of pots, and about 12 teas from which to choose. The Teapot really is more about food and less about tea, but it is wonderful to have a restaurant which offers fine tea while you dine. Tea is also featured in a few menu items, like one of my favorites, the popular Rose Chicken (it comes with sauce made from rose tea).

It may sound odd to have a “chicken” dish at a vegan restaurant, but this is a Chinese/Pan-Asian restaurant that uses mock meats in several dishes. For some vegetarians, this can be a bit off-putting. I find it that way sometimes, but at The Teapot I didn’t mind at all. The spices permeate the food, meals are filled with fresh vegetables, portions are large enough to be shared, mock meats aren’t in every dish, and there is a full menu from appetizer to dessert.

There were roses and rose petals scattered throughout recipes and the restaurant. There were even roses in the women’s restroom, which was, by the way, very clean and spacious (always important to have a good restroom when you’re sipping tea).

This is close enough for me to become a regular, and I’m thrilled!