4.5 stars. The Steeping Leaf is a local tea house, bistro, and gelateria…read more The tea collection includes over 175 teas from around the world, including black teas, green teas, oolong teas, white teas, Chinese pu'er teas, fruit teas, herbal teas, chai blends, boba teas, single-estate teas, etcetera. Other beverages such as juices and coffees are also available. In addition, customers may make a reservation for afternoon tea, which for adults includes a choice of a pot of tea as well as a three-tier stand of finger sandwiches, scones, and pastries. The foods and price vary for children aged 12 and under. ​ ​The bistro's menu lists foods such as quiche, avocado toast, fruit bowls, oatmeal, yogurt, pastries, flatbreads, wraps, paninis, salads, quesadillas, smoothies, and milkshakes. A freezer contains about a dozen flavors of gelatos. Furthermore, shelves feature merchandise such as bags of teas, teapots, mugs, t-shirts, earrings, etcetera. My husband and I ate one breakfast here. An employee immediately and kindly greeted us. We placed our order at the cash register and then sat at a table of our choosing. Some tables were already reserved for the afternoon tea. I ate Baked French Toast (5 stars), which consisted of a brioche with custard, cinnamon, sugar, strawberry sauce, peaches, blueberries, raspberries, and banana slices. I drank a Masala Chai Tea (4.5 stars). My husband ate the Loaded Breakfast Panini Wrap (3.5 stars), which contained scrambled eggs, potatoes, cheeses, avocado, sour cream, and salsa. The ingredients were separate, which he said looked pretty but tasted just OK. He used his utensil to try to mix the ingredients. He ate only half of it. He drank a Gelato Iced Chocolate (4.5 stars), a chilled hot chocolate with vanilla gelato and whipping cream on top. I also purchased a Dubai chocolate bar (4.5 stars) for about $20. It was not my all-time favorite Dubai chocolate, but it was a large size, and it tasted very good for being made in Pittsburgh. Note that private events such as birthday parties, baby showers, bridal showers, and bachelorette parties may also be held at The Steeping Leaf. Catering is also available.

I've been here for a coffee or tea on a few occasions, as well as for lunch once, and it is really…read morean experience. The shop is bright and welcoming and full of warmth. You'll feel relaxed before you even grab that cup to drink. You could spend a long time reading the tea menu. Coffee is a little bit frowned upon here. It's always pretty quiet so it's a good place to go for conversations with a friend. They also have smoothies, which are appealing to children. Check it out when you're in the area.

4.5 stars. Serendipity Tea Room currently offers High Tea for $30 per person, Lite Tea for $25 per…read moreperson, and Princess Tea for $15 per child, plus tax and gratuity. I made a reservation for the High Tea for my husband and me. An employee promptly seated us. I felt disappointed that this tea room gave us plain white teapots without loose-leaf teas and that they did courses rather than use a three-tier stand of foods, but we did have some choice in the teas and foods, and they did taste very good. The High Tea consists of the following: pots of hot water with a large selection of tea bags, choice of cold drinks, scone with devonshire, choice of soup, salad, three sandwiches, and choice of three desserts. For drinks, we chose four teas--cinnamon plum, peach and passionfruit, English breakfast, and salted caramel--not just two teas like at other tea rooms. We received colds teas, peach and sweet, included in the price. For foods, we chose two scones, M&M and one other that I forget. We chose two soups, which were chicken noodle and cheesy potato. The salad contained greens, cheeses, peanuts, cranberries, and raspberry dressing. The three sandwiches were cucumber, tomato-bacon-basil, and my favorite of chicken salad. For desserts, we chose lemon cake, carrot-cake cupcake, pineapple cake (?), cheesecake, brownie, and my favorite of cherry-chocolate ice cream. I appreciated having a cold dessert in the middle of the hot summer, and it was one of the best ice creams that I have ever tasted. The employees' service was mostly good. However, I had asked them in my reservation if I could film a video of my meal, and they said yes. But then an employee got an impatient tone of voice when I was still filming my food and they were bringing out the next course. On social media, my video got over *27 times* the views that their compensated influencer had gotten months earlier!

Had a great time with my daughter! The wait staff is very friendly and welcoming! We enjoyed high…read moretea and the food was great! It was very relaxing and we loved all of the beautiful china that each course was served on. We will be going back there real soon! It was a lovely place and I had a beautiful time with my daughter!

Get the chai!!! Whew. I wake up craving this drink. It's my…read morefavorite taste on a chilly and cloudy Pittsburgh day. And most of the days are that way. Service is fine, everyone is attentive enough and gets our order correct. The atmosphere is cozy but almost always crowded. The cushioned sections are fan favorites. I love to snuggle up but groups often have to merge bc there's not much space. They do have some foods but not an extensive list. This is a gem of Pittsburgh!

I came in to study on a Saturday. The place is packed and continues to see a nice helping of…read morecustomers as the night continues. The set up is very middle Eastern I would say. The front has some wicker chairs and tables which are very small. As you move toward the back there are small sitting rooms where you take off your shoes and sit on a padded "floor". The back has some more chairs and tables. Outlets are hard to find. You most likely will share a sitting area as well. One note is, I think they have a wifi limit where only a certain number of people can connect. I tried all night to get a connection and could not for any of my devices, nor could my friend. Overall the ambiance is catered toward chatting rather than studying as the tables are very small and slow or no wifi. I like the night vibes it has though, we need more late night 3rd spaces like this one!! I got a hummus plate and ginger tea. The ginger tea was just okay. The ginger was overpowering in not a good way. It highlighted the spiciness of ginger without letting any type of "tea flavor" through. It tasted more like ginger water. For a tea house, I thought it would have more depth. The hummus platter was very yummy! The pita was warm and the olive oil on the hummus added a nice touch to it. I think I would have enjoyed the experience more had the tables not been as wobbly, the WiFi worked at any point, the tea had a bit more nuance to it, and the cloying smell wasn't there. It is a very good chatting spot for late night meetings ups with great food!

Only came here for drinks and really enjoyed the options! I got a cocktail with banana in it and my…read moreonly complaint is I really couldn't taste any of the notes listed, it just kind of tasted sweet and boozy? Still, not a bad drink, but the espresso martini is absolutely where it was at, that was delicious. The drinks were strong enough to be felt but not so strong that we felt plastered, which is the ideal sweet spot after 2 drinks. Top it off with beautiful views and a nice outside area and friendly highly-attentive bartenders, this was a great spot!

A small group of us went to Over Eden to see off a friend before she moves, and we thought it was…read moreokay. More than anything, you are paying for the view and the vibe. The décor is minimal, but the view of the city is beautiful. I felt the dishes were somewhat overpriced for their portion sizes, but overall, the food wasn't bad. I really enjoyed the chicken romesco sandwich I ordered, and the aioli that accompanied the fries was great. I didn't love that all orders had to be placed at the bar. Having 1-2 waitstaff for the roof would have been nice, as one person has to wait at the table with everyone's belongings if everyone wants to order at once. The bartenders were all extremely friendly and helpful with drink recommendations though, which we really appreciated. Something to note: there is no private parking available unless you pay for valet service. I felt this was mildly annoying and inconvenient, seeing as your only other options are a privately owned lot across the street (so you risk being towed) or street parking at least two blocks away. If you have mobility issues, I would keep this limitation in mind. Overall, I would go back if a friend wanted to go! They change their menu fairly often, so I would be interested to see future cocktail and app options.

More Tea with The Madre!…read more My mom and I always make it a point to go to tea whenever we're in the same state. This time, we visited Uniquely Yours Tea House in Hickory, PA. Upon arrival, the charming house and well-manicured landscaping set a welcoming tone. A sign at the end of the walkway requests that guests wait there or in their cars until their reservation time, which makes sense since the waiting area inside is a bit small. We were warmly greeted by the proprietor and led inside, where we were introduced to a unique tea selection process. Instead of a menu, guests choose their tea from a cabinet of jars. You open each jar to smell its contents and make your selection. While the jars were labeled, many labels were slightly smudged, and some jars weren't very fragrant, making the process a bit cumbersome. Personally, I would have preferred a traditional menu, but the owner seemed somewhat put off by this preference. Interestingly, both my mom and I chose the same tea, and our hostess chided us for lacking an adventurous spirit. That interaction was a little more than a bit off-putting, but we moved on to our table. The table settings were elegant, with matching teapots placed on stands heated by candles. However, while my mom's candle was lit, mine was not, and the hostess didn't light it upon serving. It seemed like an oversight that could have been easily avoided. We both enjoyed the black currant tea, which was delightful and definitely worth recommending. However, I noticed that the table was set with paper napkins that were thin and unimpressive. I definitely prefer cloth napkins, especially for tea. Given the overall ambiance, this detail seemed out of place--almost like using plastic forks at a fine dining experience. Moving on to the food, everything was beautifully presented and delicious. The grilled sandwich with provolone, spinach, and a herby spread was a standout, though wiping my hands on the thin napkin just highlighted the fact that it was not cloth. The Hawaiian chicken salad in a croissant was also excellent. However, the cucumber sandwich, served on raisin or craisin bread, overpowered the cucumbers and cream cheese with its strong flavor. But the portions were generous, so come hungry! The scone, a glazed lemon poppy seed, was moist and paired perfectly with Devonshire cream. The sweets were a highlight: a delicate cream horn with edible gold glaze, a summer berry cupcake, and a filled cookie with white chocolate and berry--each was as delicious as it was beautiful. Overall, while the tea and food were enjoyable, and the setting was lovely, the tea selection process and the use of paper napkins detracted from the experience for me. If you're a fan of tea, it's worth a visit, but be prepared for these quirks and go with an empty stomach!

My daughter surprised me for Mother's Day with a trip to Uniquely Yours Tea Room. It was so much…read morefun! We loved the food, the atmosphere, and the people! The facility is BEAUTIFUL! The staff was so kind, efficient, and courteous. The owner actually did a whole photo shoot for us! They had fun hats to wear for the guests, and a gift shop with very cool items. We loved every minute of our experience! I will cherish the memories of this day forever! Thank you from the bottom of my heart!

Really loved this newer spot, plus love that they are one of the cafes open late too!…read more They have a nice selection of lattes, but the pistachio latte is popular for good reason! Not too sweet with a good amount of pistachio without it being overpowering, will definitely need to come back to try the Spanish Latte too. They also had a wide selection of different pastries, and if you enjoy a sweet and salty snack, the honeycomb bread with cream cheese inside and honey drizzled over is definitely for you, would get again! They also had savory dishes you can get from the other area inside which looked great. The space is nicely decorated, great to chat or get some work done, overall nice addition to the area and will definitely be back!

We tried Socotra today after seeing several local influencers stop by for treats and were not…read moredisappointed. We had a chicken rice bowl, a chicken shawarma wrap, and a beef shawarma wrap. For dessert, we tried the Dubai chocolate brownie and Biscoff cheesecake. The brownie was really good, but the cheesecake was amazing--absolutely perfect texture and not overly sweet. Drinks were an iced matcha latte, a Yemeni limeade (not too sweet, not sour, but a touch bitter as lime juice is, with a touch of mint), and an iced cookie butter latte. The food was terrific; I didn't get a photo of the wraps but they were stuffed full and truly delicious. The pickles and garlic sauce in them added a great deal of flavor and the protein was lean and tender. The rice in the bowl was fluffy and plentiful and the bowl contained the same garlic sauce and pickles and was big and filling. You order food on one side of the restaurant (separate from the coffee counter) and drinks and pastries on the other side. Seating is on the coffee side of the place. I'm not sure the cafe has air conditioning; be aware if you're sensitive to heat.

I reserved the Gathering Place and Tea House for my daughter in law's baby shower. Cyndi, the…read moreowner, is amazing. She was kind and helpful and incredibly easy to work with. The food and tea were exceptional and the service was impeccable. I could go and on as it is such an amazing place.

Attended a wedding. It was nice the loud music, which was held in the barn and the food/socializing…read morewas inside the house were separate. House was very elegant. Everything was very clean and quaint. There was a playroom for the kids which was nice. I'm considering coming back for tea in the wintertime just to experience it. The new Sarris factory tour is not far from here if you are looking to do something else while out that way.

Very sweet local spot with fun snacks and drinks! The vibe is very relaxed, and they had some fun…read moredrink options and great coffee. The arepa with chicken was delicious, the mixture was flavored really well and good portion too! They were unfortunately out of the cheese but subbed it with a saltier one that paired well too. Come and support them if you're in the area!

Super cute cafe. A family owned/small business . Very personable owner…read more Absolutely delicious delicately spiced Mexican hot chocolate Very very yummy arepas sifrina-generous portions of protein and avocado and cheese! 5/5 Highly recommend. Super nice environment. Delicious food and hot chocolate.