Try our poke bowl, the sign said. I did and now regret my decision. It's the worst poke bowl I ever had! It only has a few ingredients, but they managed to mess it up. The rice is cold and hard (old rice?), I can't manage to chew it (and I'm Asian!). Salmon and seaweed would have been ok, except they are soak in a large amount of spicy, salty soy sauce, so salty, it's inedible. What a waste of salmon and seaweed! The only good thing out of this whole bowl of poki was the avocado (creamy and tasty). I spent $11.02 on this poki bowl. What a waste of money and foods. Do yourself a favor and don't get the poki bowl. read more

Tea Pavilion - The worst poki bowl ever - hard, cold rice doused in large amount of salty soy sauce. Too salty to eat! Don't order it. - Japanese Near Me - San Diego, California

I saw the word Tea in Tea Pavilion and I instantly thought this was a tea house. Was I ever wrong. Yes, they do offer an assortment of different flavored teas both hot and iced. But thats the only good part. The food was mediocre at best. We ordered the teriyaki salmon and soba noodles with tofu. The soba noodles did not taste very good and the teriyaki salmon was swimming in the teriyaki sauce. Past reviews were right regarding the seating. It was very hard to find seating on a Sunday. Would definitely drive outside of Balboa Park to find a tea house and definitely would not come back here again. read more

This place is just kind of disappointing. It's main redeeming feature is if you can get a table with a beautiful view of the Japanese garden. Otherwise, the wait was long, the food was mediocre, and even the tea was kind of weird and tasted a bit artificial. read more

Normally places I see that's 3 stars I avoid. Got the food and ate first then checked the reviews afterwards and I was shocked. I ate the teriyaki bowl and matcha ice green tea and I was in heaven. Five stars for me! Best everrrr!!! Highly looking forward to coming back. Thank you to the service and chef for making my first time here a memorable one. See you soon read more

Came into the store on 7/27 for reference since I didn't catch a name or saw a name tag... but the lady working up at the front has a BAD attitude... she has curry black/reddish. she basically mad dogged my friend and I because I requested less ice due to teeth sensitivity. Not only was she being a smart *Ss by saying that the eye needed to be over the rim because the ice "will melt" .. well, first of all, it didn't. So she purposely giving us a full cup of ice and very little to drink.. she had a blank stare and didn't even say thank you after we tipped and left. Rude rude rude! Hopefully manager will talk to her about her attitude because I wouldn't recommend anyone going to this tea shop next to the garden with that type of attitude running the counter.. good riddance . read more

I went to San Diego. I went to Balboa Park and was hungry for a while. It was a small cafe but popular. I ate salad here and it was delicious. The staff is friendly and there is a table and a place to sit outside. If you give the vibrating bell, you sit and wait, then you go to get food. Card, cash settlement. read more

Solid lunch option in Balboa Park if you can't get a reservation at The Prado. The line was pretty long, but we seemed to order and get our food at a pretty reasonable rate. We were also able to find a spot to sit at one of the tables with an umbrella. The chicken teriyaki bowl was a nice portion size. The sauce was a tad too salty for my taste, but it got the job done. My family was fueled up again to continue exploring the park :) read more

Although the friendship garden was absolutely beautiful, my experience here was RUINED! I wanted a Thai tea so we came to tea pavilion and the girl working was extremely rude and laughed in my face and said they were all out. Then proceeded to say I didn't mean to laugh but we are running out of everything. Personally, working in the service industry myself this was extremely unprofessional. I left unsatisfied without a Thai tea and a horrible customer experience. read more

We just finished walking the Japanese garden ( which I think is over price but let's leave that for a another review) and it was 11.30am and we were famished and saw a nice line forming at the Tea Pavilion. We joined the line and there was about 15 people ahead of us. We spent about 30 minutes in line, ordering and waiting for the food. We ordered the udon noodles with tempura and soba noodles with tempura. I am a regular with udon and soba noodles and the soup base for the noodles was very watery soy sauce base. It was very salty! The udon noodles were very squishy. I saw some of the reviews where people rave about the noodles and after eating , I believe they might not have had the opportunity to eat some quality udon noodle soup and hope they will be able to one day. read more

The food here is very average, or even a little below average. It's bland, unseasoned, and the portions are small. The tea is good though. The inside of the restaurant is a bit hectic and stressful. Service was relatively quick though. Good view as well. I'd eat somewhere else in balboa park though, like one of the cafes. read more

Well what do you know....I always stop by the Friendship Garden when I'm in Balboa Park but for years, have always passed on The Tea Pavilion until today. I never gave this place much thought as far as stopping in to eat until my hungry friend asked otherwise. I ordered the Soba Noodles with Tofu and my plus one ordered Udon noodles with chicken curry and I was pleasantly surprised. It was delicious. My Soba Noodle dish was light and refreshing on this beautiful day and the Udon noodles with chicken curry was not overwhelming at all. It was seasoned well. I'm definitely a fan now and next time, I will stop into The Tea Pavilion after my trek from the Friendship Garden. For sure. read more

Tea Pavilion - Udon noodles with chicken curry. - Japanese Near Me - San Diego, California

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Food was good. And it was a beautiful place to walk. We just missed the cherry blossoms.

Located at scenic Balboa Park, the Tea Pavilion is a great stopping place to rest your legs, enjoy a hot beverage, and chat with friends. We were in the SD area for a day getaway, decided to finally walk the ins and outs of Balboa Park with my friends and my dog, and a hot tea was just the right touch to the blustery and somewhat overcast morning. As always there is plenty to do and see in Balboa Park, from museums, to the botanical garden to listening to Hare Krishna's bang on drums and wail their dulcet prayer tones...so much to do you can get carried away. So when you're ready, head over to the Japanese Garden overlook and have a tea and relax. Trust me, its worth the time. By the way I had the Green Dragon Jade Star Something Something Explosions and Herbs Something Something tea...it's the Green tea with the longest name. It was good...and HOT!! Wait for the leaves to drop to the bottom and it is steeped well. ENJOY! read more

After visiting the garden we stopped in for some lunch tea. The staff seemed very overloaded around lunch time, they couldn't take orders and get food out at the same time. I am sure glad that we just ordered drinks or we would have been waiting a while. For a tourist area, place is quite inexpensive. Got a super large ice tea for three bucks (http://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?select=vgf62ZXBMQHDnAVIyZUr2A&userid=H1x-M7zrDWbtnSAW6ZZznQ). Friend ordered some hot tea and I decided on their ice tea of the day (green tea tangerine). My friend's hot tea was so hot she couldn't even pick up the cup. Had to wait quite a bit of time before drinking it, it most likely would scold your insides. Might have caught this place on a off day. read more

Tea Pavilion - Green tangerine ice-tea. Good value for $3 - Japanese Near Me - San Diego, California

Horrible tea! Ordered an iced tea and it tasted spoiled and rotten. Also there was only one person manning the register and although she was very nice, she could have used some more help. When I let her know my tea wasn't fresh they happily made me a new one which is why they have two stars not one. They need to rotate the teas a lot more often to offer quality beverages. My herbal tea was fresh and okay. read more

Walked in looked around and walked out. They have nice items to snack on. Tea menu and quick bites. Convenient for grabbing something quick and having a seat outside or walk around the park. To the left is a wall of drink items in a fridge. Assorted ice teas, water. To the right a menu of all their teas and by the register quick bites. read more

Tea Pavilion - Some sweets - Japanese Near Me - San Diego, California

Found a hair in the teriyaki bowl and the drinks tasted watered down. Would not recommend

Not so great. We had the sushi. Maybe choose drinks or hot food but not the cooler food. It could be so good and especially since most people eating are visitors from other locations - I hear Spanish, Italian and an Asian language. Sad. Wish it were a better experience for them Skip this place and go to Cohens Prado Restaurant just steps away. Great food and service there. Same price read more

Food court quality items but sit down cafe prices. Stopped by for a quick lunch and tried the curry chicken bowl, California sandwich and Japanese potato salad. The chicken bowl was made with pre-packaged curry cubes readily available from any Japanese market, well at least it was real white meat. The sandwich had fake crab meat, lettuce, cucumber and avocado but they don't offer toasted bread so it might as well be a Subway sandwich except it was $7. There's nothing Japanese about the potato salad...but two small scoops cost $3, oh my bet, they drizzled some teriyaki sauce on it, I find the combination a bit odd. Much like putting a few drops of soy sauce on potato salad and calling it chinese potato salad. The only saving grace about this place is the fact that it's next to The Prado which costs twice as much to eat there and by comparison you can spend $25 bucks here for lunch for two and stay within the Balboa Park. In another word, eat here only if you have to and adjust your taste buds accordingly. read more

What a great little place this is!! Perfect for after your visit to the Japanese friendship garden! We ordered the chicken teriyaki, tofu curry, miso soup, and iced matcha latte. The chicken was decent but a bit hard to eat because they're large slices! The teriyaki sauce was good and the rice fluffy. The curry was spice-full, but not overwhelming. Could use a bit of mix for the veggies - they all kind of mix together and taste the same after awhile. The miso soup was perfect. Not too salty- just right!! The matcha latte was also really good. This is a great spot to relax between museums! read more

Tea Pavilion - Japanese Near Me - San Diego, California

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I never really thought about going to this place! But I was visiting a bunch of museums today and got hungry. In I wandered to this little tea pavilion. They have a number of food items available, like sandwiches, miso soup, soba, teriyaki bowls, curry bowls--stuff like that. I was nervous since I could see 2 microwaves in their little kitchen (who wants microwaved food?) but I'm such a sucker for Japanese curry that I threw caution to the wind. I got the curry bowl with chicken. Dude, this thing was huge!! It consisted of a big layer of plain rice with a bunch of white meat chicken on top (I gotta admit--it was dry) and then the curry. I stuffed myself and didn't even finish all of it. I think this could be shared among two people. It was around $8.50 or something. How good was it? Well, like I said, I love Japanese curry. It's obviously not the best one you'll ever have, but....it did the job. I liked it. Comfort food. nom. The iced tea for $2.50 and it was fine. Hard for me to get excited about iced tea! :) There is an outdoor seating area outside the tea pavilion. Overall, I would come back here if I was hungry in the park. It's not a bad option for some simple Japanese dishes, just don't expect anything too fancy. read more

Tea Pavilion - Curry bowl with chicken. After I stirred it a bit. - Japanese Near Me - San Diego, California

Had lunch here recently on a trip to Balboa Park, and was pleasantly surprised. The Tea Pavilion is a great alternative to the sandwich/burger focused restaurants within the park, and on top of that has a great view overlooking the Japanese Friendship Garden, and within sight of the Spreckles organ. It is outdoor seating only, but with comfy seats. My friends and I all got curry bowls - both the Veggie & Tofu and the grilled chicken. The veggie bowl has eggplant, red bell peppers, onion and potato. The bowls are quite sizeable and very reasonably priced. They've got a pretty extensive coffee menu as well, kombucha on tap, sushi, Japanese-inspired sandwiches, and teriyaki bowls as well. read more

They didn't have most of the stuff on the menu when I came. Had to order the rice bowls which has badly cooked rice and too much sauce and not enough to meet. Panda Express does the same thing better for half the price. read more

It was a typical warm day in San Diego, and I wanted an iced tea. This place will not serve any of their brewed teas cold. They had 3 flavors of iced teas pre selected and if you want iced, those are your choices, or, the fridge has bottled ones. I didn't understand why they couldn't sell me a brewed one (I will gladly pay!) and then give me a stinking cup of ice. They did't want to give me a large cup of ice, but a tiny dixie cup, which would defeat the purpose of ICED tea. I opted for a bottle of green tea (unsweetened) and a bag of shrimp chip snacks, and sat outside at a dirty table. Not once did the staff come out to clean the tables, or wipe down the tables. Its an average place, with sub average service. The food selection is better at Beef Bowl Yoshinoya, but I guess if you're stuck at Balboa Park, you have to suffer with the choices here. Anyone who gives this place more than 3 stars needs to get their head examined. Really folks, this place is just ok. read more

Small tea house in Balboa outside friendship garden. Teas are good ($3 a piece for house 16 oz) with a couple interesting types (Muchiaga and Cherry green tea). Outdoor area with tables and umbrella is small but nice (if u can get a seat). Can't attest to food (other than mocha). But they do allow you to get tea and take into friendship garden which is nice. Overall, not a bad option for quick tea or coffee in Balboa. Great people watching. They do close at four so definitely more of an afternoon place. read more

Tea Pavilion - Front entrance - Japanese Near Me - San Diego, California

Food and drinks were tasty and good. Good prices and good value. Convenient location too on a hot summer day. read more

Tea Pavilion - Teriyaki - Japanese Near Me - San Diego, California

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I had been wanting to try this place since I had visited Balboa Park a few times and had never been. I finally tried it and it was cool but nothing to crazy to rave about. I did only try one of their teas though, so my rating is only based on that because I haven't tried the food yet. I ordered an iced matcha latte and it was good. It was a pretty standard matcha latte-refreshing and soothing to sip on. I do feel like I had slightly higher expectations since it is a tea pavilion after all, but I don't know if the tea I ordered was particularly fantastic, I'd say it was about average, hence my 3 star rating. The cashier lady was incredibly kind though and if I was rating on service alone I would've given 5 stars simply because of how customer service oriented she was. I also went on a Saturday so it was busy and the lines were somewhat long. Not sure I'll be running to come back, but I also wouldn't resent coming for a 2nd visit. read more

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Honestly the food was okay but I was expecting some bomb ass tea. The tea was really not good. It was the Japanese Cherry Sakura and the Blood Orange. I ended up tossing my drink because it was that bad. I would recommend just buying the drinks from the fridge. read more

The food was nothing special. The menu wasn't particularly themed. Good for just a snack if you aren't feeling picky. Go here for the tea and location, but not the actual good. Nothing about the food was bad, it just wasn't anything to rave about. I got the tuna salad sandwich on wheat, which was made really well with a very filling about of tuna and toppings. It comes with a small scoop of potato salad. It was thick, so a bit challenging to bite. We also got the salmon teriyaki bowl. Also good, although salmon wasn't as soft as we'd like. The the, however, smelled so delicious and was so flavourful. Just go for the tea. It's just so... Mmmm.. We ordered the Lemon Zinger, but I don't know if we got what we ordered. I tasted no lemon, but smelled more of a berry flavour. I don't care, it hit the spot. read more

Tea Pavilion - Tuna salad sandwich w/ potato salad - Japanese Near Me - San Diego, California

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I showed up looking for a quick snack but ended up finding so much more. Resting in the heart of balboa park, this nice hidden gem is a must on your next balboa trip. The teas are packed with flavor, and always fast, the food is a great selection of traditional Japanese cuisine, you can go with anything off the menu and you wouldnt be disappointed, more than the food, and drinks, its the service that amazed me the most. I was greeted at the register by a young, incredibly handsome, man named Carlos. I was shocked he was working here and not as a model, but his customer service was amazing, he helped me make my choice of tea, which was a great recommendation, and was patient with me Definitely will go back. read more

I was so suprised to find that this place has a great little menu and does speacial teas and such. But I am going to focus on two things: GREAT CUSTOMER SERVICE!!! I do not to say any more except that they tend to go above and beyond if you are trying a tea for the first time. That was great as I have no idea about tea, but they did give me one that tasted great. MISO SOUP! I love miso soup and this place has one of the best I have ever tasted. Rich broth but not overwhelming, and plenty of "flakes" to make me happy! Try it, you will see what I mean. The setting is great also... Why the lack of the 5th star? Well, the fact is the atmosphere generally allows for others to ruin the experience. It is next to the street and they will let just ANYONE into the place.. I am a miso soup elitest you see.... Seriously, to no fault of thier own, this is a touristy place and it is amusing yet frustrating. read more

After visiting SDSU with my daughter and nephew, we stopped at Balboa Park in San Diego. I love this park! It was a Monday, and most of the shops and museums were closed or closing by 5pm, so we didn't get IN to too much, but we stopped to tour the Japanese Garden and were not allowed in - disappointing. I guess they don't allow people in when it's close to closing...... Anyway, we did stop here at the Tea Pavillion Cafe for a snack, and everything was good. The service was okay, but the drinks and food had by all were satisfying. read more

Their tea and Curry chicken sandwich are amazing. However, the rice bowl is very underwhelming in flavor with 90% of the bowl being rice and remainder toppings (I felt robbed of a good opportunity). read more

This was inside is Balboa Park. I didn't buy anything to eat but something to drink. We bought a can of coke and bottle of snapped for $4.32 total. That was a bit pricey for those two if you asked me but whatever. It seemed like a good place to take a break from walking and eat/drink something. There were tables and chairs outside with umbrellas; in addition, the trees were already all around so it blocked most of the sun. I saw a couple people eating food like a sandwich and some kind of soup. The day I came here was pretty hot so I was more thirsty than hungry; otherwise, I would have ordered something to eat. The staff seemed nice when we came inside to order. Not a bad place to grab a drink or a bite while walking around Balboa Park. read more

Tea Pavilion - Japanese Near Me - San Diego, California

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Giving even a 1 star is an overstatement for this place. My wife and I were staving after exploring Balboa and many of its museums on foot last month. We decided we must and eat something, however, even if you are starving, Run Away! Despite desperation this teriyaki chicken and rice bowl was so awful I could barely eat a quarter of it! The chicken tasted boiled and bland with very water-downed teriyaki sauce. The rice also tasted so gummy (likely cooked with excess water). While I didn't expect anything grand in the middle of the park this was just awful and inedible. I cannot comment on any of the drinks but if you need a snack I would avoid this place entirely. read more

Definitely my favorite Japanese place to eat By far the best Miso Soup I have ever had Salads are very good too Overall prices are inexpensive especially for being a part of Balboa Park Great view of the Japanese Garden at Balboa Park read more

It's a crying shame as many times as I have eaten the krab sandwich, that I haven't been able to post a decent picture of their krab sandwich, but I did get a great picture of the Udon Noodle soup with shrimp tempura. Oh, my goodness! The Udon noodle soup with shrimp tempura tasted as every bit as good as my picture of it. Although, it is served in what looks like a microwaveable plastic bowl, don't be fooled, the taste was superb. This just convinces me that the TEA PAVILION at Balboa is the best value for me! They even say on one of their marketing stuff on the front counter that they are a member of the Cohn (Notice the Prado is listed) restaurant group of San Diego's award winning family of restaurant, and I now know that means quality food and good value based on my experience. read more

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Date of visit: Feb 2017 Just wanted to let everyone know that my girlfriend got severe food poisoning from the chicken teriyaki bowl. I never left a review on Yelp, only on Google. Got a refund for our meals, which was kind enough, but they could have done something else, beware. read more

This is a cheap little place to grab a drink in Balboa Park. I've only ever had tea here, but the tea is usually quite good. The sweetened teas are a little too sweet for me. The pearl tea is okay, but again too sweet. Fortunately, both the iced tea and hot teas can be sweetened or unsweetened. You also have a while range of standard drinks: water, coke, bottled ice tea, etc. They also have lots of Japanese snacks, including wasabi peas, trail mix, mochi, rice wrapped candy, and even pockey sticks. You can only sit outside, but you likely wouldn't be in Balboa Park if it wasn't nice weather. read more

Tea Pavilion - Not sure this means anything, but entertaining pockey sticks are available. - Japanese Near Me - San Diego, California

Okay tea. I don't appreciate their complaints about minimum wage, not cool for employees. They have a sign announcing their prices went up because minimum wage went up. Pretty obnoxious if you ask me. read more