THE place to go in suburban Buffalo is Tea Leaf Café, located next to the Maple Ridge AMC Cinema, at Sweet Home and Maple Roads in Amherst. I started going there because my friend Andy Rosenfeld asked a bunch of friends to check it out, and we did. Then I told my friends about it, and they came with me on a busy Friday night, and they all agreed they really liked it. The place got bonus points from me because one of the staffers loves the music group The Reign of Kindo, and so their music was playing on the loudspeakers, which was ironic, because one of the band members, Jeff Jarvis, happened to be there that night. I’m friends with the band, and when I saw Jeff ahead of me in line, and then heard his band overhead, it was a night of great surprises. After that fun time at Tea Leaf, I found out one friend, JoAnn, asked another friend– who had never been there– to go after church on Sunday. They, in turn, asked more and more people from The Chapel to go there, and so now it’s “the thing” for Chapel at CrossPoint people to do. See what I started? Mark Weber: trendsetter. And now, on a Thursday night, a whole bunch of us occupied the front couches enjoying our teas and desserts. I have found a place I truly like. It’s a great hangout.
Tea Leaf Café is the kind of place that will make you think you’re in New York City, and not Buffalo. The food is “Asian fusion,” the tea is “Bubble Tea,” which is fun to drink because there are balls of tapioca you suck up through your giant straw, and the décor is hipster chic, with a smart blend of green and brown walls, lamps, and stylish furniture. This is not some old, beat-up room—this is posh without being pretentious, and perfect for Amherst and the University at Buffalo area nearby.
If you come to Tea Leaf, try the Bubble Tea. I personally like the black tea with a mix of guava, mango and passion fruit. You can get Bubble Tea served hot, iced or frozen, and have green or black tea as the main ingredient. Then you choose a milk or fruit base, along with flavors to jazz it up. Say you go for milk—then you could add in banana, or chocolate, or coconut, or a mixture of all three. Hmmm, I might try that next time. Or if you go with fruit tea, there’s blueberry, kiwi, peach, pear, and strawberry flavors, to name just a few. I personally hate tea, BUT I love this place’s Bubble Tea, so if you’re someone who doesn’t like tea, please realize this is not at all the kind of tea you think of when you think of traditional tea, and thank God for that.
Now I’m not a coffee drinker, but I know a lot of you are, so please know that Tea Leaf has an espresso bar with classics like Cappuccino and Café Latte, along with Iced Expressos. And for traditional tea drinkers, they have black, green, oolong, herbal, chai, white and something called “rooibos,” whereas in all of those you can choose distinct varieties—examples? White peach, Thai Chai, Lemon Grass herbal, Jasmine green, Rooibos vanilla. Maybe, just maybe I will be adventurous someday and try one of those. Also on the menu I see Ghirardelli hot chocolate, caramel apple cider, honey citron tea, red bean ice, lychee ice, and even aloe vera juice. With so many different drinks on the menu, this is the kind of place you could visit daily and still not try ‘em all.
While most people come to Tea Leaf to drink, they also serve small plates of unique and tasty food. I have had their Pork & Chives dumplings and found them to be not only appealing to the eye, the way they’re served, but also pleasing to the mouth, the way they taste. Dumpling-wise, they offer chicken & mushroom, shrimp and pork with veggies, and other combos. Also available? A variety of spring rolls, as well as Edamame and Scallion Pancakes.
But enough about the healthy stuff. Lets talk dessert. Tea Leaf gets a little Italian with their dessert offerings, which include Chocolate Fondant Cake, Tiramisu, New York Style Cheesecake, Crème Brulee with Berries, and more. Obviously someone knew what they were doing when they planned these desserts because one look at them and you’ll be having a tough time figuring out which one to get—they all look way too good!
Tea Leaf Café is open 7 days a week, starting at 11am. Every night of the week they close at 11pm, except Fridays and Saturdays when they smartly stay open ‘til 1am. The coolest young people come to this place—anyone with a sense of style knows this is the place to be seen at—it’s laid back, smart, friendly, and it seems that the staff do things “with excellence,” something our area needs more of, you know?
You can visit www.tealeafcafe.com or like them at www.facebook.com/tealeafcafe.
Their number is 716-831-8202 if you have any specific questions. If you’re looking for a nice time out with your friends, for something different than the same old, same old, then do not hesitate to try out Tea Leaf Café. –Mark Weber, BuffaloChristian.com
