Tea NJ

Walking by I didn't know if it was a tea place or a restaurant, but it turned out to be a great casual spot with quick and friendly service. I ordered what may have been the Vegan 9 breakfast (should have taken better notes) with impressive vegan sausage and potatoes.

For a small place the beverage list is extremely long and I'd certainly like to try more options here since I liked the iced hibiscus tea.

I was SO excited to try this place being that I chose this over any of the other vegan restaurant to go to for my first time in Jersey City..

You walk in & you can almost immediately tell the place is disorganized but my boyfriend and I tried to remain understanding & calm. There were only 2 parties ahead of us to order & it took forever just to get to the front of the line but still, we didn't seem to mind. It wasn't even a something I thought of as a problem until now because I was fed up by the time we left.

One of the first weird red flags was that when we paid with our card, the young girls at the front said they "prefer tip in cash" because when the screen prompts you for tip on the card, it "doesn't go" to them.. I don't really get how you don't tip your employees out on credit card tips..? Not everyone carries cash- like us. So we just couldn't tip them.

We sat down at a table inside & waited for our food to come...... and waited..... and waited.... 30 minutes later my Thai bubble tea came out ... 30 minutes for a Thai bubble tea..? My boyfriend ordered a berry smoothie that took 35 minutes .... I don't really get why either of our drinks took 30+ minutes to come out...? But we did notice the girls were just sitting on their phones just hanging out & THEN started working on our drinks after about 30 mins..

While we waited for our food to come out, the couple in front of us was also waiting for their order to come out... just ONE empanada.. so that means they were waiting for 35+ minutes for 1 empanada to come out.. the guy was not happy.

Next finally our food came out after about 40 minutes.. I got the tofu rice wrap, my boyfriend got the Philly cheesesteak & we split the Mac n cheese.
-My wrap was really good which honestly saved me from giving them 1 star; however, my bf thought it was bland.
-My boyfriend's Philly cheesesteak TASTED good but like.. after 40 MINUTES it comes out with cold cheese on top..? Like it wasn't even melted on.. it was just cold shredded cheese falling out of the sandwich..
-The Mac n cheese was WEIRD AF. They took it out of the pre-made food heater thing next to their register & it was gross. The texture was weird & it was BLAND AS CAN BE. But, parts of it were OVERLY salty, while other parts had no salt..

Lastly, we took our double chocolate cake piece to sit outside to go talk to the couple. At this point, it was 50+ minutes they were waiting for ONE empanada.. The man pointed out that it's not like they're busy doing anything so there's no reason it should take 50 minutes for ONE empanada & he said it was his first time here & he would never come back. Finally it comes out & the guy says to the girl "What took so long? Please be honest." & she couldn't look him in the eye to respond & said, "I don't know, I'm ready to quit though." Hmm.. not a great thing to say to customers..

The chocolate cake was rich & delicious. However, it was DRYYYY in some areas & moist in others so we didn't really know how to feel about it. We didn't end up finishing it but we didn't hate it.

Overall, it just felt us leaving EXTREMELY disappointed & we felt like we wasted our money. We will never be returning & don't recommend it to anyone.

Really cute little place. Lots of vegan options and tons of teas. Really affordable too for Vegan. I didn't feel like the prices were inflated for vegan food like they are at other places. Most expensive is around $14 and most thing are 8 or 10 dollars. I got vegan carnitas tacos. Two tacos and a small side salad for $8. Tacos were good and flavorful. Not too filling if you are looking for a heavy lunch. But its perfect for a light lunch and super fresh. I mixed mango and coconut bubble tea. The boba are really good here and they are multicolored, which I never saw before. My friend got the vegan loaf wrap and liked it too. I will def come back! No outdoor seating by the way. And must wear a mask when inside. Staff are friendly and nice!

Overall favorite place to eat. ever.
Tldr; Extra chimichurri on EVERYTHING. Get the dirty Thai.

Tea NJ fosters such a comforting environment for carnivores and vegans galore. No one feels left out on their menu because of their coffeehouse vibe. I can't count the number of times I've been there to grab some of my favorites-- all hail the Dirty Thai, two shots of espresso, Thai iced tea, oat milk. One shot of espresso if I've already had a coffee in the morning and am just re-upping for a later work shift.

As for the food I swear by the Spicy Devil salad. I've never had anything like it at any other place. It's a simple thing, with your choice of spinach, lettuce or mix, some tomatoes and cucumbers, but it's the chimichurri and pico that brings everything all together.

When I need something more filling I go for the Spicy Devil wrap. It's similar to the Spicy Devil salad, using the same sausage, but adds in some flavorful turmeric rice, avocado, and some spinach.

When I'm running late, I grab a vegan croissant, full of lots of whole grains.

I could rave on and on about the food and how flavorful everything is, and how great the service is, and how such a creative space it is. See for yourself.

This place has a fun vibe. The establishment is clean and seems like a good place to come and read the paper or get some work done.

Glows:
-Vegan options (tacos and wraps)
-Extensive drink options
-Food sounds good (Haven't has anything besides a muffin and that was good. I'll update when I have a sandwich or something.)
-Staff seemed friendly enough.
-Decor is fun, yet not overly done.

Grows:
-Stevia please
-Place is a bit crowded for my taste ... a lot of seating in a small space. I get it though, the place gets busy.
-

Can only comment on their beverages. Love their latte's here, especially the lavender. They also offer different milk alternatives. I always come here while I wait for my dog to be groomed. The owner is always super friendly! It's a cute spot.

I've been a consistent customer with your business since your inception. I recently, ordered an In N Out burger with great disappointment. I received my In N Out burger burnt (refer to photo). I contacted your representative to explain the matter. Your representative solution to the matter was that the Uber driver had the burger for a long period of time. He then noted that I should not come to the restaurant because I was approaching him with an attitude. Upon arriving at the restaurant, he continued with the same rhetoric that nothing could be done. I find this to be unacceptable. He stated that he was the manager and that this was the only solution. This treatment is very unfortunate. I am considering taking my business elsewhere.

one star for somewhat a friendly staff. I'm not from the area, so when I was in the area, I was like "why don't we try something from the area?" And that's how I ended up trying this place (plus they have nice ratings)
first of all, when I entered, she was very welcoming. The shop was very "spiritual/hippy-ish" the smell in the I couldn't take. & that's when I was kinda second guessing the place, but I continue to order anyways. I got 2 tropical smoothie blast, and boy, they were nasty. We couldn't even drink half of it, I had to throw it out. This place also advertises so many vegan stuff, so maybe perfect if you're vegan? lol
Overall, I would not recommend or come back to this place. Sorry

Cute spot with funky decor. I tried their Dirty Coconut with coconut milk (off-menu drink recommended by our friendly and outgoing barista) and I loved the light and sweet coconut flavor with the coffee! My friend ordered the Dirty Almond with soy milk and was also a big fan.

Any of the "dirty" drinks have two espresso shots of Cuban coffee in each cup, so it's the perfect little pick-me-up in the morning to get you going. Would love to come back to try their Dirty Thai or their large assortment of teas!

Stumbled upon this place while walking down Newark Ave over to Journal Square PATH station and have to say it's a little diamond in the rough. What drew me in was the loud and colorful graffiti pens all over the windows, inviting customers inside for delicious vegan eats. Inside, the ambience was warm, small and homey but spacious enough to spread out a bit. The barista was super sweet and service was really quick. This coffee shop has an overwhelming number of food and beverage options, but I'm glad I chose the hot ginger cider and Italian Hot Dog (recommended by the barista). Both were DELICIOUS.
I live in Manhattan, but this place is definitely my new go-to in Jersey City. Highly recommend.