Slow tea bar serving creative fare in Columbus Park
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A seasonal Bunny in the Garden dessert and sticky rice oolong tea. Photo: Travis Meier/Axios
An unassuming storefront in the Columbus Park neighborhood is home to creative tea concoctions and a small but mighty collection of bites.
Why it matters: Tian Tea House offers something new for Kansas City — an inventive slow bar based on Japan's style of radical hospitality. Plus, it's really good.
Saranya and Zach Hubbard are both trained bartenders: she from Thailand, he from Kansas City.
- Their monthly pop-up, Moonbar, has been bringing Asian-influenced cocktails to spaces around KC for three years.
- "Originally, we built this place for a bar," Saranya says, but "we want to utilize the daytime."
- She says they practice "omotenashi," the Japanese art of anticipatory hospitality: "The customer is sneezing, we can give the napkin right away."
Zoom in: The business, at 911 E. Fifth St., ramped up in December and officially opened in January.
- Its tea menu starts with classic loose leaf options but quickly pivots to tea blends that infuse milks, sugars and flavors like lemongrass, lychee, rose and coconut.
- Another menu lists sweet and savory dim sum, which are traditional small plates.
What to try: I ordered a toasted sticky rice tea, which had an oolong base, dates and a mild sweetness.
- The red pork bun was super soft, and the ha gao prawn dumpling struck a perfect balance of complex textures and flavors.
- But the standout was Bunny in the Garden, a coconut milk rabbit on a bed of pandan and coffee jelly topped with aromatics.
Travis' thought bubble: The coffee, a collaboration with Café Cà Phê, was present without being overpowering. All the flavors worked, even if I didn't always know what I was tasting.
The vibe: It's a small shop, with rich greens and dark accents. A mix of textures — dark wood, warm brick, soft lights and a leather couch — feels intimate, like you should use your inside voice.
What we're watching: The Hubbards say they plan on opening Moonbar, their cocktail bar, in the space in May.