How Shang Shway Tea House

Pleasant little tea house tucked away behind the Best Western. Noodle dishes and teas.

Love the food, the tea, and the ambiance. Run by a lovely Taiwanese couple.

Tucked away behind Nelson’s Best Western, this cute little tea room is, sadly, easy to miss. Run by a considerate couple with a passion for tea, this hole-​in-​the-​wall (well, it’s actually in an old house, not a wall) offers limited menu items and is open every day except for Sundays. Reflecting the ethos of the city, How Shang Shway is vegetarian, but the dishes I have tried are rich and flavourful. The potstickers were filled with a fine mixture of carrot, soy protein, onion, cabbage, and garlic. The braised noodles were made in a zesty, five-​spice-​festooned sauce and the vegetables in this dish included cabbage, shitake, and daikon. The noodles also contained cubes of «vegetable protein» which had the consistency of tofu but was not soy-​based. There is not much variety, and I like me some meat, but I would recommend this spot for a quiet pot of oolong or a noodly snack. A few things you need to know: they have specials during the week, and dishes sell out. It is best to get there before 2pm if you would like to go for lunch.