Remedy Tea Bar

I was so heart broken when I heard my favorite tea bar closed. I spent endless hours here during college, writing papers and sucking down out-​of-​this-​world tea. LE SIGH. But please please please continue to support them by buying their teas off the website. They really are extraordinary and fairly priced. I’ve since moved from Philly and keep the Remedy Tea spirit alive in Los Angeles with a cup or two every day. I LOVE YOU GUYS!

They are CLOSED!!!

Casualty of a battle with their landlord, this spot is now closed.

I wish I could give this 2.5 stars. The tea cannot be argued with. I come in pretty regularly for iced teas and they are delicious and decently sized. Their blended drinks are also delicious. The green tea blended special they recently had posted on a board outside was quite tasty, but the size/​price ratio to a Starbucks green tea blended drink was not in their favor. And the taste difference between the two isn’t great.
Like many reviewers, my complaint is with the service. When I walk in I never feel quite right. Something about standing there while the sisters (?) who run the place stare at me blankly until I order is really uncomfortable. They’re very quiet and seem uninterested in helping customers, for the most part. I’ve had a friendly exchange with one of the two women who work there, but that’s about it. And on more than one occasion, they’ve been socializing at the same time as fixing my drink. Not that that’s a bad thing, but it is when they barely acknowledge you except for when you hand them your money. I understand that working in a slightly less-​than-​busy place from open to close every day might get a little boring, but would it hurt to be nice to the regulars?
In short, it’s in your best interest to take one of their menus with you so you know what you want before you go in, in order to save yourself time. Still, I enjoy their tea and location enough that I’ll give them three stars for that. Somewhere else in Center City there is a more agreeable, ambient tea bar, the name is just escaping me at the moment. But, during the work week, Remedy will have to do.

I stop by Remedy every couple weeks for one of their signature tea lattes. They have creative tea-​based concoctions like the Milk & Cookies Latte or the Dirty Chai Latte as well as a slew of tea types and flavors to choose from. Fun flavor combinations for tea-​lovers for sure.
HOWEVER, my biggest complaint is that the two sisters/​owners need some work in their customer service. I don’t find them rude or anything super negative, but the place would feel more warmer if their personalities were in fact more welcoming. I mean this in the most constructive way, but they seem to be void of that friendly, attentive characteristic that makes a café experience enjoyable. Their lack of enthusiasm, eye contact, and personable interaction makes them seem more like flaky students working there in their spare time rather than the owners of the business. They seem to only be friendly to their friends or regular customers they know. I can’t describe exactly what feels «off» but it’s disheartening because a little customer service can go a long way (take a cue from Starbucks here). The actual space is large with plenty of seating but feels cold and not at all cozy.
Final thoughts…
Best for to-​go orders since their drinks are good. But if you get a monotone response or less than enthusiastic «thank you» don’t take it personally.

First, the great things about Remedy:
1.) They have an extensive selection of tea and do creative things with it.
2.) The menu is well-​organized and informative.
3.) Vegan pastry options.
4.) The ambiance is about as calming as it gets, with a lot of natural light.
5.) Ample seating, free wireless Internet, and no pressure to make your visit quick.
However, in this case, the difference between a five-​star joint and a two-​star is customer service. With each visit I’ve made to Remedy, I saw no evidence of baristas who cared about their customers. On the most recent occasion, the two women at the counter clearly felt inconvenienced by my presence. No smile, no smalltalk, but eager to take my money. If it’s a problem for you to get up from surfing the Internet to help a customer, then you shouldn’t be running a teahouse.
The bottom line: tea is a delicate thing. There’s a lot to know about it, and a classy establishment like this should do its part to educate its customers — offering suggestions, welcoming the customer to sniff the tea, mentioning the steeping time, etc. Without this, it becomes just another café with all of the emphasis on the trendy-​factor.
If you’re looking for a quality cup of tea minus the friendly neighbor feeling, then Remedy will suit you just fine. Until the staff steps up their customer service, there’s nothing special about this spot.
P. S. — Charging extra for soy milk? Seriously?

This is the place to go when you want a GREAT chai latte. I’ve had almost all of the latte’s on the board. The rest of the tea is alright, but definitely overpriced for tea. Tea should NOT be more expensive than coffee, but I guess it’s acceptable when you’re paying for an entire afternoon of study space. (note: I saw someone studying from the exact same med school book as me a couple weeks ago. creepy)
The layout is really weird, with a mix of tables, a bar, and a couple of couches that seem to be a last resort for most people.
Brad’s rating (out of 5):
Food: 5
Price: 4
Décor: 3
Service: 5
Wild card: cute barista

Remedy is a tea bar in Rittenhouse, nestled on Sansom st. It’s owned and operated by two very friendly sisters, and has a bunch of unique tea blends both hot and cold, as well as sandwiches and pastries, which they bring in from local spots (the names of which escape me). I can’t remember when I first came here, I want to say in the summer of 2007, I hadn’t been there in a very long time, but recently came back to do some studying and blogging and what not on the recommendation of my buddy Dave.
THE ATMOSPHERE:
It’s got a springtime/​tea house color scheme, they definitely have a good sense of aesthetics here. They have mostly alternative and indie rock playing, but I’m actually working on coercing them into playing CDs I bring in. They offer free wifi, but I noticed that there are no longer any outlets, so you can’t plug-​in and stay for an entire day, which makes sense, they can’t afford to power everyone’s laptops for a few cups worth of tea.
THE TEA:
Three words: White Knight latte. It’s amazing, highly caffeinated white mate (south american tea), with hints of coconut or almond or something… it’s a great waker-​upper. They have a lot of custom blends, lots to choose from, the seasoned tea drinker would be in heaven. I checked out their website, they have a whole business centered around their teas, so you can buy their loose leaf blends and brew at home.
THE SERVICE:
As everyone else is saying, they are very friendly, I’ve observed even to divorce-​ridden drunkards, debit card swipe machine salesmen, and smug a&%holes like myself who go around to peoples businesses trying to make music recommendations. More seriously, they make good recommendations to people who aren’t obsessed with tea and are just looking for something good.
THE BOTTOM LINE:
Great tea spot, if you are a tea-​drinker, you owe it to yourself to stop on by. If Philly had some sort of a special tea tour going around to all the best shops and tea bars, this one would most definitely be in the itinerary.

i don’t know how i haven’t reviewed this place…
the girls who own it are super nice.
for the atmosphere of the place, it gets 3 stars. the place is chill. but yes, they have one outlet (i think it’s to keep people from sitting at a table for too long!), which i think is kinda crappy, because it’s a place i *do* want to linger. and it’s not open on sundays? oi.
they have a nice selection of teas and tea blends. their mixed tea drinks, although expensive-​are really really tasty, and i like treating myself to one on occasion. today, i got the xtra dirty chai latte… which has masala chai, dark chocolate with chili peppers, and milk… such a kick! loved it!

I love tea and tea shops! In my hometown of Toledo there was a tea shop called The World Tea Company. The walls were lined to the ceiling with large glass jars filled with the most wonderful teas you could imagine! In addition to the teas, there were tea cups and pots and all sorts of tea related merchandise.
Remedy Tea Bar reminds me a lot of The World Tea Company on a newer and more «hip» level. It’s not as refined… but it’s not supposed to be. It’s comfortable, colorful and very nicely done! I love that I could order my vanilla chai and sit on one of the overstuffed sofas and enjoy my tea and summer roll. (Don’t overlook the summer rolls… they’re great!)
It’s nice to find a place to relax and just take a breath in Center City without the chaos that you often find in restaurants. Remedy Tea Bar is a jewel for Philly!

What happened to the outlets? I love sitting here with a pot of tea and cruising on the free Wifi. But my computer battery sucks and I need to charge it up quite often. That’s the only thing I can ding this place on.
Otherwise have only good things to say. The people that work here are very friendly. Obviously a wide variety of teas — enough to satisfy any tea connoisseur, though I do consider myself more of a coffee drinker.

I Love the blue couches. big open space, but still warm and cozy. I had a while to kill on one of the frickin coldest days yet so ordered up some gunpowder and sat down to knit. It was so nice and inviting I had a hard time leaving. Not too quiet but not overly loud, I feel like goldilocks, but really everything was just right. I suppose a fireplace would have completed the whole thing but you can’t have it all.
reasonable prices and the treats looked good to eat too. I wish it was closer so I could be a regular but I know where to sit a while when I have time to kill in center city.

I love Remedy. They have an excellent variety of loose-​leaf tea and the atmosphere is really nice and relaxed. I love stopping here for the occasional after-​school or before-​work treat. Their vegan baked goods are awfully grainy and dense, though.
They’d totally get 5 stars if they got yummier vegan baked goods and stopped charging extra for soy milk!

Remedy is located right behind the building that I work in, and this can be quite dangerous — especially when I happen to come across some random change in my desk drawer and decide that I just simply «need» to get out of the office for tea time. The atmosphere is quiet and cozy and the staff is always so friendly. Try the chocolate macaroon tea. It’s like eating a cookie, only in yummy tea-​form.

Remedy is well named… the «buzz» of the place is quiet and calm. The tea selection is fabulous — everything from simple choices to mixtures. And the staff isn’t pushy… they help.
They have the best blue velvet couch in the city. I feel lucky when I get to sit there. Oh… free WiFi, too. Tea and a Mac… that’s a good day.

This is the best tea place in Philadelphia. My favorite is the London Calling! I keep telling myself I’ll try something new the next time I go, and I always end up getting the same thing — oh well creature of habit.
I go at least 3 x times a week. Can’t wait until Tuesday!

«Like. Oh. My. Gawd. Monica! There is this sweet lil’ café’ on Sansom where these really cool ladies right off of a Banana Republic catalog serve you tea in a modern-​Asian kettle thingy. It’s so adorable. And the food is just divine. I mean they smile awkwardly as they hand you your food thinking „Gee… she’s kinda fat.“ but who cares! Shallow is as shallow does right Monica? Did you happen to catch „Sex and the City“?»
Yeah… let’s leave it at that. I do like their tea varieties though. Just wish the atmosphere was less hip and more hop. There isn’t much of a diverse culture here. The ladies are nice too but I tried to show them some of my artwork and they smiled kindly and I could tell showed no interest in it. I guess I’m not Ikea-​friendly enough. Well back to the drawing board.

When the Cold season gets bad you need a lot of extra help to soothe your throat. Thank goodness there are places that spell out what you need in big letters — Remedy!
I stopped by to try it out today because I’ve been on a real tea kick of late. I didn’t feel that it was of the better loose tea houses in Philly since Tbar offered just a little bit more atmosphere. But their green tea latte was pure heaven.
My one big complaint towards Remedy was that their take away menu offered a lot more tea selections than their store menu did. Had I have known that they offered amazing sounding blends like Bamboo Rose, Egyptian Chamomile, and Ninja Tea before I left, than I would of ordered a plenty. I’m sure their Tea experts can walk through what they offer well enough when given the chance. but if you go into a spot then you should have a better idea of what they offer at first glimpse. Tbar definitely did just that.
But otherwise Remedy offered some great service, and some soothing drinks. The sandwiches and Scones also looked delish.

Situated in the middle of an otherwise-​un-​noteworthy strip of sansom street is a cozy haven for designers and tea aficionados alike. remedy tea reflects the personal aesthetic of sisters kristen and courtney kammerer in both offerings and environment.
what was once an abandoned storefront has been made truly invigorating by the duo. a large space is made comfortable and more inviting by the use of varied materials and bold colors. chocolate wood tones, antique whites, lime green and –my personal fave– electric orange metallics all combine to make for an uplifting, yet comfortable experience. add modern furnishings, raw concrete, & auction-​bought chandelier too??? fantastic stuff.
my drink of choice is their take on the cosmo… with passionfruit iced tea, cranberry juice & lime juice. MMM.

Great place to get tea (so many options!) and hunker down with your computer to enjoy the free wireless.
A great alternative to Starbucks for the tea conosseur.