Tea Time in Tacoma: Olive Branch Cafe & Tea Room is a place to gather, sip and savor

Take a step back in time with the beautiful and gorgeous Olive Branch Cafe & Tea Room.

Fit for royalty with a charming and Victorian-esque regal aesthetic, Tacoma's Olive Branch Cafe & Tea Room was founded in 2012 by longtime resident Terry Waller. During that time period, Olive Branch operated as a cafe but expanded into a tea room in 2015. Since 2023, the restaurant has been under the ownership of Christina Hernandez and Natural Allah, both originally from New York.

Olive Branch continues to serve as both a walk-in cafe and high tea experience in Tacoma's picturesque Freighthouse Square. Hernandez says, "We offer a premier tea experience. We are a cafe in that we serve sandwiches, salads, and pastries, and we're also a tea room that exudes a Victorian ambiance with an unparalleled respect for tea."

The cafe and tea room exude an elegant and sophisticated ambiance with decor consisting of vintage patterns and furniture, along with a classic piano and dedicated musician. Currently the largest tea room in Pierce County, guests will enjoy the sophistication and classic vibe.

"Our tea room doesn't require memberships of any kind," said Hernandez. "We are right down the street from the iconic Tacoma Dome, and an owner is always on-site and interacts with the customers to ensure that their tea experience is awesome. Our staff are friendly and knowledgeable about the products we serve and the majority of our staff have traveled with us from other business ventures, so it's more of a familial dynamic. We also boast about our live volunteer piano player, Brian, whose music only adds to the experience. Brian is a master of music from the golden era of the Dance Bands from the first half of the 1900s, generally considered to be the Great American Songbook."

An accomplished piano player, Brian also incorporates music from classic American musicals and his style and talent have been a great compliment to the restaurant.

On the cafe menu, guests will find a diverse selection of choices from seasonal tea, vegetarian sandwiches, and soups to signature sandwiches such as the almond chicken sandwich, featuring a croissant filled with shredded curried chicken, slivered almonds, and honey mustard. Other items on the menu include fresh hot scones (made daily) featuring strawberry jam, clotted cream, and lemon curd on the side.

For tea parties, guests can expect mini sandwiches, bite-size desserts, warm scones, and a specialized tea selection with green teas, herbal teas, black teas, and rooibos teas as options. Guests can choose from the "Champagne Tea" for $62, which features a tea selection of your choice, soup or salad, mini sandwiches, chocolate-dipped seasonal fruit, appetizers, sorbet, and scones, along with a choice of sparkling wine, cider, or signature lemonade. Other selections include the "Queen’s Tea," at $50 per person, "Duchess Tea," for $43.50, "Afternoon Tea," at $40 per person, and the "Petite Tea," option for $22, featuring a scone, cup of soup, sandwiches and pot of tea. "We also offer a Christmas tea and Daddy/Daughter Tea," Hernandez said.

Olive Branch also offers a delightful Prince/Princess party area. "It's decorated especially for the children with lots of dolls, bears, and a smaller table for the youngsters. Special arrangements must be made ahead of time for that area, and adult groups are required to make special arrangements, which generally includes specifying how many attendees there will be and what the group will be ordering," Hernandez said. The cafe and tea room also host a monthly party for children who are unhoused at no cost. "We receive referrals from different organizations or an email from parents requesting to be considered," Hernandez added.

Hernandez and Allah operated Essence Lounge in Tacoma from 2020-2022 before taking on their new venture. Both wonderful cooks and experienced business owners, Hernandez and Allah have worked in social services, with Hernandez continuing to work in the field at the Washington Department of Children, Youth, and Families, and Allah previously having worked for Mary's Place and Catholic Community Services. Having a passion for the restaurant industry as well, Hernandez and Allah love existing in the hospitality space with the Olive Branch Cafe & Tea Room.

Excited for what's to come, Hernandez and Allah plan on expanding the menu further to potentially include more evening selections, such as filet mignon, lobster oxtails and specialized dishes.

"We also love meeting new people and having the ability to make tea a conversation piece, while helping create a memorable experience. There will be new and exciting events to come, please visit us on our website!” said Hernandez.

Olive Branch Cafe & Tea Room is located at Freighthouse Square, 2501 E D St. in Tacoma.

Jenny Castro is a freelance writer for Seattle Refined. Follow more of her work here.