Coffee & Treats in East Palo Alto

Puripan Tea Garden features more than 50 varieties of premium organic teas from all tea regions of the world. A bevy of choices include green, white, black and oolong teas, as well as deeply flavorful teas that aid in added tranquility and energy, subdued jubilation, resonance, and a variety of other sensations, depending on what you and your mind require. Sample the healing Ginseng Matcha ($19.99 for 35 grams), the aromatic Ti Guan Yin ($9.99 for two ounces), or the heady Jasmine Silver Needle ($15.99 for two ounces). You can even stock your tea cabinet with attractive handmade tea wares for entertaining stuffed animals that come alive after midnight.

Tablecloths, fine china, and finger sandwiches speak of refinement during high tea or tea parties at Lisa’s Tea Treasures Menlo Park. During afternoon tea services, guests sip a selection of 23 loose-leaf teas—such as strawberry darjeeling, lemon mint, and Winter Solstice—and nibble on scones and sandwiches inspired by the food of Europe’s culinary capitals. The menu lists bites from Greece, Italy, and France, including Chicken Parisian croissants, salmon mousse, and cucumber-mint cream cheese. A fresh scone with devonshire cream completes any tea party, and evoke thoughts of England other than your recurring dream of building a cricket pitch in your backyard. In addition to the fine fare, the tearoom itself oozes class with delicate trinkets on display, floral wallpaper, and small chandeliers gently lighting the space.

When they’re not blending imported leaves into 120 tea varieties, the tea gurus at Tea Time lead tasting classes that empower sippers to explore the 3,000-year-old beverage’s origins, aromas, and health benefits. The classes reflect Tea Time’s mission to make its tea room a welcoming community hub. In the shop’s “sniffing corner,” staff members help customers sift through 150 glass jars of tealeaves in search of their ideal blend. Free WiFi, bamboo tables, and a menu of French-style pastries and English-style sandwiches furnish tranquil afternoons, and a slew of teatime accessories line solid oak shelves.

For more than two decades, Yogurt Stop has satiated sweet cravings with more than 15 alternating flavors of frozen yogurt to festoon with fresh fruit, candy, and nuts. The shop's menu encompasses a tongue-chilling collection of frosty fare, including sorbet, ice cream, smoothies, and frozen yogurt available in fat-free, low-fat, sugar-free, low-lactose, and soy varieties that bear the signature swirl and creamy texture of classic fro-yo. Friendly staffers, some of whom were loyal Yogurt Stop patrons as children, fill homemade waffle cones with custom confections and advise customers on fail-proof combinations of toppings or numbers to unlock any bank vault.

Delicate rose floral arrangements and lemon hues surround the country tearoom at SweeTea's, which pairs guests with elegant midday tea breaks replete with fresh homemade treats. Julita, the creator of SweeTea's, adorns the dining area with pieces gathered during her 10 years of collecting teacups, exploring English tearooms, and growing teacup bushes in her backyard. Cream teas, dessert teas, and full afternoon teas sit before sippers in gold-rimmed teacups and saucers, and fresh meals can accompany piping cups. In order to arrange sweet and savory items such as lavender-white-chocolate scones and artichoke Parmesan sandwiches, the chefs at SweeTea's use fresh, in-season ingredients and ancient scone-hunting techniques. Julita can reserve her tearoom for private parties of 16–24 and breakfast meetings, and takes her tea, sandwiches, and desserts on the road to cater gatherings of up to 12.

There’s nothing quite like biting into a warm cookie fresh out the oven to bring back memories of a simpler time, when treats were made with unpretentious, quality ingredients. Too Good Gourmet strives to vault taste buds back to this era with its delicious cookies. Though its founders, a mother-daughter team, have expanded into a 50,000-square-foot facility equipped with modern baking systems and dozens of employees, they still bake cookies using family recipes and fresh ingredients. To ensure that the integrity of the cookies is maintained even with such a large-scale operation, department leads conduct quality checks every half hour, and all employees undertake monthly training classes to keep their baking skills sharp and their knowledge of advances in the sprinkles industry second to none.