If there’s one hill I’m willing to die on, it’s that cold brewed tea tastes better when sipped out of a wine glass. Ok, maybe that’s a bit dramatic. But it’s still facts. And Yonshin Tea passed the vibe check as soon as they brought out the cold brew tea in its own chilled carafe with a wine glass.

Yonshin Tea and Cake Selection Bar sounds like it should be a vaguely western dessert and frilly tea spot, but (thankfully) it is quite the opposite. The tea house hails from Kaohsiung and maintains the traditions of centuries of Taiwanese tea culture and packages it up into a classic and elegant experience that fits the pace of modern sensibilities in everyday Taiwan life. Sure, you come for the aesthetics, but you stay for the substance.

The tea selection spans the best of local regional selections from Sun Moon Lake red jade black tea to Taitung red oolong tea to Alishan jinxuan oolong tea, with hot and cold brewed options. The food menu is a curated collection of Taiwanese cuisine, simple, homey flavors. The entrees come with some light sides, rice and soup. And, true to Taiwanese tea house tradition, they have savory snacky options like spiced bean curd or fried cuttlefish balls. Dessert skews western in form but use Taiwanese teas for flavor: from oriental beauty cake rolls to seasonal fruit and tea flavored crepe cakes to red jade black tea cheesecake. Nothing pairs better with tea than tea flavored desserts.

So in summary: ambience, check; vibes, check; food, check. Casual yet chic, traditional ingredients made contemporary in dining format. It’s an easy and reliable choice for lunch, dinner or afternoon tea.