City: Boulder, CO

Category: Restaurants

Telephone: (303) 442-4993

Address: 1770 13th Street

Description: If you can take your eyes off the decor, you will find a variety of distinctive entrees as well as unique bakery and dessert items here. Mapo tofu (a spicy Chinese dish), eggplant, wild mushroom pasta, Thai curry noodles, salads, and soups are just a few of the menu items. And don’t forget the huge variety of tea.The Tea House was a gift from Boulder’s sister city of Dushanbe in 1986, but money to erect the elaborate structure was not approved until 1997. The Tea House was an instant hit, in part because it’s on the Boulder Creek Path, next door to the Museum of Contemporary Art, across from Central Park, and adjacent to the Farmers’ Market. Artisans from Tajikistan spent most of 1997 living in Boulder to complete the intricate assembly. It is the only authentic Persian teahouse in the Western hemisphere. The creekside patio is a great place to people-watch. The Tea House is open daily for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.