Alyssa
Amongst the gorgeous surroundings of the Japanese Tea Garden, located at 3853 N. St. Mary’s St., rests the Jingu House. We heard about a restaurant that hid within the greenery of this fantastic garden and imagined the atmosphere would be ideal for a cool, Sunday brunch. In reality, it was everything we could have visually hoped for.
The exterior of the Jingu House matches that of the rest of the architecture that lines the Japanese Tea Garden with an open patio for outdoor seating. Although the weather was wonderful, we decided to venture inside and see if the interior matched. Upon entry, you are greeted with the aromas of flavored tea and the sound of tranquility. To my happiness, when the waitress took us upstairs to the indoor seating, the room was empty with windows along the walls and paintings in between. The dining area is small, yet if felt open. Perhaps the large windows?
I ordered one of the iced teas of the day which was an apricot, peach, oolong tea. Ahh, I am still lusting over the amazing flavor. The menu consisted of wraps, sandwiches, salads and my absolute favorite, bento boxes. I enjoyed the seaweed salad, brown rice and California roll that came in the compartments of my beef bento box. Jacqueline enjoyed a spicy, beef wrap – marinated, grilled beef wrapped in herbed flatbread, Asian vegetables, avocado, lettuce, tomato and tangy wasabi mayonnaise – with a side of house chips.
The Jingu House will be forever appealing to us because you can sit amongst the natural beauty of the garden and sip on tea that will keep you warm or cool, depending on the day.
Have you been to the Jingu House at the Japanese Tea Gardens yet?