Cha An
230 E 9th St
New York, NY 10079 (Map)
212-228-8030
Price: $$$
Cuisine: Japanese (Tea, Snacks, and Dessert)
This little tea house in the East Village really is like a bit of Japan stuck in New York. Which, considering how cosmopolitan New York pretends to be, shouldn’t be so rare, but in fact is. The menu here has very little range: a few savory snacks, a small selection of desserts, and a very large selection of teas from both Japan and elsewhere. The savory snacks are a mixed bag, but the more Western style desserts are very good, and the teas worth the rather steep pricetag (they do at least provide refills of hot water). Ravenous Rob’s picks here: the chocolate souflee with a somewhat tart raspberry sauce, and the Uji sencha.