• 2026-06-11
• review
• restaurants
• bakeries
• berkeley
• san pablo ave
• teahouse
• afternoon tea
• tanzie's cafe
• nudi blue
• high tea
• finger sandwiches
• croissants
• restaurants
• bakeries
• Nudi Blue
• 11 June 2026

The 411 on Nudi Blue #

Street Address: 2049 San Pablo
Region: Berkeley, CA
Website: https://www.nudiblue.com/

The Vibe: Nudi Blue is a new teahouse from the chef/owners of Tanzie’s Café, a trendy Thai fusion brunch spot that I have not managed to visit yet. Opening a teahouse second is an intriguing choice, though it does incorporate Thai influences into the menu and tea selections.

The interior space is awash in blue tones, with the kitchen taking up a good half of the dining room. There is additional seating in an inviting, sun-filled nook and on their lovely patio.

Currently, afternoon tea is the primary offering at Nudi Blue, for a relatively low price of $65 per person. It includes a sweet course, a salad palate cleanser, a savory course, and two tea selections.

You can purchase their impressive selection of teas and pastries à la carte, too. I’m not sure if the dining room is open to enjoy them there, but I’m sure you’ll be tempted to take one home anyhow.

You may find something available à la carte that is not on the afternoon tea menu, like the rose twist pictured above. But most of the offerings are larger sized portions of the pastries and sandwiches served during the tea. There are also crispy crepes, which I did not have the chance to see or try.

The restaurant only had a few tables taken on a Friday afternoon, likely because they’ve only been open a few months and word is slowly spreading. Regardless, reservations are highly recommended. Their last seating is currently at 4:30pm.

Reportedly, Nudi Blue’s owners are planning to add a seafood bar for evening service in the future. That sounds like an odd choice to go with a teahouse, but hey, inventiveness gets bonus points from me! And I’ve no doubt that the very friendly staff can pull off both presentations.

My Take on Nudi Blue #

The Food: The first course was a delightful selection of five pastries.

The majority were croissant dough-based, but in different shapes and portion sizes. The guava croissant burst with tropical flavor, and its laminated layers had a good bounce. Pink guava cream decorated the top and filled the pastry.

I quite liked the Earl Grey NY Roll, which was a slice of croissant topped with earl grey cream.

I do wish the candied tea leaves had a stronger flavor, but they looked lovely.

My favorite item was the half-moon croissant.

The whipped dill cream cheese held its piped shape well. Artful bits of onion flakes and caviar were sprinkled and dolloped on top. That lovely cucumber ribbon and the dill fronds added nice flavor to each bite. I love all those flavors together, but I should note that I may also have loved the half-moon most because it was the most sizable item.

Both of the tartlets—pear and apple with lychee cream and a seasonal combination of citruses—were quite enjoyable, though messy to eat in a couple bites.

The pear and apple slices had a wonderful texture, and they combined flavors with the lychee cream far better than I would have thought. Smart pairing! The citrus option was as bright as it looked and brought a smile to my face.

After I ate all my crumbs, I was happy to have a small, palate-cleansing salad served next.

The vinaigrette was light and satisfying, and the simple mixed greens were boosted by thin shavings of strawberry, rhubarb, and leek.

And then it was time for the savory course, served on a fun glass case containing an artificial terrarium that evoked a creekside walk. Note: all that glass doesn’t photograph well, so do know it was cuter than it looks!

I was less enchanted with this course overall. Honestly, I think that’s mostly because the milk bread used for the two sandwiches tasted stale and dry. The bread was toasted for the vibrantly arrayed smoked duck breast and blueberry sandwich, so that dryness was likely intentional.

But as the duck itself was also on the dry side, it didn’t work for me. Also, I’m not a fan of blueberry and that is completely not Nudi Blue’s fault. I wanted to try that sandwich regardless, because it looked so inventive. Blueberry lovers, I think, would be pleased with it.

The cucumber sandwich included herbal cream cheese, a cucumber gelée, and a rauram leaf on top. Its milk bread was untoasted but still tasted dry and stale to me. It was also bigger than it needed to be? That’s odd to say for a tea sandwich, I know. Following my dining companion’s example, I found it more approachable to eat one layer at a time. It felt like too much cream cheese when taking a full bite. I couldn’t help but compare it with the half-moon croissant from the first course, and it didn’t wow like that one did.

The ham and quinta cheese bite, served on puff pastry, was a pleasant option.

It went down fast, and I especially enjoyed the pomegranate seeds that added a burst of acidity to contrast with the richness of ham and cheese.

Much like the tartlets, I enjoyed both scones.

The orange and jelly-topped scone had bold flavors but did not linger in my memory like the wagyu scone did. The latter wasn’t visually pleasing with just a slice of quinta cheese melted on top. And I was surprised by how few bits of ground wagyu were in the dough. But the richness of that scone was incredible! The texture was perfect, and I could taste the butter in the dough. I wonder if wagyu fat was also incorporated into it to make it taste that good. I would have easily eaten another, with or without the provided butter and honey.

The Drinks: Of course, tea is an especially important part of an afternoon tea! Before the first course, we were given a tray of teas to sniff and decide on for our sweet and savory courses. Many of them are varieties of Thai tea leaves, which were new to me, though some English standards are also offered. I picked the yellow tea for Round 1, and my friend picked the five color tea. Being able to smell them first was helpful.

Do note that some of the teas on offer are considered premium teas and cost a few dollars more, if you prefer them. As neither my friend nor I are tea connoisseurs, we did not opt for those and were satisfied with what we chose.

For fun, Nudi Blue used two different types of tea pots to steep and serve our teas. I got soclose to choosing the lychee tea for Round 2, which had a wonderful smell, but my stalwart friend, Earl Grey, won me over—I’m a sucker for bergamot.

The tea was good, but the different pots used for Round 2 were more complicated to use than we thought they would be. You spin the top and the liquid releases down when you’re ready for tea. But both of us found it hard to keep the lid on after spinning! The more standard, yet still beautiful, looseleaf pots for Round 1 were more on our skill level.

So did I enjoy the afternoon tea? Yes! The savory course has room for improvement, but the sweet course was pretty darn delicious the whole way through.

Would I Go Back? If I wanted a leisurely afternoon chat with a friend, sure! That’s the biggest draw of afternoon teas for me. And I do love it when fusion elements are added to or take over for the English tea standards—yes, I’d take that cheesy wagyu scone over a simple one with jam any day.

But I would want to wait until the menu changes fully before a return trip, as I’m not sure I loved enough of the items that I’d want to return for them specifically. Though the tartlets, that wagyu scone, and the half-moon croissant with sturgeon roe may bring me back for an à la carte purchase…

Reviewed 22 May 2026.