Another venerable Oakland restaurant has closed for good. The Spice Island Tea House’s last day on Atwood Street was Sept. 30.
The restaurant opened in 1995, serving Thai, Burmese, Indonesian, Malaysian and Singaporean cuisines.
A message on its Facebook page on Sept. 27, said: “On a more bittersweet note, we will be ending our 28-year run as Spice Island Tea House this week. … We are grateful to have had the pleasure of serving you throughout the years. When we first opened in 1995, never in our wildest dreams did we think we would go on this long. Admittedly, the last few years have been the hardest we’ve ever faced. And thanks to you, our customers, for the enduring support that have kept us going for as long as we have. But now is the time to ride this ship into the sunset.”
The message went on to say they are “exploring the possibility of other culinary endeavors through a series of pop-ups and events.” Another Facebook post this week said “Our family is from Burma (now Myanmar), so we wanted our first pop-up to celebrate the foods we grew up with. Many years ago, our grandfather ran a night market noodle stand in Rangoon, so it is only apropos that we focus on the diverse noodle dishes of Burma. Dates and menu will be posted in the coming days. We hope you can join us!”
Co-owner Ron Lee, who opened the business with brother Alex, told the Post-Gazette that he he decided to close the restaurant due to a combination of reasons that include burnout from the physical demands of restaurant work, staffing shortages, changing dining habits in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, fluctuating prices on ingredients and a general desire to do something different.
Spice Island Tea House joins other iconic Oakland restaurants that have close in the past few years, including Fuel and Fuddle, which closed in May after 27 years on Oakland Avenue; the Original Hot Dog Shoppe at Forbes and Bouquet Street, which closed in 2020 after 60 years; and the original Atwood Street location of Mad Mex, which opened in 1993 and closed in February of this year.
— Susan Jones
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