A great restaurant has the ability to transport you to another culture. An authentic experience transforms a meal into a journey to another country. Roji Tea Lounge on East Washington Street provides everything you need to be taken away to a country steeped in tradition.

On the outside, a large window with a soft gray banner lets you know you’re at Roji. The lounge is housed on the first floor of a brick building. It’s easy to pass this place on the street because it looks like every other building downtown. But once you’ve entered, it’s easy to see the appeal.

The interior is cozy and inviting, with a handful of tables, chairs and couches covered with sheets. Artwork hangs on the exposed brick walls, while a calming playlist sets the mood in the background. There’s very little lighting, with a few candles placed sporadically around the dining room. It’s a welcomed change to have natural light fill a space in a restaurant.

A more traditional Japanese lounge feel is around the corner from the front dining area. Pillows and low tables fill this space, with the continuing brick wall creating a great modern feel. Shoes aren’t allowed in this part of the lounge.

Roji, a tea house, offers an enormous selection of fresh, loose leaf teas. There is something for everyone, whether that’s a black tea, bubble tea or a green tea. They also offer a great selection of snacks and food to go along with your selection.

A fermented tea, called pu-erh, was my first taste of what Roji had to offer. I was told it had a strong, pungent taste that many people can’t handle. But it was relatively mild and tasted like a simple black tea. It was earthy and paired well with the food I ordered. There was also a lot of tea — every order was served in a large pot of 16 ounces. The price reflected that, with some teas costing upwards of 8 dollars.

Another tea I ordered was a black milk tea, which falls under the bubble tea category. That tea was sweeter and thicker than the first. Tapioca balls make up the bubbles in the tea and give it great texture and depth. It’s a good alternative to a simple loose leaf tea.

The snacks were also a strong point at Roji. Ramen with tofu was a great lunchtime accompaniment to the tea. The broth was rich and had a meaty note to it. Steaming ramen noodles were served next to tofu and bok choy. The dish was filling and tasty and hit the spot on a chilly day.

Another noodle dish on the menu was noodles with a peanut sauce. The noodles were served with fresh raw veggies, cilantro and peanut sauce poured right on top. This was my favorite dish because the noodles had an interesting, almost gelatinous, texture that absorbed a lot of the sauce, which was fantastic. It was also very filling and substantial.

Traditional snacks like mochi balls, adzuki bean jelly and onigiri (rice balls) fell a little short of the mark, though. Mochi is made from sticky short grain rice, and adzuki beans are small reddish beans with an outer shell. The mochi balls and the bean jelly were a little bit of an afterthought and didn’t taste as fresh as they could have. The rice balls were also the same way, tasting a bit bland with a hard texture. I was hoping for more of a statement from these two dishes. The final item I ordered was a simple pumpkin pie, which, although unusual for a teahouse, was a tasty and sweet end to a great dining experience.

Roji offers an escape from everyday life. It’s a space to just relax and unwind, to read a good book or to hang out with friends. The food is delicious and filling, and the tea selection will certainly make you come back to try them all. In a city that’s cold and snowy, it’s nice to find a place that’s always warm.

Published on November 3, 2014 at 12:27 am

Contact Rohan: rythakor@syr.edu