I would have given 4-stars to this unusual, off-the-beaten-track tea house but I was dismayed to discover that they post seemingly randomly placed small card-signs in the back room informing customers that they must spend $5 every two hours. (A cup of tea is $5).
The place was far from crowded the time I went. I don't recall any other business of this genre having such a draconian requirement. To avoid possible embarrassment, just be sure to remember to check your watch.
At any rate, the decor, furniture, lighting, doors, windows, etc.--as other reviews indicate--bring you back into the era of pre-World War II Seattle. The walls are lined with vintage black-and-white photographs of the China- and Japan-towns of Seattle's yesteryears. Not the Shanghai Bund, but fascinating just the same.
All in all, the building and its main-floor interior have been respectfully and lovingly preserved and/or restored. Dark inside--whatever the weather outside may be--, Panama Tea House is certainly a cozy place to hunker down in, away from the tumult of the International District just one-and-a-half blocks down below.
The clients in the back room--outfitted with a long table used for informal conferences--tend to be pretty loud, projecting their voices as if addressing a roomful of listeners, which doesn't include me or the person I am talking to me, who would prefer private conversations.
The teas, with imaginative appellations, are fine but nothing to actually rave about. They also are rather cumbersome to take back to one's table (no platter, no lids--just coasters).
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