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TimeOut Magazine
The 8 best places to drink tea in Chicago

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Enjoy an upscale afternoon tea service at Russian Tea Time, a Loop institution that’s been brewing pots for more than 25 years. Each tea service includes a pot of fine loose-leaf black, green or herbal tea and plenty of sweet and savory snacks (mini toasts, sandwiches and pastries) that make you feel like royalty. ...

Insider
A Russian restaurant in Chicago founded by...

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Russian Tea Time was founded in Chicago in 1993 by Klara Muchnik, who was born in Ukraine. Her son, Vadim Muchnik, remains a minority stakeholder in the business, which was sold in 2018, according to the Chicago TribuneTea Time is one of many nominally Russian establishments owned by people...

Eater Chicago 
Chicago’s Ukranian-Founded Restaurant...

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As Russia’s war in Ukraine stretches into its third week with a devastating escalation on the ground, a troubling trend of public ire and backlash against Russian restaurants in the U.S. has reached Chicago. Russian Tea Time, the 29-year-old Eastern European landmark in the Loop, ...

Eater Chicago 

Downtown Chicago Icon 

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One of Downtown Chicago’s top food and drink attractions will close for much of the summer and fall to implement cosmetic changes. Russian Tea Time, the popular 25-year-old white-tablecloth spot at 77 E. Adams Street in the Loop for afternoon tea, sweet and savory Eastern European foods...

Chicago Tribune 

Vegetarian Surprises

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The menu offers a surprising assortment of vegetarian — even vegan — options with delicately spiced and cooked vegetables creating colorful sides and entrees. Dishes originated in different countries with different flavors that once comprised the former Soviet Union. 

Chicago SunTimes
Some Chicago-area Russian-influenced...

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The restaurant has placed a “We stand with Ukraine” sign in its window, and servers wear heart-shaped pins in blue and yellow, the colors of the Ukrainian flag, to show solidarity with the country. It also has posted a letter on its website and social media accounts, saying, in part: “We are heartbroken by the recent news; ...

Chicago Tribune
Going strong after 27 years

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The iconic downtown restaurant Russian Tea Time is facing backlash from callers and social media reviewers mistakenly linking the venue’s name to Moscow’s brutal war against Ukraine, as anti-Russian sentiment rises across the globe. Yet the Chicago restaurant’s owners say the fallout has been...

WGN9 Chicago 

Going strong after 27 years

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Looking for an experience that reinterprets the tea-drinking experience from generations of the past? Learn the traditional way of serving tea while experiencing the nostalgic cuisine of the former Soviet Union. Russian Tea Time has that one of a kind experience and has been a Chicago institution...

The New York Times 

36 Hours in Chicago

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Russian Tea Time is the kind of classic, white-tablecloth restaurant that helps old cities age gracefully. The tea service includes over 30 teas and a spread of sweets and savories such as Pozharski croquettes and rugelach, while the vodka flight...

Russian Tea Time Videos