Tumble & Tea: the happy medium?

Tumble & Tea on Telegraph in N. Oakland is a great little cafe. The food and drinks are excellent. In fact, I was so obsessed with the apple and brie panini one Saturday afternoon that I went without my baby just so I could have one. It’s that good.

A few points worth mentioning:

• Holden loves the train table, the play kitchen, and the climbing structure (he invariably climbs up and down without sliding down the slide).
• The price is right. Pay $6 for one kid, $2 for siblings, and adults are free. It’s a good place for me to drag the grandparents or even my local kid-less friends because they don’t need to pay extra for themselves. I can’t see going every day or dropping a bunch of money on a pass, but it’s a really good weekly staple especially to get us through the rainy months.
• Did I mention the panini? Umm, yeah…
• The size is great. It’s just large enough that if your baby needs intense supervision, you may be anti-social, but generally speaking, you can easily check in on your friends and kids and still finish your beverage.
• There are regularly-scheduled multi-cultural activities and other events (yoga, massages, support groups) to keep the focus on moms and caregivers (a big Rookie Moms plus!).

Watch out for the big door opening onto Telegraph Ave, the kids are mostly cordoned off behind a black mesh fence, but you’re expected to be the barrier to traffic and strangers… remember, this paradise still isn’t day care.

Bottom line: A great weekly activity as long as I can find the $$ and the excuse (friends to meet or an errand in Rockridge)