Dado was started by Namwon and Jennie in 2001. Our first store opened on October 20, 2002 at 955 Massachusetts Avenue in Cambridge. In November 2004, we opened our second store at 50 Church Street in Harvard Square.
In February 2021, during the Covid pandemic, we have made the difficult decision to close our 50 Church Street location.
As the name implies our initial inception was focused on tea. However over the years, Dado has grown to encompass much more than tea. One thing that has not changed is our desire to create a space for people to gather and to enjoy each other’s company, whether it is over a cup of tea, coffee, or a meal.
We invite you to come alone or with a companion to ponder, write, and engage in meaningful discourse.
Dado means the way of tea or tea ceremony. This is a literal translation of the Chinese characters 茶道. Dado is the Korean pronunciation of these two Chinese characters. In Chinese it is pronounced as chādào and chado in Japanese.
Dado’s foremost business philosophy is to improve the quality of life of others. We seek to offer high quality organic foods and beverages that will contribute to the well-being and overall health of our customers and staff members.
In all aspects of our business practices, we seek to be mindful of our actions/nonactions and its effect on the environment and the lives of others.
We strongly encourage customers to bring in their own travel mug to which there is a 10¢ discount. We welcome you to bring in your own to go containers.
We recycle, try our best to minimize waste, and seek to compost whenever possible.