The Boulder Dushanbe Teahouse is a hand-carved, hand-painted Persian-style teahouse beside Boulder Creek, given to Boulder by its sister city of Dushanbe, Tajikistan. It’s a restaurant and tea room where you can eat brunch, lunch or dinner, or linger over afternoon tea, under one of the most beautiful ceilings in America.

In 1987, on his first visit to Boulder, Dushanbe Mayor Maksud Ikramov announced that his city would give Boulder a traditional Tajik teahouse to honor the new sister-city relationship. From 1987 to 1990, more than 40 artisans in Tajikistan made its carved and painted ceiling, ornate tables and stools, carved columns and colorful ceramic panels. Everything was packed into about 200 crates and shipped to Boulder in 1990, where the crates sat in storage for nearly a decade while the city debated where and how to build it. The city chose a site on 13th Street beside Boulder Creek, since Tajik teahouses are traditionally built near water, and construction began in 1997. Tajik master craftsmen traveled to Boulder to help put it together, and the teahouse opened in 1998. Look up at the ceiling, then step outside to see the eight ceramic panels by artist Victor Zabolotnikov, with Tree of Life designs of grapes, pomegranates, butterflies and flowers.

Lenny and Sara Martinelli of Three Leaf Concepts have run the teahouse restaurant since 1998, with produce from their own Three Leaf Farm. Lunch is served Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., brunch on Saturday and Sunday from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., teatime every day from 3 to 5 p.m. and dinner every day from 5 to 9 p.m. The 90-minute Afternoon Tea, with fine teas, finger sandwiches, pastries and scones with jam and clotted cream, costs $29 per guest and needs a reservation at least 24 hours ahead. On select weekends there’s also a Dim Sum Teatime. Walk-ins are welcome for a single pot of tea at a table or the bar, and the teahouse sells its own tea blends, many created by Sara Martinelli.

Check private-event closures, Dim Sum Teatime dates, holiday teas and menus on the Boulder Dushanbe Teahouse website. The teahouse closes early for private events on Oct. 24 (1:30 p.m.), Nov. 7 and Dec. 5 (2:30 p.m.), with patio service offered when weather permits.