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Oriental tea lounge with charming decor, great atmosphere and a delicious range of teas and pastries.
www.orienthe-aix.com/
5 Rue Félibre Gaut, 13100 Aix-en-Provence
+33(0)4 42 59 20 77
Google map: bit.ly/Qf28iC
Portobello's Wall & Keogh lay dormant for 40 years. But it was tea that revived this former painting and decorating shop. Big glass jars full of pungent, organic loose leaf tea.
From the chilled out beats on the sound system to the interesting, eclectic furnishings, these days owner Oliver T. Cunningham likes to keep things cool and classy.
Tea is something of an art form at Wall & Keogh. They take their time over blends, the whole infusion process can last between three to 15 minutes - the perfect excuse to sit back and have a game of chess or just enjoy the background music, most probably mixed by owner Oliver himself. It's that kind of place.
A large pot of tea will set you back €4 and homemade cakes include rocky road, lemon slice, banana cake and brownies.
Should your tea break run into a lazy lunch, (it happens) there's sushi on standby to sate your appetite. And another thing, when the weather is fine, you can take your picnic out back and bask in the sun-dappled canal bank location.
www.wallandkeogh.com/
45 Richmond Street South, Portbello, Dublin 2
+353 (0)1 475 9052
Google map: bit.ly/MnyQtj
* Fiona is our Been there local for Dublin. You can follow her tips here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/travellers/FionaHilliard and read her profile here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/trails/been-there-locals.jsp. She also has her own blog: www.traveledits.com
Turkish people aren’t nearly so obsessed with Turkish coffee as the rest of the world, and drink far greater volumes of çay (black tea). But, what feels more exotic and unique to Turkey, are the fruity herbal teas such as elma çay (apple tea) and ada çay (sage tea). I want to especially recommend the perfectly and quaintly named kuşburnu (pronounced “kush-bur-noo”), a tea made from rose hips, which is at its best with a hefty sugar spooned in. It’s a delicately pink steaming syrup, and the tiny tulip-shaped tea glasses enhance its appeal. Sightseeing anywhere in Turkey can be exhausting, but there is always a local teashop where you can perch on a stool with a street view, play a game of backgammon, and get refreshed with a kuşburnu for less than a lira.
In every town, village and city
It's a shop minutes from Oxford Street selling rare and unusual teas and tea paraphernalia.
If you want to learn about tea, have a tea tasting session.
www.postcardteas.com/
9 Dering Street, London, W1S 1AG
+44(0)20 7629 3654
Google map: bit.ly/tJdKnp
The name Čajovna Ve Věži (the tearoom in the tower) gives you a fairly big clue as to what to expect. A tea room right at the top of the remarkable tower at the edge of Letna park. The whole way up, you will be wondering if you have come to the right place. Don’t worry, you have. Just keep going right to the top.
As well as a special location, Čajovna Ve Věži's boasts a lovely herbal smell throughout and a cosy ambience - decor includes mismatched chairs and tables, Persian rugs, a large Buddha and several small oriental wall hangings. Like a favourite teddy bear, everything looks a little tired but well loved.
The menu is only available in Czech, although as most teas have Japanese or Chinese names, this is not too tricky. Staff speak some English but a phrase book might be useful.
Čajovna Ve Věži offers over 80 teas (from 40 to 115 CZK) from India, China, Japan, Turkey, Nepal, Vietnam and Tibet, as well as some fruit teas and non-caffeinated teas. A small selection of soft drinks is also available, as well as wine.
Light snacks are also offered – nuts (from 30 CZK), sandwiches (35 CZK), corn on the cob (44 CZK) and sushi (85 CZK).
Slightly slow service is more than compensated for by the location, atmosphere, and the excellent teas.
www.dojo.cz/cajovna/rozvrh/index_eng.html
Na výšinách 1/Korunovační, Prague 7
+420 724 593 215
Nearest tram: Sparta (trams 1, 5, 8, 25 or 26).
Open 16:00 - 22:00 in winter and 17:00 - 23:00 in the summer.
Google map: bit.ly/vbodTC
* Helen is our Been there local for Prague. Her page is here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/articles/prague-local-helen-ford.jsp and she has her own blog here: czechingin.wordpress.com/
Don't let the fact that Dobrá Čajovna is located on tourist-heavy Wenceslas Square dissuade you. Credited with being the lynchpin of the 1990s revival of Czech tea houses, Dobrá Čajovna is a refreshing change from some of the other international or tourist-priced options in the area. Tucked away off Wenceslas Square, it is hidden from view in a little courtyard, the entrance to which is marked by a discreet sign. It is a quiet, still haven, not drowned out by the hustle and bustle of Prague’s main street.
The menu (available in English and Czech) is fantastically informative and includes over eighty loose-leaf teas. With a three or four line description of each tea, the menu reads more like a novel and includes “a good tea to drink whilst reminiscing” (The Calling for Nepal), tea that is “suitable for drinking when returning from a walk in the park at twilight”, (Silver Monkey’s Paw), and tea “for a quiet meeting with close friends” (Sencha Kyoto). Dobrá Čajovna also has a small food menu offering snacks such as nuts and Japanese rice crackers. Savoury dishes including couscous and hummus are also available. Soft drinks are offered and are, happily, limited to exotic sounding chilled fruit juices – no crowd-pleasing Coca-Cola!
Dobrá Čajovna has inside seating as well as an outside area with bamboo sun umbrellas, low tables and stools, and is non-smoking throughout. Excellent service - attentive and very well informed.
Dobrá Čajovna also has a shop selling leaf teas, teapots and cups.
www.tea.cz/cajovna/
Václavské Náměstí 14, 11100 Prague 1
Open Mon-Fri 10:00 to 21:30, Sat-Sun 14:00 to 21:30
Nearest metro: Mustek
Google map: bit.ly/uKditw
* Helen is our Been there local for Prague. Her page is here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/articles/prague-local-helen-ford.jsp and she has her own blog here: czechingin.wordpress.com/
They say drinking tea is a British obsession. Well, it certainly is an obsession of mine.
As autumn weather blows into the city, I can think of nothing better than taking shelter in a teashop and lovingly wrapping myhands around a good old mug of tea. And I’ve found a new tea-shop, and what a cracker it is too.
Eteaket is hidden just minutes from the busy Princes Street but provides a welcome relief from the chains that dominate the high street.
This ‘tea boutique’ is quirky and charming - and there’s not a teabag in sight. Hand-picked tea leaves and more types of tea than you could ever dream up – this quaint yet funky tea room also does a fine range in accompanying cakes.
The etiquette here is to sit back and enjoy your cuppa, so why not give a try. The earl grey comes highly recommended. As does the scone and jam now you come to mention it.
www.eteaket.co.uk/
41 Frederick St, Edinburgh EH2 1EP
+44(0)1312262982
Google map: bit.ly/mUQ6Ot
* Rachel is our Been there local for Edinburgh. You can view her profile here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/articles/edinburgh-local-rachel-brown.jsp and follow her tips here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/travellers/RachelBrown
Czech tea houses are a relatively recent development. Local legend claims that a good cuppa was unheard of in the Czech capital until 1848 when Russian anarchist Mikhail Bakunin requested tea in a Prague café and was met with blank faces.
Fast forward 150 years and the tea drinking, which took off at the end of the 19th century but subsided under the communist regime, has flourished once more. Prague boasts innumerate independent čajovny as well as one small tea chain, each with distinct character and appeal but all offering a wonderfully relaxed environment in which to while away a few hours.
Čajovny serve čaj in abundance – fresh loose teas from across the globe. Most offer extensive menus (around 60-80 tea varieties is a standard) and some offer hookah with flavored tobacco.
Čajovny are casual, hippified places, popular with Czech students, offering a relaxed, chilled-out vibe. A great antidote to an afternoon of sightseeing!
My favourites include:
Dobra Čajovny on Wenceslas Square – www.tea.cz/cajovna/
Nearest metro: Mustek or Muzeum
Tea in the Tower
www.dojo.cz/cajovna/rozvrh/index_eng.html
Na výšinách 1 / Korunovační Prague 7
Nearest Tram: Sparta (1,5,8, 25 or 26)
* Helen is our Been there local for Prague. Her page is here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/articles/prague-local-helen-ford.jsp and she has her own blog here: czechingin.wordpress.com/
Just walked hours from Le Louvre to the Arc of Triumph and looking for some respite far from the maddening crowd? Look no further. All you need is a love for Japan and its wondrous wagashi pastries. Toraya, a stone throw from Concorde square, is this very quiet and authentic Japanese salon de thé where you’ll be able to taste green tea-hot chocolate and restore your natural zen.
www.toraya-group.co.jp/paris/paris/index.html
10, Rue St-Florentin, 75001 Paris
+33 (0)1 42 60 13 00
Open from 10.30am to 7pm Monday-Saturday
Google map: bit.ly/njUFlR
Fabulously reassuring cafe with awesome cupcakes (great gifts) and home cooked food. Lovely tea too.
47 Eastborough, Scarborough
01723 354 939
Google map: tinyurl.com/38enqnv
A modern twist on a tea-house that is also a restaurant. So far I have had brunch, afternoon tea and dinner there! I love it because it's a relaxed environment with great food and you can people watch everyone going past on Whiteladies Road. The staff are very friendly and helpful when trying to choose a tea which is a bit overwhelming at first.
Papaji's House of Teas
109 Whiteladies Road
Clifton
BS8 2PB
opposite Clifton Down train station
www.papajis.co.uk
Returning to North Devon after three years, there was one thing on our holiday plans that we all agreed on unanimously: cream tea at Tordown Farm.
Sheila and her granddaughter welcomed us into the farmhouse, where little has changed for the last century, and proceeded to bring mountains of freshly baked fluffy warm scones, clotted cream and jam. This was followed shortly by home made cakes and pots of tea and coffee, till the table was groaning with all manner of home baked loveliness.
Take the country walk round the beautiful farmland and local countryside if you feel you need to justify the calories or want to tire the kids out, but being northerners we are well versed in the merits of comfort food.
For all you world weary city dwellers, be warned, Tordown Farm will fuel the desire to opt out and live that idyllic simple life we all wish for.
Off the A361, near Swimbridge, North Devon. Follow the brown tea cup signs.
www.cvcaravans.co.uk/tordownfarmhome.htm
Tel: 01271 830265
For the decor and the weight of history!
The cafe is located in the museum's original refreshment rooms, the Morris, Gamble and Poynter Rooms. They are high ceilinged, with the original tile decorations depicting such themes as the Seasons and the months of the year.
We sat close to a large black range which I wanted to imagine lit, serving tea to ladies in long skirts and gents in top hats. The tea which was served from china tea pots was made with real tea leaves in large bags. There were large, adequate scones, lucious clotted cream and lovely jam - all in proper china dishes. We also had decent Victoria Sponge and fruit cake.
Tea, scones, cream and jam for about £6
V&A South Kensington
Cromwell Road
London SW7 2RL
Tel. +44 (0)20 7942 2000
www.vam.ac.uk
Nearest tube station: South Kensington - follow signs
My boyfriend had been promising to take me for ages and we were married by the time I eventually got to experience this wonderful tea room in a beautiful spot on Dartmoor. It was worth the wait. The scones are delicious: homemade to a secret recipe and served with a mountain of clotted cream. But the setting is what really sets this apart. An ideal point to start or finish a walk along the Dart and in the grounds there is an intriguing rescue centre for (mostly) wildfowl. Not just a great cream tea, but a great day out too.
www.badgersholtdartmoor.co.uk/
01364 631213
Dartmouth is full of tea shops selling lovely cream teas - my husband and I sampled a fair few during our recent holiday there. However, when it came to taking home this unique taste of Devon, only one company was able to provide this option. The Good Intent (part of The Dartmouth Ice Cream Company) offers the opportunity to purchase A Cream Tea in a Bag. We purchased some as gifts for family and also an extra one for ourselves. So at the end of our holiday, after a long car journey, and when relaxing Dartmouth seemed a long time ago, we reached for our fresh scones, smothered them with luscious clotted cream and then with very fruity (and pleasingly not-too-sweet) raspberry jam and savoured that last taste of Devon. Our families also appreciated these novel gifts as a 'sensory snapshot' from our holiday - better than a Dartmouth tea-towel! And as a bonus tip, if your clotted cream is just too thick to spread onto your scone, give it a quick stir and it becomes less clotted and more creamy!
The Good Intent
30 Lower Street
Dartmouth
Devon
TQ6 9AN
Tel: 01803 832157
I stopped in Stockbridge for a walk over the picturesque water meadows in the heart of the Hampshire countryside and came across a most quintessentially English scene. After following the stream towards the centre of the village I reached a terrace perched on the riverbank nestled amongst the water lilies.
The friendly staff served me a pot of fine tea and a plate of delicious scones oozing with homemade jam and cream. Before I left I fed the crumbs to some passing ducks- feeling I should share such an experience with at least something…
High Sreet, Stockbridge, Hampshire, SO20 6HF
01264 810754
Tea rooms with extensive range of unusual teas served by the pot.
Just off George Street in the centre of the New Town. Eteaket also does free tea-tastings on Wednesday mornings. A great place for proper afternoon tea, as well as light lunches.
41 Frederick Street, New Town
www.eteaket.co.uk
A great place to stop for tea and excellent scones.
Slightly out of the city centre, but worth the stroll across the Meadows or a bus ride to the well-heeled suburb Of Morningside. There are plenty of independent shops along Morningside Road for a pleasant browse.
370 Morningside Road, Edinburgh EH10
www.loopylornas.com
The best cream teas we've ever had - huge scones, sometimes still warm from the oven, with hefty dollops of local damson jam and cream on the side. Yum Yum. (They also do a good lunch).
Yew Tree Farm is a working farm, built in 1693 and was once owned by Beatrix Potter. Beatrix herself started the Tea Rooms and it's still got her original furniture. There's a fireplace for when it's cold, and also outside seating for when the weather allows. The house was used in the film 'Miss Potter'.
They do B&B too, and sell their home reared beef and lamb. When we were there - on an Open Day, when we were allowed to look around the fabulous bedrooms with their wonky floors, oak four posters and panelled walls, they had a pig race too - great fun!
Set in a stunning location 2 miles outside Coniston on the A593, but there is no car park (except for disability vehicals) so it's best to walk there and build up an appetite! There is a small, NT paying car park 100 metres away, which often gets full.
www.yewtree-farm.com Tel: 01539 441433
An independent tearoom in the West End of Glasgow, the best spot I know to chill on a busy day or warm up on a cold one. Shisha pipes on the terrace, books and games inside, 80 types of tea, good vegetarian grub and sinful cakes by request.
42 Otago Lane, Glasgow G12 8PB, (0141) 357 4524
tchaiovna.com/who.php
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