Julian Tea & Cottage Arts

I very much enjoyed my visit to Julian Tea & Cottage Arts. This quaint little shop added a nice touch to my visit to Julian. My fiancé and I are both tea lovers, so stopping here was a no-​brainer or us! The staff here is very friendly and contributed to a delightful experience for us. We tried several teas, which we were very satisfied with. We also enjoyed the accoutrements provided. They have a very wide variety of teas, which they also sell in their gift shop. Sadly, we did not try any of their finger sandwiches because we found them to be a little pricey, so I can’t comment on that.

Found this adorable tea shop while visiting Julian. Soooo cute with everything you need for tea!

The shop is very quaint and fun to browse through. That’s all I can say for the tea cottage!
The tea service was less than mediocre. I have been to a myriad of tea rooms around the world, including several in San Diego and LA, and this is by far one of the least impressive tea room I’ve patronized. The servers were engaging and quite lovely and the tea selection was fairly good. However, the food lacked any district flavor and was unimpressive. In addition, the bread on a few of the sandwiches was dry almost to the point of being stale.
The incident that bothered this reviewer the most was the fact that I was actually there to write a review on the tea room for my food blog, so I attempted to engage the owner in conversation when she stopped by our table. To my shock, she completely ignored my greeting and as I tried to engage her in conversation, she turned her back on me mid-​sentence and proceeded to talk to my friends at the table. Not sure if this had any bearing on her behavior, but I happened to be the only Asian at the table. My friends were totally mortified.
Not writing a review nor ever returning to the Julian Tea Cottage.

Old world, small town charm all wrapped up in a cozy little cottage in touristy Julian; I love tea services, so I was really excited to put on a smart dress and head out with the ladies for a luncheon here at Julian Tea. We had reservations for the 11 AM service, but as the previous parties hadn’t yet cleared the small dining area (seats about 15 maximum), we wandered the rest of the cottage to look at the merchandise. It’s a very cute set-​up: a tea room with dozens of teas and English specialty products (think scone mix, small candies, jars of jam and chutney, etc.), fine china and tea accessories, baking books and utensils, and a small display of hats, scarves, parasols, and gloves. It’s a lovely assortment that I enjoyed looking through and we definitely made several purchases afterward.
We were seated a little after 11 once the crowd had dispersed. The dining room is bright and pretty, and the décor is quaint and homey; the only issue is it felt a little too much like eating at someone’s house. The service felt like something you might get at grandma’s; it’s familiar and just slightly overbearing. I ordered the afternoon tea; my friends got the Laura Bell (with soup) and the Lucy Bell (with salad).
My first problem appeared floating in my tea; a little ant that had to be disposed of. Once I tried the first tea, I was quite happy with the selection (pomegranate vanilla). The finger sandwiches arrived; they were dainty, ladylike, and slightly bland. I enjoyed the cheesy crostini, but the other savory options needed a good dash of the old S&P which were sadly missing from all of the tables. Problem number two: the flies; our windows were closed, but the flies trapped inside were very much alive and unhappy with being stuck with us for a good hour. They remained above our heads and around our food the entire time. The small cobweb hanging from the corner of the window didn’t escape my attention either. But I was here for tea! TEA.
Next came the scone; freshly-​baked, hot from the oven; this plate was served with lemon curd, raspberry jam, and whipped cream. Very good scone, very good jam, very good whipped cream (sorry, not a fan of citrus in desserts). Very small portions of everything; from the description of the afternoon tea, one would think they were going to receive a good amount of food, but the sizing was just a little too petite for my liking. We tried the Buckingham Palace tea next, which was just a nice black tea that paired well with cream (and scones!). The house dessert was a bread pudding that I couldn’t quite figure out; needless to say, the flavor wasn’t captivating and I didn’t finish. By this point I had grown so hot from the lack of AC on a warm day that I couldn’t even try to have more tea, despite really wanting to try the oolong selection. Alas.
Probably should have skipped the sandwiches and just gone for a cream tea; that would be my recommendation for a visit here if you’re in the area. My dining companions agreed that the food lacked seasoning, which I didn’t have the heart to say to the pleasant lady at the checkout who told us she was the chef. I’m sorry, love. Personally, I was ecstatic that I didn’t receive my friends’ plates because of the overwhelming amount of rosemary on them; I hate rosemary, and seeing those sprigs sticking out of the sandwich and soup made me cringe. I noted that they were also in the fruit bowls at other tables, which is just too overwhelming for my palate.
On a positive note, the few shortcomings are quick fixes that, if ironed out, could really make the place absolutely charming. I would absolutely get another scone if you would only give me extra jam and whipped cream (be still, my groaning stomach!).

I completely agree with the other 2 & 3 star reviews. This is a super awesome and cute *tea shop*. They happen to serve food, but it’s not that great. Tiny portions. Mediocre food. Nice ladies. But serving good food is not what this shop does.
I’m really sad to say this, especially because the ladies seem so nice and the place is cute.
I am gluten-​free, and I’d read they can accommodate GF if they know ahead of time. So I called a couple days in advance, made a reservation, and when I showed up it seemed they were caught off guard that I was there. They literally had to run/​walk into town to go buy GF bread, while I sat there waiting, drinking (very delicious) tea. Obviously it took forever to get food (because of the errand they had to run). And the food was tiny and just not all that good.
I walked away hungry, and very let down.
If you are hungry, and if you want good food, go to one of the pizza joints just outside of town. If you’re wanting some nice tea, and a bite of so-​so food, then this is your place.
P. S. Parking is a pain. You really need a reservation to eat here (since they only have 4 tables, and only serve at certain times), but plan to arrive early so you can find somewhere on some street somewhat nearby… and plan to walk.

My review is strictly for the gift shop. The shop is adorable, you notice that as soon as you walk in. Over to the left is the small tea room, which was hosting what appeared to be a private party that afternoon. There is so much to look at here, tea cups, both modern and Victorian styles, tea pots, tea cozies, a variety of teas, cute little gift books, (surprise) mostly related to tea.
This place is very novel, not everyone’s cup of tea (see what I did there), but it’s right up my alley. If I had my way, I would decorate my whole place with tea cups. Love this shop!

We love coming here! The staff are so wonderful and caring! The food is great! The menu is always changing.

While I love visiting here, it gets a mixed review from me: as a shop it gets four stars; as a restaurant/​café gets two stars.
The old-​fashioned and quaint tea shoppe part of the establishment is one of the best I have seen — I have been to many! It’s selection of teas, cups, teapots, kitchen knick-​knacks, linens, books, etc is superb (though a little pricey at times). Be sure to visit upstairs to see many little rooms packed with fun stuff. I really like the little cat-​lovers section. A nice little selection of British specialties as well (teas, HP Sauce, biscuits, etc).
This is an old house so things are cramped and it is hard to get around. Items are packed in every nook and cranny — do NOT bring little kids in here or you’ll likely be buying some broken dishes.
BUT, the part of the business that sells you tea, crumpets, sandwiches, and such was disappointing. I’ve eaten here a couple times and the food is mediocre and average at a high price. The homemade scones were nice, but nothing spectacular. The space to eat is VERY small and cramped. You feel like you are in the middle of every other table’s discussions. The place is very cold in the Fall and Winter (the space heater just doesn’t cut it) and there is no air-​conditioning in the summer.
Go there to shop and buy tea, not there to drink it or eat.

Very accommodating staff and a pleasant atmosphere. I am not a tea house type but it was fun and the food and tea were fine. Recommended and a nice break from the Julian crowd and bustle. One block from the main road and we found parking right in front even on a Sunday. They have many rooms of cute tea and English tea related jams cookies and lots of Roibos teas. At least 20!

As another reviewer said, I feel really horrible for giving such a low review, but I’m here to give my honest opinion.
I was excited to stop by this tea house with my parents during our day trip to Julian. My dad ordered the Laura Bell ($ 19.95), which came with 5 finger sandwiches, cup of soup, dessert, and tea, while my mom and I shared the Cottage Classic ($ 24.95) which came with a cup of pumpkin soup, 5 finger sandwiches, a scone with three toppings, dessert and tea.
Okay so… you can choose one scenario for me to be satisfied: tiny portions + amazing food OR big portions + average food. This is the bare minimum for me to be satisfied. Unfortunately, I encountered tiny portions and very mediocre food. The finger sandwiches (what is this. a sandwich for ANTS? zoolander reference anyone?) were really, really tiny. And the best of the assortment (the chicken curry croissant) was still just okay at best. Their pumpkin soup was not to my (or my parent’s) liking, as it was sprinkled with generous amounts of nutmeg, resulting in a rather odd flavor profile. Dessert was also rather unmemorable.
I hate to give such a poor review, as this place had a lot of charm and really friendly service. However, I basically left $ 50 poorer, still hungry, and unimpressed. I understand that you do not go to tea houses to eat till you’re full, but I’ve visited other places that still give you your money’s worth at least! The one saving grace was their decent tea assortment with bottomless refills (swear I drank like 10 cups to tea to try and get my money’s worth).

I love visiting here. It is located a short distance away from main street. I feel like I discovered a secret Julian find. I go to the tea leaf room where most tea packages are under $ 10. The variety includes rooibos, strawberry, cherry, apricot, and other essence of fruits, mints, chamomile, and so much more. The tea I chose can be served cold or hot, so it’s perfect for San Diego weather. I also picked up one of several flavors of habanero jelly to take back to someone. And he loved it! The cottage is a bit small, but it is a cottage. If you go upstairs it gets even smaller. If you have big bags, watch those corners. There are a lot of breakable tea sets.

Looking for some tea? This place has almost every imaginable tea you can think of! We really enjoyed the pumpkin spice and the apple chai. There are also tons of teapots, cups, mugs, books, aprons… Pretty much anything related to tea is sold here. We loved sitting by the window and having a quiet pot of tea while watching the locals and wildlife go by outside.

Such a beautiful and quaint tearoom and shop. It’s in one of the many historic converted houses in Julian, and these ladies are not simply sweet as a Julian pie, but so knowledgable. I always look forward to proper tea with friends & family, but there are SO many charming items for sale. Just love this place; every time I come up from SD, there’re more local items to be found. Love, love, love

Nice little tea house to visit with A LOT of tea merchandise! The manager and staff were very friendly and the food was delightful. Would love to see them expand to the outside and serve tea on their spacious landscape.

Julian Tea & Cottage Arts:
SD: Julian, California
2:30pm Sunday 27^th January 2013
Five Stars
Only an hour drive from San Diego proper, Julian is an amazing place to visit. Usually, I feel that there is nothing to do in Julian besides eating apple pie. Today, we had Afternoon Tea. We started with a pot of Harney Sencha Green Tea. It was nicely vegetal (unlike the earthy dirt that most places served). It was brew perfectly. We then enjoyed Tea for Two ($ 30): Egg Salad on a Croissant for the Vegetarian and Chicken Curry on a Croissant for me; Cucumber Herb Butter on Multi-​Grain; Goat Cheese and Olive Spread on a Baguette; Creamy deliciousness on a Cinnamon type bread. We then enjoyed a second pot of tea: Harney’s Paris Black with a little milk. We enjoyed this tea best, it had notes of Vanilla, Caramel, and Bergamot. We ate a scone with Lemon Curd, Seedless Raspberry Jam, and Freshly Whipped Cream. We finished with almond shortbread cookie/​biscuit. We then had pot of the Dessert Tea. Too Much Liquid Goodness! Our waitress was pleasant and informative about Julian + she brewed delicious tea. If you have not had afternoon tea, this is great place to start (not snobbish at all).
Etiquette Tips:
Pour the Tea First and then add your Milk/​Sugar/​Lemon. (never mix milk and lemon)
Spoon folds the tea mixture Back and Forth from 12 o’clock to 6 o’clock
Remove Spoon after mixing and place on the back side of the saucer
Eat your scone with your hands by breaking it into pieces rather than using a knife and fork.