Julian Tea & Cottage Arts

We had wanted to visit this place for a long time. We were especially interested in trying the tea, since this place specializes in it. I was pleasantly surprised that it’s a very large space where you can buy everything starting with tea. There are so many kinds of tea — different, diverse, for every taste. There is also a big selection of beautiful tea ware: cups, teapots, and various accessories. You can also find home and kitchen accessories. The service was very pleasant. The tea was delicious. The scones were tasty and fresh. A cozy place to enjoy tea. I am very satisfied and highly recommend everyone to visit this wonderful place🩷

A fantastic and cozy experience. I took my 5 yo neice to celebrate her birthday. Since it's right after St. Patrick's day, we did the St. Paddy's tea service. Everything was delicious. The tea selection was great. But above all, the servers and staff were fantastic. My baby girl came in her princess attire, and our server called her "princess" the whole time. 🥰 Highly recommended experience. Will be doing it again. Only thing to be aware of: there is no dedicated parking. So if it's a busy day in Julian, plan to spend some time finding a spot. Totally worth it!

The most fantastic tea selection I’ve ever seen in one place. Great customer service and a lot of fantastic flavors. Also a great gift selection!! Super fun place for a tea lover.

Very small dining area but quaint. Decent selection of tea. Menu was tasty but also limited. We got the Afternoon Tea and at $32.95 per person was a bit overpriced for what you receive. Also, a suggestion to the owner, please place a sign in the dining room asking patrons to refrain from talking on their cell phones as this really takes away from the entire experience and will ensure that I won't be making the hour drive from San Diego again.

Came during their 27 year anniversary and got their prix fixe Classic Afternoon Tea for $29.95 for adults and $9.95 for children. This is the quaintest tea shop, located inside a historic home that dates back to the Gold Rush. The shop also extends to the second floor. They play the calmest piano accompaniments throughout the store, have the cutest tea accessories, a plethora of antique to new teacups and teapots. The women who work here are extremely delightful and friendly. I have a tradition of coming here every year, by myself and a book, to just sit and take in this quaint mountain town with some delicious tea and foods.

I finally had tea here during my last stay in Julian! It was well worth it. I was lucky enough to get a walk in afternoon tea and what an pleasant experience it was. I waited about five minutes for them to setup before taking my seat. Presented with a menu and the months tea selections, I ordered the four course afternoon tea selection with bottomless tea. I had salted caramel pureh tea and something with apricot. The finger sandwiches are AMAZING! As are the scones and dressings. They're not open on Tuesday or Wednesday, but if you can catch them when they are open, they have a wide range of tea and tea related items to peruse as well.

My boyfriend surprised me with reservations on our trip to Julian and it was the highlight of the day! The staff were kind enough to accommodate my boyfriend's preferences ahead of time, as he cannot eat most cheeses, and the service was amazing! The mini eggnog cheesecakes were my favorite and they have a huge selection of teas and related goods you can buy as well! Really amazing and friendly service, I can't recommend them enough!

I rarely write negative reviews, but hope this post provides constructive feedback. My boyfriend and I came to Julian Tea and Cottage Arts and ordered the Afternoon Tea (priced at $28/person) after calling ahead. The tea shop is super cute and unique, decorations and music create a wonderful ambiance to go with the tea. Our main issues with the tea shop had to do with the service. We were served by a very young girl (in her teens) who explained to us that our Afternoon Tea would come with 3 rounds of snacks (finger sandwiches, scones and jam, and finally a house desert) as well as one bottomless pot which we could choose different teas. If we didn't like the particular tea we chose, we were told we could get another kind. This all sounded great until after the first round of tea and finger sandwiches. Our hostess delivered the scones and jam as well as our check and then left the table promptly, without asking for our next tea selection (and before the last round of deserts) or explaining why we were brought the check so early. Our pot and teacups had already been well emptied by then. I was confused by this as we were supposed to have bottomless tea. We went up and let them know our second tea choice. They said, no problem, they would bring it to our table. Here we waited for the second pot for at least fifteen minutes until we had to go up and ask again. Finally, our hostess brought out our second tea pot, which, to our disappointment wasn't even filled up all the way. I asked again if we could have a third pot (this was supposed to be bottomless tea), and our hostess replied with the fact that they were running out of hot water and unfortunately wouldn't be able to get us any more tea... I had suspected by then that they were starting to already running out of hot water after our first tea pot, which is why we were brought the check so early. To have a tea shop and offer bottomless tea yet run out of hot water (over 40 minutes before closing) seemed quite ridiculous. This was compounded by the steep price point (I was okay with this to start with given the unique experience and what was being offered seemed fair on paper). At the end of 1.5 hours, we paid $62 for basically one and a half pots of tea plus some snacks and were only asked about our tea choice once. I fully support hiring young people to work in businesses, but hope that they would at least be reasonably well trained. For the price point they are charging and the cost of the goods itself (mid to higher end tea bags found at any grocery store plus small homemade treats), I think they could afford to expend a few more dollars to enhance the quality and add more care into the service. They display hundreds of teas on the walls of the shop, but only have a menu of about ~20 tea choices. Yes, most of the reviews have had great experiences and I'd bet too we would have, maybe on a different day and with a different hostess. I personally will not be returning on the principle being a tea shop and running out of hot water.

The cottage has everything you want in a tea store. We also reserved a table for afternoon tea service. In this case, we were lucky to try their Autumn Harvest menu. The teas were excellent. The food was excellent. The tea room was beautiful with view windows and there is also an outdoor patio. Thank you, Ladies!!!

Terrible customer service from beginning to end. Too long to actually write it all down. Emailed to set up reservation for 2, it took 3 emails to even get a reply after I mentioned I was driving to their place about an hour 1/2 since someone told me how nice it was, won't speak to that person ever again. When I got a reply, I was asked what kind of sandwich I wanted and my girlfriend, I told her twice what I preferred. Keep in mind I went on a Monday, and we were literally told that we were along with two other people (4 total) the only ones for the day. When we arrived, we were asked yet once again (three times now) what kind of sandwich we wanted or if we preferred a croissant, either would be half sandwich or croissant with either soup (small cup) or a biscuit. I wanted a biscuit and my girlfriend soup. Three times asking us wasn't a charm because I got soup instead of biscuit. I mentioned it to one of the older ladies, these place has 3 older ladies that take care of it by the way, which there is nothing wrong with it but if you start forgetting a lot of things, well perhaps it's time to get some help. I was told I could keep the soup, how nice of her!!! And that she would still give me the biscuit. It's the least she should have done. Then we were supposed to have tea at all times at the table that didn't happen until she finally realized "oh yes I should leave the tea pot on the table" instead of us having have to ask for more tea often. Also, this place has a nice outside seating as well, it wasn't a usual hot day, quite nice with a little breeze so we asked before they set us inside, if we could eat outside. The answer "we're not set up today for seating outside, we didn't even clean the tables", that was it and all. A customers asks to be seated outside and just because they didn't have a full house, they wouldn't even bother cleaning ONE TABLE for 2 people. We had to set inside which was a nightmare because the place inside is very small and I mean small. The other couple was so close to us we could have set on their lap. We had to listen to them as they spoke loudly the whole time, and we couldn't' enjoy our lunch at all. They acted as if we weren't even there. As I said so much more to write about but there isn't enough space to do so; however, my girlfriend did write to them about the whole experience including service, food which was ridiculous to say the least, we know what finger food is and been to many tea places, this was not worth the driving nor the experience. You should have seen the croissant I got; the half wasn't even half, I don't know where they got the croissant, but it was the smallest half croissant I've ever seen in my life, truly a joke. The other funny story, the lady tells us that their biscuits are so good that once they had someone from the UK telling them that they taste as good as they make them back in the UK. Absolutely untrue, I think they were just trying to be nice, or, it was years ago, because the one I got, I could have used it as a baseball for not just how hard it was, but it crumbled all over the plate when I tried to open it up to put that tiny tiny butter and jelly they brought me. Biscuits are supposed to be nice and soft and a decent size, these were neither. UK? Are you kidding me? My girlfriend after writing it all down literally step by step what they did to us; all she got was "sorry you didn't have a good experience" that was it and that was all. Obviously, these women have been at this particular location a while and by now they couldn't care less what anyone thinks, but they should care, and if they don't, I think it's time to retire because as long as they want to stay in business they need to remember that ALL of our money, meaning customers that pay to go to their place and obviously tip them as well, is our hard working money, and to be treated so rudely and quite frankly as if we a bother, it's uncalled for and they should be ashamed. To also finish it all, my girlfriend fell in love with one of their small plate that our bill came on, she asked if she could buy it from them, the other very rude woman who only works the cashier told her "no we only use this to put the customer's bill on it and we only have a few, but you can try and look around and see if you can find one" Look around? Where!!! the place is packed all over including the floors with all kinds of different things, so hard to even see what you would like, it looks almost as if you were going to an antique store, except things are new, it would have taken over an hour to find it, if we could even find it. That's how bad the customer service was at this place. Awful actually. Sadly, this was a total disaster, money and time wasted. They won't miss us I'm sure, and neither will we miss them.

Every visit to Julian (at least once a year) we visit the Julian Tea & Cottage Arts. Today, on a cold and blustery day, it was warm and friendly when we entered. This is an adorable shop with lots of tea and kitchen related items. We even bought some cute little soaps that are the perfect size for travel. We enjoyed chatting with Edie and Cheryl while we were there. We purchased several of their recommendations. Edie was baking a bread pudding while we were there and it smelled heavenly! We highly recommend a stop here when you visit Julian.

We were fortunate to secure one of the rare appointments for table service at Julian Tea and Cottage Arts, a truly special experience during the holiday season. This charming spot exudes warmth and tradition, and our visit felt like stepping back in time for an elegant respite. We enjoyed a delightful three-course service featuring festive fare. The Christmas sandwiches were a perfect seasonal touch, followed by an assortment of fresh-baked goods that tasted just like holiday comfort. The Christmas desserts were beautifully presented and equally delicious, making the experience feel both indulgent and celebratory. The selection of teas was wonderful. We tried several, but two standouts were the Yukon Gold, a smooth and rich classic, and a caramel-flavored tea that was decadently sweet and aromatic. Each sip paired perfectly with the courses and added to the overall sense of cozy luxury. This outing was a lovely, unique treat. I felt truly blessed to partake in such a quaint and timeless tradition. If you're ever able to book a table here, it's well worth the effort for an experience that's both charming and memorable. The three courses were as follows: Sandwiches & Savories: Roast Beef with Horseradish Aioli English Cucumber Tree Cranberry Brie Pecan Puff Pastry Antipasto Skewer Bítes Parsley Garlic Wreath Tomato Artichoke Bruschetta Croustades Sausage Roll Scone Course: Buttermilk Scone ~ Pomegranate Jelly Lemon Curd ~ Whipped Cream Cranberry Lime Bread ~ Pumpkin Muffin Dessert Tray: Mincemeat Thumbprint Cookie Lemon Tea Cookie Dulce de Leche Chocolate Cheesecake Bar Sugared Nuts with Cardamom Candy Cane Ice Cream

First of all this little cottage is too cute located in the heart of Julian one straight back from the main strip. The ambience was great and it was perfect weather for an outdoor high tea! Our waitress was so sweet and attentive, and the food was absolutely delicious! Although the main strip of Julian was chaotic and busy and loud, it was so peaceful and quiet and relaxing at the teahouse and we thoroughly enjoyed our time there! We will definitely do it again!

Went today for tea with friends. Our service was great and the food was yummy. Tray of sandwiches including cucumber and egg salad. And yummy croissants. Drank some cold lavender blueberry tea..refreshing. Charming place.

Fun little tea cottage. Went with a girlfriend for lunch and tea combo. A little pricey but tasty. They have a great gift shop and the ladies that work here are very sweet. You must have a reservation tho. The tea room is very small.

A must visit!! We visited Julian for the first time and I definitely wanted to check this shop out. Note: it's a block behind the main shops of Julian, near residential buildings. The cutest shop ever. So many variations of tea, tea tools, kitchenware, and other miscellaneous items!! I bought 2 types of tea and a mini mirror and was given a freebie of tea bags. Service is great-- they offered tea samples and made sure we were okay browsing. They also have a tea party room in the front where folks can drink and eat from their menu. I didn't do this, but definitely will if I get the chance in the future :)

Wow for the food, the service, the place and the TEA!!! Sure coming back. Thank you so much!

While visiting Julian , CA it's hard to not go for a cup of afternoon tea in this cottage built back in the 1800's that oozes vintage vintage! We decided to do the tea for two plus one child which totaled to about $61, which I think wasn't too pricy considering we were pretty full at the end of our tea party, so worth the price and experience ! The decor is just amazing and takes you back to an authentic historical period , I mean imagine going back in time and having tea in the cottage dressed in 1870's gear just tea-ing it with your girlfriends... too cute ! The service was very on point... the young lady helped us make a good decision on our tea selection from the menu. She was very kind and tea knowledgeable. The store is equipped with millions upon millions of tea items , tea time trinkets.... Honey ... did I mention tea ? There is a wall of tea! At the end we were gifted with some small satchel of tea, which I though was pretty nifty. I recommend parking at the back of the property as it may be very difficult to find parking on the main streets at times . This is my second visit to the tea house and I must stay I enjoyed both visits and could literally spend hour there just going through each item!

Came here without reservations and was able to be seated for the Cream Tea. This comes with a scone, lemon curd, whipped cream and jam, plus a bottomless pot of tea. We didn't realize that reservations were needed if you wanted lunch, which was our fault for not researching. However, we were able to get full of the bottomless tea. The teas here were amazing and fragrant, and is probably the best tea I've ever had. It comes with sugar and milk as well. The scone was delicious as it was soft and fluffy, pairing well with their homemade toppings. Our waitress was nice and attentive. The shop was very cute with all of the tea cups, pots, and accessories they sold. Cute experience.

What a adorable small cottage tea shop! Lots of offerings- location is slightly off the beaten path, but only take 3 minutes to walk there off main drag. Didn't eat there but, bought lots of teas and trinkets. Please make sure to visit!!!

Hidden behind the main drag in Julian, is this enchanting tea house. The Julian tea and cottage is a converted home. It's not truly a restaurant as you cannot just drop in and have tea at any time. You must make reservations and they have certain seating times that are listed. The hostesses were kind enough to make an accommodation for us, as we did not know this, and took us a half an hour early for their 1 o'clock seating. We were served the full tea which included a delicious scone with cream and jam, finger sandwiches, dessert, and our choice of tea. My girlfriend's husband had discovered Yorkshire Gold at this tea house many many years ago, and it is our favorite. They still serve it! The cuisine was scrumptious. This was one of the best scones I've ever had, warm, flaky, moist, and not too dry as I've experienced at other places recently. It was served with cream and lemon curd. The sandwiches were delightful, both double-sided sandwiches, and also open faced, chicken salad, raisin bread, and cream cheese, egg salad. For February they were having a special Valentines tea as well. I'm assuming during other holiday seasons, they would have other holiday themed teas available for purchase. Currently they have one available for four days during March Irish themed for St. Patrick's Day. The dining room areas are warm and intimate. The rooms are decorated in a Victorian style, crammed, full of romantic, tea, goodies, racks with tea cups, hanging on the walls, tea, towels, teapots lining the top of a shelf around the ceiling. There are lace curtains, tall, narrow windows typical of a Victorian cottage. On our rainy day adventure, it was delightful to be able to sit and have a hot pot of tea with all of the delicious accoutrements. While sitting sipping tea and dining, we had plenty of time to observe the environment to decide we loved the tea racks with dishes on them, and my girlfriend fell in love with a tea serving tray, a teapot, and a tea cozy! So we definitely had shopping we needed to do. This tea cottage is jampacked with all kinds of goodies to shop for. Every room is a different theme and there is an upstairs to shop in as well. There are cards and stationary. There are teapots galore, all different sizes, shapes and colors. There are tea, trays, and tea cozies from floral to animals, elegant and funky novelty. There is one whole room set aside just for the actual tea leaves. Bulk tea in packages. I found some Irish breakfast which I had not found in bulk anywhere in quite some. I bought 4 ounces of that and it is just delicious. There were also many brands of tea in teabags, boxed teas, tins of teas. There are all sorts of cooking utensils, teaspoons with delightful little decorations, like teapots and flowers. Upstairs, there are some ready to wear items like gloves, hats, scarves, and also aprons, tea, towels, potholders, and other kitchen, soft furnishings. There was a room full of cooking utensils and equipment for you to cook with and make your own tea goodies along with books, cookbooks, books about the history of tea, etc. This place has tea items to warm your heart, tickle your fancy,and is the best equipped tea House I have ever experienced. A welcome reprieve during a cold rainy day. Definitely plan ahead and get one of the seating times for this delicious tea extravaganza!

The Cottage Classic This was such a lovely tea experience. The shop is super cute and filled with rooms of cards and teas and other trinkets and souvenirs. The room for guests to dine in is little and cozy, has about 3 tables, so definitely make reservations before you go (they are very responsive to phone calls or email). The service is excellent--they are so friendly and attentive, and let you try as many teas as you would like! And the tea flavors are so varied and all delicious. The food was just alright, besides the scone, which was possibly the best scone I've ever had!!! I love that they also give you a little tea bag to try at home, which was delicious. A little pricey for the quality and quantity of the sandwiches, but worth trying!

I recommend you make a reservation during the holidays as it gets busy here. During the Spring you can just walk in. Thanksgiving or during the Holidays it gets crowded! Service:5/5 Quality:5/5 Menu:5/5 Taste:5/5 Atmosphere:5/5 Repeatability:5/5 The tea here freshly brewed, they bake the pastries and finger food are homemade. Gluten free is also an option. The high tea experience is done well here. The staff here takes their time and explains the various tea flavors that accommodate your taste palette. I get the Carmel apple flavor and my wife gets the London Fog flavor. They can also bring oat milk, soy, almond. For starters you get a curry soup while your two tea pots are brewing. Then you get three rounds of tasty finger foods as shown in my images. My favorite out of this hit list is the scones. Fresh, soft and fluffy. This comes with a small batch of three items, whipped cream, strawberry jam and lemon curd. All homemade. My favorite out of all three was the jam. The closer to the experience is the berry cobbler which was a small enough dessert if you're full from the previous rounds. We make this a stop on our annual visit to Julian. See you next year. Trying to escape from this place without buying any tea for your home inventory is impossible if you have a tea aficionado in your party. So resistance is futile.

An adorable gem in Julian. This trip was for my birthday and as a tea lover, I really wanted to stop here but realized the day we were heading there it was closed Tues & Wed. So we popped in on Thurs as our last thing to do before leaving. What a super cute little shop. It's a 2 story house that was built in the 1800's that's converted into a small business. The entire place is like a tea/tea gift shop. TONS of different types/flavors of loose and bagged teas. TONS of other things like teacups, aprons, napkins, books, little spoons, kitchenware, jams etc etc etc. What I didn't realize was that if you want to sit in for tea that included anything more than scones, you need to make a reservation ahead of time. So definitely call ahead to reserve a spot. The service was incredibly warm, friendly and kind. We were welcomed and were glad that they were still able to offer us the "Cream tea" which is 1 large or 2 small pots of tea with 2 scones. I was a little disappointed that we didn't make a reservation and would only be getting scones as I don't really care for scones....but let me tell you that these were THE best scones I have ever had in my entire life and they were incredibly delicious. Soooo flakey, crisp, yet moist with delectable flavor. The scone had 3 sides with it. The house made lemon curd.....my god. So delicious. Not overly sweet, light, fragrant, lovely flavor. The cherry jam....seriously just so delicious. The whipped cream was good too and I liked that it wasn't sweet. The 3 paired so well with the scones. The scone was reminiscent of a buttery flakey biscuit/scone. They said they make the scones in-house and they're made with butter and buttermilk. We got 2 white teas. The jasmine from republic of tea and wedding from Harney tea. One of my top faves is a good jasmine green so thats why I wanted to try the white jasmine. It was definitely different with a white tea but we both enjoyed it. I really liked the wedding (lemon, vanilla, rose). The China cups that the tea was served in were so cute and dainty. I appreciated that she first warmed our teacups with hot water before serving the tea since it was pretty cold out. The music playing was lovely as well. Calm, acoustic harp/piano. Also thought it was really nice that they give you complimentary tea bags with your receipt to try at home. The overall customer experience here has really been thought out. So much attention to detail. And although we didn't get to try the full tea time with the little sandwiches and such. I thoroughly enjoyed our tea time and am excited to go back again.

Such a great teahouse. Very cute inside. Staff were so nice and the tea and food was delicious.

So disappointed. I'm ashamed to say I grew up going to this tea house. We came here for a Mother's Day tea and was more expensive than the regular tea. Our waiter was a young teenage girl and she was absolutely amazing. We enjoyed her company. She spoke with us. She interacted with us and gave us great service. We arrived at 11:30 am and we're given each course and we're on our dessert course when a young teenage boy and our waiter said that there was another reservation for our table at 1:00pm. It was 12:51pm. The young man started to clear our table with a very uncomfortable look on his face. During this time a older lady with gray short pixie cut hair came to our table and said we needed to leave because they needed the table, she picked up my 2 year old plate who had left to go to the bathroom and put the contains into a to go box even though I told her to stop. She then did the same thing to my husband's plate. The 1:00pm party arrived for our table while all this was happening and told the hostess they would like to sit outside. Noted all the rest of the tables in our room were set the whole time without any people at them. The waitress told us they were booked the whole day and weekend including Monday. I'm very sad because I want to go back, I love this place and have brought many people here.

A very nice experience. It was midweek so it was very quiet. The ambience is cozy. Definitely a must-try. Being a San Diego native, I have no idea why I haven't tried it sooner. only thing I can critique is even though they sell their own tea, they didn't serve it during afternoon tea? or maybe I just didn't see it. I would have loved to have tried their own blends. Besides that, no complaints. Will be back!

I went for tea with my mom, sister, and niece. My mom told them in advance I'm vegan, so I was expecting some cucumber/hummus sandwiches and tea and was fine with that because I was in good company. Boy was I wrong. When the first plates came out, mine had vegan replacements for almost every bite on my family's plates (including a plant-based sausage roll). I was SO impressed. The dessert plate came out, same deal. I even got a vegan option for the cookie/tea they give you to take with you. The food was delicious, the tea was lovely, the staff and atmosphere were warm and charming. The attention to detail made me feel very taken care of and it was delightfully unexpected. Would absolutely recommend to anyone looking for a nice way to spend a morning or afternoon :)

Not a bad place for some tea time! I came to Julian Tea and Cottage Arts to embrace the trace amounts of British heritage I believe I have (I believe my great grandfather was British) and partake in the English tradition of afternoon high tea. Regardless of whether or not I actually am of British desent, I do enjoy afternoon tea. So how was Tea and Cottage Arts and why 4 not 5 stars? Well, spoiler alert, it's because of the food. Want to know more? Let's jump into it... A quick note, you require a reservation for high tea. Make sure to make one prior to visiting. Also note, Julian can get a bit busy on weekends, especially during certain seasons, so finding parking during those times may prove a challenge. Be sure to leave a buffer of time before your reservation in the event you have to search for parking. As for the Tea experience itself, it happens in a rustic, antiquated but by no means dilapidated building that beams with charm. The floor sort of squeaks and moans when you step in certain spots, but I like that this building has historic roots so I don't view that as a con. The tea room is small and cozy but well lit with natural light from the windows. It's really a perfect environment to sip some tea and relax. They have a good assortment of teas from Earl Grey to simple black tea, there's something for everyone. You get two choices of tea but the entrees are mostly locked in -- the only entree choice you have is vegan or carnivore which will effect the types of soup and sandwiches you get. The place settings and tea kettles and cups all looked high quality and were free of stains and chips. It all felt and looked classy. The waiter we had was incredibly friendly and knowledgeable about the menu. The service was overall top notch. As for the tea, it was excellent. I went with Earl Grey and it's not at all a bad choice if you're on the fence about what tea to choose. The one thing I feel was somewhat lacking was the quality of the food. The soup was very average, to say the least. We had two variations -- a pumpkin soup and a potato soup. I tried both and neither was bad per se, but I wouldn't say they left a lasting craving. The same goes for the sandwiches that followed. Again, not awful, but they tasted pretty standard, like something you could make for yourself with a few ingredients from the grocery store. The scones and accompanying creme were good, though, and probably the best part of the meal. The final dish of the meal was a kind of pumpkin bread pudding that once again was fine, but a bit underwhelming in taste. Overall, not a bad spot to get in some tea time. The atmosphere is on point and very charming. The tea and service are great. The food is fine, but not the reason to come. Come to unwind for a few hours over some hot tea in a cozy cottage. On a final note, aside from the tea room, the rest of the building is a two story shop for mostly tea related merchandise and souvenirs. If you're a tea aficionado, you might want to come check out what their shop has for sale as it's pretty extensive. To summarize: Pros: -Extremely charming and quaint atmosphere -Clean and well appointed dining area -Friendly, knowledgeable and tentative staff -Great selection of diverse teas -Get to have tea in a cozy cottage And the cons: -Parking can be a bit of a hassle on weekends -Food was fine but unremarkable -Not a super fantastic value -- plan to spend close to $50/person for some good tea and average food

This is a charming tea house located on a quaint street in Julian. The interior is filled with a wide range of tea items such as: tea towels, loose teas, hats, kettles and more. Upon entering, you instantly feel like you are in a cute cottage. Pros: -Pretty China. -Warm buttermilk scones were very good. -Grape jelly and cream tasted fresh. -Paris tea blend from Harney & Sons was wonderful (highly recommend). Cons: -When the host brought out our tea pot to the table, she accompanied it with milk and sugar. As she put the milk down on the table, she had her finger in the milk jug. The host was fully aware; yet, she didn't replace it. *This is why I gave a 3 star review* Needless to say, we didn't touch the milk. It also made me think of what else was going on in the back kitchen. -The cucumber sandwiches were not on high-quality bread. -The place settings could have been organized a little better. I felt like they were tossed on the table. As a British citizen and someone who has been raised in the British tea culture since birth, I wouldn't necessarily call this high tea. I would say it is a budget friendly tea house with a casual flare. Overall, I had a pleasant time. Note: the tea house does require reservations.

I thought i had already posted this review, guess not. visited this gem in the fall i bleieve, My partner grew up here and used to come here as a kid. Must see if you are visiting the area. They have so many tea related items and tea pots and any kitchen essential you've ever wanted or thought of ; they have it. There's like three floors of the house all covered with tea pots and accessories you can purchase. It's amazing I wanted so much of it and I think I spent like $400 but it was worth it. if you wanna sit outside it's really cute!, a host will come out to serve you. I ended up meeting a really nice family while we were visiting having tea. There is a full menu that has different teas depending on the season. As well as snacks and soup and mini sandwiches. The family that runs it is incredible and you should go and support them! Had a wonderful time and we will be back!!

We came as a 3-generation family: 2 grandmas, 1 mother, 3 kids, on the Monday after New Years. We had a reservation and were one of two parties in the cottage, which made for a nice quiet first experience for my boys. The rest of Julian was a madhouse. We ordered 4 of the Cottage Teas and 1 Tea for Two (for the senior ladies). Their selection of tea for the service was nice but not extensive, and they only offered plain table sugar. It was a lovely tea service, the soup was good, perfect for a cold day, it just needed some salt. Plenty of courses, which was excellent and filling. They came with the traditional sandwiches, and their toasted curry chicken croissants were excellent. Their scones were nice & warm, served with in-house made whipped cream instead of clotted cream (my preference but still nice), but not a lot was offered for a party of 6. The real winner was all of the fun stuff in the store to look at. Just mind the small space, my backpack purse was a hazard.

I loved my experience here!! Being prego, wanted to do something special for my birthday since I'm not hitting the bars anytime soon. We were spending the weekend in Borrego Springs and decided to stop in Julian on the way home. Called the morning of and the hubs was able to get a table for 1PM. We arrived a bit early and our table was ready just a bit after 1. In the meantime, we shopped around the cottage which had everything you could possibly to think of to satisfy your tea addiction. Once our table was ready, we were treated to a delightful assortment of sandwiches, scones, and cookies (tea for two menu option). Everything was absolutely delicious! We shared 2.5 pots of tea and we were both way fuller than we thought going into this. The cottage is super small so make sure to call ahead to secure your spot. Highly recommend and will absolutely be back next time we're in Julian!

We always stop here every time we visit Julian. We always leave Julian with more tea than pie. The staff are so warm and welcoming. This classy little house will never disappoint.

Love the tea room experience. Such a nice place to be during the autumn holidays especially when it's windy. I tried the Afternoon Tea package and it was great. I'll definitely come back here again when I'm in Julian.

This past weekend my boyfriend took me here and I fell in love with this little place! Julian Tea & Cottage Arts is very quaint and charming. When making the reservation, my boyfriend booked us the cottage classic and I couldn't recommend it enough-- as much tea as you can drink in cute pots, soup, finger sandwiches, and dessert. I came hungry and was so satisfied with all of the food. Best of all, though, was the service! Our waiter George was so friendly and kind. He was personable and made the experience all that more enjoyable. I will definitely be returning!! :)

A very lovely tea experience in one of my favorite places since I was a child. Julian Tea and Cottage displays lots of awesome tea sets and offers an assortment of teas, and all things tea related. It's a great place to go for afternoon tea times as well. They offer gluten free options too. I could sit here for hours. Be sure to make reservations ahead of time.

This place is SO stinkin' cute. This place is also really small, so it is in your best interest to make reservations. Literally the room only has about 4 tables. I emailed them for reservations and they confirmed quickly. The only hiccup was that they called me the Saturday before my reserved date&time and asked where I was. I advised my reservations were for the following Saturday, in which the woman said "Okay, let me check if we have availability that day". I was a little put off by the way the call was handled to be honest, but all's well that ends well. My mom and I arrived early to Julian and walked around a bit before our reserved time and then ended up going into the tea shop to look around about 15 minutes before we were seated. My mom went a little cray cray looking at all the fun items. She started to gather items to buy and put them on the counter for after our tea service(my mom is really cute!). Anyway! Onto the service. We were seated on time and we had the joint to ourselves, as there were no other reservations that day. It was a beautiful day in Julian, but maybe not a weekend people were headed up there for afternoon tea. We opted for the 11 a.m. service. We were promptly provided a tea menu after we told them we were doing the "Tea for Two" and we chose a lovely salted caramel yerba mate(we actually bought boxes to take home we loved it so much). We were served the most adorable finger sandwiches(all good, but the curry chicken was my fave), fruit, cookies, and scones with lemon curd, clotted cream, and jam. Everything was amazing and surprisingly filling. They were small bites, but we were satisfied. We also tried their pumpkin soup, which honestly, I could have passed on. It was a bit watery for my taste and not enough flavor. To each their own. Overall this was a fantastic way to spend an afternoon visiting my mom in San Diego. The drive was lovely, the shop was cute, the food was yummy. I will definitely be back and encourage anyone who wants a nice experience to check this place out. Pinkies up!

Found this place while visiting Julian and loved it! Heads up make a reservation because space is limited worth visiting. You could also come in and grab a tea to go or shop their vast array of tea items.

So enchanting! I'm crazy about afternoon tea. If I could I'd have a tea party every single day! The ladies here are simply the sweetest and have major skills in the kitchen. Everything I've ever tried here was absolutely delicious. Maybe my man and I were on a mountain high on our most recent visit but we keep talking about our time here. And how many men do you know that are down for a tea party? I was taking a chance when I surprised him with reservations here but he loved everything nearly as much as I did. This historic place was once a home to a gold miner that was built in 1898. Can you imagine all the things that have gone on here? There are hundreds of different teas to choose from and several different tea party experiences. I always go for the cottage classic because it's the most elaborate and so worth it. What you can expect is delicious seasonal soup, an assortment of finger sandwiches, scones with all sorts of toppings from jam & cream, and lots of tiny desserts! Each guest may also choose their favorite tea. You can also purchase teas to-go both bagged or loose, gorgeous china, antique items, books, and many different types of gifts for tea lovers. *During COVID your tea service will be in their gorgeous garden instead of in the house.

My family and I had the pleasure of enjoying the Victorian Christmas tea here. The tea cottage was so cozy! The Christmas tea cups and tea pots were so beautiful that it all just felt so festive. The food was so delicious! The. Scone. The scone was so light and paired perfectly with the cream and curd. Would 100% come here again!

We had a lovely time here! We emailed to make a reservation about a week in advance since it was a holiday weekend. We were given a couple of times to choose from and were able to specify outdoor seating since we would be bringing our small dog in a backpack. We weren't sure whether to do the tea for two or two individual teas, but we went with the tea for two, thinking that if it wasn't that filling we could still get pie or whatever in town. The outdoor space isn't as cute as the indoor one, but it was very nice. We got to choose our teas and then we received finger sandwiches. We asked for our tea to be vegetarian, so we each had 4 different sandwiches--I think cheddar baguette, croissant with pesto and cheese, cucumber, and one other. There was also a bowl of fruit. Then we had the second course which consisted of a scone and an almond shortbread cookie each. The scones were fantastic and came with delicious lemon curd, clotted cream, and jam. I absolutely loved the shortbread too. Everything was beautifully presented. This wasn't an overly filling meal but was just the right amount for me. We enjoyed looking at the shop inside afterward. Overall I had a wonderful experience and I think the tea for two is just right and a good value.

We had a lovely time here! It is a very small tea room, so you have to make reservations. We reserved and gave our orders in advance. I'm sure that helps them to prepare and ensure that there is no delay in service. The ladies were very friendly and pleasant and attentive. Great service! There is a large selection of teas. We experimented with a few types and drank our fill! The food was delicious! We were all very impressed and would definintely return the next time we are in Julian.

Stopped in for a cream tea and it was wonderful! Had the jasmine earl grey black tea and the passion fruit papaya black tea with honey and milk. Their scones were buttery and warm and served with whipped cream (not clotted cream for anyone wondering but still very good) and lemon curd and jam. Enjoyed the coziness of the decor and relaxing music! Would definitely stop by again

This place is so cute! I love walking around and seeing all the adorable things for sale. They have everything you could ever need for a tea party. I have never actually sat down and had tea here, that will be on my list of things to do the next time I'm in Julian. Another thing is the staff here is so sweet. I accidentally left my camera in there and they opened up for me even after they had already closed. Definitely stop by here if you're in Julian!

Choosing to go here on a day between Christmas and the New Year when there was snow on the ground was clearly our fault. I didn't know that a trip to Julian under these conditions now involves stop and go traffic and an extra hour of driving. As a result we arrived for our reservation at the Julian Tea and Arts College 40 minutes late. (I did call a couple times to let them know.) We appreciated their accommodating us, but our tardiness also altered our tea experience. This wasn't a relax and linger meal since they schedule seatings an hour and a half apart. Still obviously our fault though. Our server disappeared at the end of our meal when I would have liked to order a second pot of tea, since our first one only gave us each two cups and a second pot is included with our meals, but we ran out of time. Generally, she was nice but not very knowledgeable about the menu. Cozy would be the nicest way to describe the room for tea. It is SMALL. There are four tables total. Our table set up for four was a round table against a wall. Thankfully, two of the members of our party were 10 years old. We were really disappointed about Julian Tea and Arts Cottage's lack of flexibility. We really wished they'd give a choice of sandwiches like at other places. On the one hand, they accommodated my husband's request to avoid pork and cheese. However, they substituted his brie toast with toast with olive tapenade (olives are something he dislikes more). Maybe ask if the substitution will work? When he said he really didn't like cream cheese (which is in the cucumber cream sando) but would deal, they didn't try to switch that out. I would try to accommodate the customer and perhaps give them a double of a sandwich they would like. Similarly, I felt for my daughter who had to choose between pb and j and turkey for the children's tea. She doesn't like either and asked if she could have egg salad instead, which we saw on the regular menu. We were told they couldn't accommodate that so she was stuck with a plain turkey (no lettuce or cheese since she doesn't like that) which was pretty unappealing. Is it really that hard to offer choices? For $13 that just includes a sandwich, apple juice, a scone, and a cookie, it seems like she should have a sandwich she likes. Our tea for two was supposed to include 4 sandwiches and a savory. We counted 3 sandwiches and a savory. The curried chicken salad on croissant was the star and quite good. Next was egg salad. I didn't like the cucumber cream cheese which was salty. I also tasted butter. Ugh. I did, however, like the melted brie toast with walnut and honey. I like that the sandos and the scones come out in separate courses like in Britain so that the scones don't get cold. The scones were good but looked and tasted more like buttermilk biscuits than scones. The lemon curd wasn't as lemony as it could have been. No jam. The shortbread cookies were fine but nothing special. I kind of regretted not getting the more expensive tea so we could get the dessert - bread pudding - since the cookies were kind of an underwhelming ending. I don't think Julian Tea has any of their own tea blends (they listed brands) but they do give you complimentary tea to brew at home, which might be. (I haven't gotten complimentary tea to take home from a tea house before but I wish all places did that!) The vanilla almond tea that we ordered was a little bland. The daughter got apple juice. (Hint: Hot apple cider would be a nice addition to the menu, especially for kids.) The son got a pot of hot chocolate. (I tried it. It was good.) This converted house has lots of little rooms with tea-related items for sale. There were no special decorations up for the holiday, as one might expect, but I was appreciative that they didn't up their prices for the holidays like most tea rooms. Kathleen's High Tea Rankings 1) Claridge's, London 2) Le Parloir, Montreal 3) Fairmont Empress, Victoria BC 4) Charlie & the Chocolate Factory (One Aldwych), London 5) Aubrey Rose, La Mesa 6) Dining Room at Butchart Gardens, Victoria BC 7) Crown and Crumpet, SF 8) Grand Tea Room, Escondido 9) Lisa's Tea Treasures, Campbell 10) Lisa's Tea Treasures, Los Altos 11) Tea Upon Chatsworth, SD (closed) 12) Lovejoy's, SF and Redwood City 13) Lovey's, Pacifica 14) Chado, LA (Japantown) 15) White Heather, Victoria B.C. 16) Sip, SF 17) Tyme for Tea, Fremont 18) Dushanbe, Boulder 19) Satori, SJ 20) Charles Chocolates, SF 21) Ampersand Science Tea, London 22) Camellia, Benicia 23) House of Commons, Denver 24) St. Julien, Boulder 25) The Tearoom, Oakland 26) Tea Time, Palo Alto 27) Lisa's Tea Treasures, SJ (closed) 28) Samovar, SF (Page St.) 29) Shakespeare's Corner Shoppe, SD 30) Cafe du The, Burlingame 31) JULIAN TEA & ARTS COTTAGE, JULIAN 32) Huntington Langham Hotel, Pasadena 33) McKenna's Tea Cottage, Seal Beach 34) Cuthbert's Tea Shoppe, Dickens Fair (Daly City) 35) Satori, Saratoga 36) Dartealing Lounge, SF

I rarely write negative reviews, but hope this post provides constructive feedback. My boyfriend and I came to Julian Tea and Cottage Arts and ordered the Afternoon Tea (priced at $28/person) after calling ahead. The tea shop is super cute and unique, decorations and music create a wonderful ambiance to go with the tea. Our main issues with the tea shop had to do with the service. We were served by a very young girl (in her teens) who explained to us that our Afternoon Tea would come with 3 rounds of snacks (finger sandwiches, scones and jam, and finally a house desert) as well as one bottomless pot which we could choose different teas. If we didn't like the particular tea we chose, we were told we could get another kind. This all sounded great until after the first round of tea and finger sandwiches. Our hostess delivered the scones and jam as well as our check and then left the table promptly, without asking for our next tea selection (and before the last round of deserts) or explaining why we were brought the check so early. Our pot and teacups had already been well emptied by then. I was confused by this as we were supposed to have bottomless tea. We went up and let them know our second tea choice. They said, no problem, they would bring it to our table. Here we waited for the second pot for at least fifteen minutes until we had to go up and ask again. Finally, our hostess brought out our second tea pot, which, to our disappointment wasn't even filled up all the way. I asked again if we could have a third pot (this was supposed to be bottomless tea), and our hostess replied with the fact that they were running out of hot water and unfortunately wouldn't be able to get us any more tea... I had suspected by then that they were starting to already running out of hot water after our first tea pot, which is why we were brought the check so early. To have a tea shop and offer bottomless tea yet run out of hot water (over 40 minutes before closing) seemed quite ridiculous. This was compounded by the steep price point (I was okay with this to start with given the unique experience and what was being offered seemed fair on paper). At the end of 1.5 hours, we paid $62 for basically one and a half pots of tea plus some snacks and were only asked about our tea choice once. I fully support hiring young people to work in businesses, but hope that they would at least be reasonably well trained. For the price point they are charging and the cost of the goods itself (mid to higher end tea bags found at any grocery store plus small homemade treats), I think they could afford to expend a few more dollars to enhance the quality and add more care into the service. They display around 100+ teas on the walls of the shop, but only have a menu of about ~20 tea choices. Yes, most of the reviews have had great experiences and I'd bet too we would have, maybe on a different day and with a different hostess. I personally will not be returning on the principle of them being a tea shop and running out of hot water.

My mom and I went there this afternoon after hearing about it on social media. The tea and food was delicious. The service however, left much to be desired. We sat in the very front of the store in a table for two, and there were two other parties in there. The other groups were catered to very well, with the servers coming by constantly to offer refills of tea and provide sugar and milk; all of which was done quickly. My mom and I however had to flag down the waiter to request things that were readily offered to the other groups. We could've been okay to look that over, but what happened next really made us upset. An older woman in blue with short cropped hair, who I assume was someone in management, went to the other two tables and spoke with them about their experience and if they needed anything. She was very friendly to them. But when she made eye contact with my mom and I, she walked straight out of the room without acknowledging us. They then brought out the check for us and it felt like we were being rushed out. We both were clearly different ethnicities than the rest of the patrons and staff, and I have a distinct feeling that's the reason why we were treated that way. So although the location and food were great, we would never go back again.

Fantastic experience and definitely will be going back with friends. The food was amazing and the service was incredible.

Such a cute place for a tea experience! Came in on a Friday around 12:30, we got lucky and they were able to prepare our table outside on their patio. I would recommend calling for a reservation as I heard when I was in the store later because they do have to space out when they can take guests since it's a small area. Food/Drink: We ordered the tea for two- Pomegranate super fruit tea for our first round and the Milk Oolong tea our second round (tea is bottomless but we were just full) The tea set has 4 finger sandwiches (cinnamon/raisin bread with cream cheese, cucumber dill sandwich, egg salad sandwich, and curried chicken salad on a croissant). The sandwiches are fairly small, we had planned this to be a light lunch but the portion was a bit smaller than we expected. My favorites were the egg salad and the curry chicken, my boyfriend also really liked the cream cheese too! The "scone course" had a plain scone/biscuit that was sooo fluffy, a snickerdoodle, and another shortbread cookie with powdered sugar. I liked the scone and the shortbread but the snickerdoodle was a bit dry for me. The lemon curd was amazing but their homemade whip cream wasn't sweet enough (still a good cream texture that we enjoyed, just not as a sweetener). Overall, I'd say this place is worth trying if you've never had a tea experience before like me. Everything is presented beautifully and we enjoyed the teas we picked. Between the sandwich and scone course it may be hard to get a refill on tea because they didn't come outside to check on us since I believe they make everything from scratch (we smelled the scones right before they brought them out). But they did offer us another pot of tea after we finished the scone course when they brought out the check. Pricing is a bit expensive for what you get, but understandable since it's a small business and most things (like the lemon curd, whipped cream, etc) are homemade. We browsed the inside of the store where they sell lots of different tea and other kitchen gadgets. The tea room smells AMAZING and we ended up taking home some different kinds of tea to gift to our friends.

Loved this tea place in the cute town of Julian. Mike and I enjoyed an afternoon tea along with delicious treats! It's a small place and you will find yourself listening to other conversations but a nice experience. Shop their store for tea, and other great gift ideas.

Tried to come here with my fiancé and our service animal. Actual service animal, not emotional support animal. We got two steps in the door before being told pets aren't allowed. I politely explained she is not a pet, she is a service animal. The employee, owner.. whatever she was.. did not budge. She was clearly not aware, or did not care, that "no pet" policies do not apply to service animals or that she is prohibited from discriminating against people with disabilities. We left because we do not like to cause a scene on the rare occasions when this happens - but this establishment is lucky that I'm giving them a Yelp review and not filing a complaint with the Department of Justice for discrimination under the Americans with Disabilities Act.

The boyfriend and I were here for star gazing weekend and we loved this place! The boyfriend is a tea fan and I'm so glad we tried this place for five different teas. Spice dragon red chai- spiced! Guess it had a good amount of cinnamon, the perfect amount. Add some milk and little sugar and it tastes different and as good! Kyoto cherry green tea- smells so goooood! Very light, refreshing and good for cleaning palette between teas and scones! Paris Black tea- the boyfriends favorite. Feels and smells herbal but is a black tea. Smells veryyyyyy good. Try it first without milk or sugar. Smooth finish, ends with a nice oily smooth touch on your tongue. Add milk and little sugar, perfect perfect perfect. You can buy this tea in a cute tin box. Ginger peach black tea- the smell of peach ahhhhh so good! Surprisingly very sweet and light for a black tea. No sugar needed in case you're a fan of sweet teas! Coconut mango - think of the tropical beach and imagine having this tea there! The sell many many different varieties of tea and cards and infusers etc. we bought a bunch of teas from them. The owner is super sweet and the girls who brewed teas for us! For food we tried the cottage speacial (I must say though, the tea is the star of this place!) Chicken curry croissant was the star of the food. Rest stuff was good too, especially the cheese scones! Ahh the scones are heaven sent! Especially with mango peach passion fruit jam (?!) and the lemon curd, which is so so good!!! If in julian, this place is a must!!!!!!!

Been here twice already, and it's always a treat for us when we're in town. Aside from the pie, Afternoon Tea here is the main reason why we make our way to Julian. It's a historic cottage from 1898 converted into a shop for a variety of tea-related goods (and non-tea-related goods as well) that offers afternoon tea. Even the entire area up the stairs has inventory for purchase. In case you're not familiar with afternoon tea, it's definitely not in the style of Starbucks or Coffee Bean or anything like that. You sit down and have tea while enjoying small bites of different varieties. You'll commonly encounter mini-sandwiches and pastries. Not usually as much as a full meal, but enough to enjoy. VERY IMPORTANT: You will want to make a reservation in advance, as space is limited. there are only a few tables in a tiny room. Forget about the giant group. The ideal group number is anywhere from 2-4 people. You can pay at the register either before or after your tea. It is run by a small group of sweet old ladies. In a world filled with tourists, "city folk", and hipsters, it's such a relief to have them in our presence and serving delicious treats with plenty of soul and care. They are so welcoming and hospitable. I can understand that this type of activity might not be everybody's 'cup of tea' (pun intended and used once again), but it's definitely something that should continue in Julian. I personally dread the day this is no longer available here. A visit to this place makes my trip to Julian complete.

The best and cutest tea shop in California. The scones are amazing and there is so many cute rooms to shop in.

What a cute , charming little cottage. Eclectic variety of china , I didn't get a chance to view it all, they were quite busy. The business was so so quick to respond to my reservation request. During these Covid times they do require you to select your meal items ahead , which was fine. I wanted to try everything, so I got the cottage classic , which came with Pumpkin Soup, array of Sandwiches and some fresh biscuits jam and cream . I highly recommend the Vanilla Chai Tea

LOVE this place! First off I'd like to say that if you feel weird about going to a Tea house because you think it's just gonna be a bunch of little old ladies and that you may not fit in: Don't think that! My boyfriend and I are definitely not the typical people you think you'd see at a tea house. He is covered in tattoos and has full tattoo sleeves and likes metal music, and I'm not exactly the girl next door (more like the b*tch down the street lol). And we always felt very welcome and got nothing but kindness and warmth from the people here! Also I noticed the customers that come in are from all walks of life, all ages, and all types. Everyone is welcome here, and I love that. When you go into a small little tea house like this in a small town, you expect the food to be mediocre and good, but not great. Well I gotta say, coming from someone who can be picky with food and flavors because I'm a big foodie, this place gets five stars from me! The chef really knows what they're doing with flavors, seasoning, and texture, and everything was absolutely delicious. I loved the fresh and unique twists on the classics as well, such as the Apple Chutney sandwich or Curry Chicken Salad Sandwiches instead of the typical basic kind. The chef isn't afraid to play with flavors or think outside the box, which I really respect. When I first heard about the pumpkin soup, I wasn't thrilled because I usually hate pumpkin soup because it's got the consistency and texture of baby food and it's usually sweet; but this pumpkin soup was nothing like that! It had such flavor and a really nice texture, and the little cheesy scone they give you with it complemented it perfectly. In fact, I loved the curry pumpkin soup so much that I went home and re-created it and now it's a staple in my household. Their lemon curd is off the charts orgasmically delicious; I could literally eat it straight out of the jar. (And I usually hate lemon stuff!) Their sandwiches are definitely my favorite part because you get such a variety but my favorite had to be the Curry Chicken Salad sandwich. Wow!!! Those flavors! My boyfriend and I loved everything so much that when we came back to Julian for vacation a second time, we came back here for our first meal, and then came back an additional TWO MORE times that weekend! That's how good it was. They have a huge selection of teas as well; I've never seen a selection so varied! I recommend the Breakfast in Paris tea (Lavender, vanilla, bergamot) with sugar and cream. It's so good that I had to buy several boxes to take home. Service is top notch and everyone there is really sweet and the shop itself is very cute with tons of stuff to look at and interesting teas to buy. This is my favorite place in Julian and my bf and I will continue to come here every time we visit Julian!