Tipple & Rose

Christmas Tea! We loved it! Beautifully decorated! It's great that they offer vegan and GF menu choices. There's a cute shopping area in the front and an extensive list of tea to choose from. We do decaf so that list was smaller and we were able to make a decision quickly. All staff were friendly and accomodating. We had a tea that you can order daily which included the tea, half of a sandwich, scone with clotted cream & jam, chocolate truffle, and a macaron. It was all delicious! We will be back!

The food and tea here are extremely basic and absolutely not worth the visit. What truly ruins the experience, however, is the shockingly rude behavior of both the servers and the owner herself. There is a complete lack of basic manners, professionalism, and respect toward customers. The way staff speak not only to adults but even to children is unacceptable and disturbing. This place clearly has no understanding of customer service or hospitality. I strongly advise everyone to avoid this establishment by all means.

This place is genuinely the best tea shop I've ever been to. The owners and servers are all really nice, the pastries are phenomenal, and the tea is the best I've ever had. The Royal Rose Garden (number 4 on their tea ordering list) is the best tea ever made. That tea has raised my standards for tea a hundredfold. I live in Pennsylvania, but everything I'm in New Jersey, without fail, I stop here to get more tea. It is genuinely the best tea I've ever had, and I've had a lot of tea. TLDR: Everything about this place is perfect; buy the Royal Rose Garden tea.

I'm a regular, and love coming here for either a quick bite or a leisurely tea service. The menu has a great selection of salads, sandwiches, and small bites, including divine scones. They're very knowledgeable about tea, and are happy to walk you through their vast tea selection prior to making your choice and then taking your seat. The shop is also brimming with lovely products: cool totes, cards, books, tea accessories, chocolate, cookies, confections, robes, blankets, a fun refill pharmacy, and the best selection of non-alcoholic beverages in Princeton - just a really perfect selection for finding gifts for anybody, especially yourself!

Just visited for their mother’s day afternoon tea and everything was perfect!! The food was delicious and they have a large variety of teas to choose from. They are also accommodating to those with dietary restrictions. The front of the store also has a lot of interesting things to look at while you wait. The staff was extremely nice and attentive. My favorites were the lobster roll, salmon crostini, scones, and lychee jasmine tea. This is a more traditional afternoon tea place, so there are rules that should be followed. If you are unwilling to follow these rules, there are many other more casual spots to go down the street. However, if you are looking for an authentic afternoon tea experience this is most definitely the place!

We had such a nice time at afternoon tea. We got the vegan tea, which I've honestly never seen at a tea place before so I was really excited to try it out here. The shop area in the front was very cute, and fun to browse around before sitting. Really nice attention to detail; they even had a vegan "clotted cream." All the food was really good. The tea selection was very large, and I enjoyed the soup and sorbet courses as well. The staff was also very kind and attentive.

Tipple & Rose in Princeton is a lovely store – the atmosphere is very tasteful, with beautiful home décor items and a nice selection of books. I even found a book I wanted to give my son as a gift. When I kindly asked if they could wrap it for me, the staff agreed right away and were very friendly. Another employee even came over to ask if the wrapping paper was suitable. I requested a different color since it was for my son – which they accepted. But then things became quite odd: both of them wrapped the book together, and the result was… disappointing. The book was simply crumpled into the paper (see photo). If they are not able to wrap gifts properly, they should just be honest and say so – rather than handing over something like this. For a store with such a classy presentation, this was honestly frustrating and felt like a mockery

Today was my 21st birthday, and I chose Tipple & Rose based on recommendations. Unfortunately, the experience was extremely disappointing and completely ruined what should have been a special day. We were told we could not be seated until our entire party arrived, which is understandable. However, when one of my friends asked to use the restroom while we waited, we were told no, because we were “not paying customers yet,” even though we were clearly waiting to dine. We waited about 20 minutes, then were asked to choose our tea, only to be left standing and waiting another 30 minutes before being seated. After finally sitting down, we waited an additional 15–20 minutes just to place our order. Ordering was unpleasant. We asked if a sandwich could be made with grilled chicken and were told no. We then asked if grilled chicken could be ordered on the side and were again told no, “only in salads,” in a dismissive tone that made us feel unwelcome. When three of us attempted to use the restroom (planning to wait our turn), we were told to sit back down because it is a one-person bathroom, even though we were being respectful. I ordered the high tea, expecting a full experience—especially for the price—but it fell far below expectations and was not worth the money. At one point, I quietly showed a short video to my friends. It was not loud, yet we were told to quiet down. The server then commented that “other customers are drinking very expensive high tea right now,” which was extremely inappropriate considering we were paying the same amount. The food took a very long time to arrive, the service was consistently rude, and overall the environment felt judgmental and unwelcoming. For a place that presents itself as upscale, the customer service was shockingly poor. This experience completely ruined my birthday, and I would not recommend Tipple & Rose to anyone looking for good service or a special occasion experience.

Really good food. They do have their way about them in here though, some rules you will have to follow. This is not a chain, this is their small, women owned, LGBTQ friendly business and they can choose to run it how they see fit. I know they have had a few stumbling blocks, a fire, elder care during a pandemic and a few other things. They expect classy behavior from their patrons. They do not do takeout and you can't get your coffee to go. This is a respectful choice in my opinion due to the fact that their neighboring stores have it to go. If you want to gorge yourself and act a fool, this is not the place for you! If you want to be classy and patient, the food is great, the tea is great, the knowledge is off the charts! Be kind and respectful to small business owners and their staff!! It's not easy.

The decor is lovely here, and it really does have a nice ambiance; if you want a tea room experience primarily for the ambiance, then you should be more or less satisfied with this place. The food is sometimes excellent -- although inconsistent, none of it is worse than mediocre and (while none of it will ever be served hotter than luke warm nor cooler than tepid), it's the sort of food you serve at a high tea, so it's sort of fine. With all that said, you'll need to convince yourself that the ambiance is worth the Kafka-esque fever-dream that is their quality of service. Expect multiple people to take (and forget) each of your tea orders, and anticipate that every item on their prix fixe menu will inexplicably require 30-45 minutes to appear. We were about an hour and a half into our 'high tea' experience before the appearance of tea of any sort. In fairness, we were there for Mother's Day, and they seemed flustered by what I assume was an unprecedented 50% occupancy ... luckily, my mother adored the decore and ambiance enough to overlook, well, everything else.

Regrettably we had not checked their reviews before booking our daughters Bridal Shower. Lesson Learned! We will Never Be Back and can not recommend this place. Our service was awful and inconsiderate. The owner/manager made things even worse with her arrogance and pretension. Our booking was for a party of 7. They would not allow us to push our two tables together. Really? Our server spilled water all over several of us. The tablecloth was SOAKED. Guess what? They did not change the table linens? What? Seriously? This should have been a special and enjoyable time for our family. Instead, it was stressful and rude on many levels.

I couldn't love this place more! You owe it to yourself to have your tea and treat as dine-in because it's the best way to get the full benefit of this calming experience. The staff are friendly and welcoming to all. I support women/minority--owned businesses and appreciate others who do as well. ‍

This is still one of my favorite places to visit when I'm in Princeton. I like how there are Princeton students who study here because it's peaceful. They do also have afternoon tea so it's nice to see people gather for that, as well. I like to come here when I want to decompress over a cup of tea and a scone. It's nice that they let you smell the tea first so you can get a whiff of what you'll be drinking. They have a variety of choices so it helps narrow down to what you want to drink.

There seems to be 2 Yelp pages for this businesses so I will leave my review on both. Lovely tea house in Princeton! My daughters are tea connoisseurs and love everything about tea houses. It's not just about the tea. They love everything about tea houses- the ambience, the vibe, the scones, the clotted cream, and of course the tea. Tipple and Rose meets all of these expectations. The tea here is high quality and fragrant and no wonder, because they steep a generous amount of leaves for each pot! The leaves are steeped using a mesh-like bag for a specified amount of time using a timer, depending on your tea. Once the time is up, you remove the bag so that you can re-use later. They will refill your pot with hot water to re-steep the tea. My tea stayed fragrant even after the third steep. The food is delicious. I ordered the "Mrs Patmore". It's a set that includes a pot of tea, a sandwich, a scone, clotted cream, a macaron and a chocolate. The scone is really good. It's moist and buttery with great flavor. I opted for an apple scone but there are many flavors to choose from. Usually scones get dry and hard the next day but we purchased one for home and after reheating in the oven for a few minutes, it retained its moisture and was as delicious as when we had it in the restaurant. There is a cute shop in the front when you enter. It's a lot bigger than I had expected. They sell a large variety of items. We purchased a few canisters of cookies, which are really good. The canisters are decorative and make for good gifts. They do ask to see vaccine cards (or an image) to sit in the main dining room. If you do not have your vaccine card, you can be seated in The Cottage Room, which isn't significantly different, so fret not.

2.5 stars. I've been here a few times w/ varying experiences. This place is an odd duck. Make reservations in advance online (don't bother calling, you'll be redirected) for a pre-fixe afternoon tea, but you're FORBIDDEN from ordering off the daily menu. I'll only be reviewing the daily menu walk-in experience. You walk into a store full of journals, candles, & self-care items before eventually hitting the back wall counter w/ 140+ teas to choose from. You MUST choose a tea before being seated. You can remove the lids of each container to sniff the tea leaves or refer to a stack of tea menus w/ long lists of alphanumeric codes to indicate flavor profile categories. My first time here, overwhelmed w/ the excel sheet printout, I asked for a recommendation & was told they can't recommend ANYTHING in case a customer doesn't like it. *bombastic side eye* You write your tea code (mine was "J" today) on a post it note & give it to the hostess who will at last seat you. There's a cottage in the back-- a casual fare café area, possibly leading to someone's bedroom up the stairs. It's a bright area, though it's hard to flag down a waitress. The main area is dark & elegant. My first time, we were seated in the store because a picture on my phone of my vaccine card wasnt sufficient to get seated elsewhere (this was probably early 2022). The "Elevenses" menu section is where you'll find the meal "kits" of tea, a scone, desserts, & some variation of savory food. The curry chicken salad sandwich is great but no WAY should half a sandwich sit comfortably in the palm (just the palm, no fingers!) of my hand. Unfortunately, that's only offered as part of the Lady Sharma tea & not as a larger sandwich you can order. There are absolutely NO substitutions or changes to be had. Don't ask for something removed, & even if they've just opened, there may not be some options available from the menu. This is especially true of the "meal kits". YOU choose something like your sandwich, but the HOUSE chooses nearly everything else: soup to be served in a teacup, the mini baby barely the size of your palm (no fingers!!) quiche, macaron, & truffle. If I'm paying, can't I choose what I'm eating? Did i mention absolutely NO SHARING? God forbid you'd want to share & enjoy a meal w/ a loved one. I hope you memorized your answers to the multiple choice question earlier (yes, the tea wall again) because you'll recite it to the waitress so you can actually get your order. Maybe this could be resolved by... ordering after being seated? You get a cute steep timer; 3 min for green tea, 5 for black. But if you order a meal kit, you'll get the tea pot & a saucer to put your tea bag on when the steeping is done. No teacup for you! You'll have to wait for your food to come out because it's all plated together. & yes, all the china will be charmingly mismatched. The real failing is how quick you need to be on asking for cream & sugar to avoid sitting w/ cooling tea & no way to reasonably enjoy it. Turns out the sugar was in the corner a la Sugar in the Raw packet-- info I was given 1.5 hrs after we arrived. Cream comes in a Dixie cup & is charged per person. I wish I was making this up. Want this quality of service? Play kitchen w/ a 10 year old. The scones ARE good. For a few years I was annoyed at their puny size & large price tag. Now you get a 4.5" long triangle for $4.25 w/ interesting flavors. Btw, google "scone recipe" to make a lot more similar quality scones for a lot less! A fabulous lesson I learned after my first visit here. An additional lesson is that clotted cream is $8 at Shoprite, but you'll only get a dollop here for $2.25. I'd rather have the price folded into the pre-fixe than learn it on my own from the menu. Speaking of homemade, I hope you chose your jam wisely! Otherwise you've just paid $2 for a jam jar you can get at any NJ diner for free. Sandwiches are $9-$19 & are basic ingredients on a cough*Shoprite*cough croissant. They're tasty, but I want to be WOWed at tea. Chefs, you've been chopped. Scone chef, you stay. Macarons don't taste homemade, could be from Costco. Chocolate truffles are downright horrendous & should be burned. Soon after the food arrives, so does your bill w/ 18% gratuity, even for a party of 2. You pay upfront in the store & the card reader predictably opens to.... ah, yes. A tip screen. Overall i don't know if i like this place or not. Some servers are great! Some hosts act like they'd rather drink lava than talk to you. Organizational tweaks would do wonders here. Remove rigid menu options. Let people be seated, then browse tea & scones at their leisure! (You can hear them hurrying me along while I look in the video.) Simplify your escape room-level tea menus. Trash the truffles! Reconsider if you want your guests to enter a café strewn w/ irrelevant knickknacks to buy as if they've just stumbled off a rollercoaster into the gift shop.

I walked in and asked for a coffee. They suggested I go to a coffee shop and that I needed to sit down at a table to drink coffee. Then I asked to use the bathroom. They said I had to buy something before I can use the bathroom - even though I was with somebody who can buy something in line. I tried to buy two scones.. They said I had to buy one more additional item (not a scone) because that was their policy. What kind of establishment treats customers like this? the stern look from their employees were very intimidating. Was it because I was gay and with my boyfriend? I left this place never to return back. Then I told my two cousins outside and they won't go in there either. I don't think they have a good service model treating customers like children. I would love to hear the managers response to justify their existence. They have a very low customer rating and can't afford many more bad ratings.

We came to this parlor to explore the wonderful stuff when this rude lady with the Afro screamed at me and my aunt for gently touching a teapot. If she was that worried about the merchandise being broken, she needs to either put a "Don't Touch" sign or place the damn thing in a protective box. No need to scream and yell at us over nothing. We ended up not buying anything because of her rude and aggressive behavior. Awful customer service and we will not be going back there again. I don't recommend this place to other people either

I love the menu! The duck salad croissant, the scones with clotted cream and of course all the tea choices. Very cute decor and fun shopping for unique items.

This is a really cute afternoon tea spot! Came here for a work event, and honestly the price for this is really good. Had some savory sandwiches (cucumber - which is surprisingly delicious and was my favorite sandwich, egg, and cured salmon), scones with side jam and cream cheese, and delicious macaron. Had some tea to pair with the food - very good! The service here is friendly. They are very rigid when it comes to head count for reservations, we nearly had an extra person come for high tea, and the waiter did not make an exception to add another person to a table. So just be aware of that before coming. Otherwise, great experience in cute Princeton area. I gave 4 stars because the food alone wasn't spectacular/special in comparison to if you buy these foods individually at a cafe. However, pieced together, it does make your high tea experience feel like you're going into England for some special fancy social time.

We had a lovely time at Tipple + Rose for afternoon tea service on a Saturday. Everything was delicious and we appreciated the warm service. We enjoyed arriving early to sniff and choose our teas. We enjoyed our selection so much we purchased some to bring home! We would absolutely return! The negative reviews are clearly from those who don't know how a tea service works or are expecting to dictate how they want the owners to run their business. We unfortunately sat next to two catty women who arrived late, wanted to cancel and then stayed but wanted boxes or to choose a la carte. They then had a tantrum and called the owner a "psychopath" within earshot of our table. The supposed 'psychopath' apologized to us for having to overhear these women complain and offered us additional dessert for having to tolerate these miserable women. The owner was far from rude and in my opinion shouldn't have to tolerate obnoxious, entitled behavior from customers. What is happening in this world? Pointers: if you book a reservation for tea service, leave your house on time to arrive 15 minutes earlier. You have the opportunity to choose your teas ahead from a large menu and can sniff the various options if you choose. Come out, relax and enjoy your company. If you are unhappy or generally miserable, loudly complaining while remaining seated is unnecessary. That said, we had zero issues with booking, parking, being seated, with the service or ambience and will absolutely return.

I've eaten in most of the restaurants in Princeton by now, from one end to the other. There are few I wouldn't go back to. This is one. The variety of tea is impressive, but it was poorly served--tepid, at best, no napkin, and eratic outbursts as to where I could sit and for how long. The sandwich was OK, but my Tuscan bean soup was thin with only 3 beans in it (yes, I counted them). Worst of all is the management. One of the owner/managers yelled at me--loud and insulting--for asking a question and attempting to hold a discussion. They even bark at the servers. This is not a pleasant environment. And be warned: they add 18% to your bill for service with no notice on the menu. Best bet: there's a very nice Mediterranean restaurant a few doors down.

I have to say the food and ambiance was good. But the service was the worst i've experienced in a very long time and certainly have never seen this kind of service and attitude in Princeton ever. It was my birthday evening on June 9th. I was there with my sister and 3 other friends for a mini high tea experience. While we were taking pictures in the main hall against the chest, my friend accidentally tipped and dropped a small 2-3inch trinket which was unpainted clay (part of a tray with other trinkets). It certainly didn't look expensive neither did the missing small piece make the tray incomplete. When she dropped and broke the small piece, the waitress told us to leave it as-is and asked us to sit at the table. One of the owner's came by and accused my friend of running away from the broken trinket. We explained and apologized but she kept repeating herself. At that point in time she didn't say anything about paying for the small damage. Upon finishing our tea, we went to pay, the young cashier gave us 2 options as if we were held hostage - pay $50 for the small piece or $100 for the tray (which we could take it home). We didn't want to take anything home as it wasn't very appealing to us, we opted to pay $50 instead to avoid any arguments. The owners conveniently left the parlor and had the junior cashiers handle this. If this was truly an antique or something precious, they could have claimed via insurance but instead they made us feel bad and asked us for compensation at the very last minute without discussing it. It was truly done in poor taste. I wouldn't recommend this place at all. There are plenty of nice tea rooms in Somerset county.

Food: they had various appetizer type food. It was delicious. The tea selection is out of this world! Selection process is out of this world experience too...you need a nose cleanser after smelling so many teas! Service: the ordering process seemed complicated. Our cashier was really trying her best. Food service was excellent. Staff there seemed very friendly. Value: it was good value for the food and experience. They have a mix of different products. They also have a few tables to sip your tea and eat your snacks. I felt like I am in a British movie. Teapots were also very creative. Parking: this is in Princeton. So you have to find a parking lot or parking on the street. Final verdict: this is a must check out place.

The low reviews should have been a clue, but I wanted to give them the benefit of the doubt because I thought a high tea would be a nice Christmas gift for my mom. I tried to schedule it back in October, filled out the online form and got a confirmation email. Their email said my request was received and I'd be penciled in, no need to contact them again. They supposedly do this to give you a grace period and call for a credit card deposit 2 weeks out. I would have paid in full to begin with to make sure the Christmas gift was a go, but they don't allow that. When I didn't hear from them, I reached back out 6 days before I'd been planning to take my mom. The owner said she tried calling a couple times (I have no missed calls or voicemails from them) and "assumed" I no longer wanted the reservation. I know my phone number was correct on my form submission and I know they have my email (especially since I received the confirmation email!). If it was even true that they were having trouble reaching me by phone, why wouldn't they reach out via email or leave a voicemail before making that assumption? I replied asking what number they have on file and let them know we were still planning to come. I haven't heard back. I guess they don't need business...? Pretty bummed the gift I was planning didn't pan out, but we will have a great time somewhere else :) Update: I finally got a call after I posted this (the first one I've gotten!), which I couldn't answer because I was busy, and they left a blank voicemail. The owner followed up by email. She actually said "There was no answer after eight rings today so I don't think the problem is on my end." Very rude person, and I'm totally turned off by this place.

As soon as you enter Tipple&Rose you are greeted with an overwhelming (in a way good) aroma of tea that's warm and cozy. The shop was decorated for the holiday. It gave a really jolly vibe. There are 3 parts dine in options customers. The outside part of the shop, the tea area, and the back where they encourage you to stay with your computer to do your work. Unfortunately we weren't able to taste other parts of the menu because they were super short staffed however the owner was really intentional about checking in with my friend and I to see if we needed anything. The tea mixes were so good. They had some unique blends. I like that they sit the teapot over a flaming candle to keep the tea warm throughout our time there. The scone and macarons were really sweet and good. It paired well with the tea.

So this is the cutest shop! The front is retail selling tea related items as well as to go pastries and drinks. It's spacious with gorgeous displays. The back is a spacious tea room that's also thoughtfully decorated. I had a raspberry chocolate scone to go. It was delicious! I wasn't able to do the afternoon tea but I'll be back!

I am so disappointed with the service and food. You pass by and think it has great vibes but when you actually finally get through getting a reservation and getting you table you're approached with the rudest staff. For the above and beyond cost of Mayo and cucumber on wonder bread you would think that you would at least get amazing service. Afternoon tea is really all about the experience. Well, you don't get it here. I've never seen or experienced such rudeness from staff/owners when a group is trying to have a nice relaxing afternoon out. I do not recommend. Grab some coffee/tea and snacks from Small World instead.

I was there with my friend for the first time. It was not busy but it was not organized and the manager or the one leading the two new employees was quite abrupt. It is kind of chaos since we were told we can't sit until we order. We ordered and no cups and napkins given. It was a small place and not worth it unless you want to grab some scones but that's it. I would not go back. Such a shame since it's on a nice Main Street- Nassau.

I have been to many afternoon teas - Tipple and Rose is my new favorite. I had the Lady Sharma tea- which does not require advance reservation. The scone was delicious as was the curry chicken salad sandwich. The best part was the tea- after perusing the menu and smelling the teas that intrigued me, I chose a coconut/floral black tea. I have never seen a tea sample station such as theirs -and I enjoying trying something new based on its delicious smell. The room is very pretty and I found the price a good value of the whole experience plus the tasty meal. Highly recommend.

First impression...adorable little shop. The front of Tipple and Rose is a store front selling everything from candles and blankets to the more obvious things like tea and tea pots. My daughter and I were warmly greeted by two different employees offering their assistance. I came here during a Yelp perk event which gave me one free pot of tea (my choice) and a scone and macaroon (flavors chosen by employee). The list of teas is extensive and a bit overwhelming. The last page of the tea menu is a cheat sheet so you can narrow down your choices based on flavors you like. Since we were dining in I would have loved if the employee helping us would have offered us a seat to look over the menu at our own pace. I felt a bit rushed standing there with other customers waiting behind me. I quickly turned to the cheat sheet and picked a flavor I thought both me and my daughter would like. I let the employee know which tea we wanted and she abruptly turned to my daughter and asked if she was "just there" or going to also going to get something. The way she asked was extremely off putting. Honestly I was really confused because the teapots I saw at the tables looked big enough to share. I asked if the teapots were not enough to share and she gestured to a teapot nearby (which was not what we were served in). It did look a bit small so back to the massive menu we went and picked another tea for my daughter. We moved on to the register to pay when the employee asked my daughter if she was eating anything. We had just recently had lunch and this was just a snack for the both of us so I thought the scone and macaroon was enough for us. I did ask what flavors of macaroons they had just in case my daughter wanted her own. The employee looked completely confused and told me if was the chefs choice. I was really confused and asked if I pay for it I can't choose my own flavor and she looked really flustered and said I have to see what we have. I told her not to worry about it and I would come back if we were still hungry. After we paid we were offered our choice of seating. There are a couple of tables in the front of the store, the main dining area and the cottage in the back. We were informed we could only sit in the main dining area if we could show our vaccine cards. I haven't had a restaurant ask me for a vaccine card in over a year now and I don't think many people even carry them around at this point. If you choose to dine here and want to sit in the main dining room bring your vaccine card. Also please note, unvaccinated (or those who could not provide documents) will be passing through the room to get to the cottage seating. We were happy to sit in the front where we could look around the store from the comfort of our chairs and enjoy our tea. After a few minutes of sitting an employee brought over our tea. We were told to wait until our timer finished and then remove the tea bag and enjoy. My daughters green tea had a 3 minute timer and my black tea had a 5 minute timer. After another minute or so another employee brought over our scone and macaroon. The tea was delicious but the teapot was easily shareable. A pot of tea for each of us was far too much. I would have loved to have a share option (even if it cost a bit more). We ended up asking for a to go cup and enjoyed the remaining tea when we got home. The macaroon tasted like the frozen macaroons I buy from Costco. It was too cold and not soft in the center. The scone was warm but extremely dry. After sampling these two things I would not go back for other food items. The tea we both enjoyed. The store is cute, the tea was delicious but I honestly wouldn't recommend Tipple & Rose. I can't help but compare this place to another tea place also in Princeton but just outside the university area (which also hosted a Yelp event a while ago). The service was much better, the food was amazing, the parking was free and the ambiance was like a true tea house. My experience here was a bit awkward and extremely underwhelming.

Upon walking into the apothecary, the amazing aroma draws you in. The unique candles and tea sets are super cute as well as the decor is beautifully decorated. Towards the back of the store is where you go to get a table or place your orders. It was quite confusing at first as there were multiple seating options. The main dining area was only open to those with proof of vaccination, which we weren't aware was needed so we didn't bring anything. If seated in there, we could order from the table. The other 2 seating options were either in the apothecary or behind the main dining room in what they call they cottage. If we choose those 2 seating options, we would need to order before we were seated and they would bring us the food. Also, prior to being seated, there were a ton of tea leaves in containers that we could smell and decide which tea we wanted. Great concept but a bit overwhelming. I'm not sure how safe this was as everyone is opening the containers and smelling it but then they require proof of vaccination to eat in the main dining area so I'm not sure how that made much sense. Also, those who chose the cottage have to walk through the main dining area and most were unmasked which also didn't make much sense. We ended up choosing the cottage and were seated shortly after we placed our order. The teas were brought out first and each pot had their own individual heating implement to keep the pot at the perfect temperature. There was also a sand timer that told us when to remove the teabag (when the time ran out). The tea was very flavorful and very good. The food on the other hand, was super overpriced and honestly, not worth it. I ordered a bowl of their soup of the day, Tuscan harvest white bean soup. The bowl wasn't even a bowl and more like a saucer, mostly broth, and not much beans or vegetables. My friend ordered the winter fruit salad which was served to her on a plate that was too small. She couldn't even mix her salad and the dressing was nothing but pure oil. She ended up bringing it home and adding her own dressing. As far as service goes, they weren't very friendly at all. They never came to check on us or ask us how our food/tea was. We had to go up front to ask for a box and when they brought one, the waitress saw that the box was too small for the salad portion and only apologized and said that they didn't have any bigger boxes. Then she walked away. I had to call her back and ask her for an additional box. Automatically bringing an additional box seems like common sense, especially since they were obviously aware that the salad wouldn't fit. Overall, from the confusing directions of the seating options and the ordering process, I definitely would not return nor recommend this place. There are plenty of other tea places around with much better food and service. The only reason I have this place a 2 star instead of a 1 is due to the tea and the store. Both were great but if you are looking for a place to dine, i would look elsewhere.

Visited for a high tea experience, and would say its an ok option in the Princeton area, with a mix of positives and drawbacks. For high tea, reservations are required 48 hours in advance (which may be a bit longer than other places, but not uncommon). You must wait for the call back before you're confirmed. It's great they have options for so many dietary preferences - thank you! At our table we had both vegetarian and vegan, and the experience and quality felt very equal - just wish they had the vegan lemon curd or something to substitute. The teas we had were all excellent (Bourbon Vanilla, Cherry Rose, Lemon Mango Punch and Earl Green Cream). Great flavor, clearly high quality, and prepared with precision. It was nice we were all able to have a full cup of each tea, and they re-seeped two of them so we could have more of our favorites. The scones and accompaniments were really great - interesting flavors. The sandwiches and soup were good, but typical flavors. The desserts were unremarkable (and the macaroon did not taste fresh), other than a sorbet that I believe is from Bent Spoon, which was delicious. I found the overall portions to be smaller than other tea experiences (by about half), and therefore the price to be a bit high. I usually walk away from a high tea feeling stuffed, but this was just enough. The service was sufficient - but it felt that no one wanted our experience to be special or fun - you have to have the experience only on their terms. For example, we asked for a tea recommendation, which the server wouldn't give (she said the list on the menu were the recommendations - but there must be 20+ options on there). It also would have been helpful to get a recommended order/pairing of the teas we chose. There are a lot of rules - both for Covid precautions and to keep seatings on time. Don't take issue with either, but the "enforcement" comes across inhospitable and almost rude, which I can't imagine is the intent. For example, I arrived 15 minutes early to "sniff" the tea selection before being seated, which is recommended, but apparently needed to arrive 20 minutes early to do that. Not sure why 5 minutes makes a difference when half of our party had not arrived, but they insisted I HAD to sit and start looking at the list of teas rather than sniffing the samples, even though we were not going to order anything until the rest of the party also arrived. They wouldn't even let me browse the shop while we waited, which seemed so odd, especially as we were one of only two parties for that seating. I think we would have walked away from this experience much more positively if the service / hospitality was better, so I hope they'll improve on that, and relax the time rules when it's not that busy.

Amazing food, lovely ambience, great tea! A lovely place to sit, sip, and enjoy life. I've been back for tapas several times and hope to make it for proper tea soon.

Tipple and Rose Expecting an intimate tea room, perhaps a cozy fire, a few tables for two with upholstered chairs, and subdued lighting, I found myself in a mall-sized display room brimming with tea-themed bibelots and tchotchkes. My companion was waiting, so, noting the time on my parking meter, we made our way through the panoply of products to the counter where a sweet faced young woman welcomed us with a warm smile. Yes, we were here for tea and lunch. We were invited to choose from a variety of seating in 4 areas... right up front amid the displays, in the dusky middle room where a dozen tables wore bright white cloths, further back in a sunny logia with blood red banquettes, or the "cottage", another space in Tipple's expanding landscape. We opted for a table by the window in the loggia, somewhat private/cozy, and my friend went back to tell Warm Smile where we were. I was taking off my jacket when he came back to say I must return to the mall to order my tea. Introduced to the byzantine business of choosing our brew, we were handed a dog-eared 5 page paper menu which barely made sense when Warm Smile walked us through the letter and number codes referring to the sample tea tins on the counter; at least 75 of them. Once we found an appealing description of tea on the single-spaced typed menu, we were invited to match the color-coded letters and numbers to one of the small tins on the counter display. Encouraged to sniff the tea before choosing, I demurred, preferring not to stick my nose where others had already sniffed. I chose a Chai at random and was told to write its number on the tiny Post-it notepad on the counter. I was really ready for a cup of tea (or something stronger) after this convoluted process, so we were thankful to take our seats in the sunny window, facing Moore St. I was happy to give up the padded banquette to my companion (hip issues), but disappointed that the seat facing is was a hard, cold, metal chair without a trace of comfort. Why this harsh dichotomy of style and substance? Turns out, that's the central dilemma of Tipple and Rose: The teapots arrived first, on individual trays, with cups, warming salvers, and an adorable hourglass to remind us when we could pour our tea. Of course, we were well into our conversation, so didn't notice that our time had 'run out' ; but we poured our tea, then hunted around the room for accoutrements. None were offered, such as lemon, cream, sugar .... 'Nuttin' honey!". But there was a bowl of Sugar in the Raw packets close by, so we sweetened and drank. The tea was fine and we enjoyed our choices from the multi-paged sandwich, scone, & soup menu: good bread, tiny side salad... it was the high point of our visit. While we ate, a handful of diners arrived, but the main room remained empty, as did the "cottage". So when a waitress arrived with our bill (which we had not summoned) we both felt a little bum's-rushed. Fortunately, we were having a lovely overdue chat, so were more amused than offended. But still, feeling stressed in a tea room is not what one expects, Dear Reader. We were instructed to take our tab up front for payment, like a diner instead of a downtown Princeton restaurant where we had just spent over $50 for two sandwiches and tea. My friend offered his credit card, and was guided through the process of tapping... no, sliding... no, inserting it in the machine. He waited to finish and sign, but the transaction was over. "I wanted to add in a tip". He said. Oh, not to worry, an 18% gratuity is automatically added. How convenient.

If you like tea this is the place for you! I love afternoon tea with the ladies and they have a big selection to choose and sniff from. I really like how they gave the tea with a flame underneath to keep it warm the whole time. The process of creating the tea was pretty cool cause they gave a timer to make sure the tea was steeped for the correct amount of time. There are several places to sit at this tea shop. The cottage allows for laptops to be used while the room before the cottage is for only people who can provide proof of vaccination (kind of weird since no one cares that much anymore). The scone was soft and tasty as was the macaroon.

Believe the reviews about the poor attitude from the owner. Tried to get a reservation for afternoon tea about a week ahead of time. Didn't hear back, so I called a couple days later to confirm, as they require a deposit ahead of time and I knew I would be at work the next few days and likely not able to take her call. The owner didn't have time to take a deposit at that time, but she DID have time to scold me for calling when she was so busy (spending literally 5 minutes telling me how busy she was...which seemed idiotic because it would have taken about the same amount of time to actually take the deposit). Predictably, she did call later for a deposit when I was at work and unable to take her call. I called back and left a message with a time period when I WOULD be available for her to call, and didn't hear from her (but I really didn't expect to). No loss; we were rather put off from being scolded for wanting to give her our business and made back up plans to go elsewhere.

The tea, sandwich, scone, macaroon were amazing!! The only thing lacking is the ambiance - it was very eery, no one checked in on us, you had to order prior to being seated, no music, in a weird back room even though there was a beautiful tea room. It's unfortunate since the product is very good. Maybe it was like this bc it was 4 PM on a Wednesday? I'll have to go back on the weekend.

I was invited to High Tea with my daughter and her new in-laws. It was a ladies day out before Christmas. What a great day it was! Such a quaint place, historical pictures, antique tea kettles, the front of the store are great gift ideas with the tea theme, blankets, many teas, mugs, Christmas ornaments, scones to go, books. It was decorated very tastefully and felt welcoming and cozy. Our package included a choice of four teas we chose from a large selection, after sniffing them to decide which we wanted to try. The water on the table had a blueberry and raspberry in it. These little touches make things special. They started is w a delicious vegetable soup. Nice mild, light flavors. You get finger sandwiches and a variety of scones with your tea. It came w certain topping for the scones and some brown sugar chunks for the tea. There are macaroons also. Afterwards you receive a non alcoholic champagne and some delicious sorbet. The service was wonderful, polite, helpful and watching if we needed refills. The employees we dealt with were top notch and very nice. We want this to be a holiday tradition! But now that I think about it, going here makes an ordinary day special, too! (There are parking meters on the street so bring coins or a credit card- or get the app on your phone to pay. )

Though concerned by the reviews, we took our college student daughter and friends to this tea shop. We had a wonderful experience! And we encourage folks to try this exceptional place. We showed up in mid afternoon, when the kitchen was closed (so the menu was more limited), and without a reservation. But we were warmly welcomed and encouraged to peruse the tea menu and select our tea before sitting down. I am very familiar with many types of teas, and can honestly say this is one of the finest selections of tea I have seen on the east coast! For example, I enjoy green tea from Japan, but it is hard to find the really fine Japanese teas in the US, let alone served in a lovely tea room. Not only did they have Japanese green teas, they offered gyokuro, which is a wonderfully delicate and flavorful tea grown in the shade. I was so surprised and pleased! Each of us chose a different tea-- oolong, green, Assam, etc., and we liked each of them very much. The tea was impeccably served with perfectly hot water and with generous amounts of full leaf teas in removable tea envelopes in the pot. Each pot also had a warming burner. We also ordered scones, and they were beautifully presented and flavorful. I have a hard time understanding where the negative reviews are coming from-- yes, it is a little odd that they ask you to write down the number corresponding to the tea you have chosen. But there are so many options, and some of the names are quite complicated that I can understand using the number makes sure you are getting the tea you want. The owner's spouse spoke to us as we were leaving, discussed some tea varieties with us, and thanked us for coming. We also purchased some tea accessories from the shop as we were leaving. Overall a thoroughly agreeable experience, as both generations of our family will attest! I will be back the next time I am in Princeton!

Food was just okay. Clotted cream was an up charge with the scone. Service was unacceptable. Rude treatment from the hostess when I said the stairs were difficult for me. She insisted I sit in the back cottage or she couldn't accommodate me. Owners response to me was appalling when I asked her a question. Ambiance is dingy and cold.

SHOULD NOT EVEN CALL THEMSELVES A BUSINESS. They are a scam, they are unprofessional, they are ignorant, and no amount of words can describe how terrible this place is. RECEIVED THE WRONG FOOD and tried calling to get my money back but they refuse to answer the phone and then THREATEN ME that it is "harassment". Then then go to my coworker and answer her instead of calling me back. When I called through a different number they decide to answer and the rude women begins to yell at me, did not let me even speak, and hangs up the phone on me. I never even got to speak to them in the first place. NEVER EVER GO HERE. you will pay way over priced food for something that is stale and disgusting and will never see your money because they refuse to answer their phone or email you back.

The pots of tea! The scones! The inventive and satisfying dishes! There are many reasons I keep going back!

Let me begin with the positives........scones, soup and teas were very good. That said, be mindful that they are still asking for proof of vaccinations for Covid to sit in their dining room. They were out of certain scones and quiches listed on their menu at noon, although it said no reservations were needed for afternoon tea. The bathroom was not clean. The " cottage" area where you have to sit if unvaccinated, is spare and spartan. There are far better spots for tea.

Service was not very inviting, rather it was very pretentious. Scone limit does not make sense. Told the "owner" that i am feeding 6 people, but she stated there is a 2 scone limit. She also stated she did not want to sell to us because she did not want to sell out before the end of the day, which i find incredibly weird. She ended up caving a little and selling us 4. Scones themselves were fairly average and underwhelming, especially for the price. Nothing that warrants a limit; people are not busting down the doors for these The other products, of which you could find online or other places for a fraction of the cost, are also overpriced More of an FYI: no one was in there for this Sunday brunch/tea. This is a tea room that specializes in that TLDR: overpriced, average tasting pasteries surrounded by other equally average and overpriced products, sold by pretentiously ambitious seller/owner

Confusing website and they do not allow for swapping of sandwiches if you don't like salmon ow well too bad! They want proof of vaccination for what measles? mumps? Covid? I know it is COVID I'm being a smart ass Hello pandemic is over, welcome to 2023 I called to ask a few questions and the snobby lady said she had no time to speak with folks over the phone go on the website. what about older people who don't go on line? Its a hard pass for me

A terrible experience and a terrible taste. First, there are signs/ notices inside and outside telling customers what (not) to do. If the owners do not trust people (nor really like them) why run a business that requires you to interact with people? Second, there were no other customers in the store except us and I felt that we were being watched by staff as we browsed the home goods/ bath and body section. After a few minutes, a person from behind the counter yelled at us from across the store that a gift box that my son was holding could break. It felt unprofessional to yell across a store but it also confirmed that we were being watched. Perhaps the owner should add another sign notifying parents that their children aren't welcome to walk through the shop or hold onto something their parents are intending to purchase. I put it back and decided not to purchase it. We should have known better but we decided to purchase a scone to-go because my son asked for it. Once we got back into our car, I took a small bite of the scone and it tasted like the smell of industrial cleaning supplies to me. I asked my husband to try it and he spat out the small piece I offered him- it was practically inedible. The behavior of the owner and staff + food that was inedible makes this place a no-go for me.

This review is for the dining room. Pay attention to the low reviews here on Yelp -- they are accurate. I ended up feeling sorry for the staff, who are caught between potential customers and the weird OCD management vibe. This place is an oxymoron of a "tea room" that will give you stress. No thanks.

I don't understand the bad reviews. Perhaps folx want the owner to tap dance for them. I had afternoon tea with a friend here, and it was just divine. I had the early grey chocolate tea, which was so smooth. I don't recall what tea my friend had, but he enjoyed his as well. They provided little hourglasses to let you know when your tea was finished steeping, which was cute and functional. We both had blueberry scones with clotted cream and jam. The scone was absolutely delicious! They clearly pay attention to detail and quality. It's great to support a business in Princeton where the food is actually good--too many establishments in Princeton ride off of the fact that they basically have a captive audience. In short, it was not just tea and scones---it was an experience.

Came here with my mom and the food and tea was excellent! Definitely a hidden gem. We faced none of the scheduling issues or stringent timing requirements mentioned by some other people on here (maybe they were an early COVID thing?) and were able to order and eat anything on the daily menu at our leisure and without an "advance" request. Would highly recommend trying out the sandwiches and the desserts. We took a few for the road. I will say one thing: some of the servers are prone to nerding out about tea. . .sometimes it can come off a smidge condescending but it didn't detract much from the experience for us personally. Some recommendations: don't pick a fruit tea with kiwi or lime if you're looking for a "sweeter" tea, definitely try the floral oolongs, and order a mousse dome!

Upon first entering Tipple and Rose, it appears to be a beautiful cafe-esque location with a festive storefront filled with tea products and assorted cute items (all of which were expensive). We were guided to a shelf containing an extensive tea collection that we were allowed to smell in order to help us decide what pot of tea to order. I admit all the options were a bit overwhelming and everything ended up smelling similar, so I just stuck with getting chai. We were given the option of sitting in the cottage, the front, or the parlor, of which we chose to sit back in the cottage. Trays of our tea, scones, and macarons were brought out to us and we were told to wait 5 minutes (counted down by an hourglass timer included on the tray) to let the tea steep. I felt that my scone was a bit dry and not as flaky as I would have liked. However, the macaron was delicious and I genuinely enjoyed it. Personally, due to the overpriced nature of the meal, I likely will not be returning, but I appreciated the experience of the tea shop!

I've never written a review before, but I strongly think this place deserves less than one star because of the manager (or person in the front of the establishment). She needs to chill. When we told her we didn't understand the ordering of tea process and thought it was complicated, she jumped down our throats with, "It's not complicated! It's simple!!" Yet she failed to tell us that we needed to know the number of the tea we ordered and it was a bit confusing when #66 was delivered to our table, etc. She was rude and abrupt with us and made us all feel it was an imposition to her that we showed up. I think the food was delicious, but cannot in good conscience recommend this tea room to anyone.

My mom and I recently spent some time in Princeton and wanted to do something fun and different so we decided to try Tipple & Rose. I was a bit skeptical because some of the reviews weren't great but we went anyway.We told the staff that we were looking to have afternoon tea and a few bites to eat. They immediately told us that if we dined in the main room, we'd need to provide proof of vaccination. A little out there -- but ok. We came prepared and showed the girl our cards and she look surprised that we actually had them. She gave us the tea menu and we sniffed a few samples. Then, we were brought to the back room. We had the entire room to ourselves. The ambiance was a bit dark. I agree with a lot of the reviews that say the place is somewhat unwelcoming. We started with a pot of tea and the "warm brie and baguette" which was stale but overall, fine. Next, my mom had the caprese sandwich and I had a spinach, tomato, and mozzarella quiche. Both were served with some greens and a light balsamic vinegar with oil. We also ordered a honey apple scone with raspberry jam. I have to say that our main meals were very delicious. I'm giving three stars for the overall experience but the main dishes were tasty. Would I return again? Maybe, if a friend wanted to do afternoon tea but I probably wouldn't go back on my own. We didn't get to do a lot of activities on our trip to Princeton, so this was kind of fun for what it was.

The blueberry maple sugar scone is sweet, big, good amount of blueberries. No prices given, which I dislike. Place is spacious but cluttered with bath & tea products, fragile, decorative knickknacks, not very inviting.

Shout out to vegans looking for a full afternoon tea experience, the Tipple + Rose Tea Parlor and Apothecary in downtown Princeton was gourmet-delicious First, you get to choose your own tea from over 30 varietals at the"tea bar" (one whole pot per person). Then you sit in a beautiful dining area and are served 3 seperate courses from a full, completely, vegan menu. The first course is a soup. Then a tiered tray of savories: bbq jackfruit, cucumber with vegan cheese spread, and tofu "egg" finger sandwiches, scones and macaroons. Then you finish with a sparkling digestiv and sorbet. The tea is even served with vegan sugar and homemade vegan clotted cream that made the scones literally among the BEST I've ever tasted. Everything was delicious and the owners were so kind and cordial. They went out of their way to introduce themselves to us and talk about all of the amazing vegan treats they'd like to start offering when they get more demand (like lemon curd). Basically, I can't wait to come back and I'm counting down the days until I can have those delicious scones again.

My wife and I went to Tipple and Rose for a Saturday Afternoon Vegan Tea Service and it was an absolute delight. After checking in the hostess explained the process of choosing our teas We chose our tea and proceeded to browse through the store as we waited for our tea time. The store has an array of "goodies" from teas to body products. The vegan tea service was wonderful.Our hostess explain everything on our tray. The food was delicious starting with the soup course and ending with the sorbet and a spangling beverage. The entire experience was very enjoyable and relaxing I would highly recommend this venue fora relaxing and rewarding experience

I just visited Tipple and Rose for lunch with friends, and I must say, I've never had such inept service. We were asked if we had a reservation and since we didn't, we were asked to wait 20 minutes for a table. The dining room had many empty tables; they could have let us at least sit down while we waited for service. Also, we had to show proof of vaccination in order to enter the room, while being told that another room behind that one required no proof. Ridiculous! My friends each ordered soup and a scone; I was having a quiche. One scone appeared but we were told the other one would take longer. At this point we had no silverware or napkins on the table and after my quiche arrived, I had to ask twice for a fork and knife. The quiche was overcooked on top, though it had good flavor. When we got the bill, we were charged for three scones, sent it back for correction and when it came back, it still said three scones! On the third try they got it right. This entire ordeal took an hour and 45 minutes. There's no way I could ever recommend this place.

DO NOT COME HERE, IT IS A RIP OFF. They only mention a 50% non-refundable deposit for the afternoon tea but do not have a cancellation policy on their website. I had to cancel for an emergency and gave over 48 hr notice. They told me they "already made the food" and cant take my meal off the bill. Which if they make these meals that far in advanced thats disgusting and not fresh food. I was forced to not only pay for the whole meal but they automatically add tip when I wasn't served. AND to top it off they gave me the WRONG MEAL when they packaged it up in a box. So I had to pay over $70 for stale, gross finger sandwiches that I couldn't even eat because it was not vegan. I highly recommend NEVER coming here. You will over pay for terrible service and disgusting old food.

very unwelcoming owner . the place is beautiful so many beautiful items and very elegant but the vibes are negative they don't like to answer any questions about their tea selections . the owner barely smile or say hello . I wanted some scones but she won't let buy more than two . so I bought two and I sat down outside on their table but they asked me not to sit there even though all outside tables were empty .yes the scones are tasty but I don't think I'll go there again .customer service is important .this place won't last unless the owner changes her attitude I keep hearing complaints