This is such an enchanting place. The raised platform seating is super comfortable, relaxing, and altogether makes you feel right at home. The warm atmosphere, part from the nice decor and the friendly staff, makes me wish I lived a heck of a lot closer to Madison.
The teas are also top of the line, with the Mo Li Hua Cha being my favorite I tried (I was in Madison this weekend and I came here thrice in three days.) The teaware is also super nice and the loose tea that’s available will be a prize in my cupboard for as long as it holds out (probably not long.)
Definitely my favorite tea place I’ve been to so far.
This is definitely a hipster kid hangout, with lots of tweens and teens training themselves for long nights at a bar later in life, but the miracle of headphones makes it fairly easy to tolerate. Getting homework/lifework done here is pretty difficult, though, as there are always tons of people milling about.
The teas are pretty decent though. It is a bit disconcerting to see that they are kept in glass jars and really don’t seem to get too much use (so probably kind of old to boot), but I’ve had a lovely pot of gyokuro for super cheap.
I really hate bubble tea and I am not a smoothie person, yet I still enjoy tea garden. They have a fun atmosphere if you’re in the right mood and the couches/futons offer a sort of college-dorm-away-from-home feel that can be nice for an old lady like me.
A lovely place to visit if you’re at MOA on a winter weekday, but forget it on a summer weekend. Teavana gets super busy and though they have great teas, they can be pretty pushy/sales driven.
The selection and quality is pretty awesome, with their now-famous Wall of Tea. They also have great a selection of tetsubin and teaware.
It can be quite a feat to come out of here with exactly what you came for, no more, but it’s a great tea-lovers treat.
I’d rather hit the Tea Garden for a drink though.
I just can’t get enough of Lady Elegant’s. If you have ever watched any British show in your life, you need to at least experience a true British High Tea at least once…. or if you’re like me, at least once every couple of months.
Lady Elegant’s lives up to its name and has elegant teaware, gorgeous loose leaf teas, and a wonderful little gift shop to take some of the elegance home. They also have amazing menus for Parlor teas, changing to suit the spirit of the season every month. They go all out once a month for their cute theme teas, which fill up fast and require advanced reservations, but are so worth it (my favorite so far has been a chocolate-themed tea that had absolutely superb food and glorious tea selections.)
Definitely a must-try in the Twin Cities.
