Tucked off of Rangeline Road in downtown Carmel, in an unassuming white house, is a delightful treasure in the form of an old-fashioned, English-inspired tea room: Tina’s Traditional Old English Tea Room and Tavern.
The afternoon that I visited with my two young sidekicks, the tea room was bustling. In one corner sat a trio of well-dressed middle-aged women engaged in serious discussion over their Earl Grey. Close to the door sat an older woman with her granddaughter, taking selfies and giggling over their scones. Towards the back was a rowdy group of women who had taken the waitress up on her offer of party hats. The hats were a delicious compliment to their tiers of delicate plates offering a smorgasbord of tea-time treats.
Our waitress graciously sat us next to a small play-space tucked in between a shopping area and the tea room. She then introduced us to the box of party hats. My sidekicks eagerly donned several hats before choosing their favorites.
When our waitress returned, she guided us in choosing a pineapple-flavored tea and a black tea. She showed us how to use our tea timer to steep our tea to the perfect cup. We decided to split the “Little Prince & Princess High Tea,” which included finger sandwiches, a fruit cup and seasonal pastries. My little prince was still feeling hungry, so I ended up ordering extra finger sandwiches.
At the end of the tea, we all left feeling quite full, very happy and just a bit fancier than before.
Normally, Tina’s is open Monday-Sunday 10 am-4 pm. In addition to tea service and lunch, Tina’s offers party packages and specially themed events, like a Frozen Tea Party with Elsa. Currently, Tina’s is open for sit-down service by reservation only and for pickup. See their to-go menu here!
30 N. Rangeline Rd., Carmel | tinastraditional.com
