Let your cup runneth over in celebration of Saturday, December 16’s 250th anniversary of the Boston Tea Party—a splashy event in which colonists tossed 340 crates of tea into Boston Harbor to protest British duties on tea.
Across the North Shore, you’ll find several cozy tea spots offering brisk brews, savory sandwiches, and sweets—all perfect for sharing with friends, a niece, a grandchild, or another special person in your life. With the holidays upon us, it’s a heartwarming way to spend quality time with those you love.
Ladyfinger’s Tea Lounge
This candy-pink tea salon inside Newburyport’s Garrison Inn feels right out of The Gilded Age, with its plush velvet seating, gold-frame portraits and rich marble flooring. Reserve a table for a fancy Afternoon Tea ($100), offered on select Saturdays and Sundays at noon. The feast includes a flute of champagne or other bubbly from the Champagne bar; hot tea, ranging from English Breakfast to Chocolate Chai Supreme; finger sandwiches; and sweet treats like lemon poppy tea bread, raspberry scones, chocolate mousse tartlet and more. There is a four-ticket limit per person and reservations go fast.
11 Brown Square, Newburyport, 978-499-8500, garrisoninn.com/ladyfingers
Green Apple Café
Schedule your own private tea party for up to eight guests any Wednesday-Saturday from either 12–1 p.m. or 1-2 p.m. (call 48 hours in advance). In addition to bracing brews served in vintage teacups, the full spread ($36.95) includes tea sandwiches, seasonal quick breads, cookies, pastries, madeleines, and scones with jam, courtesy of owner-chef- Cindy Lorentz Robinson, who trained at New York’s French Culinary Institute. The café offers kids’ afternoon tea ($24.95), which for December highlights the Disney film Frozen and includes arts and crafts, hot chocolate, cookies, sandwiches, and other goodies.
57 Water St., North Andover, 978-965-5102, thegreenapplecafe.com/afternoon-tea.html
Jolie Tea Company
This festive tea salon, with a second branch opening on 192 Cabot Street in Beverly in January 2024, offers tea parties for all ages with menus ranging from no gluten to dairy-free. The High Tea menu ($36) served in the main salon kicks off with a festive coupe of iced herb tea, followed by your choice of 50-plus hot tea options. Next, come dainty finger foods, including smoked salmon on a gougère, a tiny baguette with ham and Brie, French macarons, an orange-infused madeleine, and the tearoom’s signature lemon scone.
Larger parties (up to six) can enjoy the same menu in the private Salon Room ($50 room reservation fee), while kids can enjoy a special Children’s High Tea ($28) offered every Friday at 1 p.m. or 3 p.m. The junior menu includes hot or iced tea, finger sandwiches, a macaron, and lemon scone.
316 Derby St., Salem, 978-745-5654, istheteainyou.com
Abigail’s Tea Room at the Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum
For history buffs and tea lovers, it’s worth the drive to this quaint waterfront tea lounge in the Boston floating museum, overseen by Swampscott resident, executive director Shawn Ford. From 9:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m., you can try all five of the tea blends—dispensed from shiny copper kettles—that the Colonists tossed overboard during the Boston Tea Party ($3.99 plus tax, since there is representation). Alternatively, you can order the Tea Platter ($16.50 plus tax and only available until 4 p.m.), which includes a pot of Abigail’s Blend (named after Abigail Adams) along with your choice of two scones—cinnamon, blueberry, cranberry-orange, chocolate chip, and cheddar-chive—served with Devonshire cream and raspberry jam.
306 Congress St., Boston, 866-955-0667, bostonteapartyship.com/tea-room