Where: Duluth, Georgia Style: Modern luxury Tea Selection: 8 loose leaf teas and 1 pu-erh cake by J’enway Tea Co. Teatimes: Friday to Saturday, 12 to 2:30 Reservations: Required Contact:Reserve here, 770-709-6322 Cost: $115 Overstory Prestige; $75 Cloudline Experience; $65 Skyline Soirée Destination Tea Tips: Valet parking is discounted for guests. There is also a parking deck next to the hotel. You will enter the lobby, and find the elevators to the rooftop to your right.
Destination Tea Notes: Only a few Westins throughout the country offer afternoon tea, so when The Westin Atlanta Gwinnett launched an afternoon tea service in September, we were eager to see what it would be like. What we discovered was an al fresco afternoon tea in a relaxing, modern setting with blue sky views for miles. Our server Adriana was a delight, leaving us plenty of time to chat and luxuriate over our afternoon tea. Executive Chef Mariela Biggio graciously came to the table to introduce herself and solicit feedback. Upon hearing that Mariela was previously at Château Élan Winery & Resort, we smiled to learn that their former employees have brought the afternoon tea tradition to this hotel as well as to Lanier Islands. Originally from Buenos Aires, Mariela draws inspiration from her Italian and Spanish roots, crafting delicious flavor combinations for the savory course. We visited within the first month of this new afternoon tea service, and will definitely return to see how this experience evolves over time.
Deep greens and smooth curves anchor the brightly lit space.
Walk through the restaurant to the open-air deck to find your tea table.
A combination of shaded and sunny tables invite afternoon tea guests to lounge around the rooftop pools.
Tea Selection
We sip on bubbly while exploring our tea options.
We appreciate being able to see and smell each tea blend in these beehive glass jars our kind server Adriana passes around.
While we appreciate the descriptive write-ups for each tea, we know that every tea type does not have an “endless” steep time. We also wonder how the pu-erh cake is steeped, because these usually require multiple infusions to release the leaves’ full flavor.
Adriana prepares our teas at the table, using hot water carafes (whereas different teas usually steep best at different temperatures). Although tea leaves are left inside infuser baskets during the course of the afternoon tea, the pear-shaped teapots prevent oversteeping, as the water level dips below the infuser basket after the first pour.
Scones & Spreads, Savories and Sweets
Real clotted cream and jam are served with fresh-baked blueberry scones.
Not a true scone crumb, their crisp exterior gives way to a cake-like crumb inside.
Each guest’s afternoon tea is plated on individual birdcage tiered trays.
Overall, we appreciated the tea sandwich flavor combinations and fresh ingredients, even if some of the sandwiches were a bit unwieldy. For example, we loved the Spanish Indulgence (jamon Serrano, blue cheese spread, drunken fig on multigrain), but found that the entire ham piece on top would awkwardly pull away with one bite. The double decker Garden Classic with cucumbers and tomatoes also made for a big bite. Tarragon chicken salad croissant, smoked salmon with caviar and citrus herbed cream cheese, and Southern egg salad were all tasty, although some of the breads had begun to dry out.
Dessert included two macarons, mini eclair, and housemade chocolate-dipped madeleine and large petit four.
Thank you for the kind words, Janice. Only a return visit will tell whether they implemented any of our feedback. We did speak with chef Mariela, who graciously invited our comments.
Thanks! Just found this site. I moved to the Atlanta area recently and was looking for a nice tea spot for my birthday. Any recommendations for your favorite in the area?
Hi Hadley, glad you found Destination Tea, and welcome to the ATL. You can see all our reviews here: https://www.destinationtea.com/atlanta. Some of our recent favorites inside the perimeter include Gula on Buford Highway and Peckish in Kirkwood. If you don’t mind traveling a bit, we also recommend The Emerald Chandelier in Griffin, Magnolia Tea Room in McDonough and Sweety’s in Canton, just to name a few. Each afternoon tea is unique and has something different to recommend it. Of the high-end teas, we’d go with The St. Regis.
We love comments! Destination Tea's comment policy shares a guiding principle with afternoon tea etiquette: please be gracious. We welcome honest comments that are not rude or scathing.
Thank you! Great review as usual.
Will the Westin venue obtain your review to help them improve?
You gave excellent suggestions.
Thank you for the kind words, Janice. Only a return visit will tell whether they implemented any of our feedback. We did speak with chef Mariela, who graciously invited our comments.
Thanks! Just found this site. I moved to the Atlanta area recently and was looking for a nice tea spot for my birthday. Any recommendations for your favorite in the area?
Hi Hadley, glad you found Destination Tea, and welcome to the ATL. You can see all our reviews here: https://www.destinationtea.com/atlanta. Some of our recent favorites inside the perimeter include Gula on Buford Highway and Peckish in Kirkwood. If you don’t mind traveling a bit, we also recommend The Emerald Chandelier in Griffin, Magnolia Tea Room in McDonough and Sweety’s in Canton, just to name a few. Each afternoon tea is unique and has something different to recommend it. Of the high-end teas, we’d go with The St. Regis.