Where: Athens, Georgia Style: Modern cafe in 1920s home Tea Selection: 18 loose leaf teas Teatimes: Monday to Thursday, 8 to 6; Friday to Sunday 2 to 6 Reservations: Reservations required Contact: 706-215-9240 Cost: $30 Royal Tea; $25 High Tea; $20 Low Tea; $20 Afternoon Tea at Your Place; $12 Children’s Tea; $10 Cream Tea Destination Tea Tip: You squeeze down the cafe’s driveway to a small parking lot at back, so you may need to find alternate parking. From Atlanta, this cafe is roughly a one-hour drive, and certainly worth the day trip.
Destination Tea Notes: In the midst of a pandemic, Luke Martineac did something bold: he opened The Café on Lumpkin. And a good thing he did. Spying the beautiful front patio and walk-up order window, we can guess that the cafe was a very welcome addition when it opened in May 2020 in the Five Points area, right around the corner from UGA’s campus. Be prepared to expand your notion of the typical afternoon tea customer. Here we see 3-tiered trays served to college kids with laptops and hoodies, parents treating their student to a good meal, and girlfriends of my generation and older…or perhaps some of them are professors? While the teahouse’s crisp and bright interior feels youthful, only the most experienced afternoon tea hosts make their scones the way they do here (read on, you’ll see). Happily, you have the option of ordering this authentic afternoon tea to-go. Come to the cafe for a varied and high quality tea selection, friendly service and a delicious afternoon tea menu at a very reasonable price. We recommend it!
You choose your individual pots of tea at the walk-up window, and may order extra pots at your table for additional charge.
Appreciating the soft and bright whites, the painted beam ceiling, the floral painting
Laptops at afternoon tea! Kids today. Traditionalists may cringe at this combo, but we are happy to see younger generations becoming interested in afternoon tea. It would be cool for The Café on Lumpkin to hold an “Intro to Afternoon Tea Etiquette” event.
Cool light fixture and window bench seat. Golden wooden tables echo the polished flooring.
Naveed Asgari (pictured right) and his friend are new to afternoon tea, but, they say, as Iranians, they are not new to tea drinking. They remind me that Iran is one of the top 10 tea producers in the world, and their families drink Persian tea all throughout the day. I was so grateful they agreed to be photographed – love this pic!
Tea Service
We sample the Five Points Fog, Milky Oolong, Celebration and Berry teas. That’s hardly making a dent in exploring the tempting teas on offer here.
Our royal teas start with a bit of bubbly – delicious!
We like that teas are steeped and decanted in the kitchen.
The milk is still in the cow! Glossy white ceramic teaware suits the cafe’s vibe.
Scones & Spreads, Savories and Sweets
When the 3-tiered trays are delivered, the courses are properly detailed by the server (during our visit, it may actually have been owner Luke). Tea sandwiches on soft white bread include House Chicken Salad, Apple Provolone and Honey, Cucumber with Cream Cheese and Basil, and Lox and Cream Cheese. The addition of basil on the cucumber sandwich is genius and as an Italian-American, I cannot believe I haven’t already tried that combination at home.
As the masters do, The Café on Lumpkin makes their own clotted cream and then bakes the remaining milk into their scones. They also make their own lemon curd (fabulously zesty) and preserves.
The housemade desserts include a moist Red Velvet Cake, Lemon Shortbread Cookies, Rosewater French Meringues (wow), and Orange Lavender Macarons. Side note – aren’t these blue and white floral plates pretty?
Love that the cafe sells these postcards picturing the 3-tiered tray and order of enjoying it. I may have bought a dozen or so.
Part of the 2003 public art exhibit, “We Let the Dawgs Out,” this is one of 36 bulldogs (UGA’s beloved mascot) painted and installed throughout Athens. “Archie,” painted by members of the UGA Arch Society, stands outside the Georgia Federal Credit Union next door to The Café on Lumpkin, so you don’t forget you are in Dawg Country.
We enjoyed lunch, afternoon tea and breakfast at the Cafe’ at Lumpkin while visiting the owners Luke and Rachael and their new daughter Kate. The food was fresh and well prepared. The afternoon tea was a surprise and an indulgence that everyone should experience. Our recommendation is the Cafe’ at Lumpkin is a must stop and visit when in Athens.
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We enjoyed lunch, afternoon tea and breakfast at the Cafe’ at Lumpkin while visiting the owners Luke and Rachael and their new daughter Kate. The food was fresh and well prepared. The afternoon tea was a surprise and an indulgence that everyone should experience. Our recommendation is the Cafe’ at Lumpkin is a must stop and visit when in Athens.