Update: Lily and Rose Tearoom closed their brick-and-mortar location in February 2024, and now caters tea parties.
Where: Sunny Isles Beach, Florida Style: Whimsical cafe Tea Selection: 14+ loose leaf teas by Mariage Frères Teatimes: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday 10 to 6; Saturday to Sunday 12 to 6:30 Reservations: Walk-ins welcome, reservations encouraged Contact: 305-922-8209 Cost: $30+ (3-tiered cage, à la carte teas and desserts) Destination Tea Tip: Follow Lily and Rose on social media to find out about their workshops and classes, like painting and calligraphy.
Destination Tea Notes: To properly set your expectations, we must first state: this is not your British grandmother’s tearoom. Rather Lily & Rose Tearoom swirls several other European cultures into a teatime experience that is both delicious and eye-catching. The dream of Parisian owner Sophie Kagan, Lily & Rose has a Ukrainian and a Russian chef in the kitchen, small-batch gelato made by an Italian, and beautiful dishes, teacups and teapots designed by Pip Studio in Amsterdam. You won’t find scones on the three-tiered golden cage, but all the food here is freshly prepared and a treat to explore. While the tiered tray, which serves two, is plenty filling, you may have a hard time resisting the temptation to taste one or two other confections from the dessert counter. Flowers and flamingos recall Alice’s Wonderland, only perhaps the Florida version, in Miami Vice pinks and blues. A friendly hostess, Sophie helps us choose yummy teas by Mariage Frères, for whom she is honored to be a retailer, after decades of frequenting their Paris shops herself. Sophie wants to make a casual teatime feel like a special treat, as well as to welcome the fancified tea partiers, and her tearoom’s style and charm make it a fitting backdrop for both.
So cute! A pink bicycle, dangling flower vines and peacock back chairs decorate a shaded patio teatime.
Faux marble tabletops provide the perfect backdrop for Lily & Rose’s colorful teaware.
Because we reserved, Sophie has set our table with flora and fauna patterned dishes by Pip Studio. We immediately appreciate that tea bag caddies are set out, ready to neatly collect tea bags when steeping is done.
Tea Service
Loving the bold marriage of primary and pastel colors in these patterns
Nothing shy about these designs, a blend of small and large patterns
We each order a different tea and share, appreciating the detailed descriptions of each tea in the menu.
Lid handles are miniature roses.
Blue and gold feels regal, possibly my favorite teapot here…
…but how can one be expected to choose a favorite with all these fun designs? See the flamingo teapot at right? Teapot crush!
Sweets and Savories
The “L&R Cage for Two” includes scrumptious tomato mozzarella bites, avocado toasts with smoked salmon and capers, cups of cilantro lime shrimp, dulce de leche heart cookies, Nutella waffle with strawberries, and chocolate pistachio baklavas (so good!)
Before settling into our meal, we visit the dessert counter to make sure we are not missing out on any amazing pastries. We order way too many, but please understand, it is our job to taste everything. 😉 Choices include a variety of baklava, macarons, fun-shaped assorted fruit-flavored mousse (bottom left), red velvet cake, honey cake and hazelnut cake, all made in house.
Sophie prepares our second round of tea with our add-on desserts. Pictured here is the tea timer Sophie provides with each pot of tea, to make sure you properly time your steeping based on tea variety.
Are these desserts designed to match the cake plates? Yummy key lime pie
A slice of traditional Russian layered honey cake (medovik). with layers of caramelized honey and sour cream, is lightly sweet
The “mousse” is the standout, this one passionfruit flavored, with chocolate crust and a jammy center. The pastry chef creates these in a changing range of flavors, colors and shapes throughout the year.
Sadly, we did not leave room for another round of dessert, because Sophie gives us a taste test of the gelato, made by a local Italian gelatiere. The pistachio tastes like the real thing.
Lily and Rose Tearoom cookies
Sophie wisely provides this Instagram-ready flower wall for portraits
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.
I want a fun tea room like that near me. But sadly, San Antonio Texas isn’t big on tea rooms.
Barbara, thank you for your comment. Have you been to The Bread Box?