Where: Monroe, Georgia Style: Sweet cottage Tea Selection: 18+ loose leaf teas Teatimes: Thursday to Friday, 10 to 2; Saturday, 10 to 4 Reservations: Reservations required Contact:Reserve here or 470-965-9015 Cost: $38.50 Traditional Afternoon Tea;$26 Prince or Princess Tea (ages 5 to 10) Destination Tea Tips: Look for parking in the lot behind the cottage, or municipal lots nearby. Walk-ins are also welcome to pop in for à la carte sandwiches, salads, tea and pastries. Because this is a small tearoom, we recommend reserving your date well in advance.
Destination Tea Notes: One of our reviewers put it best, “God bless Mom, she knows how to cook.” That pretty much lets you know what to expect when you visit Tea-Time at the Cottage in historic downtown Monroe. Opened in 2023, Vicki Grafe’s tearoom is a family business. Her husband first undertook a major renovation of the building from a former pet grooming business to a sweet cottage tearoom; and is now chief dishwasher. Her twin sons handle table service with the perfect mix of affable care and relaxed graciousness (and kindly play along as you try and sort which is Jace and which is Jack). Her daughter who worked their Saturday teas in the tearoom’s early days, still lends a hand from time to time. Vicki tells us that she had the idea to open a tearoom after years of cooking for church functions, “I do this to bless people. It’s a ministry.” For her charming tearoom that seats about twenty, Vicki prepares creative afternoon tea menus from scratch, and we do indeed feel blessed: her food is delicious. Teas are properly steeped and decanted before coming to the table, which, we note is becoming something of a rarity at many of today’s afternoon teas. One of our favorite aspects of this afternoon tea is that you can enjoy each and every course without being overstuffed, because they are portioned perfectly. When we comment on her reasonable pricing for a satisfying afternoon tea (which includes a soup and salad), Vicki explains, “People pay good money for afternoon tea. Don’t just give them bread — fill it.” Amen! We were very happy to be able to return and discover two years later that this tearoom is just as wonderful as we remembered, making them only the second perfect scorer on our new Afternoon Tea Scorecard since we introduced it in October 2024. We advise adding Tea-Time at the Cottage to your destination tea wishlist.
Chef-owner Vicki, at the counter where walk-ins can order à la carte to-go or to dine in when seating is available.
An ivory interior brightens the space, helping the petite tearoom feel cozy but not cramped.
The tearoom forms a “t” shape.
Crisp whites and wood tones make the space feel cheery and warm.
If you forget your afternoon tea accessories, you’re covered.
Sweet collage of framed art
Which teapot in this garden collection is your favorite?
Tea Selection
This is a two-sided loose leaf tea menu (herbals and green teas on the back)
Each guest selects their 3-cup pot of tea. On our first visit we are happy with our choices: Mother of Pearl, a strawberry flavored green tea blended with rose petals and white pearl candies; longtime favorite Snowflake, a black tea blended with almonds, coconut flakes and cinnamon bits; and with dessert, we try the Peach Mango, a black tea with peach and mango bits.
Appreciating that the teas are properly brewed in back and kept warm on the table with tea warmers. Destination Tea tip: to preserve your teapot, remove it from the warmer when it’s empty.
Jack and Jace checked on us more than once to see if we’d like a fresh pot of tea, and we found these pots generous enough to share with one another.
Part of the fun is admiring each guest’s teacup.
Scones & Spreads, Savories and Sweets
Appreciating the kind touch of a welcome place card, and the seasonal menu offerings
We begin with a cup of cream of asparagus soup that is perfectly pureed and not overly rich.
Paired with a mixed green salad with dried cranberries, caramelized pecans, mandarin orange, parmesan and poppyseed dressing.
We happily made our way through these tasty tea sandwiches, including an open-faced homemade chicken salad on wheat, lemon butter and dill cucumber finger sandwich, toasted caprese and pesto croissant and the table favorite: a pimento and candied bacon on sourdough. This was admittedly a decadent bite, but we were such instant fans that we ordered three full-sized sandwiches to take home to the fellas.
Homemade cream scones are served with true clotted cream, lemon curd and jam.
In addition to the fruit cups (pictured above), dessert included mini Victoria sponge cakes with ermine frosting and strawberry jam, dreamy white chocolate Biscoff cheesecakes, and a rasberry almond tart. We smile at the doilies and mini bouquet garnishes used to dress up the tiered tray presentation.
Valentine’s Tea – March 2023
First course is a tasty roasted red pepper soup and salad with pecans, mandarins and poppy seed dressing.
Hello, beauty. Luckily, our visit coincided with the tearoom’s special Valentine’s Day Tea menu.
The scrumptious savories include Cucumber Sandwich with Herb Mayo and Dill, Bacon Tomato Bruschetta, Crab Crostini and Mac n Cheese Bite.
Vanilla Bean Scones are baked perfectly, served with clotted cream, lemon curd and Vicki’s Raspberry Yogurt Dip with assorted fruit.
For dessert, we enjoy a Frosted Valentine’s Sugar Cookie, [Sinfully Fabulous] Crepe with Almond Custard drizzled with Mixed Berry Compote and Whipped Cream, and Texas Sheet Cake Mini Bite.
Sandwiches, salads, coffee, teas and pastries available at the counter (May 2025)
Tucked next to the front door, this cabinet displays teaware, plus tea accessories and t-shirts for sale.
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