Destination Tea: Waffle’s English Tea Room

Updated: October 2025

Where: Dahlonega, Georgia
Style: Eastlake home, country interior
Tea Selection: 10+ loose leaf teas by local tea blender Tea Rabbit’s Teas
Teatimes: Thursday to Sunday, 11 or 1:30
Reservations: Reservations highly recommended
Contact: 706-509-9024
Cost: $49.99 A Dickens’ Christmas Tea; $34.99 Afternoon Tea; $29.99 Children’s Tea (ages 12 and under); $16.99 Cream Tea
Destination Tea Tips: Leave time to shop Dahlonega’s historic square, just a block away, with: numerous antique stores (great teacup finds at No. 3 Vintage), Waffle’s sister store for anglophiles – the Crown & Bear gift shop, and Tea Rabbit’s for magical gifts and oodles of original loose leaf tea blends.

Prices and teatimes are subject to change. Please see our Georgia afternoon tea directory for the latest details.

exterior Waffle's English Tea Room in Dahlonega, Georgia

Destination Tea Notes: At Destination Tea, we dream of a teahouse for every historic downtown, and so were very pleased to learn that British expat Fiona Bagley was opening a tearoom in downtown Dahlonega last year. Fittingly, the tearoom is named after daughter Katz’ Corgi — a favorite breed of the British royal family — Sir Waffle Dean McWaffleburg Wigglebum. After the Dahlonega Downtown Development Authority beautifully restored the 1909 Head House, they chose the Bagleys’ tearoom for their first floor tenant. The charmingly appointed tearoom is not the only loveliness here. Tea is served using the Bagleys’ teapots, collected over twenty years, including vintage beauties you may have never seen before. We loved finding locally blended teas on the menu, and most enjoyed the savories. Food manager Missy shared her evolving plans to make this afternoon tea as homemade as possible in a tearoom with no oven. (During the house’s redevelopment, the former kitchen’s restaurant equipment was actually removed.) Pre-made scones are imported, while desserts are outsourced, save a homemade treat: Fiona’s 300-year-old syllabub recipe (which she gave us permission to share with you). The friendly and attentive customer service here makes Waffle’s the perfect place to rest a spell and charge your batteries during an afternoon on the square.

interior Waffle's English Tea Room in Dahlonega, Georgia — The beautifully refurbished Victorian home lends its first floor to the tearoom.

tea for two at Waffle's English Tea Room in Dahlonega, GA — Tea for two by the front window

sitting near the fireplace at Waffle's English Tea Room in Dahlonega, GA — Also would love to sit next to the fireplace mantle

table set for tea at Waffle's English Tea Room in Dahlonega, Georgia — Farmhouse style seating is accented in dusty blues and soft white.

private back room at Waffle's English Tea Room in Dahlonega, GA — A portrait of the tearoom’s mascot Waffle overlooks the back room where a larger party has more privacy.

antique lamp at Waffle's English Tea Room in Dahlonega, GA — Admiring this vintage brass floor lamp

Tea Selection

fresh flowers at Waffle's English Tea Room in Dahlonega, Georgia — We notice these little touches: the personal welcome, fresh hydrangeas, mini lemon wedges with tongs.

strawberry waters at afternoon tea at Waffle's English Tea Room in Dahlonega, GA — An added pleasure on our return visit: strawberry infused water

tea menu at Waffle's English Tea Room in Dahlonega, Georgia — We begin by selecting two teas which we were invited to switch out later in the meal. We tried Tea Rabbits, Memento Mori, Orange Creamsicle and Countess Grey.

new tea list by Tea Rabbits at Waffle's English Tea Room in Dahlonega, GA — A new tea list on our return visit gives us more teas to explore. We love the playful creativity of Tea Rabbits’ blends. As we had a UNG student in our party, it was especially fitting to find a UniversiTea blend on the menu. We chose the Bridgerton, Lemon Meringue Pie, Vintage Gypsy and Georgia on my Mind teas.

Fiona Bagley at Waffle's English Tea Room in Dahlonega, Georgia — The proper hostess, Fiona kindly pours our first cups while we comment on her pretty teapots.

vintage teapots at afternoon tea at Waffle's English Tea Room in Dahlonega, Georgia — As we were sharing two pots between four guests, it was not as much of a concern that the tea leaves remain in the pots, but the final pours were partially bitter. We prefer that teas are decanted in the kitchen, though some tea-goers enjoy the ritual of using the individual tea strainers, covering any oversteeped taste with plenty of milk and sugar.

tea leaves in the pot at afternoon tea at Waffle's English Tea Room in Dahlonega, GA — On our return visit, we noted that tea leaves are still left in the generous teapots brought to the table. As you know, we like teas to be decanted before serving, to prevent oversteeping.

Scones & Spreads, Savories and Sweets

tea for two at afternoon tea at Waffle's English Tea Room in Dahlonega, Georgia — Tiered trays arrive, each serving an afternoon tea for two.

savories at afternoon tea at Waffle's English Tea Room in Dahlonega, Georgia — We were happy with every bite of the savory course: cream cheese and cucumber finger sandwich; Missy’s famous chicken salad, coronation egg (rather than the traditional coronation chicken), and the table favorite — roast beef with horseradish on a toasted round.

tea sandwiches at afternoon tea at Waffle's English Tea Room in Dahlonega, GA — On our return visit, The Prince Harry pinwheel with carrot, cheese and onion was delightful, and the soft roll with roast beef and horseradish was equally tasty. Cucumber finger sandwiches round out the course, each item offered in double portions.

scones and spreads at afternoon tea at Waffle's English Tea Room in Dahlonega, Georgia — Fruit scones were served with jam, clotted cream and lemon curd. Perhaps they would have broken apart more easily for spreading if they had been warmer or less dense.

Irish scones at afternoon tea at Waffle's English Tea Room in Dahlonega, GA — Dublin scones are reminiscent of an irish soda bread, with a dense, dry crumb. We like the authentic clotted cream, lemon curd and black currant jam that accompanies this course.

desserts at afternoon tea at Waffle's English Tea Room in Dahlonega, Georgia — Commercial desserts such as cream puffs, macarons, petit fours and mini cakes could not delight us the way the tearoom’s homemade syllabub did. The tearoom could level up this course perhaps by working with a local baker.

Painting of Waffle's English Tea Room in Dahlonega, GA — A sweet rendering of the tearoom, including its mascot

Making a 16th Century British Dessert: Syllabub

Fiona Bagley’s recipe for Lemon Syllabub (thank you, Fiona!)

Serves 2

2 cups Heavy Whipping Cream
1 cup Sugar
1/2 tsp. Nutmeg
1/2 cup White Wine
1/4 cup Fresh Lemon Juice
1 Lemon, zested
1 Lemon Wafer

In chilled stainless steel bowl, beat cream, sugar and nutmeg until stiff peaks form.
Whisk in wine, lemon juice and lemon zest.
Freeze for at least 30 minutes.
Serve in chilled glasses, top with wafer.