My niece wanted to have a cute tea party but wanted to do it at home. I was on a mission to find somewhere that offered a true afternoon tea experience but to-go. Thankfully I came across Lady Camellia! Nestled in Old Town Alexandria, Lady Camellia is a cute and quaint tea house offering everything you need to have the perfect afternoon tea. As I entered I was greeted by a friendly face that asked if I had a reservation. I let her know that I did not but was there to choose a few items to go. She was very helpful in explaining everything they had to choose from which was scones, croissants, pastries, macaroons and tea sandwiches, and a variety of tea. I honestly was impressed with the variety of options I ended up getting way more than I anticipated but I'm so glad that I did because my niece enjoyed everything! Thank you Lady Camellia for providing me and my niece a great afternoon tea at home. read more

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Disappointing experience. I wouldn't say the money was worth this high tea experience. The space itself is very small and cramped! Even though it's decorated beautifully, the tables are so close together and it gets loud so easily. It can get hard to hear the party that you're with. I'm not sure if the staff was untrained or if they just don't care, but they didn't seem interested in giving us a good experience. They didn't explain how the process worked. They didn't explain the menu until we asked, and they didn't go over our food options or what was served to us. I do have to say the tea selection is very good. They have lots of teas to choose from! However, the tea leaves were too small for the strainer so when you poured the tea, there were lots of loose leaves. Overall, I would not return unfortunately. read more

Lady Camellia - High tea platter - Tea Rooms Near Me - Alexandria, Virginia

It was my first time at this place over the weekend and it was a fun experience. So much tea and pastry options! We came a bit later so they were out for certain flavors but they have a big variety of pastry options so you would still get a nice pick. The service and decor is very nice for a casual or event. Their sandwiches were pretty tasty as well. The only downside is that it is kinda small and you would need to make a reservation. read more

Lady Camellia - Tea and pastries - Tea Rooms Near Me - Alexandria, Virginia

I'm not new to tea time- in fact, you could call me an afternoon tea enthusiast. I found this place after searching (mostly in vain) for a shop that does afternoon tea/high tea. What you get for the money is INSANE. It's a great value, especially for such a HCOL area. I was so full after leaving; this is one of the few tea shops I've been to that actually give you a good amount of food (which was very tasty). I've seen a few reviews mention that the tea strainers don't catch a lot of the tea leaves. This is only true for some of the teas, but ultimately, if you usually drink loose leaf tea, it won't bother you. The shop itself is cute, and looks right over the water. It's small but cozy, and when it's full it has a nice vibe to it. You definitely need a reservation, and to get the time slot you want, you'd need to book well in advance. Servers were attentive and explained everything clearly. The only (very minor) suggestion for improvement would be that the brie and apple sandwich should use green apples instead of red. That would give it a nicer flavor profile. read more

We went to afternoon tea on a weekend at Lady Camelia, and it was amazing! I recommend making a reservation in advance since the space isn't very big, and it was really busy. Everything we ordered was delicious. I was expecting the food to be more of a snack and small portions, but it was plenty filling. There were so many tea options. We went with cream of earl gray and lemon black tea. Neither disappointed. The staff were efficient and friendly. I'll definitely be back again for a special occasion or just to treat myself! read more

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It's been awhile since I've been to a high tea and this was super cute! They go for a pink princess theme and you get to select from a couple of options which is great for people with dietary restrictions like me. I got the egg salad & smoked salmon sandwiches, plain scone, apple croissant, lemon blueberry tart, passion fruit macaron, berry panna cotta with the ginger apricot oolong tea. I liked all of mine but when I tried my friend's passion fruit panna cotta, I wasn't a fan, it was super tart and not very good. It's a bit pricey fyi but cheaper than others nearby. However, some cheaper ones in Maryland though if you're looking for just the experience. But I enjoyed it still! read more

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First impression was that it so small and crowded and took so long to get seated.I hated every moment of it, dont expect to get seated right away and if you are a walkin there is no hope you are getting a seat. Everything was so expensive and not worth it. There are cheaper better places around, if i could give 0 stars i would! read more

The location of this tea house is perfect. It's in Old Town Alexandria overlooking the water. The only downside of the area is parking. If you can't find street parking, garage parking on the weekends is $20. The tea house has a great variety of teas, finger sandwiches, and pastries. They were all delicious. I left so full. The price was also very reasonable. It was only $59 per person. The service was great as well. The waitresses for very attentive and refilled our pots with hot water. The only downside is the ambiance. The room is so small so it's extremely loud inside. I could barely hear my friends talk. read more

Lady Camellia - Tea Rooms Near Me - Alexandria, Virginia

I came here to celebrate my sister's birthday, and I 1000% enjoyed the experience! The place is small and cozy, which makes for a more intimate tea experience. It's perfect for a small group, but I wouldn't recommend it for a large party. We both ordered the high tea, which came with an entrée, your choice of 2 scones or croissants, 4 pastries of your choice, and 1 pot of tea. We both went with the beef bourguignon English pie, and it was absolutely delicious--seasoned to perfection! I'm already planning my next visit just for that pie. The pastries and scones were also fantastic. I tried the vanilla rooibos tea, and it was delicious--one of my favorites! The staff surprised my sister with a cupcake and a trick candle, which was a fun touch. Each time she tried to blow it out, it would light back up. It was hilarious! Service was excellent. Whenever we needed something or asked for clarification on the spreads, the staff was quick to assist. Overall, it was a wonderful experience, and I'll definitely be back! read more

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The owners did such a beautiful job transforming the space & creating something beautiful. The attention to detail is undeniable & really elevates the space. The food is scrumptious, the selections of teas were impossible to choose from (so we're already planning our return visit). The service was attentive & pleasant without being intrusive. read more

Lady Camellia - Had enough nibbles to enjoy with our tea & then some. The lovely leftover came home for the hubs to enjoy. - Tea Rooms Near Me - Alexandria, Virginia

Went for tea on a Saturday and overall it was a nice experience. The space was cute, though a bit on the small side. Once it filled up, it became quite warm and noisy due to how tightly packed it was. There were tons of tea options, which was great. The sandwiches and pastries were okay, not bad. It came out to about $77 per person, so definitely on the pricier side- mostly paying for the vibe and the experience rather than the food. It was fun to try once, especially for a special occasion but I probably wouldn't go again. read more

Lady Camellia - Tea Rooms Near Me - Alexandria, Virginia

Love love love. Came here with friends for a get together. The tea, food, decor was impeccable. The servers were gracious and quick with service. The flow of the meal was great. We had time to chat, drink our tea, and enjoy our meal. read more

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I loved it! My first time at this location for afternoon tea to celebrate a birthday and it was ADORABLE inside!! The decorations were sooooo cute! The food and the tea was DELICIOUS! My favorite tea was the Strawberry White Tea! I would definitely come back again for afternoon tea. read more

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Location! Location! Location! We were able to choose a 2 top by the floor to ceiling windows overlooking the waterfront. The high tea service only available on the weekend after 4:30pm included an entree of Soufflé or English Pie. Too full to finish the desserts, but the scones, chocolate croissants, beef bourguignon and vanilla crème brulee were delicious! read more

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Came for a birthday party. The food was pretty good, the tea and accompaniments were great. The room, however, is very cramped and packed with people, and service was spotty. Servers did not seem comfortable with large groups, were particularly friendly, and spoke so quietly it was almost impossible to hear them. The whole experience turned out to be pretty chaotic. I would skip it and go to the Ritz next time. read more

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I came here with a group of 4 for full tea. We made a reservation so we were seated quickly. The place was already very full at 11am! It's cute inside with lots of natural light and there's a nice view of the water. But the inside is small. There aren't many tables and they're pretty close together The full tea was $59. Gratuity, state tax, and city tax were all included in the bill and it came out to around ~$75 per person. We were given a good assortment of tea sandwiches, scones, and other desserts. Everything tasted fine. I wasn't super impressed with anything but nothing was bad. I liked that there was a large selection of teas. I chose apricot oolong which was a nice light fruity green tea. My friends enjoyed the English breakfast and lady grey. I think the biggest disappointment for me was the service. We booked an 11am reservation and were being rushed out the door by 12:30. My friends and I were celebrating a birthday and we didn't appreciate that it felt like we were being told to get out after only 90 minutes. I understand that it was a busy day but at this price point I was hoping for a better experience. Overall, I'm on the fence about coming back here. It was a cute fun thing but also I was hoping for better. read more

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Very cute spot in Old Town overlooking the water. The space is small but beautifully decorated and they arrange the tables well. I hosted a party of 7 and we were very comfortable. Big shoutout to Debby who made our experience fantastic! From booking the reservation to making some last minute adjustments in the restaurant she was nothing but helpful! She even took her time to get beautiful photos of our group. The pastries and tea sandwiches were very fresh and tasty but what really left us all impressed was Debby's incredible service and hospitality! I will definitely be returning. read more

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I was pretty excited to come here after having gone to the Waldorf Astoria, high tea in DC. I was pretty disappointed by the service. We sat down for 30. minutes before we were served and apparently really have like 90 minutes to eat there and I was like well OK so we basically just wasted our 30 minutes waiting to be served and mind you we didn't even get service. We had to request the waiter to come and serve us after 30 minutes of us just sitting there. And I do agree with some of the other reviews where they're saying that the service doesn't really care about the experience or what kind things they serve . They don't really know anything about the items or anything and they don't really seem like they want to be bothered. I also thought the space was really small and it was really cramped and because it was so cramped they made us move in the middle of the high tea so they could have an extra table for another party, which was fair because we had 10 people who wanted to come, but only showed up, but they could've easily did that when we got there . As for the food I thought the tea was the best part I thought the tea I got was really good it was like the Darjeeling tea. The other pastries and stuff like that weren't super Duper good. Some of it felt a little stale. Some of it could've been better. I don't think I will ever come back here just because of the service and the food wasn't good and even though it's an old town, the views also we're not even good from the place. I also felt like for $75. It was definitely not worth it. There's high tees that are at a comparable price that much nicer places which I'm sure have much better service. I for sure will never be coming back here. read more

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Cute! I love a good tea time and love that there's a nice tea option around me. My husband and I came in for their holiday tea and had an amazing time. The tea room is pretty small, with just a few tables but they were really buzzing! The place was packed. There are tons of options for scones, pastries and sandwiches. Some standouts for us were the lemon tart, the white chocolate scone, and loved the chicken salad sandwich. They also had a beef sandwich special that was really good. Service was good, not overly friendly but they did a nice job. I'd definitely come back! read more

Lady Camellia - Tea Rooms Near Me - Alexandria, Virginia

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I went here with my sister. Our waitress, Alex, was absolutely hilarious and delightful! We loved her. She was so cool and candid. The tea menu offered a decent variety of teas. We got the Sakura leaves tea and lapsang souchong tea. If you get the Sakura leaves tea, you may want extra leaves to heighten the flavor because it might taste too similar to green tea. The lapsang souchong was super smokey that we needed extra water to tone down the flavor. This latter tea is more for the adventurous of those who don't usually drink tea. We both opted for high tea. Between us, we got a soufflé, English pie, scones, macarons, croissants, pannacotta, chocolate pots de crème, and crème brûlée. We loved our entrees the most. We didn't think we'd be full, but the food was more than enough. We both had to take our remaining pastries home. The ambience, decorations, and tea sets were so cute! I will say, though, that the place is smaller than I expected, but at least it's by the water! Very nice overall. I'd go back. read more

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The good: it's cute inside, the pastries and scones are tasty, and the children's menu is a decent value. The bad: the physical space is cramped, you will get blasted by sun (no window shades!!) and the acoustics are terrible. Service is mediocre and they force all parties to order something. So if you plan on bringing kids but don't want to indulge yourself, that's not an option. Teas and sandwiches are nothing special. Come for the experience (it's still cheaper than most high teas around) but expect to overpay for what you get. If you can swing it, come on a weekday. Less crowded and they have smaller menu options than the full tea service. read more

I went back to Lady Camellia! It was a spectacular experience. I loved their special sandwich-roast beef and water cress. It was tasty. The Brie and Apple sandwich is still my top favorite! It's fresh and yummy. This time for the sweets we tried a lot of the chocolate ones . They were delicious! The chocolate pastry was so good. I also enjoyed the pistachio macaron. Service was great! Place is beautiful and wonderful for memorable pictures. The teas we ordered included the strawberry mint and jasmine. All great teas ! It was a great day at Lady Camellia ! read more

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Ambiance - Right on the water in Old Town Alexandria. This place is very cute in the inside, just what I would expect from a tea room. Small and intimate. Food/Drink - Great egg salad. The chicken salad was ok. Loved the smoked salmon sandwich as well. The teas and pastries were very good. Service - The service was friendly, but slow. It took a while before we got to place our order. I had to ask for sparkling water twice. However, things picked up once we received our tea. Overall, I would return and recommend it for other people. read more

Lady Camellia - The place setting - Tea Rooms Near Me - Alexandria, Virginia

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I love the experience of afternoon tea in Europe and when I heard Lady Camellia reopened in Alexandria I was so excited to go back! We went with the Weekend Afternoon Full Tea for $55/person. We tried the Vanilla Jasmine Tea which was pretty good. The tea sandwiches, cookies and cream crème brûlée and passion fruit pannacotta were my favorite. The downside was the workers do not communicate with one another. In one instance, a server came to take our order after we already ordered. We had a couple leftovers, but they only provided a box to take out. When I asked for a bag, they claimed they do not provide bags for small items. We did not come to Old Town Alexandria just to come here so it is inconvenient to go elsewhere with a box. Maybe because 18% gratuity is automatically added it is okay for them to provide mediocre service and be stingy about a bag. read more

Lady Camellia - Weekend Afternoon Tea Menu - Tea Rooms Near Me - Alexandria, Virginia

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Served tea in a DISGUSTING tea pot that looked like it hadn't been cleaned in days (see picture). I wanted to throw up after realizing I had just had an entire cup of tea that came out of this. When we asked for a new pot of tea due to it being so nasty, the waitress said "That is just the tea staining the pot" and then she reluctantly brought a new pot of tea. The new tea pot was totally clean, which made it even more obvious that the first one was disgusting and unacceptable. I felt sick to my stomach after the first cup of tea so I could not even bring myself to have any of the new tea. They never apologized, and never asked how we were doing. Then we got our bill and they still left the automatic 18% gratuity (plus other stupid fees), making the total over $100 for two of us. Terrible, unacceptable. Worst dining experience of my life read more

Lady Camellia - Disgusting dirty tea pot - Tea Rooms Near Me - Alexandria, Virginia

The service was great and the pastries were so good! Very gorgeous decoration and tea sets. My friend and I got the Full Tea and it was a good price for the experience and amount of food. read more

Lady Camellia - Cookies and cream crème brûlée - Tea Rooms Near Me - Alexandria, Virginia

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Went here for a full tea - $57 dollar option. The food was plentiful. The service was attentive and great overall. So much good for the price point. The only things is that it is a small space and the tables are tiny. Def had lots of spills because hard to move things around. read more

Lady Camellia - Table set up - Tea Rooms Near Me - Alexandria, Virginia

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Great place to enjoy and relax. A bit on a pricey side, you do have to order the whole tray for reservation option versus walk-ins. Tea is good and various dessert options read more

Lady Camellia - Tea Rooms Near Me - Alexandria, Virginia

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The setting is very charming in old town Alexandria but the space is TINY. It was a little difficult for anyone with mobility issues to get in and out of this place and there is really no place to store a large winter jacket. Even the private room in back was very small and could not comfortably sit more than 8 people. We had a reservation but were seated 20 minutes late. The staff made a valiant effort to take our order promptly once we were finally seated but in general service the rest of the time made it seem they were understaffed. As I said earlier, the place is charming with beautiful china settings and real silver place settings. The full tea sevice also is more reasonably priced than many of the options in DC ($59 v. $90+). The portions were impressively plentiful and we all had to take boxes home, but some pastries were better than others. There's a surface parking lot across the street, which is convenient. I'm not certain I would go again, but I would absolutely recommend this place to someone who is eager to try their first high tea experience. It is a reasonably-proced option and is very Instagramlmmable. read more

Lady Camellia - Place setting - Tea Rooms Near Me - Alexandria, Virginia

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We originally had reservations for 6:30pm on Feb 1 2023 through OpenTable (just missed the soft opening, which was 50% off! Darn), but they reached out to us the night before at a little past 9pm to let us know they weren't ready to serve evening tea yet, and asked us to come earlier. Had i not checked my emails at that time, I wouldn't have seen that message. I responded, but by 9am the next day there wasn't a response, so i followed up again. That part was a little inconveniencing; why make the timeslot available on OpenTable if you're not ready/open then? However, despite their hours being 1-4 for now, they let us come at 5, which was the earliest we could make it. My fiancé did have to cut a work meeting short to make sure we could go because he knew i really wanted to lol. When we were dining, we noticed that the lights kept flickering on and off, which got annoying. The windows are nice and big, but not all seats are window side. Still, you can see the Potomac, although there are some interior seating areas that don't have windows. There's a parking lot that the cafe overlooks that is waterfront, and it's $10 flat rate. You do see the parking lot in front of the view of the water. We opted for a parkmobile spot just another half block down that ended up being around $2 for an hour. I quite liked the macarons, and my lady grey tea had a nice subtle hint of lavender. Our pastries came with jam, clotted cream, and a lemon curd. We tried to order the passion fruit panacotta but they told us it was unavailable. We then tried to order chocolate pots de crème, but those were also out. Then tried to order a pain au chocolat croissant--also out. Ended up with crème brûlée. One of our servers was wearing extremely long fake nails, and I personally get the ick from anyone in food/beverage service having them without gloves. The nails were cute! I just don't think they're sanitary for being around food handling; I would have preferred if she wore gloves, as a lot of dirt and grime can get stuck under such long nails, but maybe I'm just being a hypochondriac. I think this could easily be 5 stars if they fixed the minor complaints I had--namely the lighting and not running out of so many things, and also figuring out their end on OpenTable to not say they're available when they're not. read more

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I went to Lady Camilla for a friend's birthday and had a wonderful time! The food was good, and the venue was super cute, with a great view of the water. I will note that the venue is small, so making a reservation is a must. However, the vibes and atmosphere were amazing, and I loved their plates and cutlery! I ordered the Jasmine Vanilla (10/10) and a bottle of sparkling rosé.' We had a group of 5 people, so they made an assortment of food for us and gave way more than enough than if we were just two people! My favorite items were Salmon Sandwiches, white chocolate cranberry scone, funfetti scone, & the mini lemon meringue pie! Cons: I didn't like the chicken salad sandwich or strawberry fruit tart. I also wish they had a regular sparkling wine that wasn't $90. read more

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I was ecstatic when I found out that Lady Camellia was moving it's Georgetown shop to the Old Town Alexandria area. I have been to tea service all around the world and truly nothing compares to their homemade scones which are the most perfect baked good to have ever touched my mouth. The new location still packs all of the whimsy and sweetness of Georgetown but this time with riverfront views. My best friend went on a weekend afternoon to celebrate her birthday and boy were we in for a treat! The place was buzzing with fellow tea enthusiasts like ourselves, all eager to experience the magic. We opted for the full tea experience which included two tea sandwiches, their famous scones, and a delightful assortment of four pastries. Every single bite was an explosion of flavors, but we were particularly enchanted by the white chocolate cranberry scones, the smoked salmon sandwich, and the sinfully rich chocolate pots de creme. And let's not forget about the adorable little teapot that our tea arrived in, complete with charming tea accessories that added an extra dash of fun to the experience. Needless to say, we felt like true VIPs! That being said, the service was a bit chaotic. The dance between being seated, greeted, ordering, refills, and everything was super clunky and slow but everyone we spoke to was very upbeat and friendly. Lady Camellia continues to hold its rightful place as one of the absolute best tea destinations in the DC area, effortlessly combining aesthetic charm with accessibility. read more

I have tried Lady Camellia during the pandemic when they were still in Georgetown, but I did the afternoon tea box to go so obviously a different experience than being surrounded by cute little tea cups and saucers. Their new location in Alexandria is adorable and such a great space where you can overlook the Potomac. We ordered afternoon tea for two and had pretty sizable and filling sandwiches. The tea selection is massive and you get a sizable amount of hot water, so you'll leave feeling pretty satisfied and full if you go for lunchtime meal. I can't wait to bring my friends whenever I want to feel fancy and regal. Awesome this place exists. read more

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