Still loving this place a lot!! Went today for the first time in a while. Everything was perfect and the curried tuna salad was...holy crap, awesome. Still pretty much the only dude that goes there and actually enjoys it yay. Oh also, even if you are stuffed...try a dessert, they are sooo goood. read more

This little tea shop serves up mouth-watering scones, baked goods and light lunches that are fresher and more lovingly prepared than any other place around. A true gem right in Northborough. I've had lunch at least a half-dozen times at Special Teas. As others have mentioned, the staff couldn't be friendlier, and the menu never disappoints. It's a little cramped and warm inside, but most would find it cozy. Highly recommended. read more

Special teas is extremely special!! It's been a staple that my myself, mom and sister go to since I was a kid. It's a treat to go and feel welcomed by the owner and staff. It's a place we always go to catch up or to celebrate a special occasion, there is no place like it. If you're looking for a relaxing lunch and sip on the best homemade chai tea, definitely recommend! read more

What a wonderful place. I am from England is this is a breath of fresh air! Very careful thought has been put into everything and no detail hasn't been thought about, from the table settings to the service was perfect. There was no feeling of being rushed here when I took my nearly 5 year old for afternoon tea. Everything was perfectly made from scratch and tasted so good. I was skeptical when I arrived because since living in the US I have not experienced an afternoon tea even close to how we do it in the UK. All the choices on the menu all looked fantastic but this time I had Tea for One and my daughter had the Children's Tea. I have NO COMPLAINTS! Everything tasted amazing. The amount of food was perfect. Service was fantastic. And the price was right. Wow- I can not say how much we enjoyed our relaxed afternoon tea together that day. The service was great, we didn't feel rushed at all. ( one of my pet peeves) My little girl still calls it "princess tea" and we can't wait to go back again! Thank you Special Teas- See you soon! read more

Special Teas - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Northborough, Massachusetts

See all

Very cute place to have a ladies' lunch - feels like eating in a cute little house with attention paid to decor and place settings. I agree, not a place to bring little kids. The menu is limited, but our group enjoyed our lunch here (they have sandwiches, soup, salads). We especially enjoyed the house chai tea. Very friendly service. They only make reservations for parties of 4 or more I believe. It is near the CVS and the restaurant and adjacent business have a small parking lot. read more

I had no idea this place was even there! We just went for a lunch with coworkers and it was fantastic. The soups looked to be made from scratch. The salads were fresh and dressings homemade as well. The pressed sandwich with the ham, cheese, apple, and caramelized onion was so tasty (homemade bread!). The teas were served in glass teapots with the warmer underneath. Dress in layers because it's warm in there! You also will need to make reservations. Check out the shops in the same parking lot. The little gift shop was fun and the owner is very kind. read more

This is my favorite place for lunch. As you enter, you find yourself looking straight over the counter into the kitchen and everything smells wonderful. The food is very good because everything is home-made and freshly prepared. The Tomato Pie is a firm favorite with my and my friends. The decor is rustic and fresh and having seating in three smallish rooms makes it feel very cosy. The desserts are delicious. My favorites are the raspberry-walnut tart and the chocolate trifle. I haven't seen many men in there, unfortunately, so it's really a place for the ladies. Get there early to avoid a wait for a table. If you do have to wait, though, you get to chat with the ladies in the kitchen and enjoy the delicious smells that waft across the counter. Unfortunately they don't serve coffee. But that said - it is the BEST place I know for a great lunch with friends! read more

I had my 3rd lunch at Special Teas today with a friend and the food was amazing. I have never had a bad experience. I look forward to my next visit!! read more

My wife says 5 stars. It was fun, the food was tasty, and it was pretty affordable. Definitely worth a try, remember to make a reservation for busy days. I would call it a country cozy type of atmosphere, but does give you the decadent tea house presentation and the variety of goodies on the multi-level serving trays. The daughters loved it. We didn't go exotic, just some cocoa and English breakfast tea for drinks. We had a kids tea meal (came with cocoa tea pot, PBJ sandwich, orange slices, scone (Fresh baked), mini whoopee pie, shell cake cookie), it was met with much enthusiasm; Tea meal for two (5 different lunch sandwich styles/bites and just as many deserts to sample, with a pair of scones served with jam and creme); and a bowl of broccoli and cheese soup (slightly green with a good broccoli flavor, very savory and filling). There wasn't anything left after the four of us were done, nor did anyone want anything else . I say its worth a try. We'll go back. read more

My 6 year old daughter and I love going here for tea parties. On more than one occasion I have brought friends here for a quiet get together including fabulous food and amazing tea. I brought my daughter here for her 6 birthday and the owner was kind enough to gift my daughter the small tea cup and saucer. I absolutely adore the tea for two including the delicious tea cakes and sandwich tower. Always freshly made. Staff are kind, quick and thorough. read more

Special Teas - Harvest blend tea. - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Northborough, Massachusetts

Food was all store bought, you could see it right in the kitchen as you walk in. Waitress was crazy, spilled goat cheese everywhere. Then when I go to order, they ran out of crepes so I had to order something different, and for dessert I asked for chocolate mousse and they also were out of stock. The place itself was gross and smelled bad, dirty looking and cluttered. Tea wasn't even that good. Do not recommend. read more

Special teas is one of my favorite places.It is cozy and very ,welcoming .We had tea for two.It was very tasty.The tea sandwiches were fresh and beautiful made.We also had the potato cream soup was also great. I highly recommend this tea shop read more

I can't say anything about the food since after being seated we were ignored for 20 minutes even tough they weren't busy. My friend went looking for someone to tell them we were ready to order and they still never came so we left. Too bad because it looked like a nice place but now we'll never know. read more

The food here is made with absolute LOVE. I've been here multiple times and have yet to have a bad meal. The spinach salad is fabulous, the afternoon tea makes you feel as if you're at high tea with the queen, and the toasties are warm and delicious. I love the mismatched decor of this restaurant, as if you are in someone's home. I am giving this place 4 stars though because it is very very slow which is the main reason why I don't eat here as often as I would like. read more

This is a lovely spot that offers a cozy at home feel. The selection is terrific and the food delicious! Love going with my friends and never feel rushed. I have always had an enjoyable lunch/teatime at Special Teas! The only limitation if you want an "in and out" fast food experience, maybe this isn't the place to go. When I want to relax and enjoy my time with my friends it's perfect! read more

I really enjoyed my experience at Special Teas. We arrived just before 11am, one of the owners suggested that we check out the craft store across the way until they open. We came back once they opened, were seated within a few minutes at a lovely table in the back of the house. The decor is cute, not cutesy but quaint. There are antiques around (for sale) but it's not overwhelming. We ordered the "Afternoon Tea" which includes one half pot of tea (4 cups worth), 2 scones, a plate of cucumber and tomato sandwiches and a dessert (all for under $15). Even though it was about 75-80 degrees in there we ordered a pot of hot tea, the Scottish blend. It was perfectly brewed and really good. We picked 2 savory scones, one was tomato and the other dill. We ordered a second plate of cucumber and tomato sandwiches so we each had a plate. They were perfect, I mean, the perfect amount of mayo to cucumber ratio, not soggy, just what you would expect for afternoon tea. For dessert we chose the lemon poppy seed cake with blueberries and whipped cream, came with two slices, which made for easy sharing. All in all, I would eat here again, both for the tea/food and the ambiance. read more

I've been there before & I think the food is mediocre, the portions are small and everything is overpriced. All the desserts are delivered in the back of a mini-van which I always see open in their lot. Today, we decided to try it again. It's been a few years and we wanted to go out to lunch. We never even made it past the front door. Truth. They just aren't very nice & the vibe is nasty. One woman was on the phone in the kitchen explaining their wait policy to someone. The woman who greeted us said "We are full. The wait is an hour, hour-and a 1/2 but I can put you on the list." We thanked them and left. They will continue to do well because there aren't a lot of choices in the area. But they could stand to get some customer service training. read more

The tea was pleasant. But the food took 90 minutes to come out...a salad, soup, and quesadilla. We also got a scone and it was a tasteless, dry drop biscuit with no flavor. To top it off I saw the cook eat something with her bare fingers and keep preparing food. Gross! Also the toilet was so disgusting we had to clean it before daring to use it. Don't go unless you have an entire afternoon to spend waiting on mediocre, over-priced food and like your food prepared with mouthed fingers. read more

Victorian sandwich shoppe kind of place if you like that sort of thing (not my cup of tea, so to speak), and lots of people do, because it's usually jam packed. They do know how to make a proper cuppa, and have a good selection, so that's nice. I'll get over the twee part and be back. read more

Amazing perfection. An absolutely lovely outing for the afternoon -- my 8 year old ordered the Children's Tea, which included finger PB&J sandwiches, a pot of tea, fresh strawberries, a fresh baked incredibly delicious cinnamon chip scone, a perfect brownie and a chocolate dipped macaroon. All of which cost $8. Which is crazily underpriced for how much and how excellent the selection was. I got delicious iced tea, curry tuna salad, and finger sandwiches. Service is slow, because they are crafting your order. But this is a gem that everyone should be sure to get to. read more

Delightful little tea room with a wonderfully eclectic style, great service and great food / teas.

the food is nice, but the service left me feeling icky. my friend and i went in the middle of the afternoon. the hostess really gave us a dirty look when we came in. maybe she didn't like our hair color or something ;) instead of seating us she handed us a menu "so we could decide if we wanted to come in". and when we asked for a table she seemed surprised and a little put out. it was very slow and hardly anyone was in the dining room, but the hostess made us share a table with two other ladies - total strangers. who does that? we were brought the wrong food/beverage items more than once, and were ignored for long stretches of time. every interaction was condescending and unfriendly. the server explained very obvious things to us, i felt that she thought we must be stupid. my friends who visit as part of a couple say they are always greeted warmly with friendly chat. read more

As many of the other reviews have said this really IS a cute adorable little place for tea! The food when you finally get it - really is pretty awesome! But the problem is the service is not great food takes forever to come to the table you can't seem to get the tea first then the food it all seems to come at once good luck getting the waitress a second time after your food comes and I think the prices are just a bit to high. Nearly 10 bucks for cucumber and tomato sandwhichs? Get real! Not to mention they are small and everyone and their mother wants to go there but they won't take reservations so sometimes if you go you'll end up standing in line in their kitchen for hours waiting for a table for over priced tea and your cloths will smell like the food cause your standing in the kitchen - they don't have a waiting area. Yes it's a lovely place but they need to get a few more tables and start taking reservations so people don't have to stand around and waste time. read more

This is my favorite place to have a quiet lunch and tea. The veggie scone is my favorite, but they always have different soups and melts which are delicious. Not the best place for kids as it's small and everything is fragile, but everyone is so friendly and they do like kids. Would definitely recommend! read more

I have been to the quaint spot a few times in the past for take out. The soups were very fresh and tasty for outer suburbia. Today I met a friend here for lunch. I arrived at 12:30 and was seated. The owner put two menus on the table. My friend arrived at 12:40, we ordered at about 12:45. We ordered one grilled sandwich, one piece of tomato pie, one glass of chai tea and two waters. We sat talking, becoming more and more hungry. Eventually I took out my phone .... it was 1:20 and we been brought NOTHING. A waitress came in the room to clear a table and I asked her for water. She came back to our dining room with no water ... but proceeded to set the table, ignoring us. I again asked for water and she said she had to finish setting the table so guest could be seated. The owner came in and stated our lunch would be right out. 5 minutes later we received water, (very fresh with lemon). Ten more minutes pass and I got up and walked to the open kitchen and asked about our meals. The food preparer told me we were now third in line. HUH. I went back to the table and my friend and I decided to leave. Though we both have flexible schedules we wanted to get back to work. This is not a place for professional people to go for an hour lunch. They should post a sign on the door that reads, "If you have nothing else to do today you are in the right place." My opinion of the staff: very disrespectful of other peoples time. inhospitable to not even serve there guests water. dishonest to say that our meals were on their way out when they had not even begun to prepare them. read more

Absolutely FABULOUS!! Scones are the best I've ever had. Teas are delicious l. We had summer fruit gazpacho and the Fancy tea sandwiches everything was delicious! Service was great!! read more

I went here today with 2 other friends and our 3 children. My daughter who's 5 thought it was so fun to have her own tea cup. I love that they have a selection of food for the kids to choose from. I had there Toastie which had ham, apple, cheese, spinach, and mustard. It was DELISH!! We shared 2 -1/2 pots of tea which was MORE than enough for the 3 adults and 1 child. The peach and Darjeeling teas were VERY good and stayed warm on the warming trays. My friend had the seafood crepe and it was very big with lots of flavor. We all ended our meal with dessert which was a great way to end. I had the Pumpkin cake with cream cheese frosting. It was very dense and it was more than enough for my daughter and I to share. I can't wait to go back, soon!! read more

Make a reservation unless you are early! But this place is well worth it. Yummy melts, soups, salads, crepes,... good portions, good prices and nice folks. Don't be in a rush. Wish they were open more hours but they work hard and are making it in Massachusetts! Yes, they have nice teas and scones and men are welcome! read more

My new favorite! I started working in Marlborough a year ago and stumbled upon this place. It's quaint and relaxing, a great place to have some lunch with coworkers, friends, etc. I recommend the house chai (iced or hot). The food is so good too! I've tried the scones, toasties and salads- all really good. You feel like you are at a relatives cozy house plus the food is homemade. This is a must try. read more

Walking into the restaurant first look you wouldn't think it was one. You walk right into the kitchen of this cute place, and are greeted by the hostess and one of the chefs. On the way to the table you walk past what would be where they display the desserts (they were not out due to the warm weather in this case). I really enjoyed the old colonial home feel, and all of the mismatched table settings and furniture. There are different specials everyday marked on a small chalkboard and are told them when you sit down. They have a small menu but it is all freshly made. I ordered half of their english muffin melt with turkey, broccoli and cheese as well as half of their baby greens salad with homemade lemon dressing and goat cheese. The melt was fantastic, the combination of the english muffin and the toppings was great. The salad was also good, and I had never had goat cheese on a salad before which was a surprising treat. Oh, and the tea was awesome, we got the full pot of the sweet lemon tea, which was served in a clear glass pot, and in glass cups. It was nice and smooth and very sweet. I really recommend going here for lunch/ brunch. read more

what a wonderful sweet place. My mother and my granddaughter and I went there. They teat was so good! and they had gluten free scones!!! that made me very happy! and the little teapot and teacup they did for my granddaughter was really special!!! read more

This place is just too sweet! The atmosphere is absolutely charming (it's in an old farmhouse with mismatched furniture and views of the gorgeous surrounding area) the ladies who work here are friendly and attentive, and the tea is divine! I'm a bit of a tea snob, but these ladies get my seal of approval in the tea-brewing department! The food I've gotten here has always been delicious, and the friends I've brought here have raved about the desserts! Some desserts even come with fresh homemade whipped cream. Where do you ever see that these days? My only qualm is that it is a bit on the pricier side, though not absurdly expensive. Overall, I think it's an excellent place to meet up with friends for an afternoon. read more

I love this place. It's not for people looking for a quick meal, but definitely for people who are looking for a good meal. The food is homemade and delicious. Try the artichoke melt or the tomato pie and don't forget about dessert. This is my favorite lunch place. Get there early and you won't have to wait. read more

Hands down, the best experience ever! When I was little, I always enjoyed playing tea party with my friends and stuffed animals. Years later, I finally fulfilled my childhood with a handful of my best friends. We were instantly welcomed the second we stepped our foot through the door and got seated right away. Our waitress was so patient with us considering we were in a semi-big group. She explained everything thoroughly and even recommended us a couple of things on the menu. Special Teas is not a fancy high end tea room if that's what you're expecting. It's extremely homey, quiet, and relaxing. We ordered a little bit of everything. They have an extensive choice of teas, small entrees, finger foods, and desserts on their menu. If you love tea and everything listed above, this is the place for you! They have cute little glass tea pots along with tea cups to make everything feel a bit more princess-y (if that's even a word), which made me even more happy and excited for being there. You have an option to either get a full pot or half pot of tea, we ended up getting half and it was more than enough to quench our thirst throughout the entire time. Overall, it's an amazing unique spot if you're into things like this or want to go out on a girls date. I had an amazing time here and I can't wait to come back for more! read more

It is a cafe transformed from a house. Very unique place. The staff is very friendly. The food is very good. Loved it!

I brought my 2 children here one school vacation for "high tea". We ordered a pot of tea and a tray of sweets and sandwiches. Everything was scrumptious and it was a nice experience. But I'm only giving 4 stars because the table was wobbly, which was scary with young children and hot tea. Also for $35 there really wasn't much food. We left hungry. I think ordering an individual sandwich or a scone is a better value. read more

Consistently fabulous and never disappoints !! A hidden gem with delicious sandwiches, fresh salads and refreshing teas. Love this place and love being a regular here. Wish they'd open for dinner too. read more

I have been in here 3 times and walked out twice all on days where it was only 2/3 full. Both times near identical experiences: - ignored by wait staff initially - then when they do come over the first two things we ask for are not available - then a 30 minute wait and the tea/drinks still have not been brought over...amazing, two of the times 30+ minutes seated at the table with nothing, no tea, no water - nothing - then they do bring something over and they mess up the order - then they apologize and disappear/duck you for a long period - then we eventually walk out - net - a 30-40 minute wait - ignored, no food, no drinks, then a messed up order then more of the disappearing act. One of the worst cafe/restaurant/tea room experiences of my life. I went back recently to give them another chance, thinking the other bad experience was so off the charts it must have been a new waitress. Not the case - it's some of the most awful service you will ever experience. read more

Have been to this quaint tea room three times now. The first time I visited, the lunch was very good; service was a bit slow, but the delicious scones, cream, and tea more than made up for it. My friend loved her grilled seafood sandwich. The second visit was a little less satisfying because the service was slower than the first time and customer service was overall, not good. On the third visit the food server, who was very nice, stated that they had just returned from vacation and they were "running late". This was at 12 noon when the restaurant opens at 11 a.m. Service was extremely poor and one person in our party of three had to ask for her tea and scones to "go" because she was going to be late for an appointment (after about 40 minutes of waiting). This was after she had let the wait person know that she was going to be late for an appointment. We weren't especially in a hurry, but there were no other patrons in the tea room except one other customer in another room. The scones were over done and hard (I was very surprised, as they had been excellent in the past...) and they had no cream for the scones available on that day. This experience has unfortunately made me think twice about going back. read more

Fabulous food but unfortunately having to wait a half hour to be seated when we made a reservation, another ten minutes to even see a server then twenty five minutes to get water and tea then another fifty minutes for food is just...too...long. Too bad, cute place and good food but just ridiculous to be expected to wait (and I do believe they are aware of the problem but do nothing about it). read more