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Miss Minerva's Tea Room

3.8 (32 reviews)
ModerateTea Rooms
Closed 11:00 am - 3:00 pm

Miss Minerva's Tea Room Photos

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Afternoon tea
Cat O.

This was my first time here and I absolutely loved it. The service was incredible as was the food. Also, very comfortable atmosphere. I am definitely coming back!

The silver could use some polishing. The glazed carrots, vegetarian shepherds pie and the cold quinoa salad in the background
Michelle L.

Visited just before Christmas for my birthday. My friend and I always go for tea for our birthdays and we decided to make the trek down to Miss Minerva's. Didn't start great that the GPS took us to the old location. Staff didn't greet us when we walked in despite being right behind the counter. They were doing a Christmas Carol Tea, no other option was presented so that's what we did. They listed the items on the menu but there was no description. The French onion soup was good. The shepherds pie was just over cooked vegetables with mashed potatoes on top. The salad was cold quinoa with some dried cranberries and some veggies. The desserts were ok but tiny. Everything needed salt. The tea was good but the tea pot spout needed to be cleaned. They didn't use a tea cozy so it was cold halfway through the pot. They don't brew the tea in the pot so it was a little weaker than I liked since we didn't get to choose how long it steeped. The girl who was serving us was sweet and pretty attentive but seemed new. For the price I was pretty disappointed. We have been to several places in Northern VA. Some are the same price and others are less expensive. They definitely provide a better experience. If you are just looking for a fun afternoon I think this place could still give you a nice experience. As someone who has been to over half a dozen tea places, I'm very likely a bigger critic than most. If I lived closer I would consider giving it another chance. Unfortunately, with the 1.5 hour drive, it's unlikely.

We made a reservation weeks in advance for a group of 6. We weren't greeted with any enthusiasm or given any information. I asked about the hats to use since I read that on the website. We waited a very long time for service and it was difficult to get the attention of our server throughout our meal. We had to use 3 menus for the 6 of us. 3 items we ordered were not available. The monthly menu on the website did not exactly match the menu offering. We didn't have the utensils we needed. Nothing to serve the sugar cubes. I ordered the 3-course Tea. The amuse bouche and soup were ice cold. When a hot soup was brought as a replacement, we were not given a spoon and again had to wait, while the hot soup got cold, for attention to get a soup spoon. The tiered tray served with the top level teas were messy, items in misc. shapes, not cut neatly, not enclosed in a paper or cup cake liner. Savories and sweets were mixed. Made it a bit difficult to pick up the cobbler. The ham on scone was good, but dry. No clotted cream, jam or butter was offered. One of the ladies in our group used the restroom. None of the many (10?) stalls had any toilet tissue. We notified our server. 45 Minutes later, another lady from our group went to the restroom and still, there was no toilet tissue. So we quickly paid and went elsewhere to use a restroom. Our pots of tea were good but not milk or cream was offered. Overall we were very disappointed in our experience, as I do not think we received the value for the price paid. I am very unhappy that I paid almost $70 for an unpleasant experience. One of our ladies ordered the $20 tea and was charged $30. She showed our server this was wrong and had this corrected at checkout. She previously had tea at Miss Minerva's in the 2 different locations on Davis St. and found this experience not as good. I would much rather be praising this business, unfortunately, this is not the case and feel very unhappy about spending the money for what I received and for recommending to 5 other people to come and try Miss Minerva's. I sent a note to Miss Minerva's kindly letting them know of our experience but did not receive a response.

A few savory and sweet bites to accompany my tea
Dominic J.

Excellent visit to the new location of Miss Minerva's Tea Room in Culpeper. Had a most delightful afternoon tea with a large pot of their Cinnamon tea and a mixed selection of sweet and savory bites. Scones were excellent and the roasted vegetables and chicken salad croissant were on point. Charming interior room with art on the walls, in the historic State Theater, right across from a small book store. Waitstaff was attentive, brought food out quickly and correctly, and everything was delightful. I will certainly be back again in the colder months for another afternoon tea!

The inside of my sisters tea pot

My sister and I have been wanting to go here for years and finally got the chance to go and it was horrible and we were very disappointed. Ambiance was non existent, when you go to have afternoon tea you expect cute or fancy, this was neither. Mostly bare walls with some art taped on with masking tape. Tables were very plain set ups. Food was not good, mostly store bought items, nothing of note. The cookies were stale (see pics), the sandwiches had no flavor, nor were they attractive (see pics)and the scones were ok. They gave us 1 pat of butter and 2 tbsp of lemon curd the two of us to share (see pics). Lets get to the tea- the pots were beyond filthy (we have gone to many places and never had the inside of the pots look like this-see pics) Before everyone says tea stains I have tea pots I have been using for over 30 years and they don't look like that and no place we have ever had tea looked like that. My sisters tea cup was dirty, I asked for cream for my tea and it was curdled so i had to ask for a whole new cup minus the cream. The place only had 2 other tables one was there when we got there and already had their items, the other came after we had been there for 30 minutes. Regardless of this the staff was inattentive and at times flat out rude. We asked for water as soon as they sat us and didn't get it until after everything else came out over 30 minutes later. Had to literally wave the waitress down to get new cup because of the curdled cream. They refused to let us see our check, they said they dont print or write them up. Our 2 teas were $40 each but they charged our card $96, with no explanation. We left very sad that a place we had been so excited to go to was such a disappointment. We wont go back and wont recommend it

a woman walking down the sidewalk
Maria T.

Caveat: To be fair, I learned that the owner of this shop is fairly new. It looks like she's just owned it for a couple years... the previous owner had appointed the tearoom with floral, chintz, lace and a more comfortable vibe. Miss Minerva is a character (life sized old lady doll) that guests could take photos with on their visit! Perhaps the new owner just needs a bit more time to acclimate. That being said, here's my take: Small, plain, simple tea room...this place needs some creativi-tea!! I've been to dozens of tearooms in my day, and this one is by far the homeliest... not homiest! It's not that is just ordinary, but a tea room should be charming, cozy and inviting. The ambiance here was lackluster and boring. The decoration fairy needs to make a pit stop and bippety boppety boo-tea-fy this space. I mean, it's not totally without appeal, but it's certainly absence the charm and quaintness of most tearooms I've visited. There were several hats and Mickey Mouse ears just tacked on the walls, on plain hooks and a table in the back just piled with a jumble of hats. A cool vintage hat rack with the hats artfully displayed would be more aesthetic. And the Mickey ears should be featured on a single wall, and perhaps the owner could create more of a theme. Perhaps a Disney corner? A hutch filled with tea accoutrements would do wonders to spice up this humdrum space. I was itching to give her some interior design ideas, but hopefully she will get some inspiration from tea magazines or Pinterest!! Nuff' said there... The "gift shop" selection is limited, just a few tea cups and tea things on small shelves and a clearance table. I bought a few cute tea lid holders that prevent drips which were unique. The tea selection is pretty extensive so I was impressed by the choices. I purchased quite a varied "pot"pour"ri of teabag blends and she sells a wide range of loose teas too! The prices were reasonable on the teas, some of the tea items were a bit pricey. The owner, Ashley, didn't have much on hand for take out. We went there midday and the owner said she was out of just about everything. No scones for us... bummer. With hours to go before she closed, it would have behooved her to have some tea treats "to go" for her walk-in customers, especially during Covid, take out desserts would boost her business! (Her shop is located on a busy street in the center of historic Culpeper with lots of foot traffic!) All she had left were some mini cinnamon rolls so we ordered a 1/2 dozen. They were sad little, hard biscuits that we really couldn't eat. Although the owner was sweet and friendly, she really needs to "steep" up her hospitali-tea game and create a more welcoming atmosphere to her guests. We left feeling deflated. I am a avid sinensophile, I love everything tea and seek out tearooms wherever I go! I'm hoping Miss Minerva's will spruce up her tearoom so that she will survive the pandemic because I really want to love this place and come back next time when I make a reservation! The tea menu looked appealing and from glancing at the only table occupied, the food looked lovely. Maybe my second impression will be better!!

We had the best time at Miss Minerva's Tea Room yesterday. This was our first visit and most definitely we will be back! Ashleigh, the owner, took care of us and is such a lovely hostess. She shared so many personal stories about her love for tea, her business and her family! All of her delicacies were homemade and delicious! Her tea selection is very impressive as well! She has a wide variety of beautiful hats for you to enjoy while you have your tea. I can't say enough beautiful things about Miss Minerva and Ashleigh! Thank you both for a fabulous afternoon!

Full service for 2.
Jeannie G.

Adorable tea room. Good selection of teas to choose from. Good price point. Good service. Full tea with sandwiches, savory, and dessert was perfect.

Tracey S.

We've been a patron of Miss Minerva's under 3 different owners over the last 13 years. This is one of our favorite tea rooms across the United States. We were so happy the new owner ensured the business would stay open, especially with COVID when so many businesses are closing. The food continues to be wonderful. The new owner is bringing new tea choices to the menu. The tea room is also getting a refreshed look. This is a wonderful tea room with fantastic food! We appreciate the afternoon tea has more savories than sweets.

Table setting, sugar

I visited Culpeper a few month ago and we were walking down the street and noticed this cute tea room. We called the number and by chance they happened to have same day seating. The staff was all very friendly to us and they had lots of delicious treats that made it into a very special afternoon. After the meal and some nice conversation with the owner she even gave us some tea to take home as a gift.

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5 months ago

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3 months ago

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2 years ago

A very special ladies' tea, with hats even! Sweet attentive service. My favorite tea was Ashleigh's Blend.

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11 years ago

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9 years ago

Nice and quaint. Got together with two friends so that part was delightful. Truthfully I found it very expensive. I left starving!

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14 years ago

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Review Highlights - Miss Minerva's Tea Room

I can't say enough beautiful things about Miss Minerva and Ashleigh!

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Miss Minerva's Tea Room - tea - Updated May 2026

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