I had such a lovely experience at Tipple and Rose and was honestly surprised to see so many negative reviews. It feels like the owners have a very clear vision for what they want this tea room to be... something intentional, calm, and a little different. If you come in expecting something else, I can see how it might not match your expectations. But if you embrace it for what it is, it's truly a special place. I loved going in and smelling all the teas to pick exactly the right one... it's such a unique and thoughtful touch. The atmosphere is charming and relaxing, and the food was excellent. The scones were honestly the best I've ever had. Thank you for such a beautiful and unique experience. I'll definitely be back. read more

Tipple + Rose Tea Parlor - Tea Rooms Near Me - Princeton, New Jersey

Not really sure how to start this one. What a curated experience! Was a little eerie in there(very Alice in wonderland!) and was a little afraid we wouldn't get out. Waiter is a 10. Kind of a must have experience and you had to go into it expecting it to be weird. Would come here for tea and scones and the distinct experience but maybe not lunch. Soup of the day was ineffable. 12:39 we arrive and weren't allowed to get seated until all guests were here and you pick out your tea from the novel of a tea menu 12:56 seated in the back room and waiting for our tea to brew, timer is running 1:01 Trying the tea -- Cinnamon bun chai was good and notes of water in the earl grey... 1:07 food is here! Was told to turn my tray vertical and the French dip is looking incredible, great presentation and taste is decent -- we got two but not entirely consistent in sandwich making 1:11 soup of the day was yummy 1:31 scones are incredible waitress is a little bossy 1:45 got the cheque what a lunch read more

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It's hard to recommend this place because of how convoluted the booking process is; however my friend and I did have a good time once we were there and enjoying the delicious food and tea. They have a lovely shop adjacent to the parlor and it has lots of nice goodies. Overall it's nice if you are close to the area. read more

I like this place because it's special in its own way. The tea selection is outstanding, and choosing your tea based on the aroma is both smart and fun. I feel like I need to steep the tea longer than the recommended time, but otherwise the tea and all the food items are divine. I do find it odd serving tea on metal trays because it detracts from the sophistication of the place. And I agree with other reviewers that the rules are a bit frustrating, and the vibe is less warm because of that control and surveillance. So, actually I've been here several times and I will come back, because like I said, it's a special place and I know what I'm in for. As for the prices, they are reasonable because of the quality, and the gift shop prices are not exaggeratedly overpriced. read more

Tipple + Rose Tea Parlor - Scones and charcuterie plate - Tea Rooms Near Me - Princeton, New Jersey

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Came across this tea shop on a rainy Saturday. They had very few come customers, so I walked in to ask questions about a tea party for friends. The owner saw me walking in, and instead of greeting me looked away and continued to talk to you one of her staff members. So, assuming she was busy I chatted with the woman at the cash register who was very helpful. This irritated her and she tells me to come and speak with her, which was odd because it was a clear she did not want to interact with me at first. She was so rude to me that I immediately left and decided never to return. I highly recommend that you go anywhere but here....anywhere but here. read more

Very relaxing atmosphere and an endless selection of perfectly calming teas for any and all anxieties.

If this place survives it's because the manager was hit by a bus. Don't get me wrong the food was great, our server was wonderful but this place is will go under because of the manager. It starts the moment you walk in, they don't seat you, you have to play this game of choosing teas with actual sticky notes from what looks like a sudoku book. They take your order, seat you and then quiz you on what you ordered and if you don't remember the tea number (there are dozens of them) they act like you committed some crime. It gets worse, when you order your meal you can't get some scones with some meals, they don't make enough and those are special and only go with certain meals... really???? Make more damn scones. Warning, when the tea comes don't put sugar in the pot, we did this unspoken sin and they took the pots away from us... I'm not kidding, they claimed it would caramelize on the bottom of the pot. They gave us new pots, then I had to re-ask for sugar. The pot only has a tea light warming it, it would take days for caramelization to occur. It gets worse, we witnessed the manager openly chastise the staff, totally unprofessional. You got a problem with your staff take it offline in the back, not in front of the customers. I don't know what the poor staff did but she was going off on them. read more

Walked by here on a weekend and decided to check it out, was a super cute experience. It's like a health food/apothecary/high tea house combined in one. Place is rather large for a princeton store and has a lot of interesting trinkets to browse as well as pastries and teas. Just decided to get a honey rose pistachio scone and it was pretty good! They even heated it up for my walk. Can't speak to the quality of high tea and management but I would come back and try the other scones, there was a rather large selection and a decent amount of vegan/vegetarian food options read more

Tipple + Rose Tea Parlor - Tea Rooms Near Me - Princeton, New Jersey

Bad Customer Service. Worst Experience Ever! Can I give it a Zero star? If you are looking for a warm and inviting place for tea - DO NOT go to Tipple & Rose. I Love to support small businesses, but this is a bad experience with a rude owner. Too many rules to enjoy the experience. No sitting till you picked your tea, might be better to sit and enjoy the long list and they can't recommend - why not - you are the expert - not me. You must order on a sticky note - really a sticky note and don't forget your number because you will be belittled and shamed for not remembering your tea number, NO SUBSTITUTIONS at all ever. They charge a service fee and don't even give that to the staff. Speaking of staff - they are all scared and afraid of the owner! Not allowed to buy scones because they won't have enough - Well then - MAKE MORE! Terrible experience - not sure why they are in business - they don't like people! read more

What a weird weird weird place. We were the only customers there and wanted to buy some scones. We picked out a few flavors and then were told "I can only sell you two." There were tons of scones! No other customers there! What an incredibly odd rule! How old are these scones?! You lost money today (we were going to buy at least 4 scones) and business forever, store. read more

Hidden gem, such a fun experience. Food was amazing and service was awesome. Ate off vegan menu and everything was so good. Beautiful decor and store was very cute. Will definitely be back, thank you for my lovely birthday tea! read more

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I stopped in by myself. Selected a tea from the tea menu and was seated right away. Ordered a sandwich which was delicious. The dining room was pretty and cozy. Can't wait try afternoon tea there. read more

2.5 stars. I've been here a few times w/ varying experiences. This place is an odd duck. Make reservations in advance online (don't bother calling, you'll be redirected) for a pre-fixe afternoon tea, but you're FORBIDDEN from ordering off the daily menu. I'll only be reviewing the daily menu walk-in experience. You walk into a store full of journals, candles, & self-care items before eventually hitting the back wall counter w/ 140+ teas to choose from. You MUST choose a tea before being seated. You can remove the lids of each container to sniff the tea leaves or refer to a stack of tea menus w/ long lists of alphanumeric codes to indicate flavor profile categories. My first time here, overwhelmed w/ the excel sheet printout, I asked for a recommendation & was told they can't recommend ANYTHING in case a customer doesn't like it. *bombastic side eye* You write your tea code (mine was "J" today) on a post it note & give it to the hostess who will at last seat you. There's a cottage in the back-- a casual fare café area, possibly leading to someone's bedroom up the stairs. It's a bright area, though it's hard to flag down a waitress. The main area is dark & elegant. My first time, we were seated in the store because a picture on my phone of my vaccine card wasnt sufficient to get seated elsewhere (this was probably early 2022). The "Elevenses" menu section is where you'll find the meal "kits" of tea, a scone, desserts, & some variation of savory food. The curry chicken salad sandwich is great but no WAY should half a sandwich sit comfortably in the palm (just the palm, no fingers!) of my hand. Unfortunately, that's only offered as part of the Lady Sharma tea & not as a larger sandwich you can order. There are absolutely NO substitutions or changes to be had. Don't ask for something removed, & even if they've just opened, there may not be some options available from the menu. This is especially true of the "meal kits". YOU choose something like your sandwich, but the HOUSE chooses nearly everything else: soup to be served in a teacup, the mini baby barely the size of your palm (no fingers!!) quiche, macaron, & truffle. If I'm paying, can't I choose what I'm eating? Did i mention absolutely NO SHARING? God forbid you'd want to share & enjoy a meal w/ a loved one. I hope you memorized your answers to the multiple choice question earlier (yes, the tea wall again) because you'll recite it to the waitress so you can actually get your order. Maybe this could be resolved by... ordering after being seated? You get a cute steep timer; 3 min for green tea, 5 for black. But if you order a meal kit, you'll get the tea pot & a saucer to put your tea bag on when the steeping is done. No teacup for you! You'll have to wait for your food to come out because it's all plated together. & yes, all the china will be charmingly mismatched. The real failing is how quick you need to be on asking for cream & sugar to avoid sitting w/ cooling tea & no way to reasonably enjoy it. Turns out the sugar was in the corner a la Sugar in the Raw packet-- info I was given 1.5 hrs after we arrived. Cream comes in a Dixie cup & is charged per person. I wish I was making this up. Want this quality of service? Play kitchen w/ a 10 year old. The scones ARE good. For a few years I was annoyed at their puny size & large price tag. Now you get a 4.5" long triangle for $4.25 w/ interesting flavors. Btw, google "scone recipe" to make a lot more similar quality scones for a lot less! A fabulous lesson I learned after my first visit here. An additional lesson is that clotted cream is $8 at Shoprite, but you'll only get a dollop here for $2.25. I'd rather have the price folded into the pre-fixe than learn it on my own from the menu. Speaking of homemade, I hope you chose your jam wisely! Otherwise you've just paid $2 for a jam jar you can get at any NJ diner for free. Sandwiches are $9-$19 & are basic ingredients on a cough*Shoprite*cough croissant. They're tasty, but I want to be WOWed at tea. Chefs, you've been chopped. Scone chef, you stay. Macarons don't taste homemade, could be from Costco. Chocolate truffles are downright horrendous & should be burned. Soon after the food arrives, so does your bill w/ 18% gratuity, even for a party of 2. You pay upfront in the store & the card reader predictably opens to.... ah, yes. A tip screen. Overall i don't know if i like this place or not. Some servers are great! Some hosts act like they'd rather drink lava than talk to you. Organizational tweaks would do wonders here. Remove rigid menu options. Let people be seated, then browse tea & scones at their leisure! (You can hear them hurrying me along while I look in the video.) Simplify your escape room-level tea menus. Trash the truffles! Reconsider if you want your guests to enter a café strewn w/ irrelevant knickknacks to buy as if they've just stumbled off a rollercoaster into the gift shop. read more

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There seems to be 2 Yelp pages for this businesses so I will leave my review on both. Lovely tea house in Princeton! My daughters are tea connoisseurs and love everything about tea houses. It's not just about the tea. They love everything about tea houses- the ambience, the vibe, the scones, the clotted cream, and of course the tea. Tipple and Rose meets all of these expectations. The tea here is high quality and fragrant and no wonder, because they steep a generous amount of leaves for each pot! The leaves are steeped using a mesh-like bag for a specified amount of time using a timer, depending on your tea. Once the time is up, you remove the bag so that you can re-use later. They will refill your pot with hot water to re-steep the tea. My tea stayed fragrant even after the third steep. The food is delicious. I ordered the "Mrs Patmore". It's a set that includes a pot of tea, a sandwich, a scone, clotted cream, a macaron and a chocolate. The scone is really good. It's moist and buttery with great flavor. I opted for an apple scone but there are many flavors to choose from. Usually scones get dry and hard the next day but we purchased one for home and after reheating in the oven for a few minutes, it retained its moisture and was as delicious as when we had it in the restaurant. There is a cute shop in the front when you enter. It's a lot bigger than I had expected. They sell a large variety of items. We purchased a few canisters of cookies, which are really good. The canisters are decorative and make for good gifts. They do ask to see vaccine cards (or an image) to sit in the main dining room. If you do not have your vaccine card, you can be seated in The Cottage Room, which isn't significantly different, so fret not. read more

Tipple + Rose Tea Parlor - Brie with apples on croissant - Tea Rooms Near Me - Princeton, New Jersey

Worst experience I have ever had. Owner was nothing but rude and gave an attitude towards me and family when we asked her a simple question. If you want to go somewhere with your family for a pleasant and enjoyable time, you are better off going to McDonalds or a State Prison. Owner is clearly the problem. read more

what started out as a pleasant morning turned into one of the worst customer service experiences of my entire life. i am absolutely FLOORED by the level of heinous attitude my partner and i encountered from the owner of this establishment. to start off we had entered the shop just to browse as i am from out of town and visiting my long distance partner who resides in Princeton. seeing some cute knick knacks in the window, we went in to check out what was offered. before i could even pick up an item, i was already receiving dirty looks from someone who i could only assume was the manager or owner. she literally was shooting DAGGERS in my direction and giving me and my partner the most sour puss face. i didn't really GAF at first and brushed it off. i then noticed a smell coming from the dining area and thought it would be lovely to order something and sit down... this was my first mistake. i approached the counter and politely asked if i could please order 4 scones, two for myself and two for my partner, and eat them at a table inside. the cashier (bless their heart, i feel so bad for them that they have to work here) looked a bit bummed out by my question. all of a sudden, the lady who had been staring us down came out and started getting in my face about how we were not allowed to order more than 3 scones at a time (WTF?) and that we also were unable to sit down. im like..how does this business model make any sense? i asked her if there was a problem and she looked at me like i had 3 heads. i would have been happy to walk out then and there but i had to relieve myself as i have IBS and am unable to control my bowel movements at times. i asked if i could kindly use their bathroom and was told it was for customers who were sitting down only. incredible i said we would love to sit down. but again was told they were not taking walk ins at this time (the entire place was empty.) unfortunately i shit myself inside then and there. it smelled unreal. some of it got on their floor and i was yelled at and kicked out. so embarrassing. anyway. please do not support this place. it pretty much ruined my entire month. read more

I went to this place a while ago but I had to write this review because I still think about how odd my experience was. Me and my friends were looking in the gift shop for a while and then headed towards the tea house because we were ready to sit. As soon as the owner saw us heading towards the tea house, she stood in the way with her hands out, and stated they were not selling anymore pastries. We told her we are just fine with tea but she still said NO rudely and continued blocking the way. Mind you, there was still one hour until closing. One of my friends was still in the gift shop looking so I told her we should all just go, since apparently we weren't allowed to sit. She followed us all the way to the front yelling. We had come from an Ash Wednesday service from church. We were already out of the front door and she was still yelling at us to get out and pointed at me saying, "Especially you with that cross on your forehead!" I understand if you are closing soon and the kitchen is closed, but there is a nicer way to tell your customers that. She was extremely rude and condescending. There is such negative energy as soon as you enter. When I think of a tea house, I want a cozy and comforting experience, but the ambiance and customer service is stressful and uncomfortable. read more

I was going to take a friend here for her Birthday, but I was unsure, until I read all these recent negative reviews. I believe them because when I discovered the place earlier this Summer, it was empty of customers both in the store and the back eating area, which frankly doesn't look very appealing, and there was only one staff member behind the tea counter who was reluctant to help me and I doubt she knew anything about the stores products. I will be looking elsewhere. As another reviewer said, there are plenty of other places in Princeton town, and I will add there are plenty of other towns too. Hopewell, Rocky Hill and Lambertville come to mind, and at the shore Point Pleasant and Ocean Grove. read more

HORRIBLE customer service... You need to read a VOLUME of do's & dont's before you even walk through the door. I am so surprised that they are even open... I'm sorry that I can't give ZERO stars... read more

Tipple and Rose is a charming, and intentional place for a meal and delicious tea in downtown Princeton. The decor and ambiance are lovely for visiting with friends, family and colleagues. Their vegan options are creative and delicious! I've also come in to purchase unique gifts in their shop. I'm looking forward to hosting an event there in the future as it would be a lovely venue for a shower, baptism, retirement party. read more

Tipple + Rose Tea Parlor - Vegan cheese plate - Tea Rooms Near Me - Princeton, New Jersey

This is still one of my favorite places to visit when I'm in Princeton. I like how there are Princeton students who study here because it's peaceful. They do also have afternoon tea so it's nice to see people gather for that, as well. I like to come here when I want to decompress over a cup of tea and a scone. It's nice that they let you smell the tea first so you can get a whiff of what you'll be drinking. They have a variety of choices so it helps narrow down to what you want to drink. read more

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Do NOT shop at this store. They are overpriced and do not accept returns nor do they allow an exchange. My dear husband was taken advantage of there when he purchased a kettle for me for Christmas (listed on Amazon for $29) for $60! There was no price tag on the kettle which makes me wonder if it was previously owned and priced according to what the sales person thought my husband could afford. What store owner in their right mind does not, at the very least, offer an exchange for merchandise purchased in their store? I would have been happy to have visited and shopped there for an exchange. So foolish of this Princeton shop owner. BEWARE!! read more

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The shop is nice enough. I bought a few items, then decided to have a cream tea in the tea room . It's good that they offer it for one person. Some tea shops make everything for 2+ people. My scone and tea were tasty, if overpriced. Unfortunately, the vibe is the shop and tea room is negative. The owner is unpleasant, hovers over staff, and seems put out by us pesky customers. Lots of "process" to follow. You must write your tea choice on a post-it in a specific way before being seated or she'll make you rewrite it. And when she brings your tea (with a scowl) she leaves a tea timer (fine, helpful). She warned me to pull the bag out on time because "longer won't make it stronger, it'll just make it bitter." True, and probably helpful to customers who don't drink tea regularly. Not sure why she had to be so SNARKY about it though. Very CORRECTIVE like, "I know you are clueless about steeping so don't blame me if you mess this up!" And tip is included even for parties of one. Not a huge deal but it just added to the vibe of... the owner dislikes and mistrusts customers. read more

So this is the cutest shop! The front is retail selling tea related items as well as to go pastries and drinks. It's spacious with gorgeous displays. The back is a spacious tea room that's also thoughtfully decorated. I had a raspberry chocolate scone to go. It was delicious! I wasn't able to do the afternoon tea but I'll be back! read more

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We went to T&R today for tea, including a sandwich for my husband and a scone with cream & jam for me. For some reason they took our tea order before we were seated. Then we were offered a table with menus. After a very long wait, we asked when we could place our order, at which time we were told that they were very much understaffed. No apologies. No thank you for your patience. We thought about leaving, but we decided to wait it out. Finally, after our tea arrived we were able to order. The tea pots were not accompanied by water, silverware or napkins. Our food arrived approximately 45 minutes after we were seated. It was good, with the exception of the "clotted cream," which was the consistency of cream cheese and not as spreadable as it should have been. All in all it was less than a relaxing tea break and unfortunately we could not display our displeasure by way of a tip as they take the liberty of including that in your bill. Again, an apology would have gone a long way in our decision to return. read more

First impression...adorable little shop. The front of Tipple and Rose is a store front selling everything from candles and blankets to the more obvious things like tea and tea pots. My daughter and I were warmly greeted by two different employees offering their assistance. I came here during a Yelp perk event which gave me one free pot of tea (my choice) and a scone and macaroon (flavors chosen by employee). The list of teas is extensive and a bit overwhelming. The last page of the tea menu is a cheat sheet so you can narrow down your choices based on flavors you like. Since we were dining in I would have loved if the employee helping us would have offered us a seat to look over the menu at our own pace. I felt a bit rushed standing there with other customers waiting behind me. I quickly turned to the cheat sheet and picked a flavor I thought both me and my daughter would like. I let the employee know which tea we wanted and she abruptly turned to my daughter and asked if she was "just there" or going to also going to get something. The way she asked was extremely off putting. Honestly I was really confused because the teapots I saw at the tables looked big enough to share. I asked if the teapots were not enough to share and she gestured to a teapot nearby (which was not what we were served in). It did look a bit small so back to the massive menu we went and picked another tea for my daughter. We moved on to the register to pay when the employee asked my daughter if she was eating anything. We had just recently had lunch and this was just a snack for the both of us so I thought the scone and macaroon was enough for us. I did ask what flavors of macaroons they had just in case my daughter wanted her own. The employee looked completely confused and told me if was the chefs choice. I was really confused and asked if I pay for it I can't choose my own flavor and she looked really flustered and said I have to see what we have. I told her not to worry about it and I would come back if we were still hungry. After we paid we were offered our choice of seating. There are a couple of tables in the front of the store, the main dining area and the cottage in the back. We were informed we could only sit in the main dining area if we could show our vaccine cards. I haven't had a restaurant ask me for a vaccine card in over a year now and I don't think many people even carry them around at this point. If you choose to dine here and want to sit in the main dining room bring your vaccine card. Also please note, unvaccinated (or those who could not provide documents) will be passing through the room to get to the cottage seating. We were happy to sit in the front where we could look around the store from the comfort of our chairs and enjoy our tea. After a few minutes of sitting an employee brought over our tea. We were told to wait until our timer finished and then remove the tea bag and enjoy. My daughters green tea had a 3 minute timer and my black tea had a 5 minute timer. After another minute or so another employee brought over our scone and macaroon. The tea was delicious but the teapot was easily shareable. A pot of tea for each of us was far too much. I would have loved to have a share option (even if it cost a bit more). We ended up asking for a to go cup and enjoyed the remaining tea when we got home. The macaroon tasted like the frozen macaroons I buy from Costco. It was too cold and not soft in the center. The scone was warm but extremely dry. After sampling these two things I would not go back for other food items. The tea we both enjoyed. The store is cute, the tea was delicious but I honestly wouldn't recommend Tipple & Rose. I can't help but compare this place to another tea place also in Princeton but just outside the university area (which also hosted a Yelp event a while ago). The service was much better, the food was amazing, the parking was free and the ambiance was like a true tea house. My experience here was a bit awkward and extremely underwhelming. read more

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Upon walking into the apothecary, the amazing aroma draws you in. The unique candles and tea sets are super cute as well as the decor is beautifully decorated. Towards the back of the store is where you go to get a table or place your orders. It was quite confusing at first as there were multiple seating options. The main dining area was only open to those with proof of vaccination, which we weren't aware was needed so we didn't bring anything. If seated in there, we could order from the table. The other 2 seating options were either in the apothecary or behind the main dining room in what they call they cottage. If we choose those 2 seating options, we would need to order before we were seated and they would bring us the food. Also, prior to being seated, there were a ton of tea leaves in containers that we could smell and decide which tea we wanted. Great concept but a bit overwhelming. I'm not sure how safe this was as everyone is opening the containers and smelling it but then they require proof of vaccination to eat in the main dining area so I'm not sure how that made much sense. Also, those who chose the cottage have to walk through the main dining area and most were unmasked which also didn't make much sense. We ended up choosing the cottage and were seated shortly after we placed our order. The teas were brought out first and each pot had their own individual heating implement to keep the pot at the perfect temperature. There was also a sand timer that told us when to remove the teabag (when the time ran out). The tea was very flavorful and very good. The food on the other hand, was super overpriced and honestly, not worth it. I ordered a bowl of their soup of the day, Tuscan harvest white bean soup. The bowl wasn't even a bowl and more like a saucer, mostly broth, and not much beans or vegetables. My friend ordered the winter fruit salad which was served to her on a plate that was too small. She couldn't even mix her salad and the dressing was nothing but pure oil. She ended up bringing it home and adding her own dressing. As far as service goes, they weren't very friendly at all. They never came to check on us or ask us how our food/tea was. We had to go up front to ask for a box and when they brought one, the waitress saw that the box was too small for the salad portion and only apologized and said that they didn't have any bigger boxes. Then she walked away. I had to call her back and ask her for an additional box. Automatically bringing an additional box seems like common sense, especially since they were obviously aware that the salad wouldn't fit. Overall, from the confusing directions of the seating options and the ordering process, I definitely would not return nor recommend this place. There are plenty of other tea places around with much better food and service. The only reason I have this place a 2 star instead of a 1 is due to the tea and the store. Both were great but if you are looking for a place to dine, i would look elsewhere. read more

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This is a really cute afternoon tea spot! Came here for a work event, and honestly the price for this is really good. Had some savory sandwiches (cucumber - which is surprisingly delicious and was my favorite sandwich, egg, and cured salmon), scones with side jam and cream cheese, and delicious macaron. Had some tea to pair with the food - very good! The service here is friendly. They are very rigid when it comes to head count for reservations, we nearly had an extra person come for high tea, and the waiter did not make an exception to add another person to a table. So just be aware of that before coming. Otherwise, great experience in cute Princeton area. I gave 4 stars because the food alone wasn't spectacular/special in comparison to if you buy these foods individually at a cafe. However, pieced together, it does make your high tea experience feel like you're going into England for some special fancy social time. read more

Tipple + Rose Tea Parlor - Tea Rooms Near Me - Princeton, New Jersey

Food: they had various appetizer type food. It was delicious. The tea selection is out of this world! Selection process is out of this world experience too...you need a nose cleanser after smelling so many teas! Service: the ordering process seemed complicated. Our cashier was really trying her best. Food service was excellent. Staff there seemed very friendly. Value: it was good value for the food and experience. They have a mix of different products. They also have a few tables to sip your tea and eat your snacks. I felt like I am in a British movie. Teapots were also very creative. Parking: this is in Princeton. So you have to find a parking lot or parking on the street. Final verdict: this is a must check out place. read more

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Visited earlier today with a friend and definitely won't be returning. Extremely unprofessional and rude staff, we were being stared DOWNN by them the entire time and felt super uncomfortable. Explains why the shop was completely empty despite all the nice items they have. (Couldn't even browse the tea leaves without being watched from BOTH sides of the store. Ridiculous.) read more

The decor is lovely here, and it really does have a nice ambiance; if you want a tea room experience primarily for the ambiance, then you should be more or less satisfied with this place. The food is sometimes excellent -- although inconsistent, none of it is worse than mediocre and (while none of it will ever be served hotter than luke warm nor cooler than tepid), it's the sort of food you serve at a high tea, so it's sort of fine. With all that said, you'll need to convince yourself that the ambiance is worth the Kafka-esque fever-dream that is their quality of service. Expect multiple people to take (and forget) each of your tea orders, and anticipate that every item on their prix fixe menu will inexplicably require 30-45 minutes to appear. We were about an hour and a half into our 'high tea' experience before the appearance of tea of any sort. In fairness, we were there for Mother's Day, and they seemed flustered by what I assume was an unprecedented 50% occupancy ... luckily, my mother adored the decore and ambiance enough to overlook, well, everything else. read more

Wanted to give fewer stars, but it wouldn't let me... I went in here a few months ago to buy a mother's day gift, but felt as if I was being watched the entire time by the horde of employees they hire to stand around and do nothing. I went to checkout and when I asked for a bag to just carry the items out they said I had to pay for a gift bag (that was $3.00 by the way). On the walk home I realized despite paying $3 for the bag, it was completely ripped on one side. Went back again earlier this week with my mom and again had a super weird experience. There were a bunch of employees standing behind the desk, but they didn't really seem like they wanted to help, despite the presumed owner standing watching from the other side of the store. One eventually listened to our order and told us we were only allowed to buy two scones. We asked if we could get more and they said no, that it was only two per party because the chef makes them for the restaurant first. The thing is, no one was even in the restaurant and the entire case was completely full. Anyways, we didn't complain and really just wanted to get out of there. The scones we ordered were two different flavors (one garlic with a strong smell and one that was a sweet flavor with almond). We asked for them to be placed in separate bags because we didn't want the smells and flavors from the garlic to leak over. They told us that "it didn't work that way" and that they will only place them in separate bags if someone had an almond allergy. Weird. I guess they couldn't afford to give us another 2 cent bag, despite spending $9 on scones. TLDR; don't go here if you like good service or god forbid you want enough scones to feed a family of more than 2. read more

Visiting Tipple & Rose recently turned into a memorable experience, and not in a positive way. The four of us wandered into what looked like an inviting tea shop for some afternoon refreshments on a hot summer afternoon. As it was sweltering outside, we decided to grab some drinks indoors. The shop is large, with a quaint atmosphere and had two seating areas behind the counter. However, that was all it had going for it, as events soon demonstrated. That it was devoid of customers should have been a clue. One of the staff met us at the counter and handed us a voluminous tea menu spread over a couple of dozen pages, where the teas were priced by the ounce. I excused myself to use the restroom while my companions perused the menu and made their selections. By the time I emerged, my friends were already seated out of sight. To my surprise and dismay, the staff would not allow me to join them, citing a rule that each person has to order a drink at the counter before being seated. I was forcefully requested to return to the counter. Unsure of what my wife and our friends had ordered and not being a tea aficionado, I wanted to ask for some advice, especially as I wanted to avoid caffeine and couldn't make out the options without my glasses. I practically had to beg and demand to be shown to my companions' table for a quick question. When I returned to the counter as requested, I was met by an irate proprietor, Doria, who loudly demanded to know why I was not following the rules and causing a ruckus. I was honestly taken aback by her aggressive and scolding approach. Though I was now ready to order, Doria told me I was no longer welcome in her establishment and she would complain about my behavior to my unsuspecting companions. As I stood, open-mouthed and aghast at such treatment, she returned, magnanimously telling the staff that my friends could stay, but I was being kicked out. Maintaining some measure of composure and contemplating what to do while I waited for my friends to finish their drinks, I mentioned that I looked forward to writing a review of the establishment. That was the last straw for the very agitated proprietor, who then ran back, screaming that my friends were banned as well and that we were all to leave immediately. Unable to finish their order, and after being rebuffed when they tried to pay, my three companions were unceremoniously escorted out. That was a first for all of us. Subsequently, after reading many reviews, we learned that the proprietor of Tipple & Rose has a reputation for rude, aggressive, and inhospitable behavior, and the shop is renowned for its bizarre rules and unwelcoming attitude toward customers. Maybe this is why they stand empty for afternoon tea. I would not recommend Tipple & Rose to anyone looking for a pleasant experience. There are plenty of other wonderful establishments in Princeton where customers are treated with kindness and respect. read more

If you like tea this is the place for you! I love afternoon tea with the ladies and they have a big selection to choose and sniff from. I really like how they gave the tea with a flame underneath to keep it warm the whole time. The process of creating the tea was pretty cool cause they gave a timer to make sure the tea was steeped for the correct amount of time. There are several places to sit at this tea shop. The cottage allows for laptops to be used while the room before the cottage is for only people who can provide proof of vaccination (kind of weird since no one cares that much anymore). The scone was soft and tasty as was the macaroon. read more

Tipple + Rose Tea Parlor - Tea Rooms Near Me - Princeton, New Jersey

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Regrettably we had not checked their reviews before booking our daughters Bridal Shower. Lesson Learned! We will Never Be Back and can not recommend this place. Our service was awful and inconsiderate. The owner/manager made things even worse with her arrogance and pretension. Our booking was for a party of 7. They would not allow us to push our two tables together. Really? Our server spilled water all over several of us. The tablecloth was SOAKED. Guess what? They did not change the table linens? What? Seriously? This should have been a special and enjoyable time for our family. Instead, it was stressful and rude on many levels. read more

I have been to many afternoon teas - Tipple and Rose is my new favorite. I had the Lady Sharma tea- which does not require advance reservation. The scone was delicious as was the curry chicken salad sandwich. The best part was the tea- after perusing the menu and smelling the teas that intrigued me, I chose a coconut/floral black tea. I have never seen a tea sample station such as theirs -and I enjoying trying something new based on its delicious smell. The room is very pretty and I found the price a good value of the whole experience plus the tasty meal. Highly recommend. read more

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The location is perfect. The store is really nice with lots of interesting and beautiful teas and trinkets. I was going to get afternoon tea but forgot to book and it was very hot - we decided to go to a diner for lunch. I stopped back in to get scones and had a strange encounter. There was a limit of 2 scones. I asked if my friend could buy 2 also and was told no, 2 per party only. The place was empty and there were lots of scones. Hmm. So I left with my 2 scones and was very happy that I only got 2 because they were not very good at all. I consider myself lucky that it was too hot for tea because I saved a few hundred dollars. read more

Really good food. They do have their way about them in here though, some rules you will have to follow. This is not a chain, this is their small, women owned, LGBTQ friendly business and they can choose to run it how they see fit. I know they have had a few stumbling blocks, a fire, elder care during a pandemic and a few other things. They expect classy behavior from their patrons. They do not do takeout and you can't get your coffee to go. This is a respectful choice in my opinion due to the fact that their neighboring stores have it to go. If you want to gorge yourself and act a fool, this is not the place for you! If you want to be classy and patient, the food is great, the tea is great, the knowledge is off the charts! Be kind and respectful to small business owners and their staff!! It's not easy. read more

The low reviews should have been a clue, but I wanted to give them the benefit of the doubt because I thought a high tea would be a nice Christmas gift for my mom. I tried to schedule it back in October, filled out the online form and got a confirmation email. Their email said my request was received and I'd be penciled in, no need to contact them again. They supposedly do this to give you a grace period and call for a credit card deposit 2 weeks out. I would have paid in full to begin with to make sure the Christmas gift was a go, but they don't allow that. When I didn't hear from them, I reached back out 6 days before I'd been planning to take my mom. The owner said she tried calling a couple times (I have no missed calls or voicemails from them) and "assumed" I no longer wanted the reservation. I know my phone number was correct on my form submission and I know they have my email (especially since I received the confirmation email!). If it was even true that they were having trouble reaching me by phone, why wouldn't they reach out via email or leave a voicemail before making that assumption? I replied asking what number they have on file and let them know we were still planning to come. I haven't heard back. I guess they don't need business...? Pretty bummed the gift I was planning didn't pan out, but we will have a great time somewhere else :) Update: I finally got a call after I posted this (the first one I've gotten!), which I couldn't answer because I was busy, and they left a blank voicemail. The owner followed up by email. She actually said "There was no answer after eight rings today so I don't think the problem is on my end." Very rude person, and I'm totally turned off by this place. read more

We had a lovely time at Tipple + Rose for afternoon tea service on a Saturday. Everything was delicious and we appreciated the warm service. We enjoyed arriving early to sniff and choose our teas. We enjoyed our selection so much we purchased some to bring home! We would absolutely return! The negative reviews are clearly from those who don't know how a tea service works or are expecting to dictate how they want the owners to run their business. We unfortunately sat next to two catty women who arrived late, wanted to cancel and then stayed but wanted boxes or to choose a la carte. They then had a tantrum and called the owner a "psychopath" within earshot of our table. The supposed 'psychopath' apologized to us for having to overhear these women complain and offered us additional dessert for having to tolerate these miserable women. The owner was far from rude and in my opinion shouldn't have to tolerate obnoxious, entitled behavior from customers. What is happening in this world? Pointers: if you book a reservation for tea service, leave your house on time to arrive 15 minutes earlier. You have the opportunity to choose your teas ahead from a large menu and can sniff the various options if you choose. Come out, relax and enjoy your company. If you are unhappy or generally miserable, loudly complaining while remaining seated is unnecessary. That said, we had zero issues with booking, parking, being seated, with the service or ambience and will absolutely return. read more

Tipple + Rose Tea Parlor - Tea Rooms Near Me - Princeton, New Jersey

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