Food & Drink
Down to a Tea: Alfred Tea Room
1:13 PM
Quietly tucked away in a Melrose hole-in-the-wall is the heavily sought after, heavily Instagrammed, and effortlessly perfected Alfred Tea Room. If you're like me, you love a good gram-worthy splurge, especially if it involves aesthetically pleasing logos and shop decor. You may have seen their deer antler logo and their 'But first, coffee.' signs grace your Instagram feed a few times, and yes, this is them (along with Alfred Coffee).
Metered street parking is available with a quick turnoff from the busier part of Melrose, where you'll find, you guessed it, Alfred Street. This little area is a lot more leisurely than the other stretches of Melrose, so it was a nice getaway to be able to stroll around, sip my tea and enjoy some shade.
Their menus are printed and clipped on little clipboards, offering a pretty wide selection of drink options, from caffeinated and herbal/floral teas, to milk teas, to coffee, espresso and matcha options as well, all available hot or iced. There's also an option to add boba to your drinks as well. Prices are listed on a handwritten menu on the tiled wall, as well as a Specials menu handwritten on a mirror near the counter.
On the counter are glass domed cake stands filled with pastries, in case you need a quick bite to go with your tea. Along the wall, there is a book shelf lined with Alfred Tea Room merchandise, such as cute mugs, loose leaf tea, stationary, and the like. Right next to it is a a fridge with cold pressed juices, yogurt and sandwich wraps, cold brews, and more bottled drinks.
My brother's girlfriend and I each ordered one of their specials, The Alfred Pink Drink, with a creamy tea base and strawberry and pomegranate flavors, while my brother ordered their Earl Grey milk tea. Both were pretty solid drinks and weren't too sweet, so I'd definitely come back to try more of their specials.
We dropped in early afternoon on a warm breezy Friday, and there was no line at all. Those working there were very welcoming and helpful with introducing us to the menu. I actually ended up talking to one of them for a bit about photography when she noticed my camera. Super nice.
There isn't a ton of seating, only four to five bar seats along the wall, so it's really more of a stop-and-go type of shop. I've heard many people comment on the fact that the drinks are a little on the pricy side, at around $5+ per drink, but they're pretty similar in size and price to the teas at my previous job working at a tea shop, so I can't complain.
In the end, I'd say if the tea room isn't too far out of your way, and pink aesthetics are your type of thing, it's definitely worth the experience.
xx,
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