My Favorite Tea House

Other tea houses have nicer, more sophisticated decor.  Other tea houses have more complex menus.  But hands down, Sally Lunn's Tea Room  in Chester, NJ is my sentimental favorite tea house for now and pretty much ever.

I discovered Sally Lunn's about 15 years ago.  It is tucked into a back street in the antiques district of Chester, NJ.  You can't see it from the street, and from the outside it looks like a frowsy old lady antique shop.  That impression won't much change when you go inside.  The tables are covered in long lace table cloths.  The walls are packed with china tea cups and weird antiques, most of which are for sale (and some of which are surprisingly valuable as I recently discovered).  Most men walking into Sally Lunn's immediately feel that they are about to be the bull in the proverb.

The waitresses are generally college-age or high school females dressed in long skirts and aprons.  On days when the shop is not packed, service is pretty good.  However, on high traffic days, like Mother's Day, they frequently get overwhelmed and forget things like drink refills.

There is a six-page tea menu, and I have never had case where the tea I wanted was out of stock.  There are a number of very good in-house blends of black teas as well as the standard flavored and herbals.  They also make a spectacular aromatic chai.  For those who are not tea fans, the shop carries lemonades and a delightfully refreshing lemon-lavender drink.

The menu is so very very very British.  There is a ploughman's lunch with Branston pickle, an astoundingly good cottage pie (shepherd's pie), as well as the traditional tea sandwiches like cucumber and shrimp salad.  One of my favorite dishes is the ham and brie on wheat bread with apple butter.  Most dishes come with a side salad.  The fruit and Caesar salads are very good, but if you are a cheese lover do not skip the green salad with Stilton cheese dressing.

The scones are a dream.  The come, of course, with Devon cream and strawberry jam.   There are generally about 6-7 different types of scones a day, hitting most of the usual flavors and an occasional seasonal flavor like pumpkin or peach.

Save room to sample the wide variety of profoundly British desserts, including multiple different kinds of trifles and treacle pie.   I have literally never had a bad dessert here.

Sally Lunn's carries many of its teas in loose form for purchase.  It sells tea paraphernalia and a number of British food products.

It is not a perfect or high end dining experience by any means.  As I mentioned, the servers can get overwhelmed when the shop is very busy.  There is a single one-seater bathroom which makes for long lines on busy days.  Also, the shop is not really designed for very large parties.  For a group of 6 or less, you'll have better luck.

Nevertheless, I love this place.  It's homey and quirky and adorkable.  The cottage pie is one of the single best pieces of comfort food I've ever eaten.   There are places with better food and places with more elegance, but Sally Lunn's is like family.