Tea Rooms
Visiting Tea Rooms is one of our favorite spring outings in Charleston. Local churches host Tea Rooms to raise funds for their missions, and they make for a wonderful break to your weekday lunch routine. Each church has their own traditions, so you need to visit more than one to get the full experience. The more historic the church, the more established the traditions.
The menu is always made up of tried & true dishes made by church members, southern recipes passed down and followed to the letter to preserve consistency. You’ll often find chicken salad, shrimp remoulade, crab bisque, okra stew and tomato pie. All jobs are staffed by church members, many of whom have been working the event for decades. There’s a committee who makes the floral centerpieces and prints the menus. Members of the dessert brigade push around wheeled dessert carts filled with confections from bourbon pecan pie to blueberry cobbler to the famed huguenot torte, all topped with homemade whipped cream and fresh fruit garnish. Someone is always topping off your iced tea while another plays the piano. Most of the local churches sell items in a gift shop or boutique all week long as well.
Our team has experienced many tea rooms over the years and we now have an annual tradition to attend at least one together each spring. Some churches are known to host their fundraiser the same week every year and some rotate, so double-check each church's website for the exact dates each year.
Pro-tips:
Call ahead to get a reservation, some will take reservations weeks in advance, eat at the earliest time available and then go shopping. You want the first pick of the desserts.
Grab your favorite sugary confection off the dessert cart as it passes your table the first time. That slice you see could be the last one of that particular dessert.
Order a meal to-go if you don't have time to sit and eat. Most have a to-go ordering option.
Here are a few of our favorite Tea Rooms…
Grace Church Cathedral downtown on Wentworth Street. Starts the week after Memorial Day every year. This one is special because they also have the walls chalk full of artwork to purchase and the fabulous Mouse Boutique where you can shop for wonderful treasures. This is a fun excursion to pair with a Spoleto performance.
St. Philips Church downtown on Church St in the Parish House, early May.
Old St Andrews Parish Church on Hwy 61 in West Ashley. This is the oldest Tea Room and includes a tour of the Chapel. Typically, late March to early April with a small gift shop.
St Paul's Anglican in Summerville hosts their tea room in late February - early March. Known to have native plants for sale in their gift shop.
North Charleston United Methodist Church in Park Circle on E. Montague hosts theirs in February as well.
