Rose Cottage Tea Garden is located just outside of San Antonio in Converse, TX. Parking is available on the street or in the driveway (as the cottage is in the back of a home). There are 3 options for tea starting at $10 per person and two options for tea: Rose or English Breakfast. The menu is not readily available online but when making reservations via email, will be shared by the owner as there are options that must be chosen for sandwiches and pastries. Reservations are for one group at a time, and the Rose Cottage Tea Garden is open everyday except for Saturdays and some holidays.
Atmosphere
This tea cottage is just that, a small wooden structure located in the back of the owner's home. Upon arrival I was greeted by the owner and her dog, she quickly unlocked the fence and showed me to the cottage. My first impression was that it smelled of dog a bit as she had a puppy that was running about, I was not bothered by him but being a young dog he was a bit nippy, something to be wary of if bringing young children. I'm sure had we had an issue with Arthur (the dog) that Janie, (the owner) would have been accommodating. After the smell, I immediately noticed that there was no music just a slight hum from the air conditioning. I made it a point to play my own music on my phone and walked to the window where Janie had hung fun costume like accessories for tea. It was then I truly began to notice the dirt... on the floor, on the window sill, the dust on the chandelier, dust on the Keurig, debris on the floor, and the numerous dead bugs. I understand that this being a cottage it may be more difficult to keep clean however there were webs and dust that clearly had been there for more than a few days let alone a few weeks+. It actually became quite a distraction throughout the experience as I noticed new opportunities for cleanliness every few passing moments. I chose not to take pictures of these items as I don't want to shame but please be aware should you visit, though I hope that it was an off time and that my experience is not the normal state of the cottage.
Tea Experience
Janie brought the pot of tea and pastries and continued coming in and out throughout the experience bringing different courses at a welcomed pace. I shared when making the reservation that it was my guest's first time (she assured me she'd make it special and "she shops on Fridays as all food is prepared fresh) not having a tier was a bit of a let down. It also would've saved Janie a lot of walking had we had the courses on a tier with an additional tray if needed. The tea was a nice rose blend that had already been sweetened with honey. It would've been nice to have the tea as is and have the option of adding honey, milk, or sugar (sugar packets were on the table) as we saw fit as everyone's taste levels are different and it was a bit sweet for my guest. An odd note but something that should be considered none the less was the napkins. While a lovely shade of pink, they are thin polyester and unfortunately are not practical at all when it comes to anything required of a napkin. Upon receiving the second course I asked if one of the two types of quiches had pork and was assured by her that everything except for the salmon and chicken sandwich was vegetarian. However, I had seen a similar looking quiche at a different tea house within San Antonio that did indeed have bacon in it so I took it upon myself to look and after the other member of my party took a bite she confirmed that it was indeed bacon, so that was a bit disappointing. When clearing the second course Janie made a comment regarding us not eating the fruit (pictured below) and went on to say that while it may not have looked fresh it was as it was left over from a party served Friday (reservation was for Sunday). I shared that I wasn't a fan of those specific fruits (melon and pineapple) as not to offend but truly the pineapple was brown and after hearing that it was left over from a party was not at all more appetizing. Next, sandwiches were served (not pictured is the other half of the chicken salad sandwich). I chose the smoked salmon wrap and my guest the chicken salad sandwich, she shared that it was pretty bland and had an odd taste and unfortunately I could not eat mine as I discovered the salmon had turned after taking a bite. Again, not to offend our host I used a small plastic bag my guest had in her purse to put the salmon wrap in. The final course of cheesecake was accompanied by milk in Turkish tea cups, and was okay. We weren't able to eat more than one piece as they were quite generous. There was no offer of to-go which we wouldn't have accepted anyway because we weren't thrilled with anything on the menu. Prior to leaving we actually made a plan to go to a different tea house the following weekend to makeup for my guest's first tea being far less than lackluster.
Overall Score
Oh Dear Readers.. I've never wanted to give a tea house an at least decent rating and yet here I am giving it a hard fought 1/5. This is not reflective of the service as the owner was kind, and attentive but the lack of cleanliness, lack of tea variety, missing afternoon tea staples, subpar and arguably dangerous quality of food, and overlooked details were unacceptable. I hope should this review cross her path that she takes it as constructive criticism as I truly hope that this place is successful and more so (the reason for the creation of The Afternoon Tea Review) that the folks who visit will truly have a great experience without any worries. Unfortunately, as it is now I clearly will not return and absolutely cannot recommend The Rose Cottage Tea Garden for all the reasons above and some I've chosen to omit. While the Google reviews may be okay, with such limited tea house options within a couple hours drive, I fear that some reviewers may not have much of an experience as to what proper afternoon tea should look, feel, and be like.
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