The Ginger Room — Restaurant in Alpharetta

TL;DR – The only thing good about this experience were the finger sandwiches.

I typically LOVE everything about afternoon tea and/or high tea, historically it has always been a delicious and delightful experience. I have attended several, my favorite so far being at the St Regis. I was so excited when I learned about The Ginger Room being a dedicated British tea house, I couldn’t wait to try it! Bc weekend reservations were booked up so far in advance, I made my husband take PTO so we could go on a Friday to try it out sooner. I made a 12:30 reservation online for afternoon tea. I found it mildly annoying that I could make the reservation online but for some reason, I was required to call them to confirm my reservation and give my credit card details over the phone for a deposit. This can and should be made available to be done online to protect credit card information. Nevertheless, I paid the fee for one guest - $61.62 ($47.95 plus tax and $9.95 in gratuity) and the person I spoke with stressed that the reservation began at 12:30 and the table was only reserved for 1.5 hours. We arrived at 12:31pm and waited several mins to even be acknowledged bc apparently there isn’t a hostess. When we were sat at our (tiny) table we waited several more minutes before a different woman (tall with reddish blonde hair) brought us tea menus and left. No introduction, no explanation of the establishment or the process, nothing. So we waited. And waited. And waited until 1:05pm before she returned to TAKE OUR TEA ORDER. Our food tier came out before she returned to grab the teapots to go fill them, so we still didn’t have any tea, AT A TEA HOUSE, until halfway through our time-restricted reservation.

The food- A good friend of ours introduced us to traditional British clotted cream and scones and we were hooked- ever since then I have made both at home as a special treat along with fruit curds. Genuine clotted cream takes LONG time to make, a minimum of 12 hours, but it is a worthy labor of love. A true British scone is not the dry, crumbly, kind we are familiar here in the states but rather a tender and moist delicacy… decidedly NOT anything like the dog biscuit they served us at The Ginger Room. (I literally took it home for my dog) The “clotted cream” was more like margarine and if the lemon curd they served wasn’t from a can or jar, then they should truly be ashamed if that’s the best they can do. (pic of “curd”) Literally only the finger sandwiches and the Victoria sponge were tasty, oh and the tea when it finally arrived. I suspect the top tier of treats was mostly if not entirely store-bought. Meanwhile I noticed that the 3 ladies seated at a table for 4 behind us had a tea cart parked alongside the table, with a single teapot on it. Our table was so crowded we couldn’t move, so I requested a cart… “sorry we don’t have anymore.” How about taking that ONE teapot off that other cart and putting it in the vacant spot on their 4 top table so we can use the cart? No? Ok. We’ll just use the windowsill instead. Our server never acknowledged us again, despite setting a table right next to us. It was another woman who dropped of a bill for the wrong amount and yet another who brought us the boxes for our dog biscuits. Given the glowing reviews I can only presume that this place is taking FULL advantage of Americans ignorance of what the experience of tea should really be like- but folks this isn’t it. If you think The Ginger Room is good then I implore you to try tea at the St Regis at least once for...

What a delightful, and memorable experience! My wife and I had High Tea with Dr. Karl (the Chef) and his amazing wife at 4:15- the final seating of the day, a week before Valentine's Day...if you have never experienced authentic English High Tea (which is more like a lite supper with tea), you absolutely need to treat yourself and your dearest friend. I and my wife have been to Great Britain, and experienced authentic English offerings, and we were not disappointed here at the Ginger room- we were... Absolutely. Delighted. (It's disappointing to see in a review below an overly emboldened "keyboard all-things British critic" refer to Dr. Karl's hard work and attention to detail as "dog biscuits" when they wouldn't dare say that in-person- simply because it is flatly untrue (look at the other reviews?)- Unfortunately having a keyboard now gives license to stupidity and juvenile bravado.)

We started out with amazing service and generous pots of authentic English teas served in the style of High and "Low" tea in GB. Both of our servers were warm, friendly, and very accommodating. Next, Dr. Karl's wife brought the traditional "low" or Afternoon Tea Tiered Tray with finger sandwiches and more...they were all excellent, well-crafted and with care, and delightful to the palate. My wife really loved the salmon and dill, and I loved the Coronation Chicken- a hint of curry, and just wonderful! The pimento cheese was outstanding as well. The scones were authentic, as was the clotted cream- creamy, nutty and rich. Dr. Karl took the time to explain each sandwich, scone, home-made sweet, and the added High Tea savory in-detail to my wife and I, and even gave a secret or 2 away on his outstanding Shepard's Pie (one of many savory dishes that can be served with High Tea at the Ginger House). The salad was lite and refreshing; outstanding flavor- plating and presentation during the whole experience was exceptional, with careful attention to detail- from the individually different tea cups on various tables, to just the right dusting of powdered sugar on the the mini ginger beignets (donuts). The chocolate delicately dipped macaroon: fresh, and decadent. The quiet ambience and small, quaint tables- absolutely cozy, warm and private. Very Romantic. (This is exactly why Nationally televised shows choose the Ginger Room for romantic dates for their viewers- see the acclaimed series "Love on the Spectrum" ). The warm and caring attention given by both owners, and their devoted staff to make our day special...will never forget it. They actually celebrated a nearby table's birthday, by making the Birthday Queen with a beautiful Tiara. We will recommend this romantic, sweet and upscale getaway experience to every couple we meet! We will soon be bringing my adult children and their partners here as well, as well as my Mother and Father. You'll never forget this experience. (My wife and I are watching with eyes peeled for Dr. Karl's upcoming and to-be-announced 007-themed black-tie night, complete with on-site Aston Martin! We will be there! (BTW, the Ginger Room is so true to English form, British car maker Aston-Martin itself will be holding their yearly party...

Dearest Gentle Readers...

Must it have been the crowded and rather cramped spaces, or perhaps the lack of clarity in policies and directions? Yet, alas, the tea was poured, and well and truly sipped with appreciation.

The Ginger Room is nestled in a most serene and tranquil enclave of Alpharetta, a perfect setting for such a refined establishment. My acquaintance with this venue arose through the owners themselves, whom I follow on social media and have grown to admire greatly.

The interior, one might say, positively exudes the essence of an afternoon tea room, though I must confess, it did feel somewhat cramped and cluttered. That said, such spatial limitations did little to diminish our primary objective--the pursuit of a delightful tea experience.

We were attended to by two young staff members, charming and sweet-natured in every regard. Though their demeanour was pleasant, the level of service one would expect at such an occasion was regrettably not met. Perhaps if the staff had been more seasoned in the art of high tea, the experience might have unfolded with greater finesse. Directions and policies, I am afraid, were not clearly conveyed.

It was necessary to request essential items--cream, sugar, refills, cups...--on multiple occasions, which contributed to an overall sense of disorganization.

As for the food, a number of items on the menu, including both teas and dishes, were sadly unavailable. While this was somewhat disappointing, it did not detract from the overall enjoyment. What we did sample was indeed delectable, with the sandwiches proving most agreeable, and the scones nothing short of divine. I would, however, welcome the inclusion of more non-pork and vegetarian offerings in the future. It should be noted, however, that many of the teas did seem rather diluted. And, our requests for refills were sadly ignored.

And yet, dear readers, despite the minor imperfections encountered during our visit, we found the experience to be most enjoyable, and one that we would not hesitate to indulge in again.

*side note: we had ordered a refill 45 mins before our time slot was over but they forgot. When we reminded the 15 mins before it was ending they said “no” because it was almost over. How was that our fault that you forgot? We did not like the other teas we had and were waiting for the refill of the one we liked. Please keep that in mind, and for the business this was not okay.

Yours truly, Lady Whistledown......