Elden Street Tea Shop — Restaurant in Virginia

Read for full review TLDR: festival not as advertised or worth $30. Afternoon tea does not have a proper spread nor do they know how to properly brew tea. Elden St. Tea needs to learn how to host larger events while maintaining their quality

I have no intention or ill will against this business I just hope they learn from these mistakes and improve the business idea that they have. It’s a nice venue with nice people but they really need to learn how to run this business properly.

I came with my mother and sisters for the tea festival as well as the afternoon tea experience.

Afternoon Tea:

I hate to say this was rather disappointing and a 3/10 experience.

They advertise a full lunch with sweet and savory options. We were given a plate with a scone, cranberry pastry bread, shortbread, and quiche. The quiche was the only savory option. Some of us didn’t even get shortbread and got a duplicate of something. We only got ONE savory item. It’s poorly advertised and I was expecting a legitimate afternoon tea spread with some fingerling sandwiches. We didn’t even get clotted cream for the scones which were rather dry. The items themselves weren’t the worst but also weren’t the best. The quiche was average but a little dry 5/10. The cranberry bread and shortbread were ok at about a 6/10 and the scone was the worst on the plate very dry and not fresh 3/10. The tea was the biggest disappointment considering that’s what this business revolves around. They basically served lukewarm water. We chose black tea which is typically served boiling hot. I was surprised that a designated tea spot didn’t now how to brew and serve tea correctly according the the type of tea. I had to ask for hotter water but was still given under-steeped and an underwhelming flavor.

Festival Experience:

The festival seemed large with lots of cool classes and vendors available. Although there were a collection of cool vendors the promised activities and classes were a disappointment. The “classes” or presentations was crammed under a small tent with only about 6 chairs for people. By the time people gathered and a small crowed formed you’d be squished under the tent just to hear someone without proper sound or seating arrangements. The other activities were more “kiddy” than advertised and definitely a kids craft project. I was excited to try making my own tea per with a possible professional story about what they are but it was just a bunch of kids with crayons model magic. The “Chai off competition” was advertised as a bunch of people completing and brewing their chai for everyone to taste. There were only TWO people that can and sampled chai. It was terribly disorganized and no where near a competition!

All in all save your money and go have tea somewhere else! I paid $30/pp plus the additional afternoon tea cost! The festival ticket should either be heavily discounted or include the afternoon tea until they add more of a sophisticated event. I got the impression that they are not used to the volume of people that came that day for the festival but then that just begs the question; did they even prepare? Considering they knew how many tickets were selling… I hope this venue with potential learns how to brew and host. It’s an adorable place and...

I was really looking forward to trying Elden Tea Shop for the first time after hearing so much hype, but unfortunately, my experience was disappointing. I ordered an iced matcha latte, and it honestly just tasted like water — there was barely any matcha flavor at all. I noticed the matcha was already pre-whisked and stored in a squeeze bottle in the fridge, which is not ideal. Typically, matcha is made fresh by whisking the powder right before serving to preserve its flavor and texture, so this method was a letdown.

The ordering process was also confusing. There wasn’t a clear menu, just shelves of different tea containers in the background, which left me unsure of how to place my order. When I asked a simple question about ordering tea, the lady checking us out seemed a bit… off-putting. She didn’t come across as welcoming and the interaction felt uncomfortable.

I also picked up 6 macaroons, which cost around $9 after tax. They were small, had a strange gummy texture, and honestly looked and tasted like they might have come from Costco. Definitely not worth the price.

Overall, I felt the experience didn’t live up to the hype. The atmosphere wasn’t inviting, the matcha quality was poor, and the pricing didn’t match the product. I won’t be returning.

Edit: I appreciate the owner’s response and the invitation to come back. I truly wanted to enjoy my visit, and I understand that feedback is important. I would have let the staff know about the drink at the time, but honestly, I didn’t feel welcomed and felt too uncomfortable to speak up. That hesitation came from how I was treated during the ordering process — it just didn’t feel like a space where customer feedback was encouraged or would be...

Went today for the tea festival—it was fun! The reason I’m giving 2 stars is because it was NOT worth the money. Ticket was $25 for entry, all for a small farmer’s-market feel and some free samples, food is separate. It’s comparable to Clifton Day Festival at Downtown Clifton (which is larger) but Clifton Day is FREE to enter. With that entry fee, we were expecting the scheduled events (tea and chocolate pairing, chai off, japanese tea ceremony, etc) to be a lot more organized when in reality they were in small tents where you grab your sample and leave. There’s nothing inherently wrong with that, it just was not what we were expecting with that price point that doesnt include food. Speaking of food, the afternoon tea is about $20 and is also overpriced for what you get, which is a plate of 4-5ish pastries (and tea ofc), none of which were bad but none of which were notable or worth $20 together. It wasn’t a lot of food but no one in my group finished their plate. The staff and volunteers seemed ill-equipped to deal with the turnout, but I won’t fault them too much. All in all it was a very cute event with some cool vendors, and I could see the love and care behind it, but seriously I felt scammed by these prices for what was essentially a tea-themed mini market with some samples and unremarkable...