Frequent Questions

  1. Can we make reservations during the weekdays (Wednesday-Friday)? 
    Answer: yes, we now have weekday Queen’s Tea reservations available online. We ask for your thoughtful consideration as there is such limited seating in our tea room. The reservations allow for a two-hour seating for our Queen’s Tea Guests. Our four tables are otherwise available on ‘first come/first served’ basis during the weekdays as well as after our high tea service on Saturdays (from 3pm to 5pm). **Due to times of limited seating (eg: an occasional private event), we invite you to text us in advanced if you would like to ensure a table (if available, we will hold your table for 20 minutes from the time you have requested).

  2. My party is larger than 5 guests for the Tea Room reservations. How do I reserve for a party of 6+?
    Answer: please book two tables and add a note in the “Comments” section that you would like to sit near each other. While we cannot move tables together (our vintage tables are a bit cozy!), we always try our best to make sure your group is seated at neighboring tables that are close enough to chat and enjoy your tea time together.

  3. How much does the High Tea Service cost?
    Answer: $58 per adult and $48 children under 10 yrs old. (Gluten free menu cost $68)

  4. Why can’t I get a reservation online for next next month?
    Answer: reservations can be made only as early as Four Weeks in advanced. The reservations open up each week on Thursday evening (for Saturday slots) and Friday evening (for Sunday slots). Please be patient as we only have 30 seats/covers per weekend and tend to book out quickly especially during the holidays.

  5. Is there a Wait List for high tea reservations?
    Answer: yes, there is a wait list. Once all four tables have been booked, the reservations system will automatically ask you if you would like to join the wait list. Every Tuesday, we will have contacted each guest to confirm their reservations for that weekend service and will contact the waitlist accordingly starting Wednesday morning. (we often times are able to accommodate the first on our wait list)

  6. Can we purchase your loose leaf teas to take home?
    Answer: yes, we have 2 ounce tins of loose leaf tea for purchase as well as 1 ounce “discovery” tea packets for purchase in the shoppe. (tins $18-20 as well as discovery packets $10)

  7. Do you offer Small Bites and Baked goods during the week? 
    Answer: yes, we have a pastry box displaying samples of our mini pastries/delights. These can include mini lemon pies, chocolate millionaire bars and Lynne’s delicious shortbread cookies that pair very nicely with your tea. (Lemon and Double Chocolate Scones and Crumpets are offered during the weekdays, but can sometimes be limited on the weekends after our high tea service).

  8. Do you have warm Scones during the week for purchase?
    Answer: during the week we will have freshly baked lemon as well as double chocolate scones These are also available for take-out depending on supply.

  9. Do you have any Gluten-Free options?
    Answer: yes, we are pleased to now be able to offer a gluten-free prefixed meal for the High Tea Service (upon 14 day advanced request).

    For the Queen’s tea, depending on availability, we will need to ask for 48-hour advanced notice to prepare the gluten free options as well. (Our gluten-free mini treat options include: macarons, along with mini brownies and caramel macchiato cookies lovingly made by Julia of Rainbow Poppy)

  10. Do you have any Vegetarian options?
    Answer: currently our only vegetarian option during high tea is to switch out the ‘Salmon & Brie’ and/or the ‘Ham & Havarti’ for a ‘Sunflower Butter and Strawberry Jam’ sandwich (or an extra cucumber sandwich).  Please note this in the comment section at the time of placing your reservation.

  11. Do you have any Gift Certificates for purchase?
    Answer: yes, we have gift certificates (on quality cardstock) for purchase. You can also contact us via phone or email if you are unable to physically come into the gift shoppe to purchase and we will try to make arrangements to best suit your needs.

  12. Why is nobody answering my phone calls, direct messages and emails?
    Answer: we apologize for the delayed responses to our messages. Being a Very Small Business we have been quite busy and have a limited staff. Note that texting is best for more urgent matters. We try to get back to each and every email, DM, text message     and voicemail etc., but Please allow us 5-7 business days to get back to you as we continue to build our team. We appreciate your patience.

  13. Do you offer any tea sandwiches during the weekdays?

    Answer: Yes, we have a Queen’s Tea that includes two (2) tea sandwiches (egg/capers and cucumber/dill/cream cheese). The tea sandwiches can also be purchased ala cart depending on reservations/supply.

    The Queen’s Tea is a mini-tea menu for $24 and for the gluten free menu $30 (The Queen’s Tea is usually presented on a two-tire tower stand and includes: 1 cucumber/cream cheese and dill tea sandwich, 1 egg salad & capers tea sandwich, a mini lemon scone, mini pastry and a pot of tea). No reservation is needed for Queen’s Tea Service; however as this has become more popular, we encourage you to make an online reservation to ensure an open table in our Tea Room and to confirm that our kitchen has adequate supply for your party. We are happy to hold/reserve a table for you up to 20 minutes of your expected arrival.

  14. Can we rent out the Tea Room for a private party?
    Answer: yes, we are happy to book a private event for you in our Tea Room (with or without the high tea menu). Maximum 15 guests. Requires notice at least 2-4 weeks in advance. Please refer to our website tab labeled “Private Space” and email us at     teatrolleyatascadero@gmail.com for further details and planning.

  15. Can we rent out the Back Patio for a private event?
    Answer: yes, we are happy to book a private event for you in our back patio (with or without the high tea menu). Comfortable capacity 14-16 guests. Requires notice at least 2-4 weeks in advance. Please refer to our section labeled "Private Space” and email us at     teatrolleyatascadero@gmail.comfor further planning. 

  16. Sometimes the tea shoppe appears closed despite it being your “open hours”. Why is that?

    Answer: As our shoppe is becoming more popular, we are booking out more private parties. Many times these are last minute events and we are unable to announce this on all platforms (IG, Facebook, Google, Yelp etc) in advanced. However, we always will post “shoppe will be closed tomorrow” on our Instagram Story if the shoppe is expected to be closed in situations like this, so please do check our IG Story if you are planning to be driving from afar. We apologize in advanced for any inconveniences this might cause.

  17. We see that you have fun events (Bridgerton Tea, Mad Hatter Tea, Teddy Bear Tea Parties etc.) sporadically throughout the year: Where do I get information on these events if I want to attend?

    Answer: We invite you to follow us @TeaTrolleyAtascadero on Instagram and Facebook for these types of Event Announcements, as we don’t usually plan these far out in advanced (and our website Events Page is slow to update). However please feel free to email us your information join our ‘Trolley Guest List’ so that we can email/text you once we have the Event Details scheduled. We will usually send out an Event email first to our ‘Trolley Guest List’ one day prior to announcing on our socials that the “tickets are now available for purchase”. You can email us (TeaTrolleyAtascadero@gmail.com) with your information if you would like to be placed on our ‘Trolley Guest List’. We also have a guest book that you can sign at the register to enter your information as well.

  18. Why are you closed on weekends during the late summer months?

    Answer: With the very hot weather we have in Atascadero at the end of summer (August/September) our 96 year old tea house struggles to keep the tea room cool and comfortable for our loving guests. We feel that we can best use this time to host a few private parties and also offer our sweet community a few smaller fun events during these months while we revamp and recharge for the upcoming and very exciting winter holiday High Tea season.

  19. Can We have our High Tea or Queen’s Tea on the Back Patio?

    Answer: Unfortunately, the answer for a High Tea is -no, we cannot. Although this would certainly be lovely, serving our high tea is not possible simply due to the table size and the large amount of tableware that is needed to serve our proper high tea experience. We can oftentimes serve Queen’s Tea on the back patio depending on the circumstances of that particular day.