Dartealing Lounge

Way better than Lovejoy’s. More creative, a more relaxed atmosphere, more variety, and better food. I love that they have all kinds of different scones, and they have off-​beat sandwiches and flavored teas.
It’s definitely an alternative atmosphere, but it’s so nice to go somewhere that doesn’t have «Keep Calm and Carry On» signs everywhere. Grab yourself a comfy chair, order something you haven’t tried before, and relax.

This is my second year in a row going here for my birthday! It was a lovely experience this afternoon. I called in advance to reserve a two hour tea with me and 7 of my friends. I put down a $ 60 deposit and the price was $ 28 per person. It ended up being $ 36 a person because of added service fees and taxes. I wish I knew that ahead of time because my guests were only expecting to pay $ 28 but I guess that’s my own fault for not factoring it in.
I can’t remember all of the teas that we tried but our group really liked the vanilla bourbon one in particular, though they all were good. The desserts were all super cute and tasty and I loved the scones!
The only miss sandwich wise for our whole group was the berries and cream. I think they need more savory vegetarian options. I loved the brie sandwich though and the salmon and cucumber ones were also very well received.
I’ve done my research and this really seems like the best price you’ll get for high tea in the city, it’s well worth the cost for all of the goodies that you get. The atmosphere of the restaurant is adorable too and the waiters were very attentive!

This place was adorable with truly wonderful and attentive service. My sister, my friends, and I came here for a girls day after seeing the Oscar De La Renta exhibit at the DeYoung and even though we were over 30 minutes late, they patiently saved our table and immediately provided us service upon arrival. The teacups and table layout are gorgeous!
We ordered 4 portions of the Covent Garden Tea set and we ate and basically had a tea sandwich tasting. I enjoyed everything and barely had room for the mini desserts on the top most tier after we polished off the sandwiches.
We ended up chatting here for 2+ hours slowly sipping tea on a Saturday afternoon. I’m a tea fan and love fruity aromas so I tried the Violet Mist which I ended up loving. Be warned, you will be very thirsty after a few hours of talking and sipping caffeine. I wasn’t a huge fan of the scones, but I am a huge fan of the service!

Visited this afternoon tea lounge on a weekday afternoon. Pretty empty, only 3 groups of customers and one server.
My friend and I ordered Covert garden tea set, 4 choices of sandwiches, scone, tea cake and petite 4. We had salmon filling, BLT, fish and chips and Tuna and egg sandwiches. I really like the fish and chips sandwiches. The scone and the small tea cake were not so good. I think their savory items are better than the sweet pastries. My tea is nothing special, some regular fruit tea you can find anywhere.
Quite an average tea experience, location is good if I am around downtown or soma and want a place to spend time with friends. But I don’t think I will come back anytime soon.

We came here for my birthday lunch. We had previously been to Lovejoys, and I liked it better. Dartealing seemed dark and somewhat crowded. The menu requires some explanation, such as how many sandwiches come with tea service. We were a party of 3, and our table quickly filled up with tea pots, sandwich service, etc. and there was very little room to move without taking a chance on spilling. The servers seemed somewhat impatient, and there was no special mention or treat for my birthday. The good points were the tasty finger sandwiches and the generous amounts of tea and cocoa. The humus cucumber bite was quite spicy. The petit fours were not spectacular.

The perfect place to catch up with friends for hours on end, without getting a stink eye! The sandwiches were all really good too! I recommend just getting the combo tea for 2 (and if you have more than 2 people, they’ll just charge you per person). The food is actually surprisingly filling that I didn’t eat dinner that day, haha. The desserts were just whatever in my opinion (store brought snacks), but the scones were yummy! As for the sandwiches, we really liked the cucumber and the turkey pesto!

Came here with a group of 6 under a reservation. Very cute décor and set up. Service was questionably slow, it was difficult to get the waitress’ attention when we wanted to order, though I suppose it’s meant to be a laid back and sit for several hours experience. The sandwiches were actually very delicious. We enjoyed them a bit more than all the desserts and teas. The pricing is not too bad comparing to other high tea establishments, though this one has a much more casual environment, with our nearby tables being groups of friends as well as families.

This is one of the cutest tea rooms I’ve been to so far! It definitely has the feel of an authentic tea service, and has a pretty good selection of food and teas to choose from. I highly recommend making a reservation as far in advance as possible because it’s a pretty popular place and slots fill up pretty quickly.
I came with a group of four, and we decided to get two different tea services which each served two people. I selected the Covent Garden Tea, which came with cucumber cups, two sandwiches per person, scones, petit fours, the cake of the day, and shortbread cookies. For the sandwiches I tried the smoked salmon mousse and dill and the turkey cranberry which I believe was a seasonal special. For my tea I got the snickerdoodle, which really lived up to its name! All of the treats were delicious, and surprisingly more filling than I thought they would be since I ended up having leftovers to take home.
I will say the service can be a little iffy. Our waitress let us know at around 2:25 that the next reservation for our table was at 2:30, which didn’t give us much time to prepare to finish up, so we felt really rushed towards the end. Since afternoon tea is something that’s meant to be relaxing and enjoyable, It would have been nice to have an earlier warning. We were pretty turned off by this, but luckily the rest of the service had been good enough for me to let it slide. I definitely recommend Dartealing if you’re searching for a nice afternoon tea!

The place is cute, but I can say the food was not the main attraction.
Tea = Okay
Foods = Below Average
It’s a really fun place for girlfriends and catching up. I tried the peach tea, the jasmine tea and the rooibos tea. They were all good — jasmine is definitely more of the «you can find anywhere» so I’d recommend going for more exciting teas.
The pricing of the tastings were a bit high — food bites included. It starts at $ 27. I would stick with the basic tea tasting of sandwiches if I were you. The day I was there, they didn’t have some items from the Knightsbridge High Tea, but neglected to tell the table so that was a little disappointing. And even without the English sausage roll, I was charged for the full price. If I knew, I would have ordered something else. The sandwiches were on the dry side without enough filling. The scones were on the tiny side. For what you pay for, I was expecting so much more.

**My 300^th review**
Sorry folks, I would love to start off this year with a positive review, but unfortunately after the experience today, the other good reviews will have to wait. After this, a well deserved wonderful review of Lovejoy’s is in order.
Short summary: Owner /​«Chef» Pauline is rude not open to listening to experiences or short comings of the visit, or feedback. Sandwiches lacking filling, no flavor, desserts stale. Other Unilocalers also say Pauline tried to insult them. DON’T come here, go to Lovejoy’s! Tell yo Mama, yo Grandma, the guy at the liquor store, heck, scream it running down the street, «DO NOT GO TO DARTEALING!!»
The décor and low ceilings gives Dartealing a warm and cozy feeling. Immediately after sitting down with my girls we were complimenting the set up. Décor ALONE does not create ambiance, service plays a huge roll. Most negative reviews are about servers attitude
Teas:
Lychees in Dreams-​Oolong ⁵⁄₅ Charged for refills
From Pear to Eternity ⁴⁄₅
Royal Earl Grey ⁰⁄₅ too spicy
Jasmine & Jade ¹⁄₅ free dim sum tea
Sandwiches:
smoked salmon mousse & dill ⁴⁄₅ good, barely had any filling inside.
spicy garlic shrimp ²⁄₅ what spice no flavor?
turkey & pesto cream ³⁄₅ heavy on the oil
tuna, egg, olives a la nicoise ⁰⁄₅ olives do not pair well, overpowering taste
Dessert: Kirsten (referred to by Unilocalers as eeyore, resemblance uncanny) rushed over our platter vs how kindly and slowly she went over the tiers with the table next to us right. I did nibble on a stale 2016 chocolate cake bar that tasted like refrigerator frostbite, and a scone which was very dry on the outside and doughy on the inside. LOVEJOY, Pauline said you buy their scones.
Cake cutting fee $ 2pp Eeyore watched to make sure we did not eat any during the photo opp (yea We saw you creepin)
Bathrooms: filthy
Reservation w/​$ 60 deposit for a party of 9, and had 8, we would pay for the 9^th, but no big deal, we will pay for the extra portion. We were happily sipping on our Lychee tea and the sandwiches arrive, totaling 64. They decided to charge us for 9 but gave us portions for 8. After asking if it was correct, server confirmed we would only pay for 8. Was it because we caught you skimping us? Bait and switch! (I would later find out this inquiry would deem me and my entire party «Intimidating» — straight from the horse’s mouth, Pauline)
Immediately after, the service changed. All employees huddled in the back and all tables left unattended for 10 mins. Once dispersed, We noticed Kirsten, not our server, giving us looks, staring, awkwardly dead giveaway that the hens had been cackling about our group. She’s hard to miss since she’s dressed as if she rolled out of bed in her Jammie Jams (baggy Tshirt.) We shrugged her off until she slammed both the desserts and the cream on our table, hard enough to rattle the silverware.
Autogratuity, a whopping 20%- labeled as a «service charge» but our server clarified its gratuity. We were not advise before arriving or after arriving there was any additional charge? The service charge needs to be stated before the meal, and if a gratuity, we are allowed to tip based on our service. This was not 20% service. Talking behind the back of your patrons, leaving tables unattended for long periods of time, charging us for service of 9 and serving 8, rude treatment and stares from staff.
IF based on the service (my server), and overall I would have rated 3 stars. I wouldn’t have even left a review, not worth my time. I figured a mental note not to return would suffice. Then Pauline, yelled aggressively across the room waiving her pointer finger in the air Sha NAY NAY style «WHO IS SHARON I NEED TO TALK TO HER» (Like a child on a schoolyard instigating for someone for taking their swing) I compare this to a child because the entire encounter lacked common sense, maturity, and professionalism. This now made Dartealing review worthy. Once she reached the table, she slammed the receipt down and started ranting about how our group was making her servers feel intimidated, and how we were the ones at fault and how oh, «that’s why she owns a tea shop and I don’t.» How is this relevant, or constructive? All her rants and attempts to intimidate me failed. I gave her honest valid feedback of the issues I’ve stated in this review and more. All which she could not deny. She accused me of predetermining my experience, and I asked how she came to that decision, nothing but crickets. Her employees are a reflection of her, now I understand the service.
Anyways Congrats Pauline you made this place a must review. You will probably reply my review like how you bickered with me in front of your other guests. Embarrassing much? We see the way you reply other negative reviews, and wish we had taken those reviews more seriously. Boo I ain’t the one to bully. Maybe you should just stay in the kitchen.
I still enjoyed my birthday because I have the best friends in the world, no thanks to Dartealin

So my friend and I came and spent 3 hours here. We did the early weekday special which included scones, our pick of two sandwiches, some sweets and of course a pot of tea for a low cost (sorry I can’t recall how much right now). I’m writing this review about 3 weeks later so I can’t recall specific details other than the delicious curry sandwich and. Yep I forgot what the other things are.
The reason my rating is 5 stars is because this place is comfortable and allowed us to truly enjoy our lengthly stay. It was priced fairly and gave us what we wanted… Tea time.
I’ll be back.

If Lovejoy’s is a cozy grandma’s attic, Dartealing would be a section of the grandma’s attic where mold grows.
Setting: How should I put this… ghetto
— Claustrophobic
— Bathroom echoes divey chinese restaurant with zero cutesy and questionable hygiene
— One of our teacups came with leftover thread stuck inside, reminiscient of tampon strings but likely from a teabag
— Bare F — s given to decorative detail, mass-​market spoons to stir your tea instead of standard stirring silverware
Service: DGAF
— First waitress begrudgingly helped take our pictures, pics came out blurry as an acid trip
— Second waitress begrudgingly helped take our pictures, pics came out without our heads
— Milk turned into a bunch of white curds in one of our teas. Upon request, waitress explained the whole acidic tea + milk = precipitation science. Good to know, except she then shuffled away without offering a new cup, perhaps expecting us to just drink all the acid milk shit
— Our two waitresses carried Eeyore’s enthusiasm the entire time, sad place for a meal
Food: Standard
— Good curry chicken sandwich
— You can find everything else and more at less moldy grandma’s attics
Bye.

I’ve had Dartealing bookmarked for awhile but finally made my way there last week! My friend and I were strolling through SOMA on our way to another restaurant when we walked by Dartealing and were lucky enough to get seated without a reservation! With that said, I would definitely recommend making a reservation because it was pretty busy.
Dartealing offers several different tea services, some including salads or crumpets and some without. We opted for the Covent Garden Tea ($ 56 for 2 people) which was a mix of small sandwiches and petit fours and of course — scones (a MUST have for afternoon tea). I really liked that we were able to pick two sandwiches were person so we were able to try four different sandwiches of our choice! They offer 20 different sandwiches with a variety of flavors like seafood, meat, vegetarian or sweet. So depending on what you’re craving that day, you can pick your flavor! The sandwiches tasted fresh and the scones were hot when served. I did notice that we were not served jam with our scones but we did get clotted cream.
There was a large tea selection as well, I picked the Earl de Versailles which was a mix of earl grey and lavender. Absolute fragrant heaven! I love that they have several earl grey options here for earl grey lovers like me.
Service was okay. There was only one server and she was busy with a full house but she was friendly. Definitely plan on spending some time here since the service is on the slower side. The décor was cute, mismatched yet matched, vintage-​shabby-​sorta-​chic. It was a cozy atmosphere and I would’ve preferred a better lit and more modern atmosphere but I would visit again.

TLDR — cozy spot for afternoon tea, come for the ambiance and company here more than the tea or food
My friend and I stopped by for a late afternoon tea around 4pm on a rainy Sunday. It was pretty busy, but we were lucky enough to have a table open up shortly after we got there. I’d definitely recommend making a reservation beforehand, especially if you have a group larger than 2 people.
Dartealing is a pretty cute, cozy spot located kind of randomly in SOMA, not really around anything at all. The only other tea lounge I’ve been to in SF is Samovar and compared to that one, which was more trendy, Dartealing has more of that quintessential afternoon tea vibe with its floral, patterned tea pots and cups.
They have a LOT of unique teas to choose from, full tea services and food a la carte. Honestly though, the tea wasn’t particularly special. Maybe my friend and I just didn’t pick the right ones. We asked for recommendations and went with two of them, but weren’t very impressed.
We ordered the BLOOMSBURY FULL TEA for 2 ($ 52), which included 2 pots of tea, 4 tea sandwiches, green salad, tea bread, scones, macarons and shortbread cookies.
For our tea, we got:
* DEBUTANTE BALL [subtle floral notes of jasmine, rose, creamy undertones, smooth finish] — I love floral teas so I went with this one for the jasmine and rose, but I guess the description wasn’t kidding when it said «subtle» because I couldn’t taste anything floral at all. It really just tasted like plain green tea to me, and a really light green tea if anything.
* LAST MANGO IN PARIS [special blend of red rooibos with ripe, juicy mango] — My friend opted for a fruity tea. The mango was definitely noticeable, but I wasn’t a huge fan.
For our sandwiches, we got:
* SMOKED SALMON MOUSSE & DILL — We each ordered the smoked salmon because we both lovee smoked salmon. We didn’t realize it was going to be mostly mousse though, so we were unfortunately pretty disappointed. Some of the sandwiches had a tiny bit of smoked salmon but otherwise it was mostly a creamy, mayo-​like paste.
* TURKEY & PESTO CREAM — Pretty much what you would expect: slices of turkey with pesto.
* DARTEALING CURRIED CHICKEN — Kind of like the salmon in the sense that it was more of a paste/​spread rather than actual chicken. Maybe more like very, very shredded chicken. Flavor is pretty good though so I’d recommend it if you like savory food
I really enjoyed all of the sweets too. The tea bread was some sort of yummy banana bread. The scones had a nice crispness on the outside and soft, fluffiness on the inside. The macarons were perfectly chewy!
My general impression though is that afternoon tea is really more about the atmosphere and the hours you spend chatting with your friends and less about the tea service itself, despite it being a tea lounge. I’ve been to Samovar in SF and Tea Time in Palo Alto and felt the same at both places as well. Not really complaining though. I still love taking time for afternoon tea, but $ 26 each is pretty pricey for some light tea and food, so I’d recommend just ordering a pot of tea and something separate to eat rather than a full tea service.

This is my new favorite high tea spot in the city. It’s on a particularly busy street so I would just Über it here. I used to go to Lovejoy’s but it was booked through Jan so we decided to try this place instead and I can gladly say, I am so glad we did. The décor inside is so, so charming. We got the Covent and the Chelsea and although the food took about 20 min to come out, it was all so fresh & delicious. From the sandwiches, the crumpets, the macaroons, we loved it all. I got the strawberry green tea and it was amazing as well. The servers are knowledgeable and super sweet. Love this place, can’t wait to come back!

Afternoon tea spot. It’s so cute and warm inside. The ambience is great! Decorations were sweet and charming!
My friend and I got the Covent Garden Tea service. After reading reviews we got:
Tea
Breakfast candy black tea: it had no flavor behind it and what flavor there was left a gross after taste to it. I don’t know why its popular in Unilocal reviews.
Parisian Earl Grey: really good! Classic tea to get!
Sandwiches
Smoked salmon mousse and fill: good
Fresh cucumber and herbs: good
Dartealing curried chicken: good
Berries and cream: weird texture for a sandwich; it was kind of soupy and gross
Petit four good; scone good; shortbread cookie good
Tea cake of the day: carrot cake. I love carrot cake but this was just too sweet and there was a crunchy topping that didn’t agree with my taste preferences.
Staff seemed super busy as the place was packed.

This place is pretty great. I’ve been looking for a tea place in the city for awhile, and Dartealing Lounge is definitely one of the more popular options that has popped up in my search, so after walking around SOMA and Portrero Hill for an afternoon, the SO and I decided to check out Dartealing Lounge for an afternoon.
It seems like a family owned place — we saw a couple of kids helping out with some of the dishes which is cute. It’s so overly Victorian and quintessential afternoon tea. It’s fantastic. You have the floral stuff, the prints, the tea cozies, everything you could possibly imagine in your typical tea setting. We saw a minimum charge for each person and got confused so we ended up each getting an entire pot of tea which was WAY too much for two people lol. The tea was fairly good though — I had the Jasmine and Jade and the SO had the Rice-​Too-​Crispy which was also quite good. We also split the scones of the day which were some lemon flavored scones.
Overall, the tea was quite delicious — I actually really enjoyed the rice tea quite a bit. Scones were also pretty delicious.
This is an awesome place to just sit around and chat while enjoying some afternoon tea service. They have a couple more fancy, fuller sets of afternoon teas as well. Service is super friendly here, and it’s a relatively quiet and peaceful place to spend the afternoon. Saw some kids sitting in a corner doing homework, so definitely a nice offbeat afternoon.
tldr; great place for afternoon tea! decent price and good tea — highly recommend!

I’ve been dying to try this place out, and I was not disappointed when I finally got the chance to on Sunday!
My friend and I made a reservation for 3pm, and they were very nice about it when I had to push it back last minute. I do have to say though, when I arrived at Dartealing, I had to wait quite a bit before getting my seat even though I could clearly see available seating for two.
The inside was super cute! Creating the perfect atmosphere for a gathering with girlfriend or a date.
We got the Covent Garden Tea and the Bloomsbury Full Tea, and I think we got a good mix of savory and salty (mostly because of the sandwiches we picked). For tea, I knew I wanted something rose-​based, and got the Débutante Ball. Absolutely loved it!

My friend and I love the idea of catching up over afternoon tea and this place is perfect for that!
Dartealing Lounge is located just outside of the busy downtown area. I personally thought the area was a little bit sketchy, but the streets are busy so no worries.
On the outside, the little shop is a bit plain and nondescript so if you weren’t looking for it, you might walk past it. Inside is a completely different story. The little tea shop is decorated in Victorian décor. There are gorgeous tea pots and cups, all of which were different! So it was fun to look around and study the different designs.
They have so many options on their menu! My friend and I ended up choosing the Bloomsbury Tea Service. Each set comes with eight mini sandwiches (you get to pick two flavors), a scone, a shortbread cookie, a slice of tea cake, a salad, a macaron, and a entire pot of tea. So between the two of us, there’s a ton to eat.
We each got a pot of tea. We ordered the Earl de Versailles which has hints of lavender. I thought it was the perfect combination of flavor. The other pot is Currant’s the New Black which contains black currants and other berries. This was just as good, especially if you’re a fan of fruity infused teas.
Honey lavender cream tea sandwich — I was a little disappointed with this one since it seemed so simple and not very lavender-​y. There was lavender with cream and a touch of honey on bread. Some bites had lavender and others didn’t.
Berry Cream tea sandwich — This was similar to honey lavender cream, but there was so much more flavor. The berries were jam like and packed with flavor.
Fish and Chips tea sandwich — We thought this was an interesting combination for tea, but oh my god, it was soo good. It was savory, slightly crunchy, and a perfect way to balance out the sweets.
Dartealing Curried Chicken — while the curry flavor is there, I was slightly disappointed with this sandwich. There was something about it that I didn’t like as much as the other sandwiches.
The scones were delicious but really dense. I think this should be saved for last. After eating this scone, I was completely full.
The macaron was disappointing. I actually couldn’t quite tell what flavor it was and it was sweet without being special. I expect a lot more from macaron.
The lavender shortbread cookie was so amazing. It had a hint of lavender in every buttery bite.
The poppyseed tea cake has the texture of pound cake. I thought it was really good. Slightly sweet and perfect with tea.
After everything, I didn’t even get to the salad, but it looked really fresh.
Overall, I’d recommend this place if you’re looking for a place for a girl’s day out, or a little get together. It wasn’t crowded on a Sunday afternoon, and we could sit and talk without worrying about having to leave in a hurry.

Any guy who tells you he despises afternoon tea either: a) is lying or b) has never experienced it before. I have come to learn that men love finger foods, and there was no shortage of testosterone during my visit here.
For $ 48, I enjoyed the Afternoon Tea Service for Two. The turkey & pesto cream and brie, pepper jelly, green apple sandwiches were especially delectable, and the warm scones were served fresh out of the oven. I gargled some Snickerdoodle black tea between bites while watching people’s boyfriends gingerly sipping out of their teacups and fingering their cute edibles.
Next time your man refuses to accompany you to afternoon tea, be sure to tell him about the amount of fingering and eating that’s involved in the experience. Let me know how it works out.