Anteaques - Edinburgh, City of

I wouldn't have found this place myself, it's off my usual beat in Edinburgh, but a visiting friend booked us in. It's outside the city centre in a very mixed shopping area (quirky and quite studenty) on a busy bus route, and the frontage is blink and you miss it tiny. There are two little rooms, the front one with the counter, lots of tea containers and two tables at which five people would be the absolute maximum. The back room has seating for up to another five, crammed in between the antiques they have for sale furniture, china and curios. The menu is an awesome list of rare and lovely teas, extending to several pages with full descriptions, and there is a hilarious insert sheet with a few lines mentioning cakes and scones. No prizes for guessing the main focus of this place! But when my friend booked she requested a gluten free cake and one was put aside for her, a chocolate orange tart which she pronounced absolutely delicious. I had a scone served with proper clotted cream and a choice of jams the raspberry jam I chose had two whole raspberries in it so was clearly top notch. After consulting with the waitress we couldn't decide which to have, so we had three different teas between us. They arrived in very large glass teapots with separate infusers and cut glass bowls to put them in when brewed. Tea cups and saucers were antique china, of course. All the teas were for sale and I took home small packets of the two I had drunk there. They also sold lovely looking chocolates, and of course antiques. The music was mellow jazz and there was no customer bathroom facility, please note! After all that tea, you need to have a plan B so that where you go next have a loo!

Found this tea shop by accident. There's a large variety of teas to choose from to drink in or to buy and take home. Everything is so magical and special about this shop! Would definitely recommend visiting even if you just want to buy tea to take home! The staff were so friendly as were the other customers very relaxed atmosphere, I will definitely visit again.

This is a tiny little tea room full of interesting antiques. They have a lot of knowledge about teas and can help you choose one from their extensive menus. The cakes are also very good! I tried the green-tea matcha- quite interesting! Make sure to book a table to make sure there is a place!

Beautiful little place on Clerk Street, and quite below the radar, despite its very public location! I've passed the shop countless times, and never stepped in until today. And I'm glad I did. The first thing you notice when you walk in is the beauty of the shop, and the cosy atmosphere. As the name suggests, there are antiques and teas everywhere, and it's really a pleasant experience to step inside. There aren't a huge amount of tables, so perhaps best to book in advance, but we were lucky to get a table for two right beside the counter. This meant I had the gorgeous tarts and scones in front of my eyes the entire time. What else could I do but, you guessed it, order a scone with clotted cream and jam to go with my tea?The tea selection is immense. Mary simply adores tea, so she was really in her element at Anteaques. We ended up choosing a seasonal Pear and Caramel tea, along with a scone each. A pot of tea is £3.20, which may be a little expensive, but it is big enough for two- we each got three cups from the pot, so I was happy with the value. The tea was delicious, and the scones went down a treat!Afterwards, whilst Mary analysed the tea selection, I took a quick look around the store, and it's really beautiful. The antiques selection is great, and the calming music playing in the background was also a nice change to the hustle and bustle of the streets outside. Part of me wishes the place was slightly bigger, though another part is happy at the cost nature of it all, and the selection of edible treats isn't huge (but what they do have looks and tastes great! .Mary ended up buying some vanilla chai loose leaf tea to take home, and I have no doubt we'll be back!

Calm, relaxed and stylish place, perfect for a quiet cup and chat. Their selection is limited but good quality and the service was excellent.