Press

The Royal Tea Room & Gift Shoppe is honored to have been featured in the following publications!


Tea Time Magazine: The Royal Tea Room & Gift Shoppe


        { March/April 2011 }

The Royal Tea Room & Gift Shoppe is in a class all its own. This elegantly appointed tearoom with an adjoining upscale boutique, which sells tea wares, home décor, and other lovely gifts, has been in the same location for 15 years.

Owner Denise Winter has played the role of head chef since day one and takes great pride in the food she serves. The menu changes seasonally, but Denise’s cucumber tea sandwiches with herbed cream cheese are year-round staples on her tea trays, which typically feature a tier each of scones, savories, and desserts. She delights in planning special tea events for holidays such as Valentine’s Day, Halloween, and Christmas. “I always try strive to do something new and different,” says Denise. Her customers have, in turn, rewarded her by telling their friends. “People like to come for a respite – a haven,” she explains.

Reservations for the three afternoon-tea seatings are preferred, but walk-ins are accepted, space permitting.

{  article published in March/April 2011 issue by Lorna Reeves }

St. Petersburg Times:  High on Tea
At the Royal Tea Room and Gift Shoppe, one of Tampa's first tearooms, owner Denise Winter serves afternoon tea in the back room, where white tulle dips from the ceilings and amber crystals glazed in caramel sweeten your tea.

Winter, who prepares 95 percent of the food herself, wraps her desserts in delicate paper cups imported from Switzerland.

She cuts her cucumber sandwiches into the shape of daisies.

For kids, she creates peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and grilled cheese in the shapes of Mickey and Minnie Mouse. She replaces the tea with apple juice.
Winter offers 40 tea blends. Saturdays are often booked for private parties, although she tries to reserve one teatime for other customers. Former Buccaneers quarterback Steve DeBerg once accompanied his wife on a motorcycle.

If seating is available, you can drop in for Cream Tea, an endless pot of tea and a scone. In the past Winter has offered an etiquette class for young girls in which she teaches the history of afternoon tea and how to prepare, pour and drink it.

The gift shop, which covers several small rooms in the building, sells antiques and trendy items for ladies, such as flower slippers similar to the ones worn by Charlotte York in Sex and the City for $44.    

{ excerpt of article published January 23, 2004 by Dong-Phuong Nguyen }


Fresh Cup Magazine: The Royal Tea Room & Gift Shoppe


The Royal Tea Room & Gift Shoppe believes there is nothing as comforting as a hot pot of fragrant tea, and welcomes Tampa, Florida residents to share the sensation at its new store on MacDill Avenue. Tea-takers  are ushered past the colorful, busy gift shopper into the serene, 12-seat chandeliered salon appointed with deep red floral skirted tablecloths, bold striped drawbacks and buttercup-hued walls reminiscent of the royal Hapsburg yellow. A three-tiered silver caddy soon arrives bearing assorted finger sandwiches, scones served with clotted cream and fruit preserves, a selection of tea cakes and pastries prepared from Victorian recipes by the resident European pastry chef, and a pot of house-blend teas of the day. The Royal Tea Room & Gift Shopper offer afternoon tea Tuesday through Saturday by appointment. 2719 S. MacDill Avenue, Tampa, FL 33629, 813.837.3000.

{ October, 1999 }

Media Inquiries:  Please contact Denise Winter at 813.837.3000