Charlotte's Teahouse

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#29 of 118 Restaurants in TruroBritish, Vegetarian friendly, ££ - £££

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Charlotte's Teahouse

Review

At a glance

Open until 4:00 PM

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Website

+44 1872 263706Improve this listing

About

Features

CUISINES

British

Meal types

Breakfast, Lunch, Brunch, Drinks

Special Diets

Vegetarian friendly, Vegan options, Gluten free options

FEATURES

Accepts Credit Cards

Highchairs Available

Reservations

Seating

Table Service

Location

1 Boscawen Street, Truro TR1 2QU England

Does this restaurant offer highchairs for toddlers?

Yes

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Hours

Suggest an edit

Open until 4:00 PM

Sunday

10:00 - 16:00

Monday

10:00 - 16:00

Tuesday

10:00 - 16:00

Wednesday

10:00 - 16:00

Thursday

10:00 - 16:00

Friday

10:00 - 16:00

Saturday

10:00 - 16:00

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4.0

480 reviews

Excellent

253

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Yes

Sue M

Croydon938 contributions

Over priced and not enough discipline!

Nov 2024 • couples

This could be SO much better, but it is half-cocked (as we old 'uns used to say). My husband and I had a sandwich each and a pot of tea for two, which was all OK, but, for £28 (plus a tip on top), I would have liked the service to have been more professional. Inattentive staff, just interested in having a chat and laugh amongst themselves. The actual place looked like it cook do with a bit of a clean up. Just very disappointing at such a high price.

Written 18 November 2024

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jaxCheshire

Congleton149 contributions

Very enjoyable

Sept 2024 • couples

We visited last week , whilst visiting Truro l had been a couple of times before but was a first experience for the rest of the party after a very warm welcome. and being seated in the beautiful window seat by the very pleasant lady staff member,,we all decided on cream tea , wow what a fantastic choice we made the best scones I’ve tasted in a while, and slightly warm from the oven so fresh, jam and cream a plenty, and a great big pot of tea with extra water all served beautifully with old fashioned cups and saucers took us all back to the tea shops of our childhood (fabulous memories) ,and served by lovely staff who couldn’t do enough impeccable service. We all thoroughly enjoyed the experience and would definitely recommend, This cafe is a step back to a bygone era when service was very important (still is to me ) unlike some establishments where you order on a touch screen get your drink in a paper cup and pay ridiculous money for the privilege, l know which I prefer! Thank you for a lovely experience we will be back next time we visit Cornwall

Written 15 October 2024

spedubec

Bologna5866 contributions

A classy breakfast in a historic Truro tea house.

Jan 2025 • solo

This morning arriving in Truro by bus I immediately spotted this historic building and promised myself that it would be my first stop in town for breakfast. After ten minutes I was there and the choice was right. The tea room is on the top floor of the building (on the ground floor there is currently a pizzeria) and from there you can enjoy a wonderful view of the main square of the city. The decor of the room is vintage. The service is impeccable. Great cakes and tea. The price is much lower than you would expect in a historic venue like this.

Automatically translated

Written 17 January 2025

Happy Traveller

3 contributions

Beware - check prices before ordering

Jul 2024 • couples

Beware where there are no prices! Perfectly pleasant but not exceptional crab sandwich from the specials menu with no price on. On paying we were charged £14 for 1 sandwich - we could have had an entire dressed crab for that! Feel royally ripped off

Written 11 July 2024

KayPeacocks

28 contributions

ABSOLUTELY DREADFUL very rude and painfully slow! Shouted that’s good when we answered no when asked if we would return

Sept 2023 • couples

Today, we went to this tea shop, supposedly as a treat, instead we left bullied and insulted after receiving no service at all. After slogging up two steep flights of stairs we waited 25mins but the tea never came. On arrival we weren’t greeted so assuming we should we eventually seated ourselves. We waited ten minutes at a table under the waiter’s nose but he continued to ignore us. There are only about six or seven tables in total in a smallish room. After eight minutes I asked for a menu and the waiter said he ‘hadn’t seen us’! Although wanting and needing to eat, we decided on just a pot of tea as the service was terribly slow and the food was unexpectedly expensive. After ordering we waited another ten minutes before asking if our tea would be much longer - on receiving a sarcastic eye roll (from the blond waitress featured on their Facebook page) we were told it was just coming!. After another six minutes and we slowly got up to leave, the red headed waiter then ‘noticed’ us and asked if we would be returning, we answered ‘no’ and SHOCKINGLY he saw fit to shout across the room to myself and my 80 year old husband “well that’s good!” (I can attest to these timings as I am diabetic and have a ‘window’ when I must eat). SHAMEFUL! I wonder if the staff would have bullied younger people the way they did us? I very much doubt it.

Written 2 September 2023

RodP1972

Truro14 contributions

What a con!

Oct 2023 • business

I gave my parents a £25 voucher to use here, they came in and had a cup of tea each and decided to come back another time. They were then told that the £7 bill would get them no change from the £25 voucher as they didn't give change! My colleague and I used to meet here twice a week for coffee and food and regularly spent around £50 a week between us. We've not been back since so their miserly policy on their own vouchers has cost them hundreds.

Written 17 January 2024

gary m

New Malden29 contributions

Stay Clear!!!

Sept 2023 • couples

place looked grubby with totally miserable staff, we arrived around 325pm and the disdain on staff faces like we were an inconvenience, I did not know at the this time they closed at 4pm. We were looking forward to a nice Cornish cream tea, the food was ok, cutlery needed a polish and lady with short grey hair and jeans was so miserable and kept looking at us as if we were keeping her, we rushed our food and drink and were out in 30 mins, terrible experience and would not recommend, they give hospitality and Cornwall a bad name to the people who pay good money to experience an afternoon tea. I also would think any establishment would have "trays" for clearing tables, fingers in glasses was just so tacky. This could be such a nice place if they employed the right people and cleared out the deadwood!!

Written 30 September 2023

Pioneer30590827079

Bulford10 contributions

Rude, rude, rude !

Mar 2023 • friends

This was my first visit to Truro and Charlotte's Tea house. I would certainly visit Truro again but the same couldn't be said for Charlotte's. The man who showed us to our table couldn't have been more miserable and made you feel you were imposing by being there ! There was a mistake with one of the orders and Mr. Misery looked less than pleased to take it back to the kitchen, it was his mistake! However the lady who brought the corrected order back to the table was extremely pleasant and couldn't do enough to make up for the original error. But the grand finale was at the till when my friend went to pay her bill and was about to be charged double when she challenged the aforementioned rude man he thrust the bill at her and said " you do it then " !!!!!! This man really is in the wrong job, he makes Basil Fawlty look like Maitre' d of the year. My friend was visibly upset to be spoken to like that, dreadful behaviour towards a paying customer. I can see also by other reviews that I am not the only one to suffer this man's rudeness. This business needs a new front of house server who actually welcomes customers not drive them away !

Written 31 March 2023

stickybowl

London197 contributions

Skip the Eggs Benedict

Aug 2024 • solo

The staff are charming, and full marks for a pot of tea made with leaves. But a muffin topped with perfectly competent poached eggs and well cooked bacon was spoilt by being smothered in packet hollandaise - in this case, a flavourless yellow gloop. At £11.00, this explains why people are not eating out much now.

Written 5 August 2024

593lynnl

Dorchester40 contributions

High tea

Oct 2023 • couples

Lovely old fashioned tea room in interesting building in centre of Truro. Great views over city and cathedral. Visited for special treat of high tea. Sandwiches, cakes, scones, cream and jam. All very freshly made and delicious. Staff friendly and helpful. Only one thing could have improved our experience. A pot of tea was included as part of our high tea. This was delivered to the table quickly and we waited for our food to be freshly prepared. By the time the food arrived, we had drunk most of the tea and the cup that was left was no longer fresh. At £19 per head, it would have been nice to have had unlimited tea offered. Having said that, it was very good and we will return.

Written 22 October 2023

Pauline H

Bathurst131 contributions

Old world charm

Aug 2023 • solo

The tea rooms are beautifully decorated with gorgeous chandeliers. The tea was served in beautiful china cups and saucers and my Victoria sponge was delicious though sadly the cream was mock cream. I would have given Charlotte's five star rating had the staff been less gruff. I know it was busy but a little patience goes a long way!

Written 3 August 2023

LilyP659

Cornwall33 contributions

Rude and dirty!

Mar 2023 • couples

Upon approaching the Tea Room you are greeted with a rope across the door, a bit off putting but I guess it stops everyone flocking into the tea room (which is quite small and cramped). However, the main problem here (and looking at other reviews I don't seem to be the only one experiencing this) is the utter rudeness of the chap that took our order! I have never been spoken to so rudely by anyone in customer service in my life! We were asked for our order but then I was basically told to shut up because he couldn't put orders through on his iPad device "as quick as the girls". I was absolutely horrified at how he snapped at me. Even the couple on the table next to us heard and looked shocked. If he's not as quick, why was he the only one I could see taking the orders on a busy Saturday lunch time?! With an attitude like that he's best off staying out of the way in the kitchen rather than dealing with customers. The lady who brought our food to us was nice. The food is nothing special. I had Eggs Benedict and the poached eggs were hard boiled unfortunately. Also, it needs a good clean. The silverware is extremely grubby (very unhygienic looking sugar pots) and there was a thick layer of dust on the ledge beside and behind our table (little table for two behind the till area). Won't be going here again and definitely won't be recommending to anyone.

Written 28 March 2023

Jayne H

Truro71 contributions

Not what it used to be, won't be going again

Feb 2023 • none

Arrived about 10.30. Was met by a rope across the door, with a tiny sign on it. From the end of the corridor it looked closed, come to that from the roped door it looked closed! It was completely empty, I was there about 30 minutes and no other customers apart from one man who arrived as I was paying. Chocolate fudge cake was stale, although I chose it as it was the only actual whole cake, other cakes were just a remaining slice or two and looked stale on dirty plates. Cake wasn't Fudgy, butter cream dry and a tiny cup of coffee and miniscule slice of cake was almost £9. Absolute rip off Waitress was almost trying to force me into having it with cream, ice cream or custard (weird choice with cake) I said no thanks but she kept asking. Probably would have sent the bill to over £10 if I had it, possibly she was aware how dry the non fudgy fudge cake was!! I try to support local business but next time it will be M&S, may be mass produced but it's edible and affordable. One last comment about Charlottes...they try to be quaint, but it doesn't work...silverware needs a good clean for a start, and the atmosphere which was there has left. The fact that I was there at 'coffee time' and no one else was speaks volumes. I used to frequent there and had a loyalty card, but moved away. Really nothing like it used to be.

Written 22 February 2023

Nancy M

1 contribution

Humiliating experience

Jun 2023 • family

Was here for what was meant to be a nice lunch with my sister, but it soon escalated into my worst nightmare- poor service and bad quality soup. When I attempted to pay with my Scottish £20 note the young waiter exclaimed “you can’t use that” in a narky manner. I then asked to see the manager and another waitress asked if they could help but could not reach a manager. I left displeased and upset- so much for a United Kingdom!

Written 3 July 2023

Janvanj7

256 contributions

Not as good as last year.

Aug 2022 • family

Came here last year and decided to come back again this year. Slightly disappointed when comparing to our last visit. I had the prawn sandwich and at £10 I expected better. The bread was thin sliced the sort you get cheaply from the supermarket and not enough prawns on it either. My wife had the toasted tuna sandwich which was nice. Coffees were nice as was my daughter’s milkshake.

Written 6 August 2022