An afternoon tea experience with a modern twist is coming soon to the Virginia-Highland neighborhood.
The Dirty Tea is in the final stages, and the owners are hoping it will be open around the beginning of September, Rita Campos told What Now Atlanta. She owns The Dirty Tea with her daughter, Brittany Campos Pauyo.
The space at 1056 St. Charles Avenue NW is ready to go, filled with blush-pink furniture, sparkling chandeliers and cozy nook seating. They were going for an elegant yet inviting and homey atmosphere, Campos told What Now Atlanta.
“We have a mixture of suedes, satins, cool florals, beautiful colors inside the store,” she said.
The space was previously occupied by the shop Ten Thousand Villages, which closed in 2018.
The spark of an idea for something like The Dirty Tea started during the pandemic, Campos said. Both have experience in luxury retail and were eager to try a new venture.
“Instead of going back to that crazy world, we decided to step out and do something on our own,” she said. “We’ve been working on it for a little over a year.”
Campos said the community feel of the Virginia-Highland area made it a perfect location for the concept.
“The community has been super welcoming to us,” she said. “We feel strongly that our business is going to be driven by the neighborhood.”
The menu will include the usual features of classic afternoon tea – cucumber sandwiches, pastries – but with a Southern twist: think banana pudding, turkey sandwiches and BLTs.
“The food is important,” Campos said.
The Dirty Tea has partnered with Bean2Bean Coffee Company for the menu’s more caffeinated options. They will have several different types of coffee from the Philadelphia-based roaster.
Coupled with the focus on great-tasting food and beverages is an inclusive atmosphere in which the owners want everyone to feel welcome.
“We’ll be a classy establishment, but we want everybody to feel comfortable,” Campos said. “We have a modern twist. There’s a lot of younger people in Virginia-Highland.”
The Dirty Tea will also be available for events.
The liquor license application for The Dirty Tea is on the License Review Board’s August 22 agenda.
