Steep dreams are made of teas 🫖

Tea time in Austin: 8 sweet spots for sips and snacks

A white teacup filled with tea sits on a matching saucer on a pink and white marble table. Next to it is a small glass vase holding a single pale green and peach flower; patterned fabric chairs are in the background.

The Austin Proper Hotel offers several cozy — and luxurious — settings for a cup of tea. | Photo by @earlgreywithaview

Pinkies up, Austin. We love a good cup of tea, which got us thinking about places across our city where you can enjoy afternoon tea, complete with tiered trays of treats and a soothing ambiance.

So get cozy — we’re about to spill the tea.

Zhi Tea, 1023 Springdale Rd. Ste. 7A

This award-winning, homegrown tea company has been designing, blending, and steeping tea since 2006. Find everything for your serene sipping hour from black, green, and white teas to herbal, oolong, and traditional pu-erh. Table service runs Monday-Friday from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. and Saturdays from 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

Brentwood Social House, 1601 W. Koenig Ln.

Get ready for an adult tea party with traditional English Afternoon Tea service set up in either the main dining room of this quaint coffee shop or in the private Quiet Room. Sip out of vintage china while dainty, adorable pastries and tea sandwiches are served on a three-tiered stand. Afternoon tea runs Wednesday-Thursday at 12 p.m. or Friday-Sunday at 1:30 p.m. and 2 p.m. by reservation only.

The outside of brentwood social house — Brentwood Social House is often used for meetings and small gatherings.

Goldie’s at Austin Proper Hotel, 600 W. 2nd St.

Sit and sip in this posh cocktail bar that transforms into a tea room every Sunday from 12-4 p.m. by reservation only. Choose from a vast selection of teas and indulge in scones, cucumber sandwiches, and pastries, along with a glass of champagne to top off the afternoon.

Austin English Tea Company, 12233 Ranch Rd. 620 N. Ste. 114

This tearoom at Michelle’s Patisserie hosts elegant tea parties for celebrations as well as a weekly afternoon tea on Sundays by reservation only. Partake in this authentic English experience that comes with six options of tea sandwiches, a selection of pastries — like scones and jam, tea cookies, and fruit tartlets — and tea served with milk and sugar.

The sips don’t stop there — click the button below for five more tea services in Austin.

IT'S TEA-RIFFIC

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Today

The Formula 1 United States Grand Prix | Now-Sun., Oct. 23 | 9 a.m.-6 p.m. | Circuit of The Americas, 9201 Circuit of the Americas Blvd. | $59+ | This three-day event includes races, 30+ concerts, immersive attractions, rides, and plenty of thrills. 🏎
Parker McCollum | Fri., Oct. 21 | 8 p.m. | Moody Center, 2001 Robert Dedman Dr. | $27.50+ | The singer-songwriter will perform with special guest William Beckmann.
Phantom Fest: The Great Pumpkin Bash | Fri., Oct. 21, Sun., Oct. 23 | 8 p.m. | Central Machine Works, 4824 E. Cesar Chavez St. | Free | Do the “Time Warp” and enjoy a pumpkin patch pop-up at this two-day fall fest. 🎃

Saturday

Blue October | Sat., Oct. 22 | 8 p.m. | Stubb’s Waller Creek Amphitheater, 801 Red River St. | $39.50+ | The Houston band’s newest album, “Spinning the Truth Around (Part I)” was released this year.
Kawaii Boo-tique: A Frighteningly Cute Halloween Market | Sat., Oct. 22 | 10 a.m. | Brentwood Social House, 1601 W. Koenig Ln. | Free | This kawaii + kowai Halloween market benefits Okashicon, a nonprofit dedicated to women in anime and J-fashion. 🛍

Sunday

Indigo Girls | Sun., Oct. 23 | 7 p.m. | Stubb’s Waller Creek Amphitheater, 801 Red River St. | $38 | Throw it back with tunes from this folk-rock duo.
Umlauf StrawFest | Sun., Oct. 23 | 11 a.m.-4 p.m. | Umlauf Sculpture Garden, 605 Azie Morton Rd. | Free | Pet animals, play games, participate in a costume parade, and watch princesses + superheroes perform at this fall festival. 🍂

We have a monthly guide filled with events + activities you can plan for in advance. Click the button below to bookmark ideas for upcoming date nights, family outings, and time with friends.

100+ MORE EVENTS

Weather

87º | Sunny | 1% chance of rain
This winter is expected to be warmer and drier than normal (again) due to ongoing impacts from the La Niña phenomenon, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced yesterday. See the full Winter 2022-2023 forecast.

Development

This isn’t your average residential development. A 400-acre community with a sand beach + artificial surf park may be headed for South Austin, with groundbreaking expected as early as mid-2023. 🏄 (KVUE)

Biz

Tesla’s third quarter profit has reportedly doubled from a year ago, the Austin-based EV company announced. Between July and September, the company earned a net income of more than $3.2 billion. 💰(Austin American-Statesman)

Open

Rooftop restaurant + bar Nido is now open at the Loren at Lady Bird Lake. The all-day spot, located on the eighth floor of the hotel, serves dishes such as ricotta gnudi, squash beignets, and smoothies. (Eater Austin)

Coming Soon

Slab BBQ and Nomadic Beerworks are teaming up to open a new restaurant + bar in Sunset Valley on Sat., Oct. 29. The Slab BBQ and Nomadic Outpost will be located at 6218 Brodie Ln. and serve old favorites from both menus. 🍗 (Eater Austin)

Civic

Austin’s Animal Advisory Commission recently voted in favor of enacting new measures to protect the Congress Avenue bat colony. The measures include managing vegetation near bat roosting areas + posting informational QR codes on the bridge. 🦇 (Austin Monitor)

State

The Blackwell School site in Marfa, Texas was named the country’s newest National Park this week. Learn more about the school — which has been educating children of Mexican descent since the 1880s — and its complicated history of segregation. (KXAN)

Arts

The Contemporary Austin revealed a new downtown mural, reading “In a dream you saw a way to survive and you were full of joy,” in large, bright red letters. The mural coincides with a new exhibit by the same name — read about our experience visiting the show. 🖼

Austinite

Vyom Sharma, a fourth-grader at Harmony School of Endeavor - Austin, holds the record for the youngest person to solve a 3x3x3 Rubik’s Cube — blindfolded. Vyom started practicing his cubing at four years old, and now teaches his skills to classmates. (CBS Austin)

Shop

Here’s a friendly reminder that Halloween is almost here. Have you bought your costume yet? What about the candy? And if you want to be the coolest parent or grandparent on the block — while increasing your trick-or-treater’s nighttime visibility — grab this affordable 100-pack of glow sticks.*

Stat

37% of prospective homebuyers believe that homeownership will improve their quality of life, according to this recent Financial Wellness Study. Plus, more than 78% are considering buying their first home in the next five years, and 53% want to buy within the next two years. 🏡 *

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Celebrating Texas pollinators 🐝

The 5th Annual Roots & Wings Festival takes flight in Austin

Learn about bees + butterflies at Kingsbury Commons. | Photo by ATXtoday

Leaves are falling, temperatures are cooling, and birds + butterflies are migrating through Central Texas — what better time of year to celebrate the nature our city has to offer?

The 5th Annual Roots & Wings Festival takes flight starting this Sat., Oct. 22, and will take place over two weeks in parks + venues across Austin.

There are more than 50 events happening across the city as part of the festival, but here are a few highlights:

🦋 Pollinator Garden Planting with Pease Park Conservancy | Sun., Oct. 23 | 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. | Kingsbury Commons at Pease Park | Free | Help the Pease Park Conservancy make pollinator gardens and find out how they can help improve water quality.

🦋 Día de las Mariposas | Sat., Oct. 29 | 1-3 p.m. | Mariposa Family Learning Center, 403 Vargas Rd. | Free | This day of learning includes a tree identification scavenger hunt, a planting session, crafts, music, and face painting.

Click the button below for more highlights + the event’s full schedule.

KEEP BUZZING

THE WRAP

Today’s issue was written by London.

Editor’s pick: As you may have seen in yesterday’s newsletter, the newest season of “Somebody Feed Phil” is out, and I jumped to watch the episode filmed in Austin.

I particularly loved Phil’s conversation with the Taco Mafia — if you want to learn more about this group of talented chefs, I recommend reading this Texas Monthly piece. 🌮

Missed yesterday’s newsletter? Here’s what it costs to live in Austin.

Connect with us.

Editorial: Laura Figi, London Gibson, Dayten Rose, Ashlea Hearn, Emily Shea, Josh Kranzberg | Send us a scoop, question, or feedback.

Sales: Camille McLeod | Advertise with us.

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