The Tea Experience: Afternoon Tea on Waikiki

The Tea Experience: Afternoon Tea on WaikikiTEA AT 1024
1024 Nuuanu Avenue
Honolulu, HI 96817
808-521-9596 

For tea lovers who prefer pink hats and red boas to sea breezes and ocean views at teatime, tea entrepreneur Michele Sorensen has created just the right location in Old Town Honolulu. 

This 12-square-block area known as Chinatown, just a few miles from the high-rise buildings and busy streets of Waikiki, is enjoying a renaissance—artists, cafes, and boutiques filling historic buildings that are being restored after 50 years of neglect. Sorensen (pictured above), a longtime resident of Hawaii, opened a design shop in the neighborhood in 1997 and the tea shop in 1999. Since then, she has become the go-to maven when special events in Honolulu call for tea.

The Tea Experience: Afternoon Tea on WaikikiTea at 1024 is a glitzy English-style tea salon decorated with teatime memorabilia, the owner’s creative broken-china collages, and more vintage teacups than you can count. Tea guests choose their cups before sitting in chairs wrapped in pink bows. This is a wee tea space, and one of the best seats—should patrons not mind being on exhibition—is at the rattan table with high back chairs set prominently in the raised storefront display window. Guests might want to be on their best behavior and dressed appropriately for that choice perch.

More than 40 loose teas are available, making the Tea at 1024 menu the most extensive on the island. After the teapots arrive, scones with clotted cream and strawberry preserves are presented. Tall silver servers appear next, laden with tea sandwiches including Chicken Curry with Apples, Smoked Salmon with Pesto, Cucumber with Avocado, Egg Salad, and Crab & Olive with Cream Cheese. The unending parade of sweets includes Lilikoi Lemon Bars, Chocolate Cups filled with Chocolate Haupia Pudding, and assorted seasonal desserts.  

Reservations are recommended, with seating available Tuesday through Friday from 11:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. and on weekends from 11:00 a.m. 

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