PLYMOUTH — Life getting crazy? Put down the phone and grab a scone at Shelly’s Tea Rooms.
Hiding right on Main Street in Plymouth, Shelly’s is an authentic English tea shop with a cozy ambience, colorful tea menu and a sweet lineup of posh pastries.
Start out by grabbing their afternoon tea package, which includes tea, multiple rounds of little finger sandwiches and then a three-tiered tray of pastries.
If you’re like me, you’ll soon have your eye on the wall of over 100 teas available at the shop. Then there’s the pastry case, which holds a treasure trove of English classics like Victoria sponge, battenburgs, flapjacks and bakewell tarts.
Sitting inside Shelly’s is the closest I’ve ever felt to being on “The Great British Baking Show,” sitting with Paul and Prue while they chat about the technical challenge.
Mass. Hidden Gems: Shelly’s Tea Rooms in Plymouth
Shelly’s specializes in a cozy, intimate cafe setting where friends and family can slow down and enjoy afternoon tea together. It’s a peaceful environment that sticks the balance between a lavish afternoon tea and a cozy Sunday morning in your pajamas.
Owners Sean and Shelly Sinclair spent 15 years running award-winning tea rooms back in England. In 2022, they finally accomplished their dream of moving across the Atlantic and setting up shop in their favorite part of the United States — Massachusetts.
But don’t let the well-appointed furnishings and fancy tea cups fool you. Formality is not required.
If you want to learn the “correct” way of doing things, Sean and Shelly are happy to explain. The menu even has a step-by-step guide for how to prepare a scone on the back.
But the most important thing is that customers step through the door and feel at ease.
“It’s entirely up to you. It’s your afternoon, so you enjoy it how you want,” Sean says. “If you want to come up dressed fancy, terrific. If you want to come in leggings and a T-shirt, equally great. It’s yours to enjoy your way. There’s no pressure.”
What’s good on the menu?
A great starting point when visiting Shelly’s is to get “The Windsor,” which is their multi-course afternoon tea experience. For $40.95 per person, you get:
- Opening tea: iced hibiscus tea in warm months or hot mulled wine tea in cold months.
- A round of crustless finger sandwiches with seasonal fillings.
- A second round of crustless finger sandwiches.
- A three-tiered stand of baked goods, including two scones served with butter, jam and clotted cream. You also get a selection of seasonal desserts. Ahead of the holidays, I got some pavlova and Christmas pudding.
- A pot of loose-leaf tea, your choice from over 100 varieties.
While the sandwiches and baked goods are seasonal, you’ll be tasked with picking the tea.
There’s a lot to choose from. “Shelly’s English Breakfast Tea” is a great baseline choice. Maybe you’re in the mood for some Earl Grey or green tea. Heck, maybe you want to try the apple pie tea from the “Quirky Teas” section.
It’s a lot to go through, but the Sinclairs say they’re more than happy to help folks with recommendations while they work the front of the shop.
As for the kitchen, that’s run by their daughter, Charlotte, who’s training to become a pilot.
An authentic English tea room less than a mile from Plymouth Rock
How does a slow-paced tea room fit in among the beehive of fast-paced coffee shops in New England?
Pretty well, it turns out.
The Sinclairs have been pleasantly surprised by the passion and interest they’ve encountered.
Back in England, their tea houses would have five or six tea choices on the menu. In reality, they’d only sell two — English breakfast and Earl Grey.
“Here, we have 103 tea varieties on the menu, and we sell every one of them,” Sean says.
”You guys are so adventurous with it. It shocked me, with a coffee-cultured country, how much into tea you actually are. The reception’s been fantastic,” he added.
Shelly’s Tea Rooms isn’t here to replace the conventional coffee shop, with orders flying around and laptop users tethered to tables.
Instead, it’s here to provide an alternative experience where visitors can unplug.
“You want people to come in and just take a breath. You know, just catch up,” Sean says. “Then you can have a proper conversation with friends without having your plate whipped away.”
So far, the reception has been great for Shelly’s, whether it’s customers stopping in for tea or to meet the shop’s biggest celebrity.
That would be the Sinclairs’ golden retriever, Buddy, who loves the attention he gets when he makes an appearance in the shop.
Buddy even has a knack for getting in front of the camera with customers who want to pose for a photo op with pictures of King Charles and the late Queen Elizabeth.
The Sinclairs had two successful businesses back home. But after years of vacationing in the U.S., they fell in love with the idea of moving to America permanently and bringing that business with them.
It was a crazy idea. But after navigating a sea of red tape and a pandemic hitting mere months after they signed the lease in January 2020, that risk is paying off.
“I tell people, it’s rare in life that things live up to expectation, whether it’s that car, that vacation, whatever. But this has lived up to or exceeded every expectation we had. We’re thrilled. We really are. We love being here.”
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Reservations — Shelly’s does accept walk-ins. However, weekends tend to be booked up. Shelly’s recommends calling ahead for reservations at 508-927-4402 if you plan on visiting on a weekend or around a holiday.
What’s the address? — 51 Court St, Plymouth, MA, 02360
What’s the parking situation? — Your best bet is to find metered street parking on Main Street.
When are they open? — Here are the listed business hours at the time of writing.
- Monday: 11 a.m. – 5 p.m.
- Tuesday: 11 a.m. – 5 p.m.
- Wednesday: 11 a.m. – 5 p.m.
- Thursday: 11 a.m. – 5 p.m.
- Friday: 11 a.m. – 5 p.m.
- Saturday: 11 a.m. – 5 p.m.
- Sunday: 11 a.m. – 5 p.m.
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Mass. Hidden Gems is a series highlighting restaurants and other businesses across the Bay State that we think deserve more attention. You can check out the rest of the series here.
Have a hidden gem that you think we should check out? Email nomalley@masslive.com your favorites.
