Downtown Ocala wakes up early on Saturdays. The Ocala Downtown Market opens at nine with more than eighty vendors under the pavilion, the square fills in, and by late morning most people are asking the same question. Where should we eat?
The answer is closer than most people realize, and it is probably not what you are picturing.
1890 Tea House sits at 917 E Silver Springs Boulevard, a few minutes from the square in the historic Teague House. Yes, we serve tea. We serve a lot of tea. But we are also a full restaurant with a lunch menu, a dinner menu, a wine list, a coffee program, and one of the most comfortable outdoor patios in the city. If you have been driving past because the name made you assume it was scones and nothing else, this one is for you.
What is actually on the menu
Our all day menu is built for people who want a real meal, not a nibble.
Croissant sandwiches. Flaky, generous, and the item guests mention most often in reviews. Several people have told us they are the best they have had anywhere, which is a nice thing to hear about a sandwich.
Wraps and pasta salads. Light enough for a Florida afternoon, filling enough that you are not hunting for a second lunch an hour later.
Charcuterie boards and charcuterie cups. Build your own from prosciutto, chorizo, speck, brie, aged cheddar, smoked gouda and more. The cups are the portable version, which works well when you want something to share on the patio without committing to a full board.
Desserts and pastries made daily. Scones, cheesecake stuffed strawberries, tiramisu truffles, and whatever came out of the kitchen that morning.
Coffee, wine, and tea. A glass of wine on the patio at five is just as much at home here as a pot of Earl Grey at two.
And yes, the Afternoon Tea Experience is still here, still three tiered, still worth planning an afternoon around. It is one of the things we do. It is not the only thing.
The patio is the reason to come back
Most downtown dining in Ocala happens shoulder to shoulder. Ours does not.
The patio at 1890 Tea House is an open courtyard with a fountain at the center, shade where you want it, and enough space between tables that a conversation stays private. Black and white striped umbrellas, white tablecloths, the historic architecture of the house right there beside you. The fountain does a quiet job of covering up Silver Springs Boulevard traffic, so it feels further from the road than it is.
September in Ocala is still warm, but mornings and evenings have started to turn. This is the stretch of the year when a shaded outdoor table stops being a compromise and starts being the whole point.
Where we fit into a downtown Ocala day
A few ways locals and visitors are already using us.
After the Saturday market. The Ocala Downtown Market runs Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at SE 3rd Street and SE 3rd Avenue. Shop first, then come sit down with a real lunch instead of eating standing up.
Before or after First Friday Art Walk. The downtown square fills up on first Fridays. We are open late enough on Fridays for dinner on either side of it.
Between horse show days. The World Equestrian Center keeps Ocala busy year round, and Summers End and the Labor Day Barrel Blast bring in riders, families, and out of town guests who are tired of hotel food. We are an easy drive from the show grounds and a very different setting.
Sunday brunch. We now offer bottomless mimosas on Sundays. Bring the group.
A weekday lunch that is not rushed. Business lunches work well here, mostly because the patio is quiet enough to actually hear each other.
About the building
The house was built in 1890 at 917 E Silver Springs Boulevard for Annie and Frank Teague. Frank Teague was a merchant and a pioneer of Marion County’s phosphate industry, and the family bought the property that year for $2,000.
In the 1950s, the house was converted into a restaurant and quickly became one of Ocala’s most popular places to eat. It stayed that way through decades of different owners, each of them keeping the same elegant, unhurried feel.
So this building has been feeding Ocala for the better part of seventy years. We are simply the current chapter, and the name is a nod to where it started.
Planning a group
The private tea rooms are available for bridal showers, birthdays, baby showers, business meetings, and small celebrations. They are quiet, self-contained, and can be set up with anything from a pot of tea and a dessert platter to a full charcuterie spread.
Fall and holiday dates tend to fill early, so if you are thinking about November or December, now is the time to ask.
Come see for yourself
1890 Tea House 917 E Silver Springs Boulevard, Ocala, FL 34470 (352) 244-8368 1890teahouse.com
Open seven days a week, with later hours on Friday and Saturday. Walk-ins are welcome, and reservations are recommended for the Afternoon Tea Experience and for private rooms.
Whether you are coming for lunch, dinner, a glass of wine on the patio, or the full three-tiered tea, we will have a table ready.
