This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Business & Tech

New Tearoom Opens On Main Street

The Secret Garden Tearoom provides an elegant and tranquil dinning experience for locals and tourists.

After five years of preparation, Katie Poma and her mother Margaret Poma of Hauppauge have opened their dream tea room, The Secret Garden, in the heart of Port Jefferson.

After scouting out various towns across Long Island, they returned to their original choice and decided to renovate Moore's Deli, a former gourmet market located on Main Street in Port Jefferson village.

“We always loved having tea when we went out on vacation. The Southern tearooms were adorable,” said Mrs. Poma.

Interested in local real estate?Subscribe to Patch's new newsletter to be the first to know about open houses, new listings and more.

During construction, Margaret started to re-read the classic novel, The Secret Garden, by Francis Hodgson Burnett. From that point on, they both knew that  The Secret Garden would be the ideal name for their tea room.

“The more I read the book, the more I felt it was really our theme,” said Margaret. “We wanted to create someplace where people could come and get away from their stress. Everything just grew from the book.”

Interested in local real estate?Subscribe to Patch's new newsletter to be the first to know about open houses, new listings and more.

Inspired by their favorite Southern and English tearooms, Katie and Margaret decorated the inner dinning room with flowers and trees, creating an atmosphere reminiscent to that of a serene outdoor garden.

“We wanted you to feel like you were walking into a living room and then someone’s garden,” said Margaret.

“We wanted something simple and classic that’s not overwhelming to people,” sh said.

The refurbished location features a large storefront window which allows passerbyes to peek in and a front gift shop with a large assortment of  china, flower arrangements and gifts. Guests greeted by a wait staff donning elaborate Ascot and Victorian style hats and aprons.

“There’s a certain charm to the Victorian era,” said Margaret.

Each place setting has a matching china set, a place holder welcoming them to the tea room and a freshly cut flower for them to take home at the end of their visit. The servers encourage patrons to dress for the occasion by picking from one of many elaborate hats on display in a special changing room tucked away in the back of the restaurant. But playing dress up isn’t just for women – there are top hats available for men of all ages to wear.

“We picked things we liked from certain tea rooms and combined it all into one,” said Margaret.

While Katie runs the front part of the restaurant and gift shop, her mother works as the head chef. The restaurant’s main focus is centered on offering Full Afternoon Tea, Royal Tea and High Tea – most coming with an individual pot of tea, finger sandwiches, mini wraps, fruit, pastries and warm scones. Several different teas, soups, salads and sandwiches are also available. The menu is set to change each month, with the exception of a few classic items. Several teas, including their own original blend, are named after the characters from the book such as Colin’s Chocolate and Mistress Mary. 

“I love to cook and experiment with different things,” said Margaret.

Aside from dining, the tea room hosts a variety of parties, meetings and events on the premises.

This past weekend, the entire interior was decorated to make guests feel as if they were a part of the Royal Wedding celebration. They are also planning a special Mother’s Day Tea as well.

“We really want to make everyone feel special,” said Margaret.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?