The Dunbar Tea Shop


1 Water Street
Sandwich, MA 02563 (Cape Cod)
(508) 833-2485

Tea served every day, 11-4:30 pm in winter and spring, and 8 am to 6 pm in summer and autumn. Closed Tuesday and Wednesday January through March.
Afternoon tea: $9.75
No reservations required.
The Dunbar House sign. The Dunbar House
Click here to go to The Dunbar House's home page.


From The Devon Tea Room's newsletter by Jenny Hatch:
Set high off the main road which escorts you through historic Sandwich is the Dunbar House. The butter yellow colored Bed & Breakfast Inn boasts the quaintest tea room and gift shop located in a separate building on its property. The tea room actually operated as one in the early 1900's during the war and was renovated and put back into action by its present owners. They've done a marvelous job and offer a rustic English country ambiance that's as lovely and inviting on a balmy summer's day as it is on a rainy one.



Tea at the Dunbar House From "TEA A Magazine" by Bradford Ross (Nov/Dec 1997):

When the early American settlers found their way to the Cape from nearby Plymouth, it is likely that they shared tea with their visitors, and today residents and tourists are beckoned to come in for a cup of tea. When you get off the Bourne Bridge, make your way to Sandwich to 1 Water Street (Route 130). Stop at The Dunbar Tea Shop where you will be sure to get a traditional British fare. Moving from old England to New England, Mike and Mary Bell bought and began restoration of a 250-year-old house in 1990, formerly owned by the Dunbar family. Adjacent to the house was a three-car garage with a back room. When the Bells discovered the fireplace in the back room, they envisioned an "English Tea Room." Their son David and his wife Nancy Irabarren helped, and the tea room opened along with a goft shop in 1991. In 1993 the Bells opened their Bed & Breakfast in The Dunbar House. The house sits on a low hill overlooking Shawme Pond, with a white church steeple towering in the background.

David and Nancy manage the place now since his parents retired to England. The tea room serves lunches, afternoon teas, and during the winter months they serve a true high tea. The entrance to the tea room is through the gift shop; the smell of fresh-baked goodies greets you, along with the aroma of steaming homemade soup.

The gift shop specializes in imported British gifts and foods, along with a selection of specialty tea accoutrements and loose tea. A special tea blended for their neighbors from Osterville, Donna and Ron Lasko's Courtship Tea is a popular item. The Laskos are guest lecturers at some of their special events. They will present "The Twelve Days of Christmas" and "A Victorian Christmas" on December 6 and 20, 1997.


David Bell and Nancy Irabarren





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