Locally generated tea illustration; not a photograph of a listed venue.
Indianapolis, IN has 5 tea rooms and tea shops in this guide.
5 tea spots
Indianapolis's Tea Scene
Indianapolis tea planning starts with the calendar. A weekday cup at Tea’s Me inside the IU Indianapolis Campus Center is a different outing from a reserved monthly afternoon tea at Cheeky Bastards or a holiday visit to the L.S. Ayres Tea Room at the Indiana State Museum. The first is a loose-leaf cafe with tea brewed to order; the second serves the familiar sandwiches, scones and pastry format on a scheduled Sunday; the museum’s tea room is chiefly a seasonal public dining experience. Check the service you want before choosing a date.
For a flexible drink stop north of downtown, HoiTEA ToiTEA at Keystone offers loose-leaf tea alongside tea lattes, milk teas and bubble tea. Nature’s Tea Company on the Northwest Side is the leaf-shopping option, with straight teas and flavored blends to take home. Those addresses span several parts of the city, so a useful itinerary pairs tea with the neighborhood you already plan to visit. Downtown visitors can keep the campus cafe and museum in mind; a north-side shopping trip can include Keystone or La Pas Trail. None of these listings implies that a guided gongfu tasting is available. Use the venue’s own current menu and booking page to choose your format.
Downtown has Tea’s Me at the IU Indianapolis Campus Center and the museum’s L.S. Ayres Tea Room. Keystone at the Crossing has HoiTEA ToiTEA. The Northwest Side holds Nature’s Tea Company, while the Northeast Side has Cheeky Bastards and its scheduled afternoon teas.
Indianapolis Tea at a Glance
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Tea Rooms & Tea Shops (5)
Tea houses, afternoon-tea rooms, matcha bars and loose-leaf shops that brew tea from other makers. Each card says what the place is known for and its price range.
Tea’s Me’s campus cafe is inside the IU Indianapolis Campus Center and makes tea to order, with seating and bulk loose-leaf purchases available. It is a useful downtown choice when you want a cup of tea without committing to an afternoon-tea meal. The brand’s current site connects the cafe with Tamika Catchings, who bought Tea’s Me in 2017, and describes its role in community gatherings. Keep the practical distinction in mind: this is a campus location, so confirm current access and cafe hours before a dedicated visit. Ask about the leaf and preparation if you want to recreate your order at home.
The museum’s L.S. Ayres Tea Room recreates elements of the former department-store dining room, including columns, wallpaper and chandeliers. Its public holiday dining brings back dishes such as chicken velvet soup, tea-time sandwiches and miniature desserts. This is a scheduled seasonal lunch experience, not an everyday walk-in tearoom: the current public season runs November 27, 2026 to January 3, 2027, and reservations are strongly encouraged. Read the current menu to understand whether you are booking the buffet or another published tea-room experience. Private rentals are separate from the seasonal public dining service.
HoiTEA ToiTEA is the Keystone cafe for a mixed group: its published range includes loose-leaf tea, tea lattes, milk tea and bubble tea as well as coffee. Macarons give a simple food pairing without turning the stop into a fixed afternoon-tea meal. If you are choosing between a straight cup and a sweet cafe drink, ask which leaf is used and how much sweetener is added before ordering. The official site provides current hours and the Keystone Crossing address, plus online ordering. Use those current details rather than older descriptions of the brand at other Indianapolis locations.
Nature’s Tea Company is the Northwest Side stop for buying tea and blends to brew at home. Its current catalog includes Formosa Oolong, Raja Oolong Chai and flavored teas, with gift tins and steepers also listed. The ingredient list is the useful starting point: a straight oolong and a flavored blend are different purchases, even when they sit in the same shop. Compare the ingredient list and labeled pack weight, then ask how to prepare the tea with your existing infuser or pot. Confirm the shop’s current hours before heading to La Pas Trail for a particular item.
Cheeky Bastards serves a British afternoon tea on the second Sunday of each month, by reservation only. Its published format includes finger sandwiches, scones with clotted cream and jam, and sweet pastries on a tiered stand. That makes it the clearest option here for someone who specifically wants that conventional afternoon-tea sequence. It is also a restaurant, but ordinary restaurant service should not be confused with tea availability. Use the dedicated tea page and reservation link to choose a current seating, then ask the venue about the actual menu and any group requirements before booking.
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Indianapolis Tea Tips
Match the visit to the right calendar
Cheeky Bastards publishes a second-Sunday monthly afternoon tea. The L.S. Ayres Tea Room publishes a holiday public dining season. Check those calendars before building an itinerary around either service.
Treat the campus cafe as a campus visit
Tea’s Me is inside the IU Indianapolis Campus Center, not in a freestanding street-front tearoom. Confirm the cafe’s current access and opening schedule before making a special trip.
Use the museum’s booking page for holiday tea
The Indiana State Museum strongly encourages reservations for its holiday tea-room lunches. Read the current format and menu; a museum tea-room buffet is a different experience from a conventional tiered afternoon tea.
Choose plain tea or a mixed drink deliberately
HoiTEA ToiTEA lists loose-leaf tea, milk tea, tea lattes and bubble tea. Decide which format you want and ask about sweetener when ordering rather than assuming every tea drink is unsweetened.
Build a home selection on the Northwest Side
Nature’s Tea Company lists Formosa Oolong and Raja Oolong Chai alongside flavored teas. A plain oolong and a chai blend make a more informative comparison than buying several similar sweet blends.
Choose your kind of tea stop
Locally generated illustrations of tea service styles. These are not photographs of the listed businesses.
Brewing at Home After Indianapolis
Found a tea you liked in Indianapolis? Buy the leaf, then use these to brew it the same way at home.
Teaware
Kettles, gaiwans, kyusu, scales and matcha whisks for brewing at home.
Steeping Chart
Water temperature and steep time for green, white, oolong, black and pu-erh.
Tea Ratio Calculator
Grams of leaf per 100 ml, for gongfu and western brewing.
Bitter Tea Troubleshooting
Fix a bitter, flat or astringent cup by changing one variable at a time.
Cold-Brew Tea Ratios
Leaf weight and fridge time for cold-brewed tea, by tea type.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where can I get afternoon tea in Indianapolis?
Cheeky Bastards publishes afternoon tea on the second Sunday of the month, by reservation. The L.S. Ayres Tea Room at the Indiana State Museum is a seasonal public dining option with its own holiday schedule and format.
Is the L.S. Ayres Tea Room open for public tea all year?
Its current public lunch season is November 27, 2026 through January 3, 2027. The museum also offers private rentals; that does not mean daily public tea is available outside the holiday period.
Where can I have loose-leaf tea downtown?
Tea’s Me IU Indianapolis is inside the Campus Center at 420 University Boulevard, Suite 157. It makes tea to order and also handles bulk loose-leaf purchases.
Where can I buy tea to brew at home?
Tea’s Me handles bulk leaf, and Nature’s Tea Company lists loose-leaf teas and blends at its La Pas Trail shop. HoiTEA ToiTEA also links tea shopping from its own site.
Where can a group find different tea-drink styles?
HoiTEA ToiTEA’s menu spans loose-leaf tea, tea lattes, milk tea and bubble tea. It is the flexible cafe choice when the group wants different drink formats rather than a fixed afternoon-tea meal.
Sources and planning notes
We checked these public business pages on October 26, 2026. This guide is researched from published information. Confirm opening times, current menus and reservations with each venue before traveling.
Indianapolis Tea by Neighborhood
Downtown
Best for: A campus loose-leaf cafe or a scheduled museum dining visit.
Top picks: Tea’s Me IU Indianapolis, L.S. Ayres Tea Room
Northwest Side
Best for: Buying loose leaf and flavored blends for home.
Top picks: Nature’s Tea Company
Tea Reading for Indianapolis Visitors
Read these before you order: what to ask for, how it is brewed, and what it should cost.
