We’ll be seeing you behind the blue doors. The historic Rialto Theatre, which will turn 102 years old this year, just debuted two new concepts behind those iconic blue doors: Café Rialto, a stunning new cafe, and Tea at The Rialto, a reservations-only tearoom.
The experience is every bit a journey through time as it is a culinary exploration. The beautiful cafe feels lifted from Paris in the 1920s, while signature coffee drinks are named for stars of yesteryear, including The Sinatra, The Audrey, and Coco Chanel. The 1924 is named in honor of the year The Rialto opened, and it’s made with chocolate ganache, a house-made citrus orange syrup, and fresh orange zest.
ADVERTISEMENT
The tearoom offers traditional, full-service English tea in the afternoons and is available by reservation only. In addition to the hot tea itself, guests are treated to petite sandwiches, pastries, sweets, scones and more. The Orange Citrus Scone, topped with shaved almonds, has been living rent-free in our minds since the first bite. To make a reservation, guests can call, text or email 813-807-2411 or tea@rialtotampa.com.
Located at 1617 N Franklin St. in the Rialto Theatre, the cafe and the tearoom are operated by a husband-and-wife duo. They use King State coffee for the espresso bar, and all the pastries are baked fresh in-house. It has been only three weeks since they opened, but already they’ve become stars as people flock to the stunning cafe.
In addition to the cafe and tearoom, The Rialto is also home to an expansive event space, hosting weddings, baby showers, engagement parties, and other private events.
Café Rialto’s slogan, “See you Behind the Blue Doors,” adds a whimsical tone to the timeless experience. You can visit Monday-Saturday from 7:30 am – 3 pm. Follow them on Instagram to see the latest.
