Terra At the Isabel Rose

Montclair, United States

4.4

20 reviews

Accepts Credit Cards
Free Wi-Fi

Contacts

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Telephone:
+1 973-744-6600
Website:
www.terramontclair.com
Address:
50 S Fullerton Ave, Montclair, NJ, 07042
Nearby public transportation stops & stations:
0.6 miWalnut Street
0.6 miBay Street
1.1 miGlen Ridge
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Bussiness info

Takes Reservations
No
Delivery
No
Take-out
Yes
Accepts Credit Cards
Yes
Parking
Street
Bike Parking
Yes
Wheelchair Accessible
Yes
Good for Kids
Yes
Good for Groups
No
Attire
Casual
Noise Level
Quiet
Alcohol
No
Outdoor Seating
Yes
Wi-Fi
Free
Has TV
No
Dogs Allowed
No
Waiter Service
Yes
Caters
No

Today

Today –
Local time (Montclair) 07:42 Wednesday, 28 May 2025

Business hours

Monday –
Tuesday –
Wednesday –
Thursday –
Friday –
Saturday –
Sunday –

Description

Specialties

Customers love our freshly prepared, locally sourced organic fair trade food and delicious treats! Chocolate Chip cookies (and we don’t skimp on the chocolate!), Terra Bars –dark chocolate, walnuts and coconut, Lemon Tea Cakes, and our classic shortbread are some Terra favorites. Our soup-​made from scratch and seasonal. We make each sandwich to your specifications, offering vegetarian and non vegetarian. And we make smoothies and bubble tea. Over 100 varieties of loose leaf (and boxed) tea, coffee, chocolate, olive oil… and a tiny farmers market. Need an onion, or some greens. We sell local produce plus honey, eggs, milk & cheese.

Come for elevenses (old British term for late morning snack-​you know, tea or coffee and a muffin…), lunch, and afternoon tea (tea and scones anyone?) We cater tea parties for children & adults, host tea tastings, film screenings, and community events.

Terra is on a mission-​to build community through tea, food and fair trade. All are welcome.

History

Established in 2006.

Terra’s mission is to support fair trade and local food systems through hospitality, sales and education. Terra started on Church Street as a fair trade tearoom, café and market selling fair trade products and serving tea, coffee and organic food made from locally sourced ingredients. We moved in 2011 to the Isabel Rose Café which is in the Montclair Public Library. We continue to offer elevenses (late morning refreshment), lunch and afternoon tea. Our farmers are located in New Jersey and Pennyslvania. We carry over 125 varieties of loose and bagged tea, fair trade and organic. We also sell fair trade chocolate and coffee, local honey, egg, milk and cheese, In addition to hospitality, we host tastings, film screenings and other educational events. Terra is an active member of the Montclair Fair Trade Coalition which, in 2008, helped to establish Montclair as New Jersey’s first Fair Trade Town.

Meet the Business Owner

Grace G.

Business Owner

Educator, Activist, Mom of 4, Cook, Gardener, Urban Chicken Keeper, Dancer, Builder of Community.

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20 reviews of Terra At the Isabel Rose

No registration required
Place rating: 5
West Orange, NJ
Great, calm soothing kind of place. Came here with a friend on a Saturday, he explained that this was the place for tea. So I happily couldn’t say no. I was absolutely blown away by the huge selection of teas! I have to keep going to try the rest of the teas. Anyway, we shared a ambrosia plum tea. It wasn’t too sweet but full or rich floral flavor. (I’d buy that tea and have it at home if I could.) I ordered the benini panini which also had such good fresh flavor with a side of fruit. My friend ordered a soup and sandwich. We both throughly enjoyed our meals and will be back again. Have to try the rest of the teas!
Place rating: 5
West Orange, NJ
Terra is a relaxing little café cove. They make everything fresh from sandwiches and soups to coffee to cookies. Because things are made fresh and with care, you should come enjoy when you’re not in a rush. Get lost in their fair trade tea and coffee selection, or browse handcrafted gifts from around the world. Sit and journal, or meet an old friend– whatever. I love this place, for its ambiance, products, and consistency in services. Treat yourself!
Place rating: 5
Keansburg, NJ
Afternoon Tea today was fantastic! Thank you for being so warm and welcoming. This place is such a gem. Wonderful tea and delicious sandwiches and deserts! A must try! The scones and afternoon sandwiches that comes with the afternoon tea set are amazing! Can’t wait to try the regular menu next time!
Place rating: 4
Montclair, NJ
My girlfriend got a groupon for this place and offered to meet for tea there. I have eaten there before and the experience was all right. The food was fresh and tasty. When my daughter had a period of eating spinach croissant every day, we usd to come here often for it. Because they have too many things for sale that are interesting for a small child, we rarely stayed. This time we had tea and coffee and the service was all right (till the waitress forgot about the order, but then remembered herself). The place is cute and pleasant. I hope they stay in business as running groupon deal is not a good sign. They get a fraction of the money only.
Place rating: 3
Long Beach, CA
While I was on vacation in NJ/​New York on August 2013, I came across this place and was recommended the Coconut Black Bubble Tea. I loved it! I was fortunately able to return this past weekend and I knew I had to stop by because I loved the coconut black bubble tea I got last time.
However, I was disappointed to find out that I didn’t get the same quality drink as before. The servers didn’t have bubble tea (how can you not be stocked on that??) and the coconut black tea I was given wasn’t that great, even with the milk. I’m wondering if it’s because the owner wasn’t there. I met her last year and she was very friendly. Service was okay, but I was looking forward to seeing the owner again. Anyway, the next time I come by, I hope the quality is better the same as when I tried that drink the first time.
Place rating: 5
East Hanover, NJ
Came here with a groupon and it was awesome! Cute ambience, great service and food! The sandwiches were really fresh, the scones were flavored perfectly and we loved the spreads that came with it. The terra bar that came for dessert was so good we bought one to go! They also gave us blueberry frozen yogurt with peaches and it was fantastic! The owner was really friendly and the entire staff was great! Would definitely return!
Place rating: 4
Union County, NJ
I finally went back. The service was MUCH BETTER. Seems new people were hired. Food was still slow coming out but at least the servers were pleasant.
I had a delicious, fresh salad. They now serve kombucha too. So I will go back.
Place rating: 3
Piscataway Township, NJ
Small little café in the corner of the Montclair library with a very «homey» atmosphere and feel. Tried the Green Tea Matcha Latte and it was pretty good — it’s on the lighter side in terms of matcha flavor and also sweetness compared to a Starbucks GTL.
The cashier /​hostess (young brunette with short hair) was excellent but the rest of the staff was a bit pushy.
Place rating: 5
Livingston, NJ
Yes, another good purchase from Groupon.
You get two plates of assorted finger vegetarian sandwiches, two freshly baked scones, one plate of desserts and two pots of tea for the terra tea for 2 Groupon offer.
This is great value compared with other tea places.
Terra tea is located inside of the Montclair library. There is no better place to take your kids on a rainy day than this place!
The library is great, especially the kids section on 3rd floor. Librarian was very knowable and helpful.
I like this library better than Livingston library. The café is definitely a valuable addition to the library.
We were so happy to learn that we could borrow books from this library with Livingston library card!
Will definitely back to return the books and enjoy more tea!!!
Place rating: 4
Bedminster, NJ
Friday afternoon full tea at 3pm only. Reservation required. The presentation was lovely with table clothes, tea sets and pretty string lights over the little café area. They also have teas, tea pots and tea related things on display for sale.
My friend and I each had a pot of tea from this massive menu of tea selections from all over the world. Shared finger sandwiches that were cucumber butter, apple with goat cheese, and egg salad. Two scones for each of us along with 3 kinds of spread, clotted cream, lemon curd and blackberry jam. Dessert is lemon bars and terra bars. The food was a bit on the small side, ok maybe tiny, more like a nibble. I really enjoyed the dessert and scone. Will definitely get a full size next time if they offer one. Service was a bit slow but I guess afternoon teas is supposed to be enjoyed at a slower pace with good company.
Metered street parking and metered parking lot across the street. Did I mention this is situated inside the Montclair public library?
Place rating: 4
Tampa, FL
A great little cove just off a beautiful library — I could spend a lot of time here, but with kiddo in tow I’m usually not able to sit for long, especially in the main area which is a bit crowded and has lots of fun looking breakable things to touch. I’d recommend leaving the kids and coming with a friend.
Help is dependent on who is working, but if you speak up and ask questions you’ll get a quick and helpful answer. The food is worth the wait, which I don’t feel is overly long anyway (slow down people!) and it is a bit pricier then I can always go for, but very fair considering the quality and taste. Way better bet then Starbucks or Panera. Best when you really have time to sit and relax for a bit, but then, isn’t everything?
Place rating: 5
Montclair, NJ
We’re back. Today? Scones with clotted cream and mixed jelly. And a pot of Assam CTC tea. All fresh. All handmade goodness.
Place rating: 5
Glen Ridge, NJ
Great product selection. Friendly atmosphere. Good, knowledgable service. The Terra bars are addictive!
Place rating: 5
Las Vegas, NV
The dishes and pastries are always fresh and delicious. The teas are obviously handpicked by Grace, the owner, who has an encyclopedic knowledge of a startling variety of teas. We can’t always afford them, but the prices are very fair for the quality. As for their dry goods, their commitment to their ideals of local (when possible) and fair trade goods from around the world is obvious. Everything from soap to jewelry to honey is high quality and worth every penny.
Place rating: 4
Irvington, NJ
Great place to take little girls. Teaching my kids how to act appropriately at parties is a high value around them.
Place rating: 4
Brooklyn, NY
I love tea, and this place satisfies! We originally wanted to partake in the Afternoon Tea, but found out we would likely need reservations. No matter, as it likely included a lot that we wouldn’t eat, so why not order a la carte. We had coconut bubble tea, the tea special made from condensed milk, a cup of lapsang souchong, and a lemon bar. If you like your tea sweetened more, all you need to do is ask them for more condensed milk, and they will gladly oblige. The lemon bar was so damn good, you might slap yo mama! It seems that they’ve gotten busier in the past few months (possibly because of a Groupon), so the service can be a bit slow (though browsing their trinkets seems to be a good time killing mechanism). That being said, they are very nice and apologetic about it, but don’t try to stop in for a quick tea in house (though the to go orders went pretty quickly). One thing to keep in mind, that isn’t obvious in my book, is they have a sheet with heaps and heaps of specialty loose leaf tea you can order from. Ask them for suggestions. You can also ask them to re-​steep the tea you have by adding more hot water to it.
I’ll definitely be returning here. They have a couple outdoor seats, I believe, but they had been put away due to rain during our visit.
Place rating: 4
Montclair, NJ
This little café, tucked inside the beautiful Montclair Public Library, is just plain adorable. Their menu is fair trade certified and has plenty of lighter-​fare food items, made fresh in-​house.
I ordered the Cambric tea, which took a while to make, but was worth the wait, and I got a soup and salad combo with curried zucchini soup and fresh slices of apples on the side. The salad was surprisingly tasty — I added sliced turkey and avocado (costs extra) — and the curry in the pureéd soup wasn’t overpowering. The apple slices were nice and refreshing after the spiciness of the curried soup and the zinginess of the balsamic dressing on the salad.
The service was friendly, and also apologetic when it came to the wait time for our drinks. I’d love to come back here to check out more of the in-​store merchandise (jewelry, political stickers and buttons, whole bean coffee and teas).
I’m also interested in trying their afternoon tea party with little sandwiches and pastries. Sounds like it could be a fun date with a friend!
Place rating: 4
Essex County, NJ
I thought this place was great! We ordered the tea to share for 2 people but the server thought we wanted tea for 2 people so the photos I upload are tea for 2 (not the share one). The finger sandwiches definitely filled us up and I think my favorite was the curry one (think it was chicken). The dessert that day was apple slices, some kind of granola and lemon cake — all good. They also give little wrapped chocolates which were yummy. We basically had to box the leftovers because there was so much food. Would go again.
Place rating: 4
Montclair, NJ
I’ve passed several times w/​o going in b/​c my toddlers were present… who knew they sell Organic Juice Boxes & kids’ snacks? New fave! My vegetarian wrap was delicious & satisfying.
Everything I’ve tried (and we go there weekly) has been fresh and yummy. They have some menu staples & standards with a daily special. I tried the squash soup a few weeks ago and was pleased with the flavors so this is more than just a wrap shop.
My ONLY issue is that it’s at times it’s not a good «quick in and out» type spot.
This is not typically a complaint for us b/​c we go after we’ve visited the library and are taking our time… but there was once that we waited an inordinate amount of time.
The owner wasn’t there that day and I waited over 20 minutes for a hummus wrap and a cheese finger sandwich! However the overall picture is that we’ve gone there about 20+ times and the wait has only effected me once.
It can get busy around lunch — which is a good sign — just bring a book with you.
As a mom of 2 toddlers I have to get creative on the busier days when our food takes a bit longer to arrive but this is OK as there is lots to see in the shop area. They have an extensive selection of Fair Trade merch and tea/​coffee related treats and gifts.
I love that they are a SHOP LOCAL place & being organic takes the guesswork out of what I can give my kids without guilt.
The owner is so friendly and accommodating — really this place is a gem inside the library.
Place rating: 5
Montclair, NJ
I don’t even know.
This is what so many places in Montclair TRY to be… but just can’t. Or won’t. Or are just incapable of being, because the lady who owns this place is *genuine*.
You can sense the care, the time, the effort… and it’s not in vain. Deserves a lot of credit, the tea is delicious, the ambiance is warm, the assortment of things to buy is a little mind-​blowing… you can’t fake this stuff. Just go and see what I mean.