Last week I had the pleasure of going to H.R.H. Dumplins for the first time. This Murray staple is known for their delicious cakes and like their name would suggest, their dumplins too. H.R.H. Dumplins is located on 305 S 12th Street in Murray, KY.

When I visit a restaurant for the first time, I try to get my waiter to make all of the decisions. Like most people my age, I have a big fear of missing out. Part of this fear includes going to a restaurant for the first time and leaving without having tried one of their staples. There’s no conversation I hate more than telling your friends about going to a restaurant for the first time and them asking you if you tried _____ when you didn’t try _____. Fortunately, this awkward conversation can be avoided by delegating the decision of what to order to your waiter.

All of this being said, if you’ve never gone to a restaurant and asked your waiter what you should eat, I highly suggest doing so. It makes eating out more fun and is a great way to get out of your culinary comfort zone.

After I had ordered my food per my waitress’s recommendations (creole burger with a side of chicken and dumplins), my waitress came back to my table and asked, “Do you like fruit tea?”  

“Fruit tea? What’s that?” I said.

Apparently that answer was good enough for her. Next thing I know, my waitress comes back with a big glass of what I assumed to be fruit tea.

“You have to try this,” she said. “Everyone loves our fruit tea.”

I took a sip. Looked at her. Took another sip. And then nodded in agreement. This stuff was good.

The tea was not overly fruity or sweet like you would expect by the name but it still had a flavor that captured your attention. I let my boyfriend take a sip and he agreed. In his words, he thought it tasted like an adult Capri-Sun.

Before going to H.R.H. Dumplins I had no idea what fruit tea was. After conducting some research, I found out that fruit tea is actually a southern classic. Fruit tea is often overshadowed by the more popular southern sweet tea which is why it isn’t as well-known (especially among people in my generation).

I felt like I had been left out of a big southern secret so I called my parents to ask if they knew about the origins of fruit tea.

“Mom and dad,” I said. “Do you all know what fruit tea is?”

“Like peach tea?” My mom said.

“No. Fruit tea.”

“Fruity tea?” My dad said.

“No. Fruit tea.”

“We just know about sweet tea,” My mom said. “We don’t know about fruit tea.”

Well thank goodness for H.R.H. Dumplins. I would’ve never known about this southern delicacy without them. But what all is H.R.H. Dumplins about?

H.R.H. Dumplins or by the lesser known full name, His Royal Highness Dumplins started out as a Tennessee-based chain restaurant in the early 90s. The chain was created by David York and his two sisters. York modeled the menu after his mother’s famous dumplins. Knowing all of this, the British tea parlor aesthetic makes sense.

York eventually sold all of the Dumplins restaurants but today a handful still exist and are independently operated. While most of the remaining restaurants vary in name, they all still share the same crest. If you’re looking for a royal cultural relic from the 90s (a much better time), H.R.H. Dumplins is for you.

H.R.H. Dumplins is located on 305 S 12th St in Murray, KY. They are open Monday thru Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The restaurant has daily specials which you can find on their facebook page. When you stop by, make sure to try their delicious dumplins, cakes and of course, fruit tea.