What Is a Lunch Napkin?
A lunch napkin, also called a tea napkin, is a small cloth napkin about 12 inches square, made for brunch, tea, dessert, and lighter meals rather than a full dinner. The smaller size sits beside a lunch plate or folds over a saucer, where a large dinner napkin would be too much cloth. Ours are woven from linen and cotton and sold by the dozen.
What Is the Difference Between a Lunch Napkin and a Dinner Napkin?
The difference is size, and it decides which meal each suits. A lunch or tea napkin is about 12 inches square and made for lighter meals; a dinner napkin is roughly twice the width and made to cover the lap through a seated dinner.
Use the smaller napkin for brunch, tea, dessert, and cocktail buffets, and the larger one for a full dinner. Many hosts keep both sizes and choose by the meal. For the larger size, see our
dinner napkins.
When Should I Use a Lunch or Tea Napkin?
Use a lunch or tea napkin for any meal lighter than dinner: a brunch, a ladies' lunch, an afternoon tea, a dessert course, a shower, or a cocktail buffet where guests are standing. The small square catches crumbs and wipes fingers without draping the lap.
It also folds small and sits flat, so a stack dresses a buffet or a dessert table without crowding the plates.
"The napkins were lovely and of a good quality. Several of my luncheon guests commented on them and how pretty they were."
sarah m.
Are Cloth Lunch Napkins Worth It Over Paper?
For anything beyond a casual meal, cloth is worth it because it wash and reuses for years while paper is thrown away after one use. A cloth napkin also looks and feels finished at a lunch, a tea, or a shower, where paper reads as everyday.
Over many gatherings a set of cloth napkins costs less than repeatedly buying paper, and it dresses the table in a way paper cannot. A cellophane-free cloth napkin is also the more sustainable choice for a recurring table.
How Many Lunch Napkins Should I Order?
Order one napkin per guest, plus a few spares for spills and last-minute arrivals. Since these are sold by the dozen, a dozen covers a small gathering and two or more dozen cover a larger party or a buffet where guests take a fresh napkin.
For a table at home, a dozen keeps a clean set in rotation while others are in the wash. Order early for an event so the full quantity arrives together.
How Do I Fold a Lunch or Tea Napkin?
For a place setting, a simple fold in quarters or a loose rectangle laid to the left of the plate suits a lunch or tea. For a buffet, fan or roll the napkins so guests can take one easily.
Linen and cotton both hold a crease when pressed, so press the napkins first and a simple fold will stay sharp through the meal. Keep the fold understated at a lunch, where the food and the table, not the napkin, are the focus.
What Styles Do Lunch Napkins Come In?
Our lunch and tea napkins run from plain hemstitched linen to napkins with a lace edge or an embroidered flower, so you can match a simple table or a more decorative one. Because they are all the same small size, you can mix styles across a table and they still sit together.
Because the styles and colors on offer change over time, the current selection is shown in the product grid above.
Can I Personalize Lunch Napkins?
The lunch and tea napkins on this page come as finished designs rather than with a monogram field. For a stitched initial or name, our
monogrammed napkins are embroidered to order.
For a printed design with your own initial or wording, our
custom printed napkins add text and artwork in ink.
How Do I Care for Lunch and Tea Napkins?
Machine wash lunch and tea napkins in cold water on a gentle cycle and tumble dry low, then press with a warm iron while slightly damp for a crisp fold. Linen and cotton both soften with washing and hold up to regular use.
Treat a food or wine stain before washing rather than letting it set, and skip bleach on colored or embroidered napkins, which can lift the color or the thread.
How Do I Order, and How Long Does It Take?
Most of our lunch and tea napkins are kept in stock and ship as soon as they are packed, so shipping transit is usually the only wait. Order ahead of an event so the napkins arrive with time to press and set the table.
For a larger order, get in touch and we will set up bulk pricing and help with the quantity. Every order is hand-inspected before it ships and backed by our satisfaction guarantee.
Do You Ship Internationally?
Yes. We ship within the United States and internationally to Canada and Australia, with international rates and options shown once you enter the delivery address at checkout.
What Else Coordinates With Lunch and Tea Napkins?
Lunch napkins are usually one piece of a larger table setting.
Why Order Lunch and Tea Napkins From Bumblebee Linens?
Our lunch and tea napkins are handcrafted from linen and cotton, kept in stock, and hand-inspected before they ship. We have shipped more than a million pieces worldwide since 2007 and stand behind every one.
Our work has been featured in Real Simple, House Beautiful, and Country Living, and every order is backed by our satisfaction guarantee.
"The white linen napkins are just perfect, just the look I wanted, they are lovely, thank you!"
Lisa A.
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customer reviews before you order.
Key Insights
- A lunch napkin, also called a tea napkin, is a small cloth napkin about 12 inches square, made for brunch, tea, dessert, and lighter meals rather than a full dinner.
- A tea napkin is about half the width of a dinner napkin, which is why it suits a lunch plate, a cup and saucer, or a dessert course, while a dinner napkin covers the lap at a seated dinner.
- Use a lunch napkin for anything lighter than a seated dinner: a brunch, a ladies' lunch, an afternoon tea, a shower, or a cocktail buffet.
- Cloth lunch napkins are worth it over paper because they wash and reuse for years, look finished at a lunch or tea, and cost less over many gatherings.
- Our lunch and tea napkins are sold by the dozen, so a dozen covers a small gathering and two or more cover a larger party or buffet.
- Styles run from plain hemstitched linen to lace-edged and flower-embroidered napkins; the current styles and colors change over time and are shown in the product grid.
- Machine wash cold on a gentle cycle, tumble dry low, and press warm while slightly damp for a crisp fold. Skip bleach on colored or embroidered napkins.
- For an embroidered initial choose our monogrammed napkins, and for a printed design with your own text choose our custom printed napkins.
Alisha S. · Verified customer 
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