Review Old Curiosity Tea Shop - Markham

Love it here! Came for a family shower and once again enjoyed the experience greatly. It's not overly bougie like some of the luxury hotels downtown and I enjoy the slightly shabby, retro decor. High tea was served as it should be with yummy, fresh sandwiches and desserts that were generous in serving size. Definitely will come again.

When you find a place this great, you just want to keep going back. This is a seriously authentic experience. Adam is wonderfully attentive, without ever being intrusive, & so incredibly knowledgeable. The food is all family recipes, which Adam graciously talks about. Sherry in the kitchen is absolute magic. I am incredibly picky, & presentation is everything to me. The food is a delight visually, so perfectly presented. I can’t find enough adjectives to do it justice. Thank you for another fantastic lunch!

The Old Curiosity Tea Shop is a wonderful, unique and delicious spot. Some of my family members have been here many times and I came for the first time this past weekend. We arrived just in the midst of a powerful thunderstorm that knocked out the power but we were happy to sit, chat and enjoy perusing the beautiful teapots, cups and other unique pieces that lined the walls of the tea shop. Once the power came back on, we were treated to some of the most delicious teas (try the Provence, you will not regret it!), sandwiches and sweet treats that I have ever had. Everything was fresh and flavourful, and I could have stayed there all day. Adam was a gracious host who doted on us and provided us with so much wonderful information regarding the teas and treats. It was especially nice to put the phones away and connect with my family members - we passed our teas around and gave feedback to each other regarding what we liked about them and it was so much fun to be present and enjoy each other's company. Wow, what a treat - thank you Adam and team!

The Old Curiosity Tea Shop is a little gem! The atmosphere is charming and the service is excellent. Adam is kind, patient, and very accommodating. He graciously describes the tea selection and the menu items, and ensures a wonderful experience. Sherry cooks with such love and care. The afternoon tea sandwiches, scones and cookies are light and fresh. The cottage pie is delicious and hearty. It's always a pleasure visiting the tea room!

Came across this inconspicuous shop while on a stroll and really wanted to go ever since. Went for their proper, British style afternoon tea and it was a great experience. From start to finish, top to bottom every detail of this place is well thought out and executed. Upon entry and even on the phone, host Adam was so pleasant and welcoming. The shop has a cozy, dainty feel. The sandwiches, desserts, food and tea were all fresh and memorable. You can feel and taste the care that goes into everything served. Definitely recommended. We will be back!

What an amazing experience! We tried the finger sandwiches and the dessert platter and the it was great. The host was lovely. This place has a wide selection of loose-leaf teas, our favorites were the creamy caramel and the Provence teas! A must-try for every tea lover

This little teashop is super cute! The server, Adam, was wonderful - very attentive and fun to chat with. The sirloin steak pie was delicious and the two-tier tea set was good and very affordable compared to some other spots. This was the perfect treat for an afternoon out with mom!

Loved the High Tea and the excellent service. Food was good, everything explained (I'm English and didn't really need it but my husband is Canadian). Tried 2 different teas and bought 3 loose leaf teas before leaving. Parking is available across the road, so was very easy to park and walk across the road. This place gets very busy so make sure you reserve before turning up.

Always love the great afternoon tea experience . My friend and I always come to this hidden gem 💎. Service is great and of course the food and teas are superb

Love this tea shop. Great Service, delicious English fare. The interior old English vibe is also very cute.

A favourite place for our Canadian card and tea exchange group to meet. The food and service is always excellent.

I had a lovely afternoon tea session with my girl friends at The Old Curiosity Tea Shop. Our server was super sweet and friendly. He knew the menu very thoroughly and checked on us in good intervals. The interior of this tea shop has a Victorian style, different styles of teapots are distributed everywhere (even on the ceilings). We hope they super glued them well because they have a high potential to do so much damage hahaha. The pricing is decent for the afternoon tea set. It is $25 per person for the items listed below.<br/><br/>For tea, we chose: <br/><br/>* Earl Grey Tea with Cream <br/><br/>It is supposed to have a hint of vanilla flavour but we couldn't really taste it.<br/><br/>First set of the two-tiered afternoon tea set are sandwiches with a mixture of:<br/><br/>* Granny apples<br/><br/>* Cucumbers<br/><br/>* Ham<br/><br/>* Egg<br/><br/>Second set of the two-tiered afternoon tea set are desserts that included:<br/><br/>* Pecan tarts<br/><br/>* Raspberry filled butter cookies<br/><br/>* Gingerbread cookies<br/><br/>* Scones (comes with jam and cream that were said to be imported from England)<br/><br/>My favourites were the scones and the granny apple filled sandwiches. The highlight from the sandwiches were the raisin bread.. Mmm soo good!

Afternoon Tea is an unarguably indulgent pastime.This specific type of dining is difficult to come across in the GTA, and even rarer to find a menu of that suits the taste buds of all members of one's party. Though a tad pricey at times, a "truly Victorian" experience serving up proper "English fare" in a serene environment with impeccable service is well-deserving of its proposed fees.<br/><br/>The Old Curiosity Tea Shop is located in an unobtrusive section of Main Street Markham, featuring a coppery brown brick exterior and olive-hued wooden frame.<br/><br/>Quite the popular weekend brunch option among locals, I made a last-minute reservation the day prior for afternoon tea for two, only to be left to one table option - the "display" in the window. (Majority of the tea shop had already filled up before noon!) Not that I minded, to be honest. Despite the lack of room for bags and coats, the lace-lined table had the best access to indirect natural lighting - a factor possessed by very few other tables in the vicinity.

The old curiosity tea shop is located on main street markham (cute neighbourhood) just north of highway 7. On street parking but also a tonne of free parking behind a lot of the buildings.<br/><br/> I've been for high tea a couple of times, one time as a meet up with a group of folks, another as a birthday lunch just before paintlounge, then as a surprise outing for me. <br/><br/>They have an impressive amount of teas. Caffeinated, uncaffeinated, fruity, spicy, etc. My favourite is the Vanilla tea. To me its very delishious! <br/><br/>You get tiny delicate sandwiches. Everytime I've gone I've thought they were just okay. The fillings are bland. The second time i went, the bread was stale as well. You get a scone. I've only gotten current scone. The scone were always stale, the last time very stale. So stale we complained and were given new ones that were not stale which told us they were giving out the old stuff first. You get teeny tiny paper cups with various jams and clotted cream. They are really cheap with these. Every single time there wasn't enough for us. <br/><br/>You also get sweets. The sweets were just okay. Nothing i would shout out about. <br/><br/>Service is slow, but its that kind of place. The server was so knowledgeable and great, describing things in detail, answering all questions. He was the best part of these experiences!!<br/><br/>I read about how people liked and loved their experiences and food. I'm not sure why we didn't have the same.

We eagerly grabbed some must-have goodies – A toffee cookie dipped in milk chocolate, rocky road fudge, and a Belgian milk chocolate coffee butter crunch. The toffee cookie delivered a smooth, sublime sensation in every bite with a splendid contrast of sweet chocolate and salty, buttery toffee. We found that the rocky road fudge was best eaten slowly and thoughtfully so as to savour every luscious second it spent in our mouths, and to make this velvety, sinfully savoury treat last as long as possible. The coffee butter crunch, on the other hand, was a complex combination of so many amazing flavours and textures, it was incredibly difficult not to devour it immediately.<br/><br/>So whether you’re into the simple delight of a scoop of vanilla ice cream on a fresh waffle cone, or the saccharine reverie of a deluxe cupcake with real buttercream icing, you’re sure to find your heart’s desire in this dessert-lovers’ dreamland.<br/><br/>Our tea drinking experience was enhanced by the warm crumpets with butter and jam ($7), the currant scones with clotted cream ($11), and the Welsh rarebit ($11). The crumpets were an indulgent, soft snack that were best to munch with any of the palette pleasing, tart jams and tasted so lovely with our sweet teas. We enjoyed the light, melt in your mouth scones immensely and couldn’t resist the clotted cream and jam spread on top. The Welsh rarebit was a pleasant surprise for those of us who had never tasted it, and for those who had, it was a classic favourite. This mouth-watering dish of bread topped with cheddar cheese sauce comes toasted to scrumptious, devouring perfection.<br/><br/>For anyone with an appetite for a taste of Britain, these delicious dining options are highly recommended and much cheaper than a flight overseas. We can think of no better place to spend a charming afternoon with a warm cup of splendid tea.

Victorian Afternoon tea. I love afternoon tea and love to explore different places to have afternoon tea. I saw some reviews for the old curiosity tea shop so I finally booked a reservation and was delighted to finally go for the Victorian princess tea experience! Adam was a delight to meet and his hospitality made my experience more remarkable. I enjoyed the Buckingham Palace tea and the wonderful 2 tier sandwiches. The China were exquisite that made my experience more special. I felt truly like a princess!. I was so delighted when Adam brought out our second tier filled with scrumptious delights. Freshly baked black currant scones.. accompanied with clotted cream and preserves. .. freshly bakes cherry tarts.. and shortbread. I enjoyed them all! I truly enjoyed my afternoon there. It was definitely a change of pace from the typical afternoon tea at Windsor Arms and Park Hyatt...I felt like I was transported in time and became a Victorian princess!..I also felt hospitality that made my experience unique. I will definitely return back for another tea session and enjoy another afternoon as a princess!

A Cut Above The Rest. The Old Curiosity Tea Shop experience is one of kind. If you like tea and want to escape from reality for a couple hours, then this is the place for you. One step inside and you`ve been transported to Victorian era England. Decorated with teapots of every kind and size, on every space available, the walls hold history and countless stories of tea, tradition and love. The menu is chock full of British favorites like Welsh rarebit and steak stew, as well as a wide variety of sweets made with care. <br/><br/>There are over 80 different types of tea to choose from, an overwhelming but yummy prospect! My favorite is Buckingham Palace Garden Party (how royal does that sound?!) an Earl Grey with jasmine tea, and it never disappoints. There simply isn`t a classier way to drink tea, than in a beautiful china cup tailored to your tea and a pot just for you. <br/><br/>The service is impeccable, and you can tell that they really do have a passion for customer service. I never felt rushed during my stay and was free to enjoy the surroundings and contemplate over my tea.<br/>I enjoyed Welsh rarebit with an English salad cream salad, distinct British flavours that brought me back to family dinners around the table on trips to Nottingham. If you have only one thing here, let it be the cream tea! It comes with a pot of tea for one, two warm currant scones, clotted cream imported from England and preserves! Beautifully presented and scrumptious!<br/><br/>I`ve yet to try the afternoon tea but I`ve heard many good things about it. For a special occasion I would come dressed up and enjoy the tradition. Don`t forget to reserve as they often book up quickly! Bring a close friend, pour yourself a cup of tea, pinkies up and lose yourself here.

They are rude not to return my call regarding the reservation!. I've been there twice even though not fully satisfied with the experiences, I still wanted to take my friends there and let them try their tea. I left a reservatiaon request message on Monday for a table on wednesday. It's now Wednesday and I still didn't get the return call. Last time it took them more than a day to return my call. That was fine because I called way ahead of time. But this time, calling on Mon trying to get a table for Wednesday and I think that's not happening. I will never ever go there again!

Big disappointment!. I wanted so much to like this restaurant but the food was so bad. We ordered the afternoon tea set. The tea was fine, the sandwiches and desserts were a big disappointment. The bread was stale, the fillings were ordinary and cheap. As for the desserts, which consisted of nothing more than some sugar cookies and biscuits, tasted even worse than the ones you can find in the supermarket. All in all, just a bad dinning experience.

Slow service, good food. Read all the rave reviews about this little tea shop in downtown Markham so I decided to give the Afternoon Tea for Two a try. I had to wait over 30 minutes before we were seated even with a reservation, and then another 30 minutes or so before the food arrived. The food itself was tasty, especially the pinwheel sandwiches. Service was slow but the server was polite and friendly. The price was ok but I wouldn't go again unless I have a few hours to spare.

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I LOVE dressing up to go to afternoon tea. I went to The Old Curiosity Tea shop with my friends Irene, Samantha, and Priscilla for Irene’s 22nd birthday. At The Old Curiousity Tea Shop, afternoon tea can be any time, as long as you make a reservation for it in advance!! The reason they recommend reservations is because their sandwiches are not made in store, so there may not be enough for everyone. We arrived pretty early at 11am, and managed to be able to get the afternoon tea set even without a reservation : )  They do have a variety of other options in their menu consisting of brunch food and desserts though. For $20 each person gets their choice of a pot of tea, a selection of sandwiches, a scone and a variety of desserts. I was sick that day so I wanted to pick something that seemed healthy…I couldn’t find anything honey related so I picked the Japanese Sencha Cherry Blossom Green Tea (probably messed up the name there I didn’t write it down : ( and there’s no menu online). I can’