Reviews The Tea Party

I hosted a committee meeting here last week and couldn't be happier with the experience, such a cozy place and everyone loved the delicious scones. I got a whole teapot with a beautiful teacup and saucer for $3, what would be the price of steeped tea in a cardboard cup elsewhere. The tea selection is huge and you can smell-test at your own pace before bringing your chosen tea to the counter, no pressure. I've been here about four times before, Arctic Raspberry and Kyoto Cherry Rose teas are two favourites from what I've tried so far. I didn't know they had sandwiches and soup but a party member said theirs was great.Overall cozy, more-than-reasonably-priced place with delicious food.

FOOD:
My husband and I had decided to share the Cream Tea, which consisted of our choice of tea, along with a scone served with cream and jam. We also decided to share the Egg Salad Tea Sandwich, which consisted of a classic egg salad sandwich, along with a side salad. For our tea, we had settled on the Strawberry Rooibos as it was a herbal tea, and we love strawberries! When I had told the kind gentleman whom served us that I would be sharing both of these dishes with my husband, he was quite accommodating. As a result, we were given two smaller scones as opposed to one large scone, and we were each given half of a sandwich, along with a side salad beside our sandwiches.

The tea was absolutely delightful, appearing in a small white pot with a strainer on the inside (which made it easier to pour). The gentleman asked if we had wanted sugar or honey for our tea however, we both decided on sugar, which came in a sugar jar with a unique pouring mechanism that we had never seen before; we loved it! The scones were simply DELICIOUS, with both of them tasting fresh and warm (temperature-wise). The cream and jam were EXCELLENT, with both spreading easily on the scones (I actually ate both the cream and jam on their own once we were finished our scones as they were both THAT good).

Once we had finished our scones, our sandwiches and salads arrived. The sandwiches were DIVINE, with the perfect amount of mayonnaise mixed into the egg, along with small bits of green onion. Also, the bread was soft, tasting as though it had been freshly-made (which I'm sure it was!) When I had asked which type of salad we would be getting when I had placed the order, the gentleman asked if he could experiment and place shredded carrots on the top of the salad. My husband and I both agreed, and were pleased with the results. The salad came with a few pieces of red leaf lettuce, along with small bits of cucumber, cherry tomatoes, and shredded carrots, garnished with a vinaigrette dressing. We were absolutely BLOWN away with how delicious and refreshing it tasted, it just hit the spot! All of the food that we had tried was simply delicious, and all for an amazing price!

ATMOSPHERE:
We had decided to sit outside as it was a beautiful Sunday morning at around 10:00 am. We noticed that the tea room itself follows the theme of Alice in Wonderland, with the pictures on the walls and the décor matching this film. I loved how each of the tables and chairs were different from one another, which made the tea room feel charismatic and unique. There was also a large selection of teas on the wall, all loose-leaf (which are much better then bagged-teas as they are fresher, and packed with more flavour). The outside patio had about four tables which were situated under a tent, with a nice view of the street.

SERVICE:
When we first walked-in, the gentleman behind the counter was welcoming, asking us how we were doing, and where we would like to sit. He brought out all of the items that we had ordered, and was kind enough to split the items between my husband and I as we had decided to share the items that we had ordered. He told us that he had taken a cooking course at the local college, and that he was interested in experimenting with some of the items on the menu (we found this to be VERY ambitious of him, which was a great thing to see). He always served us with a smile, and seemed to truly enjoy working at this tea room, which made our experience much more enjoyable!

COST:
1 Cream Tea: $5.95 + Egg Salad Tea Sandwich: $8.00 = $15.77 (Taxes Included)

WOULD YOU RETURN?
Most certainly! The prices for these items were VERY reasonable, and they were DELICIOUS! I would love to come back and try the Afternoon Tea as it looked appetizing in the photos. I also loved the feel of this tea room, and the service was top-notch. Would HIGHLY recommend to any tea lover looking for a quaint and relaxing experience that is affordable!

Funky and fun. An insane selection of teas! Something truly for everyone! The tandoori tofu with the soup of the day is my favourite along side the sencha green tea. Perfect place to study alone or catch up with a friend. A gem in the market, you will find me again in the tea party!

High Tea. Had a great time with my lil one, she enjoyed the mini sandwiches and scones.

Just for tea. Great tea, bad food. Very small casual place to relax and study. Not the best service.

Haven't tried the High Tea but ordered off their menu the samosas which were excellent and very well portioned for a decent price. Bought 3 types of teas and was given a free scone. The chef is Indian and a lovely person who cares solely about his customers' enjoyment of te food/drinks and environment as well as being eco-friendly, rather than focusing on advertisement and the commercial point of view which was nice to hear about as we got to chatting because it was quite peaceful. Went in to do some reading and it was quiet enough with good mellow music in te background. Definitely beats a bustling coffee shop with noisy machines and lots of people. Teas and coffees are all fair trade not to mention wholesome and delicious. Great experience :) except for the baristas behind the counter who couldn't be bothered to smile. But I like to focus on the positive :)

Great place to purchase coffee. Large selection - some of them fair trade, all of them fresh. You can ask them to blend a couple of types of beans, and grind it to your preference. Buy 250g or 500g.

I've been buying my fresh roasted coffee beans here for almost 15 years. It has changed ownership since then, and has improved greatly as a coffee house - with comfy couches, fresh baked goods and store made Indian munchies. I come for the coffee, though. Lots of fair-trade & shade grown, single estate, and all that coffee snob goodness. You can get real Blue Mountain, Kona, and other premiums. Big selection of high end loose and bag teas. Family owned and very friendly.

Nestled in the historic ByWard Market is a tea shop, turned tea and coffee house, whose earliest reference I could find is a 2005 review in the Ottawa Xpress newspaper. Then reviewer Lucy Rest sought refuge at The Tea Party (119 York Street Ottawa) during