High Tea Series: a list of places to do afternoon tea in Vancouver
42 Comments
Karen Hamilton
December 4, 2008
It’s true: high tea is not the same as afternoon tea. Despite its name, this series explores afternoon tea: scones, cream, dainties, pretty cups, florals, hats. The terms are used interchangeably in the text below. Sorry, tea aficionados.
Food cravings seize me with sudden and often inexplicable vigor. Today’s craving was triggered by a photo I came across in the Flickr photostream of Vancouver blogger Raul (site | Twitter):
Sweet Revenge, originally uploaded by Raul P.
His corresponding blog post referenced Victorian sensibilities…so my brain screamed “high tea!!” to my gullet. My mind’s eye was spinning in a vortex of earl grey, scones, and triangular cucumber sandwiches with the crusts sliced off. I asked the Twitterverse where I could get a fix in the city, and this is what they told me:
- @bmann: The tea house on 10th has the best — see photo
- @tomwilliams: The best place for traditional “high tea” is in Kerrisdale. I forget the name but it’s on West Boulevard.
- @thenextstagemag: Closest place I thought was the Empress, not sure about Van. Hotel Vancouver, maybe?
- @tibbidy: If you’re craving high tea, Bacchus is the way to go. It makes you feel all lovely and British. Oh, and of course, it’s tasty.
Equipped with these suggestions and those of answer overlord Google, I’ve compiled a quick and dirty list of places in Vancouver proper that offer high (afternoon) tea. Looky:
Adonia Kerrisdale Tea House
2057 West 41st Ave | Kerrisdale
604-261-0049
Bacchus Restaurant at the Wedgewood Hotel
845 Hornby Street | Downtown
604-689-7777
Read about our afternoon tea experience here >
Fairmont Hotel Vancouver
900 W Georgia | Downtown
604-684-3131
Fairmont Empress (Victoria)
721 Government Street | Victoria
1 (866) 540-4429 | (250) 384-8111
Read about our afternoon tea experience here >
The Fish House at Stanley Park
8901 Stanley Park Drive | Downtown
604-681-7275
Read about our afternoon tea experience here >
Flueri Restaurant at Sutton Place
845 Burrard Street | Downtown
604-682-5511
Provence Marinaside
1177 Marinaside Crescent | Yaletown
604-681-4144
Provence Mediterranean Grill
4473 West 10th Avenue | Point Grey
604-222-1980
Secret Garden Tea Company
5559 West Boulevard | Kerrisdale
604-261-3070
Read about our afternoon tea experience here >
T Room (no website)
4445 W 10th Ave | Point Grey
604-677-2579
Read about our afternoon tea experience here >
Tracycakes
101 – 2636 Montrose Avenue | Abbotsford | 604-852-1433
15015 Marine Drive | White Rock | 604-541-4668
The Urban Tea Merchant
G3 – 825 Main Street | West Vancouver | 604-926-3392
1070 W. Georgia Street | Downtown | (604) 692-0071
MY FAVE! Read about our afternoon tea experiences here >
I’d like to turn this post into a compendium of Vancouver high tea, but I know that the list is nowhere near comprehensive. Please help me add to this selection so that I may evaluate these offerings for you over the upcoming months, as the compulsion to sip tea and nibble dainties hits me again and again. Feel free to raise a hand to join me on these adventures, too.
First up in the series will be the T Room, whose location I scouted this afternoon not realizing that most high tea requires reservations at least 24 hours in advance (shucks). For now, enjoy these photos of a non-high tea visit. I’ll report on the formal experience when I manage to schedule it in.
Categories: Downtown, Food, Kerrisdale, point grey, Restaurants, Yaletown
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42 Responses to “High Tea Series: a list of places to do afternoon tea in Vancouver”
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Don’t know how I managed to forget about this yesterday when I saw your tweet, but you might also want to check out the high tea at Urban Tea Merchant in the Park Royal Village in West Van. A little pricey, but sooooo good!
wow, now i’m wondering if i’m classy enough to go to one of these high tea things … i’ve heard good things about the secret garden, but i have this image of 60-something ladies with wide brimmed hats as their clientele, so i’m always intimidated to even look in the door
let me know when you decide to attempt again, i’ll dress up all fancy-like and join you … hehe, just not next week …
Not high tea, but almost certainly better tea can be found at ShakTea (http://shaktea.ca/) on Main Street. The women who own it are like the Coffee Geeks of tea.
Seriously makes me re-think the whole tea thing. Their teas actually have taste profiles!
The Fish House at Stanley Park has a lovely afternoon Tea.
If you are looking for a fellow tea seeker, I would love to join you on one of your High Tea missions!
Adonia has a web site:
http://www.adoniatea.com/
I have never been to Adonia for afternoon tea.
Laura, Karen, and Winnie: thank you for your additions and corrections. I’ve updated the list above.
Michael: thanks for pointing out another great tea house in the city. If they ever do afternoon tea, I’ll make sure they get on the list.
So far, high tea adventurers total 4: me, Jules, Karen, and Jay. Maybe this’ll be a good Tiny Bites
dinnertea date?Oh that look so nice. What a fun thing to do with a bunch of girls too.
Great idea! Just wondering, how was the carrot and dill soup at the T Room?
I have to agree Adonia Tea House is very good. If you’ve never been you must try it.
Vanessa: It’s too bad you’re a little far away to join us!
Laura: the carrot and dill soup was divine. I’m a huge fan of dill anything and it was generously seasoned with the fresh stuff. The croutons were pumpernickel, I would guess, with a liberal rub of garlic all over. Definitely something I would order again.
V. Limo: Thanks for your recommendation for Adonia. I’ll make sure to place it a little higher on the checklist.
[...] Tiny Bites makes a list of places to enjoy high tea. [...]
There are few places in Van that really “know” tea. Although not a place for the event of “high tea” somewhere to go for a proper cup of good quality tea, brewed correctly is Muzi Tea on Cordova, behind the Waterfront Hotel. The room is modern and fresh while still be cozy.
Evening/dessert tea:
Sweet Revenge – 4160 Main
Not strictly “High Tea”, but still tea:
Shakti – 3702 Main
“T” – 1568 W Broadway
Steeps – 895 W Broadway
[...] My field trip to Secret Garden Tea Company let me cross off a third establishment on my to-do list of afternoon tea. Apologies that this is only the first that I am detailing in words for the High Tea Series. [...]
[...] to go. Looking forward to trying the full high tea there next time! For more high tea places check this [...]
[...] originally reluctant to spare. I shall reserve further comment for a separate post as part of my High Tea Series. Watch out for that article at 4pm during Blogathon 2009 – just in time for tea that [...]
If you’re planning a trip to the Fraser Valley one day you may want to make reservations for High Tea at SerendipiTea. It’s very pretty and flavourful. 2626 Montrose Ave, Abbostford.
[...] not forget all the afternoon dates that I’d like to make with you as you help me to assess the numerous places we seem to have for high tea. First one will be at the T Room, so make sure to tell me if you’re up for some refined [...]
[...] finest: http://tinybites.ca/2008/12/04/high-tea-series-a-list-of-places-to-do-tea-in-vancouver/ http://www.secretgardentea.com/togo/default.asp [...]
Hi,
I found your blog on the first page of googling for “high tea Vancouver”. I wanted to thank you for your well written, detailed reviews and very honest opinions. I’ve been looking for a place to book my gf’s birthday dinner with that “high tea” theme to it, but wasn’t sure where to start looking.
On behalf of everyone else who has wandered in through random googling and may not have left comments, thanks again for taking the time and effort to provide all this!
Sonca
The Fairmont Hotel Vancouver has one of the best offering for Afternoon Tea. They are doing Mad Hatters Tea now and next month The Princess and the Tea. Great idea for families, baby showers, ect..
I will be in Vancouver for one day. Please telol me where to find the best and most convenient site for afternoon tea.
Thanks to my Canadiens cousins
Judy, if I could only go to one I would go to the T Room: 4445 10th Avenue West Mn Flr, Vancouver
(604) 677-2579. You need to make reservations. If it’s a nice day see if you can have tea in their back garden.
I’ve enjoyed high tea at Adonia and Secret Garden, as well as the FIsh House in SP. All were very nice. I like the intimacy of the two places in Kerrisdale. I’ve also been to Victoria of course. Being caffeine free, the one thing that surprises me is that these places generally do not serve a decaf black tea, only weird herbal combos. I had some delicious decaf black tea in Victoria and that made the experience for me. I do hope these places get a clue and get some wider selections of teas in. I hear Provence on 10th in West Pt Grey has a high tea. I’ll be checking it out at some point. hollyandholly.com
Perhaps this has to do with the distinction btwn high tea and afternoon tea, but I do wish there were more ones, clotted cream, and strawberry jam and less of the other dainties. I had high tea in England, featuring fresh scones, clotted cream, and a simple strawberry jam and it was divine. Not reproducible at home. hollyandholly.com
Perhaps this has to do with the distinction btwn high tea and afternoon tea, but I do wish there were more ones, clotted cream, and strawberry jam and less of the other dainties. I had high tea in England, featuring fresh scones, clotted cream, and a simple strawberry jam and it was divine. Not reproducible at home. hollyandholly dot com
[...] http://tinybites.ca/2008/12/04/high-tea-series-a-list-of-places-to-do-tea-in-vancouver/comment-page-... [...]
If your ever out in White Rock ‘Clancy’s Tea Cozy’ does a very nice/very filling tea for two. Don’t eat lunch before hand!
The Urban Tea Merchant is my favourite place to relax and enjoy some of the finest teas of Theodor for afternoon tea. They have stores, offering retail and tea salons are in downtown Vancouver and West Vancouver. The place is elegant, relaxing, peaceful…it’s a unique tea experience that anyone passionate about tea must check out. Also if you’re not in Vancouver, they have a great website http://www.urbantea.com
[...] In case you’re in search of more high tea places in Vancouver and surrounding areas, see this Tiny Bites post and the BC Tourism [...]
The China Cup Tea Company in Cloverdale on 176th Street beside the old Clova theater, has a wonder High Tea, but I prefer there Mini Hight Tea.
Holly, the tea you’re describing is called a Cream Tea, with scones, clotted cream and jam or lemon curd. I don’t know if you can find it in Vancouver. They used to have it at that British Shoppe in Steveston, but I think they’ve closed. And Shak-tea does have an afternoon tea now, more fusion than English, check out their website.
[...] hotels offer truly high-end Afternoon (and High) Teas—Tiny Bites has a great list here that includes Bacchus Restaurant and the [...]
Hi there! Can anyone tell me how much is charged per person at T Room?
Thanks!
Hi Christine, I think about $26éperson but they also have what they call a Low Tea which is less. Yoù need to make reservations anyways so just ask when you call. It`s my favourite tea room.
Christine,
As Tina mentioned, the full tea is about $20-25 a person, but the petite tea at $10-15 a person was enough to sate my appetite. I did review them and describe pricing, which you can read about here: http://tinybites.ca/2009/07/26/high-tea-series-t-room-and-bakery/
@Tina and Karen: Thank you for the instant reply!
I’m taking a friend out for her birthday so just wanted to make sure it’s good!
Thanks again!
[...] been a while since the last installment of my High Tea Series, but that is not because I haven’t been to tea lately. In fact, afternoon tea is probably the [...]
Yum! Next time you are in Victoria, you really need to try the Afternoon Tea at the Butchart Gardens. While you do have to pay to get into the gardens as well…it’s sooooo worth it. They are pretty good about allergies too – if you call ahead. Plus – who can beat the atmosphere?
Just thinking about it I had to go look at the menu-
http://www.butchartgardens.com/images/stories/PDF/2011drafternoontea.pdf
Oh, and yes, I’ve had Tea at the Empress too, as I’m from Victoria…and Butchart’s totally takes the cake! I’ve never gone back to the Empress.
Hi Karen, the T Room sounds great. My Mom is turning 90….do you think we would be able to reserve a table for about 8 people there. The Secret Garden was no help and way too expensive for even the Mini tea. : P
Also came across the Adonia Tea House….have you been there? Their mini tea is $17……thanks Erin
If you would like to make the trek to Abbotsford, come check out our High Tea at SerendipiTea!
You’ll find our price reasonable at 18.95 per person.
We serve an assortment of 5 sandwiches, 3 mini scones (with devonshire cream, lemon curd and jam),as well as 3 delectable desserts!
Please call to make reservations. 604-853-0909