Russian Tea Time
(9 reviews)77 E Adams St, Chicago, IL 60604, USA (312) 360-0000 Website Owner?
Recent reviews
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Janice Jasieniecki
The Russian Tea Time Restaurant is my all time favorite place to go after enjoying the Chicago Symphony or visiting the Art Institute. Both are in walking distance. As you enter the front door, you are embraced by the wonderful old Russian atmosphere. The service is exceptional, from a staff that is both helpful and friendly.
After 30 years of visits to the Russian Tea Time Restaurant, the two things that stand out in my mind are the flavorful Russian house tea, which is dark and rich and tastes of currents, and the shredded carrot salad, which I’ve searched for a comparable recipe to no avail. It’s always a pleasant experience and I look forward to my next visit.
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SW Tea Lover
I visited here on July 2, 2009. The decor is beautiful, and the service is excellent. While there is a lunch and dinner menu, I opted for the 'afternoon tea,' based on what I had read about this tearoom. The food came in the 3-tier presentation. You got 2 of the same scone--would have been nice to have had 2 different ones. They were heavy and dry. No lemon curd, perhaps because the scones were cranberry and raisin. The savories were tasty and flavorful, but their presentation was pretty much all the same (all cut in triangles). The sweets, of which there were about 9, were average, the kind you could buy ready-made in a box, for the most part. I guess I was expecting more in the quality of the food, given the reputation of this tearoom.
You had a choice of only 1 tea (as there were 2 of us, we ordered 2 different teas).I had the house blend, which was excellent (berry flavors) and bottomless. A server refilled my cup (glass in a pretty silver holder) just about every time I took a sip. (Now THAT is service!) My guest had a tea served in a 2-cup pot (no tea cozy or warmer, though). The tea menu was excellent, with many teas that are not often found on the menu at most tearooms. So have some fun and choose one you have not tried before.
The atmosphere is truly beautiful, peaceful, and serene; and while there are a lot of tables, I didn't get the feeling of being overcrowded or imposed upon. The service was excellent, and the staff extremely friendly, although not as knowledgeable on the teas as I would have expected. They did explain the food being served, however, quite well.
The location is great--across from Grant Park, and within easy walking distance of several hotels, including mine.
While the food quality was disappointing, on my next visit to Chicago, I will return here and order off their lunch menu, which looked great (and try some of the Russian food), and order tea with it. Their website is: www.russianteatime.com .
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Marcy
Russian Tea Time is my new favorite place in Chicago. The full tea service is lovely and filling - I love the blintzes and their Scottish Highland loose leaf tea - but what will keep me going back is the atmosphere and especially the service. They are warm and inviting at Russian Tea Time and make it quite easy to while away an afternoon enjoying such a great tradition.
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Elin
It’s possible to enter another world right across the street from Chicago’s Art Institute. It’s a world of old-Russian opulence. With warm mahogany walls adorned by unique samovars and pleasant burgundy hues, this is a lovely place for tea. To celebrate my Mother’s birthday we chose their full tea service, which includes pots of tea, scones, savories and sweets. From their ample list of thirty we selected their House Blend (Darjeeling, Ceylon and black currant) and a hearty decaf vanilla. The decadent House Blend is served in a traditional glass cup with an intricate metal frame and handle (just like the cup a friend of mine told me he drank from on the Trans-Siberian Railway). Our three-tier tray arrived filled to the brim. The delightful raisin scones were the flaky kind, filled with giant golden raisins and accompanied by cream and jam. The savory offerings were three-layer crustless triangles; salmon with dill, roasted red pepper, and corned beef with asparagus. In addition, they included delicious mini quiche and veggie blintz. All were delicious, however I would have liked one of the sandwiches on their dark pumpernickle bread. Sweets were abundant; petite Napoleon Torte, mini rugala, white and chocolate petit four, meringue, raspberry bar, butter cookies and a tiny biscotti-type treat. The service is friendly and the ambiance is welcoming; I would highly recommend this afternoon tea.
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Abigail Anderson
I went to their afternoon tea service yesterday and found the atmosphere to be rather enjoyable. The food itself had delightful mixes of flavours I haven't had in prior experiences with afternoon tea. Though I did find that most of the desserts were far too heavy for me and I was only able to take a nibble from each one.
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heidi
I treated my best friend to her first afternoon tea here in November 2005. The tea, although the selection was slim, was very good. We chose to sample vodka and have the full tea offering with sweets and savories. The food was delicious and plentiful. The vodka was amazing - plus served with rye bread and pickles - very traditional and fun! Russian Tea Time is in a perfect location for stopping between the Art Institute and shopping State Street - it made our trip!
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Frau
I found their name on City Search and the description of their foods and location sounded really good. So, I thought I really want to try their place. They got afternoon tea, lunch and dinner. So, me and my friends had afternoon tea for the first visit. The servant was very nice and kind. He recommanded us to try their Russian tea which was a really dark black tea with currents and berry flavor and scent. It was scrumptious!Their foods were outstanding! It made me want to go back again! Next time I go back, I would like to try the Russian foods for the dinner.
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Bret
I have been going to the Russian Tea Time for many years now, and had always gone for the food and excellent tea. It seems that for only a few years now, they have been serving an afternoon tea as well. They have a sort of 'house' or Russian tea, which seems to be black tea with a hint of currant. The cuisine is Russian, and the food is outstanding. The last meal there would rate as the best restaurant meal of 2006 for me. I cannot rate the afternoon tea, but we ordered a scone out of curiosity, and it was among the best I've ever had. I enjoy the house tea so much that I've never sampled any other, but I'm sure they are just as good. The restaurant is practically next door to the Art Museum and Grant Park, so it could not be better situated. The prices are reasonable, and the atmosphere very good. Give it a try, and by all means sample the food, it's the main attraction.
Bret
Bolingbrook, IL