Rebecca
User's reviews
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Sandy's Market
Not a place to go for afternoon tea, but an excellent place to find a huge selection of loose leaf teas for home. Many hard-to-find varities pack the shelves.
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Kiran's
While in Houston for the Lucy exhibit, I dropped in on this upscale resteraunt with my sister to try thier tea. Kiran's offers a uniquely Indian twist on the traditional afternoon tea, providing perfectly brewed loose leaf tea with every delicious course. The atmosphere was quiet and elegant with understated service ready to help and offer advice. An experience I would recommend to anyone.
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The Adolphus Hotel
With a reputation for the 'most elegant tea in Dallas', the Adolphus had quite a lot to live up to. Fortunately, and thanks to their excellent tea captain Michele, it did. Four courses of lovely food were served, accompanied by live piano music. The atmosphere was quiet, peaceful, and most of all elegant. The tea menu was likewise well-appointed with a large number of choices of loose leaf tea, which were difficult to decide between. Thank goodness for Michele who was able to provide impeccable recommendations for every course. Well worth the price tag, the tea at the Adolphus has certainly earned it's reputation as one of the best teas in Dallas.
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Fivetwelve College Tea House
Hosted by one of the most fascinating tea room ownersI have had the pleasure to talk with, the FiveTwelveCollege Tea Room provides an experience simultaneously relaxing, delicious, and educational. A regular full-course afternoon tea is served with a select number of loose leaf teas. Everything is done with an eye to tradition, including the shapes of the sandwiches - soldiers, diamonds, and butterflies. The owner has been all over the world and is full of wonderful stories about tea she has had in far away places. A wonderful place all around!
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Serenitea
Located in an improbable strip mall, Serenitea surprises and delights from start to finish. An enormous tea selection, generous portions, and an enthusiastic and knowledgeable owner make this tea room something special. A pot of good quality loose leaf tea is provided for each guest and for each course. An extensive tea menu is available, but definitely ask the hostess for her recommendations as there are so many considerations it may be difficult to decide. The hostess was able to provide extensive information and advice about tea selection, including suggesting a a wonderful blueberry tea that matched perfectly with the scones course. The food was both delicious and generously portioned, served with a traditional clotted cream and wonderful lemon curd. Even with skipping lunch, we were unable to finish all of the desserts. Service was great - the hostess was friendly and clearly enthusiastic about tea. When asking about certain varieties, she dashed off to bring back a tin to let us smell the selections before choosing. The atmosphere was comfortable, unpretentious, and welcoming. An excellent place for any tea enthusiast to spend an afternoon.
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Urban tea. That phrase best describes the tea experience at the Grand Lux, a large, loud, upscale cafe located in the Galleria mall. Tea is served in the lounge/bar area, and as such, is hardly a cozy affair. Loud music blares from the speakers making it difficult to hear your tea companions. Servers are only slightly familiar with the tea service at this time, making it difficult to get good recommendations on the tea. Decent quality loose leaf tea is provided, prepared in coffee presses (and interesting addition). Unfortunately, the tea is generally not allowed to steep long enough before pressing, resulting in a weak drink (unless you are fortunate to have a skilled server). Asking for 'double strength' helps considerably. The food is the highlight of this experience, delicous and artfully prepared. Four beautiful open faced sandwiches start the meal, followed by a two tiered trey with three lovely scones (accompanied with lemon curd, raspberry jam, and clotted cream), and seven heavenly desserts. Sevice was inconsistent - the first time we went, the server was very efficient and friendly. The next time, the server was unfamiliar with tea and often misidentified items when explaining them. A second pot of tea can be provided, but at an additional cost.
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Angela's Bistro 51
Elegant from start to finish, Angela's Bistro provides a refined tea experience with superior cuisine. The warmth of the hardwood floors creates a quiet atmosphere that is enhanced by the striking painting hung on every wall, reminiscent of dining in an art gallery. Upon sitting down, diners are presented with a selection of bag teas from which to choose. A pretty china pot of hot water is provided for the table to refresh your cup. Additions of a loose leaf tea, or a tea pot for each person (so you could steep your bag in the pot rather than in the cup) would be welcome. The food is as elegant as the surroundings and as unusual as some of the art pieces. The sandwich, desert, and dip courses are served on a tiered tray while scones are brought in a basket to the table during the service. The sandwich courses included a wonderful chicken salad sandwich dipped in fresh herbs and an open-faced cucumber sandwich. The scones were very tasty as were the deserts. The dips were the most noteworthy portion of the meal, an unusual and delicious addition that included a cheddar/cherry dip paired with crackers, lightly steamed asparagus paired with a mustard dip, and strawberries paired with a sweet cream. Service was impeccable - the server was very efficient and friendly. We never had to ask for refills on the hot water and the dishes seemed to whisk themselves away when we weren't looking.