S.C.
User's reviews
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Simpson House Tea Room
This is our favorite tea house in PA. You can pay more but not get more in other places. The best thing is their personal touch. They make everything from scratch and you can taste the difference. The food is fresh, well presented and the tea carefully delivered. They take care to brew it correctly, give you a timer so you do not forget to remove the strainer and do not leave the leaves in the pot like other places. They will provide more water for a second steeping with a smile, and are cheerful except when extremely busy when they are more matter-of-fact. The owner does her own tea mixes that you can sample at your meal and buy in any quantity you like. The atmosphere is cozy with feminine decor that my dgt. and I love but I suspect would make my husband uncomfortable. We solve this by not taking him to tea:) The prices are just right and encourage frequent visits and celebrations of life's good times. Reservations are helpful as they can be very busy. My only criticism is that they are not open on Mondays, but I suppose everyone needs time for tea. Congrats on a job well done Simpson House.
Tearoom response:
Thank you for your glowing review. One thing we must point out....we are open Mondays in the fall, winter and spring. We are just closed on Mondays in the summertime! So come and enjoy us on Mondays after summer's over!
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A Taste of Britain
Our usual room is Simpson House but it was a Monday when they were closed so we landed here. My major complaint is that they did not respect the tea. Ours smelled and tasted of paper box and was bitter. I would guess it was old. Tea leaves were left in the pot during your meal to develop tannins that needed quite a bit of milk and sugar to overcome the grab your throat sensation by the end. Service was slow and our waitress actually sneered at us when she was not busy looking bored. We had to ask for cutlery and napkins as we were not given one for each of us and they were at least 10 mins. in arriving. At that point we had the melting icing from the cakes all over us and got desperate enough to want to pilfer some from the table nearby. We were first at the counter and taken care of third which was odd and rude. The food consisted of purple petite fours that had the icing sliding off onto the plate, a brownie that was good, a small cake that was tasteless except for the overly sweet chocolate dollop on top. We were so disappointed in the food, we ordered a peach scone that was done well enough, although the lemon curd was almost liquid. Perhaps the kitchen was too hot that day? The room was pretty with a lovely pressed metal ceiling and in a good location. The chairs did not fit under the table leaving guests who tried to pull a chair in, splashing tea around and bumping knees into the table legs. We will not be returning. Tea at home is a better option.