David F.

An impromptu invitation from my sister and mom inspired me to don my Gryffindor cardigan, hop on my broom, and fly on down to High Tea Grand Rapids where a whole wizarding world of delicious tea and confectionary delights awaited me! I'm normally not the biggest tea fan, but the flavorful chai has me convinced! And the treats were amazing! The ham and swiss on rye was a delightful sandwich and I loved the coronation chicken (though feel the bread to filling ratio could be better balanced with more of that delicious chicken). My favorite item was the harvest moon pie which was combined a perfect balance of salty and savory flavors packed into a buttery and flakey crust. The service was also super attentive and friendly, despite clearly being under staffed for a Sunday afternoon. You have officially convinced me and I definitely plan to return in the future!

Missi R.

My first visit and I'm not a fan. The service was poor, and with a High Tea experience the service can either make or break it. Today, the poor service made our experience less than enjoyable. We had reservations for 1:00 pm on a Saturday. We arrived at 12:56. There were four of us. Two had been here several times before, and apparently the service had been good at their previous visits. But not today. Maybe the server was just having a bad day but she didn't seem very friendly. The chairs and tables were very close together. We were seated at a table for four, with two of us in chairs and two on the couch against the wall. We had to slide the table towards the chairs in order for the two to be able to sit on the couch. The couches are low and not very comfortable. All four of us ordered Full Tea. However, our server said, "We are out of tea pots" so some of us had to share even though we had each ordered and paid $45 for Full Tea. According to the menu lemon curd was available upon request. We requested it, and the server brought one small cup of lemon curd for the four of us to share. It was very good though. We had an issue getting water glasses refilled, mine was completely empty and I had to request a refill twice, the first time I asked I never got a refill so I had to ask again ten minutes or so later. We actually never got the refills until after the server brought the bill. The two in our group who had been here before kept telling us "usually the service is good, this is unusual." But it definitely didn't make a good first impression. When we received our bills they weren't correct. According to the menu a 15% gratuity and 3% service charge will be added to each check. Normally we would tip at least 20%, and more for good service. But when we received our bills the 3% service charge was added to the total, then 15% tip and another 3% for a total of 18% was charged to the bill including the previous 3%. Very strange and not what was stated on the menu. Again, if the service was decent we would have tipped at least 20%. As far as the food, the scones were very good with the lemon curd, and the hummingbird cake was excellent. The sandwiches were good but the other sweet items were not. The madeleines were bad, tasted like stale sponges. This happened to be my first visit, and according to other reviews my experience could be unusual. But I probably won't return based on this experience.

UPDATE: the owner very kindly reached out and gave us a full refund as well as a genuine, heartfelt apology that our whole family appreciated more than words can describe. Despite a bad first impression, I fully believe they are committed to being better, and legitimately care about their guests. In this day and age, it is so rare to have a business do the right thing, and High Tea certainly did the right thing. My entire family appreciates the diligence in making right the experience we had. Thank you AVOID THIS PLACE! APPALLING SERVICE, DISSATISFIED GUESTS. while waiting for an order I placed a week in advance I had to wait at least 20 mins before the rude waitresses even acknowledged me. The place was empty, and rightfully so. Every guest seemed unsatisfied and upset when going up to pay. The staff was uniquely inattentive and unskilled. When the food arrived after a long wait, it was shoved haphazardly into To-go boxes and I wasn't even offered an apology. When I asked for a refund I was told to call the owner, there was no one with the authority to even cancel my order. If zero stars was an option, they more than deserve it. They took my money, and delivered an awful experience, with atrocious food and disgusting service.

Sandy T.

It is amazing that Grand Rapids has a high tea scene now but I think the highs were more so in my expectations and the prices. I was greeted by the host and asked if we had reservations (we did not), but she accommodated our party of 2. There was only ~20% occupancy at this point but the host seemed stressed to fit us in. We were gathered in the far back by all the other guests, wish we could have been spaced out more for comfort. I noticed there were tablecloths on some tables, but the ones where people were seated were bare. Seemed odd to me. I love the ornate teapots and silverware, but the spoons were stained. I don't know if it's the material, but for a "fancy" setting, I feel they should be polished. We ordered the spring high tea menu which came with 4 sweets, 1 scone, 4 savories, and 2 teapots. The tea was nice. I loved the sugar cubes and that there was a tea timer. The foods, however, were teeny tiny and not great especially for the price ($45). The sandwiches were dry. The scone was literally a biscuit. The 1 sweet that stood out was the passionfruit tart, that one was wonderful. Our server did check on us frequently and let us know we can have a refill on tea with another flavor of our choice. I did like that this was a nice space to share company and a cup of tea. However, it could be even greater if improvements were made to the food and presentation.

Bri B.

High Tea is a unique experience to feel a little British. Have your tea and eat your crumpets too with a variety of teas paired with scones, sandwiches, and/or desserts. All teas come with a free refill. The décor is beautiful and classy. Our waitress (Sarah) was wonderful and they were very well prepared for a large group (14 of us). I did find the serving of the food a bit confusing. Multiple orders come out on the tiered racks so you had to figure out who's was who's. The food is on the snack-size portioning so don't except to get full (other than your bladder from drinking that much tea). If you order the scones, ask for the lemon curd - it's delicious and freshly made!

Emma T.

Came here on a Sunday afternoon and it was busy! The owner came around and said hello - so nice! We got the afternoon tea with sandwiches, scones and sweets. They are very accommodating and swapped vegetarian sandwiches for the chicken ones. You two pots of tea and can swap flavors which was so nice. The inside is decorated exactly how you'd imagine with ornate tea cups and big comfy couches. I'd recommend a reservation if you've got a bigger group - it fills up quickly. It is an expensive place to go for an afternoon. We ended up spending about $40 dollars a person, but I think it is a lovely place to spend a special afternoon! I can see it being a hit for Mother's Day and bridal showers!

Denisse V.

A very disappointing local tourist trap (if there is a such a thing). I say this because some how locals have been fooled into thinking this "experience dinning" is worth the price. Yes, the decoration, music, and fancy tea sets bring the old English vibes, but it's not enough to compensate for how bad the food is. I mean, it's bad. My daughter and I went went to celebrate her birthday and I was very disappointed. The baked goods were stale and old. Everything tasted like it had been sitting out. For the price ($30 deposit+ $37) I expected freshly baked goodies. Warm, fresh, and made with quality ingredients! This was not the case The triangle sandwiches were stale, as if the bread bag was left open. The Gouda cheese was flavorless. The rest of the deserts were dense and stale. Sad. I asked twice if the pastries were baked in house, and was told yes. I'm sorry but I just don't believe that. Go to Nantucket and you'll get freshly baked goods.....this tasted like store bought items that were re-heated and left sitting out. I'm sorry if I sound harsh, but I was shocked with how disappointing the pastries were. Especially for the cost! I would like to add I did have an interaction with the manager and let them know my sentiment about the food. They did try to make it right, which was clunky, but at least they tried. You can see the comment of the business owner below. Yes the items were eaten because I did not want my 16yr old to have a bad experience on her birthday. In fact, she left before I had a discussion with the manager because she was nervous about sharing her opinion. Teenagers right? As a mama Yelper, I KINDLY and respectfully shared my thoughts. The tea was very good, I had no issues there. I guess I should have only ordered tea and scones. Fellow Yelpers I don't understand the 5 star ratings! Maybe mine is a one off, but sadly I will not be back.

Sarah S.

Made reservations ahead of time it does seem like we would have been able to walk in no problem. Street parking or lot parking. It's decorated nice inside and have bathrooms with special touches too. So they are trying to deliver a full themed experience. It gets five stars for the teas. As an avid tea drinker I enjoyed all four of ours. Darjeeling, English, Chai, Jasmine green. Very tasty. We ordered three sets for four of us. It meant having to cut sandwiches in half for us to all get a taste. They charge an extra $15 to share but that is cheaper than the $37 and we left full. I didn't love all the sandwiches. Cucumber was the best. Overall the rest came across dry to me But that might be my preference and not on them for their quality or what traditionally the sandwiches would be like. Still, I wanted to be wowed with everything and because I wasn't I am giving it a four. The scones were light and good not the best ever but not low quality by any means. The lemon curd and clotted cream made everything taste good. The madeleines are worth a visit. They were selling them to go too. Overall I feel this is a quality experience and if you love tea you won't be disappointed. They allow you to take home leftovers too.

Stephanie C.

I've been so excited for this High Tea spot to open in GR. I've always been a sucker for a good tea experience, so when we finally got the chance to go, I loved every moment of it! We made online reservations and arrived right on time. We had to wait a few minutes due to other parties arriving at the same time, but once we were greeted, we were sat and promptly greeted by our server. The spot is super cute and I love all the tea sets displayed in the entrance. We each decided to do the afternoon tea ($37 per person + 18% gratuity added) and chose our individual teas. I honestly wish that we would have considered going a little earlier, since we did mid-afternoon, and all the snacks were more than we wanted after brunch and knowing we have an upcoming dinner reservation. My favorite was the chicken curry and cucumber dill. So delicious for nice little bites! The desserts were also very tasty but very rich. The tea experience overall was quite delightful. You could steep your tea for as little or long as you like, and they gave you a timer to know how long to steep. Honestly, it was a fun experience and I would love to do this for a special occasion or date night, but is a bit pricey to go for tea often.

Emily J.

We had such an amazing time at High Tea! I took my best friend and my mom here, and it was the perfect place to catch up over some delicious treats. I got the afternoon tea, my mom ordered the tiffin tea, and my friend ordered the sweets tea. It was a good amount of food for the three of us, but the way we ordered did make it weird to split things between three people, since we had two of pretty much everything. Our tea was also amazing- we loved the chai, and the raspberry tea. Our server was excellent, and very helpful when we were ordering explaining kind of how everything worked. It was pretty quiet when we were there, and overall just a great, comfortable atmosphere (and it's so cute!)

Karen E.

My daughter and I attended the Bridgerton themed tea this weekend. It was entirely lovely and entirely fun! Third time to have had the pleasure to have 'tea' here, and every single time has been just a delicious experience, in a beautiful environment, with fantastic service. Had to come on here to update a previous review, and once again most strongly recommend this delightful place.

Katy C.

It's so exciting when a unique spot opens in town. High Tea offers a classic British tea time tradition in a cozy and beautiful space in Eastown. The chairs and couches combined with fine china and a sparkly chandelier make the space completely unrecognizable from its former life as a hookah lounge. We were seated right away for our reservation, but they do take walk ins. Our server went through the menu and asked if we have any dietary restrictions. Nate and I both opted for the classic tea selection, which comes with four "savouries" (tea sandwiches), four sweets (assorted pastries and desserts), a scone with clotted cream, lemon curd, and jam, and your choice of a pot of tea. There's a little tea timer on the table so you can get the perfect cup. The afternoon darjeeling tea was delicate and delicious, while Nate got the heartier Earl Grey. They offer cream for your tea, which is my favorite way to drink black tea. The food was all pretty tasty and presented nicely. My favorite was the coronation chicken, which was a curry chicken salad sandwich. The filling to bread ratio wasn't my favorite as I'm not a huge bread eater, but I think that's pretty typical of these types of sandwiches. The brownie was decadent and rich, and my favorite of the sweets. It may seem like a small amount of food at first, but I was very full after finishing everything. They do add an 18% gratuity to your check. After a final tip the cost for both of us was around $100, making it a bit too pricey for a regular outing for me, but a fun experience for a special occasion.

Suzette G.

I recently dined there a second time. The decor was amazing. After being seated for our reserved time, they were gracious about accommodating a food sensitivity I'd forgotten to note in my reservation. After the food arrived, the friendly owner stopped by our table to get our feedback and chat. The food was delicious! The table setting was tidy and charming. We attended for a special themed event this time, and truly enjoyed the whole experience. Edit: The pricing was steep for the themed event and I wouldn't pay that amount for a regular tea time with friends, like my first visit.