At the Pendry Tea House, one does not merely have afternoon tea; one boards a doomed vessel, crosses the boundary of good sense, and descends, Virgil-less and increasingly dehydrated, into a minor but memorable circle of Dante's Inferno. More specifically, the experience recalls Canto XXVI, when Dante encounters Odysseus in Hell: the great voyager whose final journey is not wisdom, but overconfidence, misdirection, and wreckage. Pendry offered much the same voyage, except the sea was tannic tea, the ship was a sun-blasted room without air conditioning, and the wreckage cost 167 Canadian dollars. The setting was the first sign that we had passed through the gates. Rather than being seated in a calm or elegant space, everyone seemed shoved into the same glaring, sunlit room, where the lack of air conditioning turned afternoon tea into a slow roast. It was less refined Victoria tea service and more waiting room in the eighth circle: hot, crowded, and airless. If Dante had needed a modern architectural metaphor for Hell, this room would have done nicely. Then came the vegetarian meal, each course another island on the journey, each landing bleaker than the last. The bread was dried past redemption, as if abandoned on shore long before we arrived. The scones were burnt in a way that suggested not rustic charm, but open hostility. The cucumber sandwiches were the most haunting stop of all: barely two slices of cucumber, no discernible spread, and all the lushness of a moral allegory about scarcity. As for the vegan option, it was so dry that the Sahara might have sent a cease-and-desist for reputational damage. With each bite, another member of the culinary crew seemed to be left behind. The tea itself was somehow worse, which is especially impressive at a tea house. Silk Road should strongly consider pulling any association they have with this establishment, because the staff appeared not to know the steep times for the teas on their own menu. At a tea house, steeping guidance is not ornamental; it is the rudder. Without it, the whole voyage is already lost. The jasmine green tea tasted less like jasmine flowers and more like someone had steeped the dirt from beneath a jasmine bush. The tannic overload was so severe that I had to order a Coke simply to exorcise the taste from my mouth. It was the kind of bitterness Dante might have reserved for fraudulent counselors: those who know the language of refinement but use it to lead others into suffering. The masala chai, meanwhile, was so weak that I do not think even someone with IBS would have found it threatening, though perhaps that is too generous, because visually it resembled the brown water left behind by data farms in AOC's mason jar. The rich golden color one expects from chai was nowhere to be found. To their credit, they did swap it for a breakfast blend, but that tea, too, arrived with no instructions, no steeping guidance, and no follow-up. No one came by to ask whether the teas were good. We had to inquire ourselves. The service completed the allegory. When the trays of pastries were brought to the table, they were not presented so much as dumped upon us, as if they were refuse--which, surprisingly, they largely were. No one explained what anything was. At other tea services in Victoria, such as Butchart Gardens, there is pride in presentation. There, the staff arrived equipped with a baton and explained each item with care and ceremony. Here, our questions seemed to be treated as trespass, as if curiosity itself had violated house rules. We were not guests being guided through a service. We were passengers who had made the mistake of asking the captain where exactly he was taking us. The finale was fittingly infernal. After removing the first of two trays, the staff disappeared for over thirty minutes and only returned with the bill after being prompted. For two people, an 18% gratuity had already been included, which perhaps explains the total absence of incentive to provide anything resembling attentive service. Like Odysseus urging his crew onward while knowing only his own ambition mattered, the house had already secured its reward. The rest of us could drift. Hell may have no fury like that of a woman scorned, but should you wish to experience the particular fury of being packed into a hot, sunlit room without air conditioning, then served dried bread, burnt scones, cucumber sandwiches without dignity, tea brewed beyond recognition, and service conducted as though hospitality were an imposition, by all means book a table at the Pendry Tea House. At 167 Canadian dollars, it is less an afternoon tea than a guided descent: a voyage past taste, past comfort, and past the last known boundary of hospitality. read more

I have never had tea like this before and I felt like I had to come in proper attire but they do not scrounge you in your leggings and fleece sweater at all! The place is super cute. It's a old Victorian style house that has been turned into a tea party spot. Our server Keira was super patient and sweet. We ordered the afternoon tea for two. I opted for the peach tea and it was so tummy satisfying as it was a cold day too. It hit the spot! We got our tower of decadent sweet and salty treats. My favorite was the beef pot pie and the potato mash. That paired very well together. As far as sweets, the tart and chocolate cake were delish! Make sure to come with an empty tummy. We were not able to finish half of the goodies we were served but you can always take it to go. read more

Afternoon tea's pretty fun to have. I went here with family as part of our Victoria trip with our reservation at around 12pm PST on a Saturday. The place was not too full when we got in, though all window seating overlooking Belleville Street was taken, so we got seating closer to one of their glass windows on the side. For the interior, it feels like a newly renovated mini dining hall but with a ton of natural lighting from a sunny day. There's also some front and porch seating too if the inside feels way too dim. The menu provides several kinds of tea sets, which come with everything listed for that set and a tea of your choice. Speaking of the tea, there's two pages dedicated to listing the numerous kinds of organic tea they have, mostly herbal and green tea. For four of us, we got two orders of the traditional afternoon tea ($65 each) and one order of the west coast afternoon tea ($69). Between the two sets, only the savory items were slightly different while the pastries and sweets were the same. Starting off with the teas: - The mystique has a mild taste of both peppermint and calendula. It was as minty as it was earthy and bitter. - The angelwater was far more spearminty than it was lavendery even though the tea had both. This was the most refreshing palette cleanser when I wanted to try the savory stuff after having the sweet stuff. - The philosopher's brew was my favorite. It reminded me of lemon ginger tea which I drink frequently. Both are citrusy though this tea had a lot more lavender taste going for it. There's a lot to describe for the afternoon tea sets we got: - Both sets came with a smoked salmon pastry that was easily one of my favorites. The texture of the bread that surrounded the salmon was absolute perfection. - Both the cucumber and egg/herb sandwiches were very standard but something about the place made them taste a lot more relaxing, probably because it's afternoon tea and it's supposed to be relaxing. - The shrimp and citrus sandwich felt more like another egg sandwich, which wasn't a problem for me. - Both kinds of scones worked well with the provided jam and cream. - Our set had matcha and strawberry macarons, which were pretty standard. Same goes for the creme brulee tart and chocolate brownie. - My other favorite was the summer berry tiramisu, which was mildly sweet while also having that mild coffee kick that wasn't as accentuated because of the frosting. This place is listed as a must for those visiting Victoria BC, and from this visit I can see why. On a bright, sunny day you can see some great views while having all of the aforementioned bites. Very high recommend! read more

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I was so hesitant because I'm usually not your typical posh preppy person but I felt SO welcome and at home in the Tea House they had amazing tea and an experience beyond any other, truly warm and wonderful staff and amazing food on the ground level. I felt so silly for assuming such a nice hotel would judge. They didn't judge one bit. I have to mention that Megan who was at the front desk at the early morning hours, while I was wide awake due to jet lag, was my favorite human ever. Everything was super pretty in the building (I am ww solo traveler). If you are hesitant for any reason to eat here, don't hesitate in the future! read more

Pendray Tea House - Asked the table next to me to take a photo of their meals! So pretty! - Tea Rooms Near Me - Victoria, British Columbia

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Actually got to travel to another country in 2024 HA! On our anniversary trip to Seattle we were lucky enough to catch the ferry for one afternoon to Victoria, B.C. Canada! Reservations for the Pendray Tea House were simple with OpenTable fortunately! On our last full day in Seattle I managed to snag a table for 2 for High Tea! It was a beautiful day in Seattle for a 3-hour ferry tour (hahaha) to Victoria. The weather in Victoria was beautiful too, no heavy rain! Overcast but mostly sunny, breezy but not cold. We reached the pier just in time with a half hour to spare to make our reservation at the Pendray Tea House! What lovely old school charm! The inn seems right out of an old English novel! After taking much obligatory pics outside of the Pendray Inn in front by the garden, off we go inside! We were greeted warmly, and asked if we had a reservation for Afternoon Tea. Once they found our name we were wished a Happy Anniversary. Nice touch! Upon seating we by our lovely hostess we were handed these beautiful menus. Such work from Pendray for Afternoon Tea! Fancy! We decided on: Winter Afternoon Tea ($62) Savouries -Cucumber, Lemon-Dill Cream Cheese, and Chives -Egg, Spinach, & Mushroom Remoulade -Smoked Salmon & Capers Gremolata Pinwheel, Flying Fish Roe -Turkey Meatball Marinara, Cranberry Sauce -Pork Toulouse, Island Brie, & Onion Jam West Coast Afternoon Tea ($68) Savouries -Cucumber, Lemon-Dill Cream Cheese, and Chives -Stewed Shrimps & Peppers, Tomato -Smoked Salmon, & Capers Gremolata Pinwheel, -Flying Fish Roe -Baked Rockfish Crostini, Herbed Butter -Potato & Carrot Crab Cake, Tartar Sauce ​​ Both sets came with: Freshly Baked Scones -White Chocolate & Lavender Scone -Westholme "Cream of Earl" Scone -Devon-Style Cream -House-Made Local Berry Jam Signature Pastries -Bon Macaron -Lemon, Cream, & Berry Pavlova -White Chocolate, Pumpkin & Carrot Cake -Sustainable Apple & Chocolate Delight ​​Choice of Organic Silk Road or Westholme Tea - I went with the seasonal Winter Warrior tea which was a mixture of lemon, ginger and green tea. Wifey went with the seasonal Africa tea which had rooibos with lavender and orange zest. Excellent choices to accompany our light bites! The main differences in the Winter Afternoon Tea & the West Coast Afternoon Tea was the savouries section. West Coast amped up those seafood flavors! Overall though, the dainty foods served on both curates were great! Savory faves from us were the Baked Rockfish Crostini, Turkey Meatball Marinara, Stewed Shrimps & Peppers, and the Egg, Spinach & Mushroom Remoulade. But I won't forget about the fresh scones! Those were downright delicious with the Devon-Style cream and the berry jam! Not dry at all, and paired perfectly with sips of hot tea while looking out into garden! The mini desserts were an excellent way to end our Afternoon Tea service at Pendray. The weren't overly sweet and helped us relax with our last cups of tea. Faves were the Lemon, Cream, & Berry Pavlova and the Which Chocolate, Pumpkin & Carrot Cake. They even surprised us for our anniversary with some chocolate-covered strawberries! Such a sweet treat! A stellar experience for wifey & I at the Pendray Tea House, glad we were finally able to make it out to Victoria for a day trip! The food and service were great, there was some added value to our visit too! They were running a fall time tea special on our visit - buy one Afternoon Tea, get the second 50% off! There's no way I say NO to a good deal! Pendray Tea House was worth the ferry ride from Seattle, hopefully wifey & I will get to celebrate again in Victoria soon! read more

Came here for their tea house and tried the west coast afternoon tea ($69)! I really enjoyed my experience and found everything super delicious. There is a huge tea menu to choose from and the staff was super helpful with their recommendations and my tea selection. I also found all the food delicious and very very filling. I loved everything from the fish to the scones to the various desserts! It was a fun experience overall, everything was super tasty, and I had lots of fun. read more

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The wait staff was very welcoming and genuine. The tea selection is rather extensive and very good. The meal was delicious and enough to satisfy. The dessert was delightful and the perfect end. read more

The Pendray's afternoon tea was the perfect way to enjoy a rainy, Victoria afternoon. The warm, inviting building created a relaxed environment perfect to enjoy the meal. Each bite was filled with precise flavor that paired great with the artisanal tea. The service was as friendly as it gets. If you've never had high tea before, this is the perfect spot to dip your toes in the tea, as they say. read more

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The afternoon tea is a must-try when in Victoria! Love its beautiful historic setting with delicious teas, fresh scones, and delicate finger sandwiches. Good price point as well. The service is great and attentive, and the atmosphere feels like stepping back in time. Highly recommend read more

This was a fun holiday experience for the family to enjoy before our holiday lights tour at Butchart Gardens, but I think it's a "one and done" for us. We had 2 children in our party and 2 adults. We ordered 2 children's teas and 2 of the "west coast afternoon teas." There was pros and cons to the savory items on the west coast trays: the rockfish on the crostini was way overcooked but the smoked salmon pinwheels were really nice. For the sweets, the apple chocolate delights were an odd combination that didn't work well together, but the macarons were lovely and the scones were nice. Service was slow and it took a very long time to get our food, but the ambience was warm, cozy and festive, and I got a kick out of seeing my 8 year old try tea for the very first time, which he proclaimed is basically "flavored water." Why yes it is, dude :) It's cheaper than The Empress afternoon tea for a similar experience, but I'd say it's still not worth the cost of admission. read more

This was my first formal tea time experience but the two friends I was with had done a tea experience before in different cities so they had something to compare it to. Giving Pendray 4 stars because * my first tea experience * food was very good and their was a lot of it * the view from our table was quintessential Victoria, viewing the harbor while sipping tea in an old Victorian house. * easy to make reservations since they are on Open table. The only off putting thing was the smell when we walked in. It was a bit revolting and nauseating, not exactly what you want before a nice meal. read more

Pendray Tea House - Outside - Tea Rooms Near Me - Victoria, British Columbia

I had the vegan afternoon tea today and my friend the regular tea service. The interior is beautiful and the tea settings so lovely. However, our waitress (tall, dark hair) was so curt and made the whole experience very lacking. I would not recommend this experience based on the extremely poor service. The waitress made us feel like a bother and like we were dumb for wanting to keep menus so we knew what we were eating. She also was rude when we presented our pre paid voucher at the end of the meal. The food was ok, all pretty dry and unflavorful. read more

Beautiful tea house - outside and inside. Service is great. When we visited, they had limited breakfast options. And what we got wasn't that great. Eggs lacked flavor and were served with stale bread. Fruit wasn't so fresh. Maybe just go for tea and eat somewhere else? read more

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The traditional high tea is well organized assortment of tasty foods, and a great variety of teas.

A charming historic manor house, with multiple rooms to provide a cozy atmosphere for afternoon tea. The front rooms face the harbor and have filtered water views to see the ferries come and go. The selection of tea sandwiches was delightful - we sampled the winter tea, west coast tea and children's tea on our visit. The selection skews more sweet (vs. savory), but all of the items were tasty bites and were more than enough to be a meal. Service was friendly and knowledgable about the teas. There isn't much beyond taking the tea order and then bringing out the single tiered tray selection of sandwiches and sweets. I really liked the kids options which included a choice of tea as well as juice, hot chocolate or milk. There were also some kid favorites such as a nutella and marshmallow sandwich which probably led to a bit too much sugar, but were a big hit on as it arrived at the table. I do recommend reservations, particularly if you have dietary restrictions (for which they ask for 24 hours notice to prepare GF options). I wish there was more of the history included in the menu or shared by our server to appreciate the 200 year history of the location. There's a nice private vegetable garden outside, and I can imagine tea on the porch would be lovely in summer. read more

Pendray Tea House - Combination traditional winter tea, west coast tea, and two children's teas - Tea Rooms Near Me - Victoria, British Columbia

A lovely first experience at the Pendray Tea House. I've had high tea at a couple of places in Vancouver so I had something to compare it to. Everything was lovely. The room was nicely decorated with a nice view of the front garden and harbour. Service was knowledgeable with just enough fuss and mostly leaving us alone, which I like. The food was very good. Some of the things were excellent, some I had one bite of and left. Surprisingly, none of the desserts were outstanding, but no complaints. The scotch egg was my favourite. They currently have a "date for 2 for $99" special, and it is a nice night out for 2 at a good price for high tea. I would return. read more

Pendray Tea House - Scottish high tea for 4 - Tea Rooms Near Me - Victoria, British Columbia

A hugely disappointing experience in a quaint setting. We were incredibly excited to try the Scottish High Tea for dinner. Our excitement was met with sadness and disappointment when it became apparent food on all three tiers were going to be very sub par. The savoury beef pies were commercially produced shells with a small portion of stew spooned inside. The duchess potato was a tiny blob of piped mashed potato with a huge amount of horseradish. The scones appeared to be the only item made fresh in house. Most offensive was the top tier of pastries. All of these items were commercially produced and could easily have been found at your local, chain grocery store. The entire experience gets a low rating due to the incredibly low quality food. read more

Old but charming venue. We went there on a weekday when it wasn't crowded. We had a wonderful experience. No delays in service and everything was on point. Our server was excellent as well. read more

We went for Mother's Day to the Pendray House for their Scottish Tea. Scottish Tea is served Friday-Sunday from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. We didn't really know what a Scottish Tea means or what it consists of. We had our doubts. Those doubts were confirmed. We would not choose to go again. The food was foreign to us. "Scottish egg," Welsh rarebit, and smoked salmon on blini. It is a strange mix of food. Who likes that food?! We were first served a small appetizer of smoked salmon on a small piece of something or other. Still don't know what it was. The Scottish Tea served on a 3-tier pastry tray consists of a "Scottish egg," a small baked potato, a small chicken or beef pot pie, a Welsh rarebit, and 2 cheddar scones, plus 4 very tiny desserts. All the food was at room temperature. No food was served warm or hot. Shouldn't at least the small baked potato, the "Scottish egg," and the chicken pot pie have been served hot? No wonder the food didn't taste tasty! The food was good, but didn't wow us. The Scottish egg, Welsh rarebit, and baked potato are an acquired taste. Not what we would normally prefer to order or eat. As for the 4 tiny desserts, they were not spectacular. We ate a bite out of each tiny dessert and decided to not eat any more of the 4 desserts. They lacked flavour and taste. The 2 small cheddar scones were good, though. We had to ask our server what a "Scottish egg" is and what Welsh rarebit is. Not a good sign when restaurant patrons have to ask "what is that!?" The cost of the Scottish Tea is $65 per person. The food items felt "heavy" to us so we did feel filled up at the end. But was the food delicious? No! Not to our liking. Mostly we were asking ourselves "what is in it" as we ate each food item. We were also disappointed no small sandwiches or small breads were offered. We can at least say we tried the Pendray House's Scottish Tea. We would not go back again. One and done. The highlights, if one is looking for highlights, is the ambiance is nice as the Pendray is an old, historic house built in 1897. Used to be famously called the Captain's Palace. The setting is lovely and it is lovely having tea there. There is a large selection of teas offered and one's tea of choice is served in a lovely, large pot. As for the food itself which was served at the Pendray House's Scottish Tea, we plan to try tea at the Empress next time or the tea at the Abkhazi Garden. Hopefully those establishments will offer a more traditional tea service! P.S. We wouldn't recommend children try the Scottish Tea as we are sure they wouldn't like the food served! Even for adults, the food is an acquired taste. read more

Walked from hotel to Pendray Tea House. Scenic walk along the harbour. Upon arriving the the building I felt I was taken back to late 1800s with rich history built by William Joseph Pendray. Now it is a quaint, delightful and relaxing tea house located at Victoria's scenic Inner Harbour. We each ordered Winter Afternoon Tea and chose our own tea. The treats were all so delicious! I especially enjoy scones with Devon-style cream and the Cucumber & Lemon Dill Cream Cheese. Pinkie's up and 5 stars for wonderful experience with great service from the staff who checked in with us if we wanted more hot water for tea pot. I would definitely come back again next time I visit Victoria. read more

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I specifically made a reservation for afternoon tea on a Tuesday. They made the reservation for a Wednesday. They weren't taking walk ins and they needed 24 hour notice to accommodate my food intolerance. read more

Since the Empress Afternoon tea was closed, this was one of the closest afternoon tea house that was open. Never tried it, but thought why not ? The afternoon tea was located inside Huntington Manor, which was a very old fashioned house. It definitely brought you back to the past as you enter the house. I really enjoyed that the tables very spread out to a few tables a room. Each room was different looking which makes you want to explore the house and peek inside each room. You have a choice of doing an afternoon tea made of a variety of tea sandwiches (smoked salmon pinwheel, flying fish roe) to baked scones and some sweet pastries. This was around $58. But if your not in the mood for afternoon tea, you can choose from a selection of sandwiches. Server was professional and courteous. The only downside was that they tack on a surcharge and tip to the bill before you sit at the table. read more

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We've been to the Empress tea before and we really wanted to try a new place. I thought the Pendray would be perfect for us because we're pescatarian and they offer a West Coast tea, which is all seafood. I also love the building and quaint feeling of it. And so many people have said they prefer the Pendray tea experience- so we couldn't wait to try it. Sadly, the expectations were not met and we were disappointed with our experience. First, the service was not very friendly. Staff were commenting amongst each other how busy it's been and how they just finished cleaning a table from hours ago and sighing. It made us feel unwelcome and like we were an inconvenience. We ordered tea for ourselves and our daughter. The tea arrived and we were told one tea takes 3-5 minutes, one takes 4, and one takes 3-4 minutes. There were no timers given so we just opened up our phones and set a timer. It seems like it should be a given to have a timer? Easy to look on our phones, but seems like such an easy fix for them to offer as other tea places do. We really wanted that fun tea experience for our daughter, but hers came arranged within our tower. It was disappointing that she didn't get her own tower/tray. I know it seems like a small thing, but again not the experience that you hope for and we just kept wishing we were at the Empress so she could have her own tea experience. The pumpkin scones were a highlight but everything else was just OK with the food. I know you pay more for the Empress but after having gone there and had such great service, it just felt really disappointing. I think if the Pendray improved the service part of it, it would make for a much better experience. read more

Delicious High Tea! Definitely recommend this place. The location is great being near downtown and across from the water in an historic Victorian hotel. The staff is friendly and helpful. I'll definitely return on my next trip to Victoria! read more

Pendray Tea House - Photo of the Pendray tea house in the Huntingdon Hotel. - Tea Rooms Near Me - Victoria, British Columbia

Delightful. A wide selection of tea, and several options for afternoon tea service including pescaterian and vegan options. Beautiful homelike setting, professional courteous service. Everything from cucumber sandwiches to scones with Devonshire cream was perfect. read more

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Was fun alternate from lunch as usual to "high tea" at Pendray. Conveniently located on Belleville Walk in bustling Victoria, this beautiful Victorian Tea offers an array of delicious sandwiches, featuring both the "West Coast", offering fish and seafood, or the "Traditional" consisting of original style sandwiches. Both are served with freshly baked scones, jam, butter, as well as a great array of handmade petit fours, these eye-pleasing confections are the perfect accompaniment to tea. Guests are brought their own pot of tea once they select their own preferred tea choice from the wide range of international options. My friends and family of 5 were seated on the porch overlooking the gardens and beautiful Inner Harbour. A fun and relaxing way to enjoy a leisurely meal in beautiful surroundings. read more

Pendray Tea House - Pendray House Victoria BC - Tea Rooms Near Me - Victoria, British Columbia

Great experience for half the cost! Right by the harbor. Delicious teas! Would go back.

This is decent for the price if you can't afford the Empress. I have to say that the food was actually quite good. Service was not. You had to pay ahead of time at the front with tip (?) (Without being served which the tip should be the point). If I would have known that I probably would have looked for somewhere else. It was really drafty and dated, although a beautiful character building. I am sure it once was good but now it is sad and cold. Heat the place. Our server came for tea once without pouring it, and brought us our food. And that was it. We didn't see her after that. Not sure what the 64 bucks was for. Service it was not. Food in general was really good. We chose the West Coast High tea which had a seafood base. The standouts were the Creole Shrimp Bruchetta (excellent), crab cake, geisha blossom and white chocolate scone, the macroons (one hazelnut one earl gray), the cardmon spiced pumpkin tart and the lemon lavander cake. Everything else was good except for the rockfish pie that was rather bland. I probably will try somewhere else next time I go. I didn't expect the Empress, but I expected better service for 65 bucks plus tip than this. read more

Pendray Tea House - Food was good, service was crap - Tea Rooms Near Me - Victoria, British Columbia

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They gave us a nice cozy seating.., they prefer reservations. Food was cute and fun. The tea was nice. We had the minty full tea pot read more

Pendray Tea House - Outside the property. - Tea Rooms Near Me - Victoria, British Columbia

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Not overly impressive. Had reservations for 3:30 and arrived on time. Got seated and were shown the menu and went with the Traditional option, that has plenty of tea and snacks for everyone. The tea was delivered to the table within 5 min, but waited at least 40min for the snacks. By that time the tea itself was luck warm. The staff and kitchen need to do a better job on their timing. Nothing spoils an afternoon tea experience then waiting for the savories and then having luke warm tea along with it. Did not feel like making a fuss with the staff. Also requested honey instead of sugar and it never arrived until we re-requested it twice. Something was definitely lagging with the service. Would not recommend this place for afternoon tea to anyone looking for a better experience. The savories were fine, not bad--but also not great. The scones were fairly hard as if they were not fresh. Gave it 3 stars because the setting and Inn is very charming and fit the image of a place where if they improved their service could really be 4-5 stars. read more

The service was good, but a little slow. We arrived about 15 minutes early for our reservation and they were able to seat us right away, which was great. I would still suggest making a reservation though, because they seemed very busy, even in winter, on a Monday afternoon. All the servers were super nice, but it did seem to take a little longer than you would think to receive our food. They had a great selection of tea and a couple of choices for the food menu. The Sweets and Scones were the same on both menus, but the Savouries were a little different. The "West Coast" Tea Service seemed to have more seafood and was a couple of dollars extra. My husband got the "West Coast" and I got the "Winter" Tea Service. We both enjoyed our food and there was plenty enough to make a full meal. The Scones had great texture and flavor. A few items seemed like they were made up a little ahead of time (very slightly crusty around the edges), but that is probably typical for something like this... you can't make every single thing to order. I also believe they may offer some special diet menus and a kid's menu, but you may have to order it ahead. I would call to ask. The location itself is wonderful, as the building is a Victorian era house that they have converted into a restaurant. We came in the Winter, but it is probably even better in the Spring or Summer, with the garden in bloom. Our waiter told us that they put tables out on the porch in the summer as well, which sounds lovely. All in all, I'd say this was a great place for an afternoon tea service. read more

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Amazing place, the atmosphere, the service, the teas and the food! thank you it was a magical moment to stay at the Pemdray and enjoy the beautiful breakfast in this historical and stunning manor read more

I had tea at the Pendray on a recent visit. I don't usually write reviews but cannot stop thinking about how awful some of the food was. Several sandwiches looked like they had sat out on someone else's table as they were dry around the edges. The cucumber sandwiches were tasteless. The salmon was dried and curled. The deserts that we took to with us to go,we later threw out . It was a large waste of money. read more

The tea house should definitely be getting higher reviews. I suspect the inn is bringing its ratings down. In a gorgeous old big house, the tea rooms are large sunny rooms looking out over lawn and garden and the harbor of Victoria. Having embarked on a week of scone eating at all the best tea houses, this was the fifth and final afternoon of enjoying the luxurious habit of tea. Why don't Americans do this?, I always wonder whenever visiting a tea drinking country. So civilized! And then you can have a late dinner or snack and call it a day! These scones we decided were the best of the lot. Each person receives two Earl Grey scones and two white chocolate and lavender scones. I am not a fan of white chocolate so had my doubts but the chocolate was subtle and tasty. The scones had a slightly crunchy texture like shortbread and was very buttery. Absolutely knocked it out of the ballpark delicious. Tea excellent but I have yet to have bad tea in Victoria. There were several options available with more food (tea sandwiches, and other sweets) than just scones but we were there for the scones. Prices reasonable. Wonderful experience. read more

Pendray Tea House - Earl Grey and white White Chocolate & Lavender Scone/lavender scones - Tea Rooms Near Me - Victoria, British Columbia

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We checked in, in the most expensive room of this beautiful old Mansion. Great hospitality and service, so far so good. After dinner downtown, we came back in the mansion to find out that there was a large group in the restaurant. We had to get up early the next morning so we wanted to go to bed early. Since the mansion is old, and (of course) noisy, and we had a room right above the restaurant it would be impossible to sleep. I went downstairs and asked a lady of the staff what time this group would be leaving, only to find out there was going to be another group at 21:30h! If we had known this, we would NEVER had booked a room in this mansion in the first place. The manager did not want to refund (400 dollars!!!!) because 'he couldn't rent out the room anymore'. Shame on you! You should have informed us in advance, so we could have made a deliberate choice. Oh, and FYI; the 1 and only star is only for the beautiful mansion. Not for the awful way the manager handles very logical complaints. If you want a quiet stay: don't book a room here. read more

High tea was amazing. So romantic and traditional london fog tea and snacks hit the spot. Great vibes all around.

This place is quite peaceful and inexpensive compared to Fairmont Hotel. The server Pedro was engaging polite and helpful. I hope management recognizes their employees that bring us customers back. My daughter and I will return read more

Pendray Tea House - Daughter on her 46th birthday having tea time - Tea Rooms Near Me - Victoria, British Columbia

My husband and I wanted an authentic afternoon tea on our visit to Victoria. We thought about going to another place, but I'd been before and wasn't "Empressed". Pendray Tea House is beautifully set in an English garden. The place settings were simple, showcasing the china tea cups. We ordered a special which included a Winter and West Coast tea service and tea, plus a glass of sparkling wine. Everything was delicious! Every savory had unique flavors--even the simple cucumber sandwich was elevated with an herby dill cream cheese. It is impossible to choose a favorite. The scones deserve their own paragraph. Again, complex flavor combination that were absolutely delightful. The cream and jam were delicious and not just thrown into a serving dish, but presented. So much care was taken in even the smallest detail. We ended up taking our desserts home, but again delicious! If you are thinking of a traditional tea experience, go to Pendray Tea House! read more

Had a wonderful afternoon tea while staying on property at Huntingdon Manor. We arrived late (within 15 minutes of closing), but they were still happy to seat us and provide a full service. The Rooibos tea I had was excellent - I recommend it iced. We had the traditional tea (there is a more expensive seafood-heavy option), and all the elements were very good, the standout to me was the lavender white chocolate scone - I usually dislike white chocolate for being sickly sweet, but they have found the perfect balance to go with the lavender without having the lavender taste too medicinal. Only criticism is that it is quite pricey (more than Butchart's tea at the moment), but it is in a beautiful house with a view and in my opinion, worth the splurge. read more

We had been to the Pendray Tea House once before, a few years before COVID, and it was a pleasant experience. It's essentially where you go when you want to save some money on the Empress' high tea. That still doesn't mean that Pendray's tea is economical, by any means. You'll pay upwards of $140, including the 15% that is suggested to you when you show up. Our more recent experience underwhelmed us. The staff was very friendly and helpful, so no issue there. Tea came piping hot, and many times we were asked if we needed more hot water. The food was less than amazing. Except for the cucumber sandwiches, nothing seemed like it had been made on the premises. Everything felt like it had come from a store, and not super-fresh, either. Most of the food items could be found at a Safeway or other large grocery store. And while this is because of COVID and not so much because of Pendray, pre-ordering everything quickly at the front desk, along with pre-tipping, cheapened the experience, as well. So, yes, it was just OK. Adding more unique food or some fresher items that aren't as dry would have helped. read more