I came here this evening for their "Classic Afternoon Tea", and my very first afternoon tea experience. Since they were booked up until 5pm (holiday season), I had some pretty high expectations despite being aware that this was no high-end hotel. Pros: My black cocoa-caramel tea was quite nice. The presentation of the 3 tiers was pretty nice. The scones were soft. It's a small and cozy environment. Cons: All the sandwiches tasted very dry, as though the bread was really stale. The service was just OK. The waiter there seemed a bit annoyed at any request (eg. a refill for hot water for the tea), but what really got me was that there was a strong push by the staff to leave by 7 pm since we were the last ones there (they close at 8pm). It's also fairly expensive for what you're getting at $29/person. Also, although I didn't really mind this aspect, don't come expecting any fancy china. Overall, I found myself disappointed by the experience because of the service and the high cost (No Groupon deal on hand!) read more

I don't know anything about tea but let me tell you about the food. Simply fabulous. I have had several varieties of the savory crepes and they were all absolutely delicious. I will be going back often. read more

An amazing experience in terms of atmosphere, people and food.. from the moment you step in you are welcome by the colour the décor and the people of the place. I thought I knew about tea but this place has proved me wrong there. There are so many different kinds of tea on the shelves which you can pick up and smell and even try out if you want. That was about the tea, the sweet and savoury crepes are like taste bud drugs. They are amazing. Starting from the portion, the price and the quality, I haven't have any healthier and yummier crepe than here. The crepes come with a salad on the side and a tea. I also had visited their second floor which is like a lounge for afternoon tea called high tea. The lounge is spectacular. The furniture is very very comfortable with warm lighting. There is also facilities of projector it seemed for business meetings and other events. So over all this place was an complete experience in terms of food, service and quality. I would definitely recommend it to any one. read more

I bought a living social voucher. Made a reservation. Place is nice. Food is fresh. Server was friendly and accommodating. Tea (I went for Caspian) which was lovely) was served immediately, but was going cold by the time my sandwiches arrived. I'm British so I know what to expect. Yes, sandwiches are tiny and elegant. So are the scones. This is the whole point! If you want door step size sandwiches for your American appetite, go to subway! My complaints were as follows. Not enough cream to go with scones and it really should be clotted cream. I was given more when asked. Scones were very nice. One of sandwiches (tuna wrap) was very dry. They were a bit mean with the filling. My tea went cold while I waited for food. I would have preferred to have been told the food was prepared from fresh and given the option to wait. I was supposed to be given 2 bags of tea with my living social voucher weighing 100g. I wasnt. I got 2 x 30g of green tea and passionfruit tea and 2 x 60g of ginger tea. Total weight 160g. I don't think this place is value for money. You get better service and more realistic High Tea experience at the Royal York. Spend the extra $9 and go there. read more

Great place, glad I found it and tried it out! Came here for brunch (though in reality, it was more of a late lunch due to some traveling issues) and ordered a la carte rather than the afternoon tea, and was quite happy with what we got! Seated quite promptly at a pretty nice place - nicer than what I was expecting, to be honest. Bathroom was a little chilly. Very nice relaxing atmosphere though. My friend ordered an omelette with potatoes and I had the crepe with turkey and cheese (both from the brunch section of the menu). We also got a pot of mango lemon buds tea to share. Tea arrived first, and I was surprised upon pouring to find it was a pinky red rather than a yellow colour! Nonetheless, it was very good - nice and fruity, just as I like it. It came with sugar on the side, but I asked for honey as well, which I think made the tea just a bit sweeter and just right for my taste. Our meals came soon after and the food was really good. Sometimes crepes will come very thin and without much inside at all, but mine was quite full and was quite filling. It tasted very good. I also had a bite of my friend's food and it was also good. We got tempted into getting a sweet crepe for dessert and ordered the SBC? The one with strawberries and bananas and cream. YUM, that was absolutely delicious! The whipped cream was amazing and it was a great way to end the meal. Overall, very glad I found this place! If it was a bit closer to me I would probably come here more often. They have a load of tea choices so if I went again I would definitely try something new. Prices were fair, though it seems their website is a bit outdated as it said brunch items came with tea, while our waitress said it would be added with additional cost. Still though, one pot is big enough to share, and they were kind enough to refill the water for us. Wish there was one downtown so I could go more often. Still, would recommend to my friends and come again. 4/5 read more

Mother's Day menu was delicious and worth it. So much food, perfectly presented. Service is great and not pretentious. Tea selection is also great. read more

Great place to come for brunch. The food and tea was awesome. The place doesn't hold a lot of people but that's ok. This place has a great vibe and the staff are informative on the teas. My favorite tea was the champagne. . read more

Calm, casual simple setting. Afternoon tea came with a lovely entree, and the sandwiches and scones were good. The service was friendly, and there is a wide selection of teas. Didn't try the crepes, but they looked great. I'd like to go back some time. read more

Not worth it at all !!! Arrived with mom, sister and 1 year old child and waited 40 minutes for food. Took 20 for the tea to come. They did a quality check after we were done everything . Although portions look small , they are filling . We got classic afternoon tea service , vegetable sharing plate and an omelette (mostly for child). At the end it also came with a fermented tea "champagne ". Overall , food was not impressive and definitely not the 80$ we spent . Would not recommend or return. read more

We introduced two twenty-somethings to the full English tea and had them licking their chomps through each of the three tiers. Impressive sample of sandwiches, scrumptious scones and delicate macarons and tartlets. Excellent knowledgeable service and atmosphere for conversation. A big hit. read more

This year I was inspired to celebrate my moms birthday in a different way- with high tea one of my late grandfathers favorite things to do. So began my search, because she lived in North York I wanted it to be relatively close so Tbuds seemed like a good choice. It was a bonus that I discovered that it served halal ( my mom and my grandmother would appreciate that) . Since Tbuds is located right on Yonge St I was not looking forward to the parking situation but luckily I found street parking right across. It's on the second floor above Aroma Espresso . You also have to walk up a flight of stairs for those with disability issues. I had no idea what this place would look like but I was pleasantly surprised about the charming, cozy feel, loved the sofa seating around the table and the white linens on the table. I ordered from the Afternoon tea menu which was reasonably priced ( bonus) and ordered two teas with the accompanying sweet and savory mix tray and another tea with a smaller order just in case as we had 5 adults. Also ordered two regular sized sandwiches ( forest mushroom and Roast Beef) for my brother and stepdaughter because I honestly wasn't sure if the tea offerings would suffice. We were given great service, the tea was aromatic and relaxing, but the accompanying treats were beyond expectation. Firstly - there was a lot! Secondly we had quaint looking cucumber and cream cheese, roast beef, turkey asparagus, roast beef w horseradish and tuna mini sandwiches to choose from; all equally delicious! The scones were sooo good , and I only ate them since my mom was raving about them. Our afternoon was finished off by two glasses of Sparkling Jasmine being presented to my mom and brother( Also a January baby). My mom thanked me countless times for such a fun experience. We all plan to go again and again ! read more

My wife and I went for the classic afternoon tea for two. It was okay, but for both of us it missed the mark in a few important ways. The tea service itself was generally sub par, starting with the menu of teas to choose from. There were no small samples of the teas to inform the guest of the hints of the aromas and not even a description of the teas the server has experienced or might pair well with their selection of quiches, sandwiches, scones, and sweets. The servers at T Buds were pleasant enough, I suppose. This touch may seem small but it is an important one as it sets the tone the rest of your afternoon tea. The sandwiches were average, and we were informed they were made ahead. The first plate had of all things cheese and crackers. No explanation of the cheese and why it was served with what looked to me to be Brenton crackers. The tableware was not clean, when we sat down I immediately noticed that there was lipstick on my tea cup. It was replaced as soon as I brought it to our server's attention. The first plate that came out also had a green smudge on it, as did the champagne flutes that arrived to end the afternoon tea. The whole experience left us feeling distracted, not really pampered and focussed on the soothing tea,gazing out the window as we talked, transfixed on the Aroma cafe signage waving in the window. In T Buds favour, I can say the scones were good as were our pots of tea. Their display of the book culinary tea caught my eye and curiosity. Their restroom is beautiful. So much so that it made me fantasize that our visit would be much improved if the entire place was done up in the style of stone. Something of a stone floor and wall that conjures something serene like a ryokan. That would be an experience to come back for. We both went in hoping for something special outside the afternoon teas that are attached to hotels, but were greeted with the dowdy offerings of an eccentric relative who had only learned of the existence of afternoon tea from super market magazines. read more

I just got home from a wonderful afternoon at T-Buds with a friend of mine. We are both tea-aholics. I purchased a coupon last year for T-Buds and finally had the opportunity to try it out. We were pleasantly surprised! The service was friendly and informative. She carefully explained the coupon deal and an option to upgrade (which we didn't take, because we wanted meals as well). We both had salads. I ordered a salad with roasted chicken. The salads were delicious; the roasted chicken was the best I have ever tasted: it was so juicy and tender. As part of the coupon deal, we each received a pot of tea of our choice: my friend chose a green-peach tea and I chose an orange pekoe. The tea was of high quality. The other part of the coupon deal was a couple of scones each, with a cream and jam topping that came on the side and some fresh fruit. The scones were amazing! They were served warm and were so delicious. We were there for about 2 hours and felt we could stay all afternoon! We will definitely be back and highly recommend T-Buds. read more

I bought a Groupon for summer afternoon tea and I have to say I was impressed. Right off the bat the atmosphere is great, super clean, fancy looking little place. The walls are lined with different teas and the seating and tables are lovely. My friend and I picked our teas and everything else was taken care of. We started with a salad and cheese filled crepe which was pretty good, I wasn't a huge fan of the mango dressing. Next we had the usual high tea platers. We were given an assortment of sandwiches (tuna, egg, butter chicken, beet), small bowl of fruit each, blueberry and plain scones (which were warm) served with clotted cream and jam, and lastly an assortment of small desserts. Overall everything tasted really good, I'm a huge fan of scones and these with amazing. The only complaint would be the tiny dessert they didn't really fit in with the rest of the platter and again there was these weird mango tasting pudding that I wasn't a fan of. In the end I had a great experience and my friend and I even purchased a tin of tea each to take home. read more

I really like this place. I havent been since they moved everything upstairs but have always had a good experience here. the service is usually good and staff have been helpful and patient. the crepes are delicious...sweet and savoury. and the high tea is definitely worth it. read more

Make it a point to go there whenever I am in Toronto. Right from the ambience to the food everything just comes up to the expectations. Their Thai Pagoda Crepes and London Broil sandwich are delicious. Don't forget the fresh Scones with cream and raspberry jam. They also have a wide array of teas. Definitely recommended read more

My friends suggested that on my next visit to Toronto, T-Buds would be a nice place to have afternoon tea. I've been to a number of traditional and contemporary tea services and T-Buds was okay, at best. It is overpriced for the selection/number of items you receive. The decor wasn't spectacular and I didn't care for the white sheet of paper on the table for spills, or the small teapot. The $29 Afternoon Tea was underwhelming. The scones were good but a bit dense; some of the scones were not cooked through and doughy in the centre; there was only one little container of clotted cream and one jam that could barely cover 2 scones, let alone 4; for dessert, 2 macaroons, 1 tart and 1 cake were extremely disappointing. The sandwiches and jasmine sparkling tea elevated his review from a one star. read more

Relaxing beautiful atmosphere (especially the upstairs lounge), wide selection of tea, and a good addition to the Yonge/Lawrence neighbourhood. I like being able to purchase samples, since there are so many varieties that it's hard to decide what to purchase. The owner is really friendly and will tell the most captivating stories about where the tea comes from! read more

I just had my daughter's 14th birthday party there. We rented the room from 4-7pm. It was wonderful. Amena (sp?) the owner is wonderful - she was accommodating and very understanding with 10 14yr olds. The food was excellent, tea was really, really wonderful and the service was very good. I would recommend it for a a private get- together (there is a min charge for having the room) and I would love to go back and have a quiet tea with some friends. Highly recommend t-buds! read more

Picked t-buds for a workplace outing, the 5 of us ladies had a great time. They were very accommodating and even put together a vegan cream tea option. Four of us split the classic and the chocolate afternoon tea. Plenty of food for us all, the quiches and mini sandwiches were delicious, petite fours were lovely, and the macaroons were chewy yumminess. The chocolate crepe was a hit with some, the canape was a skewer of tomato, basil and mozzarella. The sparkling tea was refreshing and delicious, and for the pot of tea I would highly recommend the vanilla bourbon roibos. The bill split 4 ways came up to (taxes included) 18/person, which was very reasonable. Overall a great experience. read more

I organized a group of 12 women here for a tea party baby shower and it was fantastic! Marisa was more than helpful in accommodating a couple different dietary requests I had and everything went very smoothly. There was 1 guest who is gluten free and she couldn't stop raving about how good her sandwiches and scones were! The normal sandwiches and scones everybody else had were also fantastic! Every sandwich was fresh and homemade. The scones were to die for! Crispy on the outside but fluffy on the inside. Even the mascarpone cream was delicious! The selection of tea was amazing. 3 page menu on just tea! They were more than willing to substitute tea for coffee or iced tea if the guest asked. This is the perfect place a small gathering of friends to hang out and have a lovely afternoon tea experience! read more

Went for high tea with a friend using a Groupon deal. The deal was really worth it for high tea in Toronto, including a soup and savoury crepe as well. It was a $32 deal for 2 which is a really good deal compared to other high tea places. It is more of a modern version of high tea; the space is small but cozy and is located upstairs. In terms of ambience, I would say that the downtown hotel high tea places are nicer, but this place has a modern feel. The pumpkin soup was delicious, crepe was ok though. The selection of teas was excellent and I enjoyed a green tea with apple and pear tastes. The sandwiches were all tasty, scones were done just right with clotted cream and jam, and the desserts were cute. The portions for high tea were average but it was nice to have a crepe and soup was a nice touch. I enjoyed the teas a lot. I would recommend this place for the price point and tea selection. read more