An old establishment in Markham village serving a British classic, afternoon tea! The inside was very rustic with old carpet, classic wallpaper and a fun selection of teapots dotted by the ceiling. Overall afternoon teas was pretty good for the price. Good amount of tea to choose from and they good. Sandwiches were fun! Scones were on the dry side. Sweets were standard at the price point. Would consider coming back again! read more

The Old Curiosity Tea Shop - Desserts Near Me - Markham, Ontario

See all

After booking months in advance, I was finally able to check out the Old Curiosity tea shop, and man was it worth the wait! Let me just start by giving a huge thanks to our server, Adam, who was beyond friendly and ever so kind. He was such a huge part of why my friends and I had the best time during our session. This quaint shop has a vintage aesthetic and is quite cozy. The food was simple and delicious and frankly, the afternoon tea set was more than enough however the Quiche just sounded too good not to order. That quiche was PHENOMENAL; I'd go back for that alone! The prices were very fair given the set (and compared to other afternoon tea sets). read more

See all

The tea time experience here is charming and such a nice way to catch up with friends or family... the atmosphere is quaint, traditional, cozy and quiet. It's a smaller sized restaurant but with the setup, there is a comfortable amount of space between the tables. I can tell the owner books accordingly to ensure there is a manageable ratio of customers as he is the only one there to cover the tables and walk-ins. For a $28 set, I can't complain. You get what you need for an enjoyable morning/afternoon tea. They have a good selection of teas to choose from and the owner makes great recommendations. He came by multiple times to check on whether our tea needed more hot water. Since each set comes with 1 pot of tea, we all got a different tea so we could share and try eachother's. I loved the Buckingham Palace (earl grey & jasmine). The food is not mind-blowing, but for the cost it's what you can expect. They provide a good selection of sandwiches and cookies. The scones were a tad too heavy for my liking. I also wish they switched their food offerings up more, maybe kept it innovative since based on what I see in reviews, the tea set menu has been the same for years. Other than that, the food was decent (again, nothing fancy) and we were so full by the end of it that we had to pack some cookies to take home. Overall, it's a lovely place and the friendly service and hospitality you receive is really what makes the experience. You don't see high teas for this price anymore and though it's not as fancy as some other places, you get what you need for an enjoyable time. read more

The Old Curiosity Tea Shop - Sandwiches - Desserts Near Me - Markham, Ontario

See all

These dainty sandwiches come with egg and veggie fillings, perfectly paired with tea. The bread is soft, and the modest filling keeps things light and easy to enjoy. read more

This is a British-styled quaint cozy little tea room, as we work weekdays, we reserved 3 months in advance to get a spot on Saturday. Adam was on vacation to Italy for 3 weeks so Sherry served us this time. Sherry was an attentive beautiful young lady and she offered excellent service. We heard so much about this place and finally managed to experience it. We must say their tea selection is phenomenal, the tea is naturally aromatic, tasty and refreshing and is perfect to go with biscuits, scones or sandwiches. The sandwiches were a bit dry, but the biscuits and scones were tasty, the sticky toffee pudding and apple crumble were authentically British. I might come back to try other foods on menu and will definitely come back for the tea which are also available for retails. read more

See all

Ambiance and staff are amazing. There is also quite a large tea variety. To my disappointment the sandwiches are bland and repetitive. Unfortunately, the desserts are quite the same with all of them being some form of shortbread. The lack of variety is astonishing. The fact they don't use real clotted cream is extremely disappointing. read more

A lovely tea shop, I would definitely recommend it! My fiancee hosted a tea here to ask her bridesmaids to be in the bridal party. There were about 7 of us total. The Tea Shop was able to accomodate us, giving us a little alcove off to the side. We had sandwiches and sweets, all of which were delicious. There was a large tea selection (I had the Buckingham Palace - a great choice. Cream of Earl Gray was also popular). And it was a reasonable price for the luncheon. I'm planning on coming back soon with other family! read more

Quaint decor and cute table setting. i wasn't impressed by the food. Even the dessert, Victorian sponge cake was kind of dry and blah. $18 for a mediocre sandwich plate. The service is good and the pot of tea kept being refreshed with hot water. read more

Came for my friend's baby shower. Made reservations weeks in advance and was very pleasantly attended to by Adam. Event went well and food was really good. Only real complaint was that it was far too warm in the shop. We were boiling hot and the steaming hot tea only made us hotter. Need to beef up the cooling system for sure. Other than being pretty unbearably hot, the rest was peachy! Tea selection was really perfect-recommend the Japanese rice tea. Sandwiches were a nice selection of interesting combinations that worked really well together. Unique but delicious! The sweets were indeed sweet, but very rich and pleasant. A suggestion is to have ice on hand and serve iced water to patrons. The lukewarm tap water did not help at all. We completely understand that older buildings have a harder time with A/C, but ice would have been an easy compromise! read more

See all

Absolutely lovely tea shop! My experience couldn't be better! I called ahead to make a reservation. Adam picked up my call and was an absolute sweetheart! He confirmed the time and day and sounded so eloquent while doing it. We went on a weekend in summer, so I had expected it to be crowded. We arrived shortly after opening hours, and it was actually pretty empty--a reservation may not have been necessary for so early in the morning. However, it did fill up after ab hour or so--including a baby shower party! The first thing you notice when you come here is there very eclectic decor of old and British tea stuff. Everything is super charming! You'll definitely be taking photos of everything and anything. The front of the store also has a little tea shop if you would like to purchase some teas. Adam greeted us at the door and showed us to the seats, placing us at the storefront window seat. He also gave us a brief overview of the menu and explained any items we had questions about. We got the Victorian afternoon tea with Irish cream tea and Victorian Markham tea. Their tea blends are very lovely and have an amazing aroma! The leaves can also withstand being steeped more than once, so don't be afraid to get refills! We ended up spending quite a few hours there, sipping on tea and finger foods. You're sure to find a tea that tickles your fancy with their very extensive selection! The Victorian afternoon tea set included a variety of sandwiches and pastries in two separate platters. It's strangely a lot of food to eat actually. We worked on the platters for quite a while, but still ended up taking a few cookies home. The sandwich platter comes out first, followed by the pastrIes when you're done. The foods were realistically quite simple, but perhaps it was the atmosphere that added a special touch to it. The sandwiches varied from savory to refreshing. The pastries were quite sweet, as I would expect, but luckily there's tea to pair with it! Super cute afternoon tea spot with absolutely fabulous service! I'd definitely recommend coming here for an afternoon to just sit and relax. read more

See all

I had a lovely afternoon tea session with my girl friends at The Old Curiosity Tea Shop. Our server was super sweet and friendly. He knew the menu very thoroughly and checked on us in good intervals. The interior of this tea shop has a Victorian style, different styles of teapots are distributed everywhere (even on the ceilings). We hope they super glued them well because they have a high potential to do so much damage hahaha. The pricing is decent for the afternoon tea set. It is $25 per person for the items listed below. For tea, we chose: * Earl Grey Tea with Cream It is supposed to have a hint of vanilla flavour but we couldn't really taste it. First set of the two-tiered afternoon tea set are sandwiches with a mixture of: * Granny apples * Cucumbers * Ham * Egg Second set of the two-tiered afternoon tea set are desserts that included: * Pecan tarts * Raspberry filled butter cookies * Gingerbread cookies * Scones (comes with jam and cream that were said to be imported from England) My favourites were the scones and the granny apple filled sandwiches. The highlight from the sandwiches were the raisin bread.. Mmm soo good! read more

See all

With COVID happening I definitely miss having high tea and it was really nice for the Old Curiosity Tea Shop to have done a Valentine's Day care package high tea take out set. The set was a reasonable $20 and included sandwiches, scones and sweets along with a large helping bag of tea leaves. The finger sandwiches really surprised me! There were four different kinds of sandwiches, one that were heart shaped which had a delicious pepper and cream cheese (I think) in it which was absolutely heavenly I wish there were more! Another game changer was the apple slices in raisin bread sandwich. There was also one that had mint in it and another that had two different bread in it. They were all pretty good The scone was also delicious with the raspberry jam going wonderfully with it. The sweets were alright, it was a bit disappointing to have raspberry filling in the sweets as it was already there with the scone. There was a sweet with lemon filling in it which was delicious. Overall this set was a wonderful package and was perfect for Valentine's Day read more

The Old Curiosity Tea Shop - Finger sandwiches, sweets, scones and tea leaves - Desserts Near Me - Markham, Ontario

Fancy hats, Royal Doulton China, dainty sandwiches, scones with imported clotted cream, a Victorian tea room: these are the makings of an magnificent grown up girls brunch. We made reservations over the phone way in advance for their "Fancy Hat Friday" (Your name gets put into a raffle for a prize if you wear a hat). Make sure you get a confirmation call or message the following business day. Very reasonably priced compared to other places. Our party of 11 was dressed in our "Sunday best" with a myriad of hat styles from elegant fascinators, demure sun hats, stylish fedoras, and even a British Cloche. We were ready to experience our first Afternoon Tea...Brunch (you can have it any time of the day). Adam our server and host was an excellent guide through the whole process. They don't have room to push the small tables together for a big group so we had 3 separate tables; this set up allowed a lot of movement to take pictures and visit the other tables. The food was perfect for a light brunch but you'll need to order off the menu if you want something more substantial. Our group had a delightful time. A wonderful opportunity for moms to get together sans husbands and kids. Don't forget to stroll along charming Main Street Markham and take pictures at the lovely nearby gazebos. Pip pip cheerio! read more

See all

This review is so so long overdue. I booked a reservation here a while ago and was very pleased with my experience here. I brought my sister and grandma to enjoy the afternoon high tea ( 24.99/per person). The tea refills were constant and nothing felt rushed. The savoury plates were very well done, but the sweets were to sugary for our liking. We felt very tended to and would definitely be back to try their other food offerings. The server Adam is as amazing as everyone says, he is such a gem and makes you feel very comfortable and pampered during your stay. The decor is spectacular. It is very victorian and decorated with assorted plates and antique teapots. Everything has been very well thought out and done beautifully. I recommend making a reservation as they are quite small and quite busy. If they don't pick up, leave a voicemail ! This is a great place to bring your mom, sister or best friends. Such a relaxing and cute place. read more

The Old Curiosity Tea Shop - Dessertttt - Desserts Near Me - Markham, Ontario

See all

The Old Curiosity Tea Shop have a huge selections of loose leaf tea which was a pleasant surprise... I would have never expect how extensive their tea menu is... a full 2 pages of tea for one to choose from. The tea room itself is really Victorian and have really good atmosphere... which me and my fellow yelper made reservations for Afternoon Tea for 2 ($20/person) - The tea selections are awesome... we ended up selected 2 of the black English teas who were similar in taste but one of them was a little bolder than the other - The sandwiches were quite good... the standard cucumber, salmon mousse/dill... - Really disappointed with the scones with currants... they were way too bready... without that only so good buttery taste and not crumby enough for my liking... - The sweets is only a chocolate covered cookie... that is really really disappointing... I will suggest just skip the afternoon tea... but come to get some loose leaf tea..most of them are priced reasonably for $5/50 gram... and they also have a website that you can order online! http://www.cuppa.ca/orders.htm read more

See all

Came for tea with 3 friends. We had a wonderful experience. The decor is very cute and comforting. The servers were extremely nice and accommodating. Absolutely no complaints. It's been a while since I've been this satisfied with customer service at a restaurant. The sandwiches and desserts were very authentic (according to my friend of English descent). The tea was delicious as well. They gave us each different tea cups that were really lovely. The one I got fit my personality perfectly. We definitely recommend this place to anyone interested in high tea. read more

See all

The service here is on point! The waiter, Adam was so sweet and kind. We had the afternoon high tea which costs 24.99 per person. This comes with your choice of tea, a variety of finger sandwiches and desserts. There's a huge selection of tea! We tried the earl grey cream, buckingham palace, and lichee congoo. I find the Lychee one the best - the lychee flavour note was subtle and lightly floral which doesn't overpower the black tea itself. The sandwiches in my opinion are mediocre as it didn't awe me on the first bite. It tastes like you can make them at home. The desserts tasted better but too sweet to my liking. Service is 4/5 Food is 3/5 Tea is 4/5 read more

See all

Came here after new years with my mom. They are pretty packed at lunch time. We thought we booked the afternoon tea but turned out we didn't. After looking at the menu, we were glad we didn't because it wasn't worth the money ($24 per person) We got the shepherd's pie ($14) with scones ($11). The scones came with tea and we chose bourbon vanilla. The pie was crispy on top and the meat was seasoned with a lot of worcester sauce. The england dressing is a mayo based sauce and was okay. The scones were really soft and tea quite sweet. We were both stuffed. The decor was really antique! tablecloths, colours, tea pot collections and china are very unique. I like how we had a strainer for the tea, and the waitress dressed up too. The only thing I would critique is that if they wanted to go all antique, they should go all the way. There were plastic bottles of water on the table and they used paper napkins instead of fabric. It would be nice to be all round. Neat place, maybe i'll come just for the tea and china, but i'll give it a 3.5/5. read more

See all

I came here a few months back and it was such a cute spot! Very unique and cute little tea shop in main street Markham that seems like you've stepped into a completely different place. I came here for afternoon tea with a few friends and there was a pretty good selection of teas to choose from. The plates and tea cups were super cute and gave me a really old school vibe! We had a plate of assorted sandwiches that were decently sized (I'd say they were larger than other places that chose to do vertical sandwiches) and once we were done we were given a tiered plate tower of sweet treats and scones. The treats were okay, I wasn't mad or ecstatic about any of them. My favourite part of any afternoon tea are the scones so I was super excited to try these. The scones were super soft and so so yummy and their cream and ham went to well with it. I will have to point out that there are raisins in the scones (I don't typically like raisins but left them in the scones), but they were super noticeable after the jam and cream. Overall we had a great time and it was such a cute environment with a nice ambience. Would definitely recommend you checking this place out if you like afternoon tea! read more

Best tea place in the area!! We had a small baby shower at the restaurant with a group of 11 and a kid. Adam went above and beyond for our group. We didn't feel a bit of rush with our group size and he's more than accommodating. We felt welcome and truly appreciate his professionalism in explaining the food and the tea. We fell in love with the decoration of this place which was so unique and cozy. The sandwiches and dessert was perfect!! We left our leftover in their fridge and we came back late and forgetting they were closing at 5. Adam waited us!! That was spectacular service! I will definitely come back another time for their tea set or try other things in their menu. P.S. great price!! I've been to fancier/more expensive tea shop and service and food was not even half as good. read more

Been here a few years ago. The shop is very unique. Lots of special and interesting decorations. They office a wide selection of tea. My 3 star review is based on their food. To be honest, those were the worst sandwiches that I've ever had. The pastry doesn't taste good. I hope for more with their food but it was just disappointing. Aside from the food, everything else was good. Especially their service. read more

Great service and truly a one of a kind experience. Came here for an afternoon Victorian style tea party and they served very yummy english finger sandwiches. The tea selection was amazing and very unique. read more

Came here for high tea with a few friends. Service was great and they have a good selection in terms of tea; not a lot but enough. Their cream Earl Grey or Earl Grey Jasmine are both good with the sandwiches. The tea set came with 5 different choices of sandwiches and I like the small one with the egg and mint leave on top. The dessert part comes with scones and some cookies, and I found the cookies are a bit too sweet for me. Overall, this place is good with a small group of girlfriends and enjoy your afternoon with a pot of tea. But next time I may pick from their regular menu than the high tea menu. read more

See all

Really sweet server. Amazing place to be. Food was amazing too. The Earl Grey tea was the best I've ever had in my life! I love this place, I love the food and I LOVE THE TEA. very pricy though afternoo. Tea for 3 was $81 But omg the Earl Grey sooooooooo amazing. read more

The Old Curiosity Tea Shop - Earl Grey - Desserts Near Me - Markham, Ontario

Of all the places in GTA that offers high tea, Curiosity offers the most value. Sure, the finger sandwiches, scones, sugar cookies and tarts aren't the fanciest I've seen and leans more towards the homey side than the high-end dessert side, but they all tasted great, and honestly that's what really counts at the end of the day when it comes to food. You can eat something with your eyes first, but ultimately you are eating it with your mouth. And my month was pleased with what I had. The portion is filling, I was starving when I arrived, and 2 rounds of tiered plates full of carbs later (not to mention countless pots of refilled tea), I was very, very full. You won't get a high tea experience like this anywhere else in GTA under $25. Have I mentioned the atmosphere and the service? The shop was terrifically quaint in both size and decoration. Adam was very attentive and friendly to our questions and needs. Everything fits well into the theme of high tea and really adds to the experience. Even the street the shop sits on is semi-historically preserved, not a bad place to have a little stroll around after eating all those carbs. I came here during the COVID outbreak. Seatings were reduced to keep with the physical distancing rules and the staff wore masks. To make a reservation, just leave a voice mail at their number and the Adam will call you back within the day to confirm it. Overall, great experience. Would visit again. read more

Went for high tea. It was okay. There are better places in Markham to go. Vanilla tea was good. They do have a lot of teas to choose from. . Tiny sandwiches were meh, nothing special. The scone was stale, very stale. There wasn't enough cream or jam to make it palatable. The sweets were just okay, with the exception of these teeny ginger bread cookies. I want to be able to recommend this place but I can't, I've had better read more

A perfect place for afternoon tea with girlfriends. We spent almost 3 hours here. No one rushes us at all. It's very relaxing. Food and service are very good (especially the scones.) We had Victorian afternoon tea set. It was awesome. We really had a good time here. Thanks Adam. read more

See all

I'm not a big fan of tea so this 3 star review should probably be a 4 and maybe even a 5. There were so many teas to choose from and I had no idea which type or flavour of tea I would like but I ended up just choosing the first thing I saw which sounded pretty good too - Apple cranberry. $4 for a hot pot of tea sounded pretty reasonable. The apple cranberry flavour tasted okay and tasted even better when I added sugar and milk. The colour turned a dirty pink after I added the sugar and milk. The place was uniquely decorated and had tea pots displayed all over the place. There were old fashioned tea pots and elaborately decorated tea pots and even some cute funny looking tea pots. It reminded me of the movie Indiana Jones where he had to choose the right cup to drink out of but in this case its tea pots. If you want to get some tea leaves to bring home its also an option here and for about $6.25 you could bring home a 50 gram bag. Service was very friendly and just looking at the tea pots displayed all around with the Victorian atmosphere is worth the visit. read more

See all

This place has the authentic English style which made me feel as though I was literally having a tea party. There were many English ladies who come here for a discussion. The waiter was extremely polite, offerring a selection of teas to choose from. In addition, we didn't know much about the tierd high tea and thought we could order it the day of. Fortunately, he helped us arrange it so we were able to try it the day of. The tiered high tea was filled with fulfilling sandwiches at the bottom tier with fig sauce and jam. The top tier had many freshly baked cookies. It didn't taste extremely delicious, but it was definitely very authentic. Each person was given a pot of tea from the selection of the high tea combo, which was very unique as well. read more

Hubby and I had the set afternoon tea here this week. It's $24/each, comes with 2 tier tray of sandwiches and 2 tier tray of sweets. The scones were warm and delish. Cute little place, love the decorations. The cookies were soft and buttery. We couldn't finish all the desserts, so we took them to go for later. The tea selection was impressive. I had the angle's dream (maple and blackberry I think?) And hubby had the herbal (caffeine free) strawberry & lemon tea (forgot the actual name for this one). Both tea was great. Service was great. Adam was polite and attentive. Overall we had a good experience and the best part is its close by so we don't even have to fight traffic driving downtown. $24/each may seem expensive for sandwiches and sweets but still a bargain compared with other high tea places in Toronto. Nice place to hang out with friends read more

See all

A step inside this tea shop slowed down my pace and brought the mood for tea right away. They offer a lot of loose-leaf tea and a variety of English food and bakery. Afternoon tea comes with a pot of tea, two tiers of finger sandwiches and scones and another two tiers of English desserts. Tea and coffee are nicely presented on fine china and with unique pattern for everyone. I like their Victoria sponge cake and scone. Sponge cake is light and fluffy; and scone is buttery. Top notch service! Limited seating; make reservation!! read more

See all

Nice place with nice people. We enjoy the environment very much, very traditional English style, love the teapots and the cups, so cute. They have various kinds of tea choices, we have the very transitional one this time that works well. My favourite food are the scone and the baked bread with cheese, trust me,you.have to try them. read more

See all

Love this cute tea shop at Main St Markham! Stepping into the shop makes you feel like you're stepping back in time. My favourite part was all the pretty cups and cutlery! Adam made us feel really welcome explained the menu in detail. There is a vast selection of teas and english pastries/sweets. Although the pastries were mediocre, the victorian ambiance definitely made up for it. Make sure you make reservations as there aren't usually spots for walk-ins. read more

This super cute tea shop is the perfect date spot! Victorian surrounding, beautiful fine china cups and teapots..omg :) It's a girl's dream come true to have a tea party! (I never had one of those fake ones with my teddy bears when I was young ok). We didn't go for the afternoon tea. Instead, we just ordered the black forest brownie, victorian favourites, sweet treats, and victorian sponge. The treats came with 2 teapots of tea. The snacks were typical but delicious. Tea was great. Nothing crazy, but that's English tea party for you! Definitely going back. read more

See all

Lovely place to enjoy company with friends. Assam tea was wonderful...peach apricot tea was tasty and the vanilla pomegranate was fragrant. Great memories. Awesome staff.. read more

Definitely a hidden treasure on Main. This place is extremely busy so remember to call ahead to make a reservation. Service was impeccable. The decor in this cute little tea shop was adorable. And the food was delish - don't let those sandwiches fool you. My girlfriend and I left stuffed and we couldn't even finish the cookies and scones. Would definitely recommend to others. read more

The Old Curiosity Tea Shop - Desserts Near Me - Markham, Ontario

See all

Came here on a whim on a weekday, and managed to snag the only unreserved table remaining, right by the window. The interior is very much grandma's parlour type of vibe, with the mismatched china and an excess of lace doilies. Adam was charming and attentive, and we didn't feel at all rushed or neglected even when he was pretty much the only person serving the entire tea room. We had a great time, and will definitely visit again. read more

I brought my mom here for high tea for her birthday and it was absolutely lovely! The sandwiches were delicious, the desserts were amazing, and the tea was perfect. I also love that they sell the teas here, so we made sure to get some before we left. The atmosphere was quiet, relaxing, and the decor fits perfectly. Adam was so kind and made us feel very welcome, he was attentive to bring us what we needed and top up our hot water and never once rushed us. We'll definitely be back for high tea here again, as well as to try some of their other lunch options, and to buy some loose leaf teas! read more

Words cannot express how wonderful Adam and his team are at the Old Curiosity's Tea Shop. I held my baby shower here this past weekend and every single one of my guests had a fabulous time. Adam went above and beyond to accommodate some of our specific needs (welcome table, gluten allergy, bringing in our own cake). The teas, sandwiches, and desserts were incredible. Every sandwich was absolutely delicious and authentically English! The scones were warm and came out with a lovely variety of jams and cream. I could not have asked for a better venue for a very special event. Everyone RAVED about everything that was served at the Old Curiosity Tea Shop and we can't wait to return! read more

See all

Best English Tea experience in Markham by far. Interiors of the shop gives you the Victorian tea room vibes to prepare you for an English afternoon tea experience. The menu provided guests with selection of the tiered savoury and sweet treats or a more "a-la-carte" style of English Fares. I visited the first time with my parents and we had tuna melt, steak and kidney pie and scones. The food was excellent and prepared with care. The server, Adam, was very friendly checking on our table often and refilling water for our tea pots. We had a wonderful experience. I would recommend reserving table via their online website if you are visiting on Saturdays as it does get quite busy from 12pm on wards and they are not open on Sundays. Will definitely bring my girl friends back to the shop for some more tea time! read more