**Pinkies Up** We meandered our way through the gorgeous outdoor courtyard of BPL on our way to afternoon tea; a lovely start to the meal. We were seated promptly and shown the menu: on the weekends it's mandatory to choose a soup or salad (during the weekdays you can opt out and save $6). With that said, the salad was fresh and tasty, although I'd probably pass if it was an option. The tea selection was plentiful and presented in a charming little book (a nice nod to the library location). Regarding the food selection, the bottom tier was savory finger sandwiches, the middle, desserts, and the top was scones with lemon curd, clotted cream, and jam. The finger sandwiches were OK. The ingredients were fresh enough but two of the sandwiches were egg salad and chicken salad, which just tasted bland and cheap. The lobster and salmon were lovely and the cucumber sandwich was nice as well. The ham sandwich was tasty for what it was. For the price, I think they could elevate the "salad" sandwiches to something better. There was a nice distribution of fruity and chocolatey desserts, a little something for everyone. And the scones were nice but nothing memorable--I appreciated the authenticity of the curd and clotted cream (not a quick condiment to make). Overall, the cuteness factor makes it worth trying if you're into pretending to be fancy. I know I am. **pinkies up** read more

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This place is absolutely stunning. I had heard about high tea in Boston Public Library from my favorite Boston blogger (any Jean Wang fans??) and figured that it was something to experience at least once. So when a close friend decided to visit from NYC, we made a reservation four days prior and managed to snag a spot at opening. Heads up that it's best to create a reservation early - spots seem to fill up really easily! I wasn't too sure what to expect when we showed up at the library (can we take a second to talk about how many BPLs there are and how confusing it is? Just me? Whoops). The Courtyard Room completely blew me away. The room is grand and so aesthetic (perfect for pics ;)), with lovely ivory and gray tones. The service was fantastic - someone offered to take our coats, the server patiently explained the menu and was incredibly accommodating, and everything was served with elegance and hospitality. My friend ordered the Blood Orange Hibiscus tea, which smelled lovely, and I got a classic pot of Earl Grey. The server refilled our pots without prompting, which was very sweet. Food started with a small appetizer - we split a butternut squash soup, which was creamy and delicious, and a shaved brussel sprouts salad, that had the perfect amount of sweet pomegranates, fragrant bleu cheese, and dressing. The tower of finger foods was the star of the show - the scones, cotted cream, and lemon curd were top notch, the pastries were varied, and the sandwiches were all incredible. My favorite by far was the Maine lobster sandwich and the smoked salmon (sometimes I still dream about eating them, but full-sized. How cruel finger foods can be.) The price is fairly hefty (~$50 per person), but also fair given the fact that it is high tea. I would highly recommend coming with family, friends, and SO's if you want to treat yourself to a relaxing meal in a beautiful space! read more

Courtyard Tea Room - Tea Rooms Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

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Delightful experience for visitors and locals alike! The Boston Public Library is such a vision, any excuse to spend time there is worth it. But this is extra special. Sparkling wine, tea, sandwiches and desserts are all delicious. Vegetarian and vegan options available- just ask! Great ambiance. Fun for all ages and any occasion. read more

Courtyard Tea Room - Vegetarian sandwich selection - Tea Rooms Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

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Pricey, but worth it for a special occasion! I'm a Boston native, so I knew I was partly paying the tourist tax, but I couldn't resist Copley Library's allure. Service was great, although the waiter didn't refill my water, but that's a minor grievance. The food is beautifully presented (I'm a sucker for a good tiered tray), but honestly mid overall save a few seasonal specialties. Here's my breakdown: Tea - I had jasmine pearls, which was quite good. All of the teas they offer are high quality, you can't go wrong here (unless you get herbal, in which case... what are you doing). The starter course: potato salad was overpowered by the oily dressing; I didn't taste any lemon or thyme, leeks were scant, and peas were an odd addition. Sweet corn gazpacho was excellent since I love cilantro. Didn't taste much corn, though, but oh well. If you dislike cilantro or have never had gazpacho, this might be off-putting to you. Bottom tier tray (savory sandwiches): Herb chicken salad on marble rye - too much mayo; I could barely taste the chicken and there was no "salad" component to be found. It's hard to mess up mayo on bread, but this did. Bread looked pretty but was stale. As the human vacuum of the table who can't stand to waste food among a picky eater and a vegetarian, I ate all 3, but honestly didn't enjoy it. Smoked salmon on pumpernickel - delicious. Thick layer of salmon and the salmon pate with the caper on top is a genius alternative to cream cheese. My favorite. Maine lobster on brioche - couldn't really taste the brioche, but this was an excellent ratio of lobster to mayo. Flavorful and not too salty. My second favorite. Prosciutto and fig on focaccia - Generous amounts of prosciutto, not too fatty, seemed a bit old though and was hard and dry as a result. Fig jam was a great complement. Whipped goat cheese helped with the dryness but wasn't very flavorful. Had 2. Lavash roulade with garlic white bean puree - tasted like partially cooked pizza dough, not lavash. Artichoke/asparagus topping was delicious, but the puree could've been more flavorful and garlicky. Had 2. Top and middle trays (petit fours and scones): Alforjores - my favorite. Buttery, crumbly cookies with thick and sweet dulce de leche (similar to caramel). Had 2. Caramel apple macaron - Your basic macaron, nothing special but not bad. Pumpkin spice panna cotta pepita oat streusel - Surprised me since I don't like pumpkin seeds, but the oat streusel was basically brown sugar crystals and went super well with the panna cotta, which was light and pudding-like. Nice little fall moment. Had 2. Lemon poppyseed scone - was honestly a disappointment. I've had much better scones for cheaper. Somehow too muffin/cake-like yet not moist. Not crumbly yet not melt-in-your-mouth. Much lemon curd was needed. read more

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There are only 5 afternoon tea places in Boston so choices are limited but this is my favorite. The price is good for what you get. The place settings for the sandwiches, sweet bites, and tea are picture worthy. Parking is definitely a hassle because newbury st and Copley are hot spots. Your basically paying for the experience and views. I wish they offered afternoon tea outside or with the windows open so you can see the fountain better or hear it. Afterwards you could walk around the newly renovated library. The entrance is totally different than what it once was. I thought I walked into a Barnes and noble or Starbucks. The service was awesome and super friendly. They didn't bother us or rush us. It took us about two hours which was more than enough time to catch up with friends. Reservations are recommended and it was easy because I did it via open table ! read more

Courtyard Tea Room - Tea Rooms Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

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Came here with a group of friends for a celebration. They had a situation with our reservations, where they said our reservations were at 11:30 but we definitely made it for 12:30. They said that they wouldn't be able to accommodate for us so we scrambled to look for a new place. We ended up calling them again and they said they'll let us come but that the kitchen will close early. Ok, fine, atleast we have a place. When we got there, everything was great. The food, the service, were all as expected! read more

Courtyard Tea Room - Butternut squash soup - yum! - Tea Rooms Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

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I've been here two times over the summer. Once in May and once in July. They don't actually change the monthly tea selection (at least between the two times I've been there) but I like earl grey lattes so...I'm ok with this. The price is heavy but you pay for the experience as well. The courtyard tea room is a stunning white and I feel like any bride would love to get married in it. The menus come in books and you can choose a tea of your choice and between champagne and a nonalcoholic option (pretty sure it's sparkling apple cider). The treats all come at once and it's a stunning display of deliciousness. My favorite was the prosciutto + honey? one. Only thing that I would change is that I would like to have more savory options, since the top two tiers were all sweets. No need to eat lunch or dinner before/after afternoon tea. You'll be leaving absolutely stuffed! read more

Courtyard Tea Room - Tea Rooms Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

I've been hunting for a new tea place ever since L'Espalier moved out of the brownstone and into a hotel. So, yes, the search has been going on for a while. But now that I've found the Courtyard Tea Room, my search has come to an end. The service was attentive without being stuffy. The ambiance was lovely. The sandwiches and sweets were all excellent. It was a textbook tea in a dedicated space... instead of in a hotel lobby or in the corner of a restaurant also serving lunch. I want tea to feel like a nice event, and this one did. Way to go, Courtyard Tea Room. read more

Came here on a Friday afternoon at 3 with a reservation. We were the first ones in line and they seat you pretty timely. The place is beautiful as it's inside the Boston public library. The afternoon tea is a set menu with a tea, champagne, and a food tower with finger foods! The tea was really high quality and they had a large selection to choose from. The food was surprisingly really delicious, I loved all the savory items and the sweets were great paired with the teas. The scones were not bad and came with lemon curd, berry jam, and cream, but they were a bit dry and I wish they were replaced with other assortments. Overall it was a great experience and I was surprisingly full for the rest of the day! read more

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Had a great time at the courtyard tea rooms weekend tea! We had a 11am seating time, and there was a little line of people who had arrived early. They have everyone do the coat check (complimentary). We were seated in the larger room with lots of natural light, it was beautiful. I also loved how they kept in theme of the library and served the menus in old books. They started with our tea order, and we asked for the vegetarian menu. Then they came around with champagne and a non alcoholic version. Service was great and food was excellent, Id come back again for high tea. read more

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I loved everything about this cozy and quaint tea room located in the Boston library. If you are in the mood for something small to eat along with amazing tea, I would highly recommend stopping in. P.s. Make reservations ahead of time. read more

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This place is a girl's dream. We picked this place as a part of a bachelorette party and the bride-to-be loved it! They have good tea selections, the dessert are yummy, and the finger sandwiches were exceptional. There was a roasted portobello one that especially wowed everyone! But I would stay away from the alcoholic drinks, it didn't seem to have much alcohol for the price nor have amazing taste. I thought it would be a small amount of food but we all left stuffed and couldn't finish the desserts or the scones. We spent a total of almost 2 hours here, so make sure you have ample time to enjoy the experience. read more

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Food was average. Everything was so sweet and I definitely feel like it was overpriced. The scones they gave my party were also really hard. Service was alright. The ambiance was great though. That's all I have to say. If you're looking for a memorable experience then this place is a yes. But if you're looking for high quality, well priced experience then this place is definitely a no. read more

My mom and I went to Courtyard Tea Room for my birthday. The atmosphere was quite nice and the food was delicious. However, the service was terrible. It took them an extremely long time to bring out our tea, and even longer for the food. Our waters were also not refilled once. I would probably go back, but I was disappointed for sure when it came to the service. read more

Courtyard Tea Room - asparagus soup with a beet and feta salad - Tea Rooms Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

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The room is stunning and classic, in cream and gold, but not over the top. There are big palladian windows looking ot to Boylston Street on one side, and onto the Library courtyard on the other. The teas, while not particularly inventive were good representatives of their types (earl grey, darjeeling, etc) and came in the expected categories of black, green, white and herbal, and well as tea-based cocktails for an up-charge. Food was (for weekends) a choice of salad or soup (in this case, summer strawberry salad, or gazpacho -- both were fine). Tea sandwiches included lobster salad, egg salad, chicken salad, cucumber, salmon and a couple others. There were the assorted pastries and chocolates, and two small scones each with clotted cream, lemon curd, and orange marmalade. In short, a classic, well executed high tea spread, with plenty of nibbles to go around, which we couldn't finish, and they insisted we take the leftovers home. Service was solicitous, friendly, and everything was well explained. The only reason for a star off was inability to follow instructions on how to split the bill despite it literally being spelled out for them. It was a frustrating end to another wise lovely afternoon. I wouldn't hesitate to go back, the setting is unique and charming. read more

this one-time group event provided a chance to dress up, engage in chit chat, and enjoy the company of girls! While the savory food quantity was lacking, the servers' well-behaved and knowledgeable demeanor added a positive touch to the experience. So, if you're looking for a pleasant social outing, this place might be worth considering, keeping in mind the food or tea might not be the highlight of the gathering. read more

Courtyard Tea Room - scones,desserts and sandwiches - Tea Rooms Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

Ambience: B Cleanliness: A Customer Service: A Food: B- Price/Value: C -Ambience Pros: The restaurants overlooks the Courtyard so if you get a window seat its an amazing view. When we went they have a violinist which was a pretty nice touch. The menus were adorable; they are printed inside books which is a nice touch given the location. Cons: The restaurant could probably use a few pictures on the wall. The problem is the walls are just plain white, which without being decorated does have a bit of a office building feel. The menu are falling a part (yes, them being in books is a nice touched but when those books are falling apart its kind of awkward). The bathroom is quite far from the restaurant (you have to walk through two hallways to get to it) so that kind of takes you out of the experience a bit. -Customer Service Our waitress was friendly and attentive. She got a big busy towards the end so it took us a bit to get our check but nothing that I'd really complain about. She was really great at refilling our teas in a timely fashion and making suggestions. -Food EH. Nothing was bad, I'll say that right off the bat. Nothing really stood out as being great, either though. I'll do a rundown of each category. Tea: They didn't have as many selections of hot teas as I'm used to when I go for afternoon teas but they did have a nice collection of alcoholic teas and lattes which was a nice touch. The tea was quite good and I really liked that you could switch out the type of tea you got over and over (I ended up trying three). Side Salad: The side salad was an add on and it was fine but nothing impressive. They could have made this $6 salad a bit more appealing by adding a home made dressing but as it was, it was just ok. Sandwiches: The sandwiches were fine. They could have been a bit fresher but they were pretty good. I'm allergic to seafood but my friend said the shrimp one was amazing! Pastries:I thought these were the best out of the three. One of the biscuits were quite dry but tasted great dipped in the tea. The macaroons were really good! Scones: They weren't bad, but they weren't good. They were not the type of scones that could easily break apart, which created a bit of a crummy mess when you tried to. The collated cream also wasn't very authentic, in fact I think it might have just been whipped butter. They jam they served with the scones was really good, however, it wasn't the type normally served with afternoon tea. It tasted good, but not what my mouth was watering for. Price: Afternoon tea in generally is an overpriced endeavor, so my rating on price isn't based on whether its worth the money (I don't think the best Afternoon tea I've had has been worth the money) but rather its worth the money in comparison to other places. If this place was around $25 a person, I'd say it offered good value or if they had slightly better food I'd give them a higher rating, but compared to places like the Langham the value just isn't there. Its not THAT much cheaper than the hotels which do tea better. Overall: I didn't dislike this place, I just didn't think it was worth the money though I am bias to what an afternoon tea is supposed to be. I probably would come back here if I was shopping around the PRU because of its location and the fact that it was decent. This just wouldn't be my go to. read more

If it had been a slightly better value I'd rate it 5 stars but at the cost it was it needed to be a bit more amazing to earn 5 stars. That said our primary server was super nice and she plus the overall team provided excellent service. The scones were buttery and delicious and came with clotted cream and a pretty good if a bit runny and not quite lemony enough lemon curd. The savory treats were ok but not consistently great. Puff pastry with meat was soggy and tasteless. Mini lobster roll ok but nothing special. Salmon mousse was the best of the three and above average if not amazing. read more

The Courtyard Restaurant is tucked within the older portion of the Boston Public Library, just a wee bit hidden, as you have to enter through the Map Room Cafe. There, they serve both lunch and afternoon tea menus: Lunch - (Appetizers $13-15, Entrees $19-22, Desserts $6) Monday through Friday, 11:30 am -2:30 pm. Tea - $35 Wednesday through Friday, 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm. Saturdays 11:30 am - 3:00 pm The day's menus were presented to us tucked within actual hardcover books, with alcoholic beverages listed on the blue printed bookmark. As we had come for a leisurely teatime afternoon, we perused the appropriate menu and made our tea selection from the list on the right. They were conveniently organized by leaves - black, green, herbal, and latte. One dc's enthusiastic pick was the Wedding Blend. The tea purists disfavored the Darjeeling 2nd Flush due to its bitter notes, however, I was not to be dissuaded from selecting it once it was also mentioned to be the recommended tea of another one of our friends. I found the Darjeeling quite nice with my normal dose of sweetener. Our Menu: Savory Tea Sandwiches WILD MUSHROOM BUTTER - Wild Mushroom Butter on Pain de Mie LEMONY SHRIMP SALAD - Lemony Shrimp Salad in Pâte à Choux SMOKED SALMON - Smoked Salmon & Cured Onion on Pumpernickel ROASTED HAM - Roasted Ham & Sharp Cheddar DEVILED CHICKEN - Deviled Chicken & Espelette Pepper CUCUMBER - Cucumber with Lemon Cream Cheese Sweet Petits Fours FRESH FRUIT TARTLET WITH VANILLA CRÈME PATISSERIE ASSORTED FRENCH MACARONS GLAZED LEMON POPPY SEED CAKE RASPBERRY THUMBPRINTS CHOCOLATE SINCLAIRS Tea Scones (2) PLAIN & CURRANT With Accompaniments FRUIT PRESERVES DEVONSHIRE DOUBLE CREAM LEMON CURD Portion were good enough for a full lunch. Though I managed my share of the tower, two others had left a couple of pieces behind. Everything was enjoyable, though I was a bit bummed that I couldn't try each of the rainbow of macarons presented. Least favored would be the ham tea sandwich as it was rather common, and I would recommend using the provided utensils rather than your fingers for the chocolate sinclairs, which may more commonly be considered glazed fudgy brownies. One suggestion I would have for the Courtyard would be for them to consider replacing their tea pots with ones that didn't spill so, which posed a hazard to our tea-time wardrobe. And service was pleasant though the dairy I inquired after never did make it to the table. *** 3/2017 *** 3 weeks in advance I tried to make a Tea reservation for a Saturday near lunch time, but they were all booked up. read more

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For $72, we expected better food. The room is beautiful and the service was friendly and attentive but the food was mediocre. I've had better at half the price. Such a lost opportunity to do something interesting! read more

We were on a schedule, and informed our server, Peter. Peter was tremendous - keeping us on time without making us feel rushed. And, the tea was delicious. A wonderful experience all around! read more

Today I took a special friend to the Courtyard Tea Room, the manager sat us at the worst table possible for us. I called in advance and said it was my friends birthday, but he chose the worst table. I asked for a table near the window, no happy birthday to her or anything. Service was not so great, they were busy. I later told him about this mishap and he apologized but I have to be honest, he didn't care, he didn't pay attention and treated me like I was just another customer standing in line. Terrible, terrible. He also said that he apologized to my mother, whom by the way, was not my mother, we are actually the same age. I was just so disappointed for her, this was a special day. I sat facing the kitchen area as well. He just wasn't thinking, what happened to great customer service and caring for their customers. read more

Tucked away in the Boston public library, the Courtyard is a wonderful spot for afternoon tea. We scheduled our seating for 1:15 pm. They had a great selection of teas, which come in their own individual tea pots. The tea menus came in books which was charming. I found the chai fantastic, though an entire pot of it was too sweet for me. Fortunately, you can change tea orders, so you aren't getting pot after pot of the same beverage. They have a variety of green, black, white and red teas. Afternoon tea comes with a platter of mini sandwiches, desserts and scones in addition to all the tea you can order. They'll cater to any dietary restrictions you have. The sandwiches were delicious and some of the sweets were very rich. There will be one of each item for everyone. Surprisingly, the quantity of food was a perfect amount for lunch. Be prepared to wait during your service though. They seem to take a more leisurely pace here which is both positive and negative. Once seated, they don't rush you to finish your food and you can sit and enjoy conversations with your party over your tea (and fancy hats) but we waited for our waitress to come around to take new tea orders or the check. Afternoon tea took about two hours and was a great way to spend a Saturday with friends. read more

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I came here last Sunday for afternoon tea. I made a reservation in advance since this place is quite popular. We were seated in the large beautiful tea room, I think the smaller map room is for people who are not doing the tea service. This was my first time at tea service ever and I wasn't sure how it was going to work. They gave us a menu of what we were going to get, and the prix fixe menu means you get one of everything (per person). We got a small soup and salad, and many small bites, both savory and sweet, as well as a few scones served with deliciously tart lemon curd and buttery cream. We left absolutely stuffed. They gave us a box to take home some of the leftover desserts. We also got our own teapots of tea and could get refills and try different teas. I really enjoyed the Cozy Copley and the Wedding Blend teas. It was a fun experience, definitely something I would take a friend visiting Boston to. read more

My friend and I were the first in line for afternoon tea on Sunday, so we got a table right by the windows looking out into the courtyard. The chairs were lower than I expected, thus I sank down a little more when sitting. I didn't realize how small the dining area is, but it's a really nice space to catch up with friends over tea. I got the blue flower earl gray tea, which was good after I added milk and sugar. You get a 3-tiered platter with scones, desserts, and savory sandwiches. I really liked the lemon shrimp salad on the brioche. It was light and refreshing and the bread wasn't rock hard like it was for the crostini. Both my friend and I really liked the lemon curd that was served with the scones. My favorite dessert was the lemon meringue tartlet because it wasn't too sweet or dense. Overall, the food was okay, but we had a good experience having tea at BPL with good service. read more

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The tea was yummy, the food was delish but the ambiance and service were meh. For the price of the meal I definitely expected a better level of service. The room is very "sterile" and not warm and inviting at all. Because true library closes at 5, this alarm goes off twice to "warn" patrons that it's time to go. We thought it was an emergency or something. And the staff did t seem to know either. I'm sure they could find a much tackier way to advise people that it's closing time. For the same price, relatively speaking, I'll go to the Four Seasons of Taj for a nicer experience. read more

$39 for your choice of tea, scones, sweet pastries, and savory finger sandwiches. They brew a whole pot of your choice of tea. I got the matcha latte. It was creamy and rich! Scones were great. Typically I don't like scones, but they were fluffy and came with lemon curd, blood orange preserves and Devonshire cream. Sweets were okay. Enjoyed the chocolate cake and the tartlet. The rest were underwhelming. My favorite part is the savory sandwiches. Portobello, shrimp salad, smoked salmon, and maple ham were all flavorful and delicious! OVERALL I'd recommend their afternoon tea for a special occasion! It's expensive for the amount of food you get, but you're also paying for the atmosphere and location. read more

Courtyard Tea Room - Tea Rooms Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

Solid afternoon tea spot with unique sandwich and sweet selection! Would love to return. read more

Courtyard Tea Room - Menu and table scape - Tea Rooms Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

One of my friends works across the street and had always wanted to have afternoon tea so when I visited her in Boston, we finally made it over to the Boston Public Library for tea. When we stepped into the room overlooking the beautiful courtyard, we just stopped and stared. It looked like every five year old girl's tea party dream come true, but fancier. There was a lot of purple and the whole room was very cutesy. We were seated at one of the tables for two next to the window, in these massive purple armchairs. It wasn't busy, but it took a while for our waitress to surface and tell us about the tea. I ordered the Raspbery Herbal Tea and my friend had the Lemon Herbal Tea. In addition to the teas, we had three tiers of finger sandwiches, scones, macarones, tarts, cookies, and all kinds of delicious finger food. We slowly worked our way through all of the food, but in the end, it was too much sugar and we ended up packing some of it to go. Definite favorites include the scone and macarones. All in all, we had a good time. Afternoon tea is definitely a splurge and a lot of sugar, so be sure to save it for a special occasion. read more

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Such a delightful experience! Went here for a birthday celebration for my mom and when I reserved a table you can insert what type of event you're celebrating. So when our platter came it said Happy Birthday on it! Also if it is a birthday celebration they give you a complimentary cocktail. It was suuuper yummy. Now, the food itself. Actually SOO much better than expected. I mean, I didn't think it would be bad but when restaurants serve really aesthetic looking dishes the quality of the foods tends to not always be the best. However the sandwiches were delightful and the desserts were definitely sweet but not too overbearing. Actually, some if the desserts were hella sweet. Specifically the chocolate Sinclairs. But hey, if u like really sweet stuff then you'll love all of the desserts. The tea comes separately and it's free refills! Now, the price. It ended up costing $97 in total including tip and tbh, it is a bit pricey. HOWEVER the experience and ambience make up for it. The staff was also super nice. I will for sure come back again one day. Give this place a try if you're ever in Boston and want to dress bougie and eat bougie read more

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I've been here a couple of times. The most enjoyable part of the three-tier plate is some of the sandwiches, and the macarons. Most of the sweets were pretty awful. So were the scones, which were served unfortunately cold with whipped cream instead of the essence of a cream tea: clotted cream. One star for the decor, one for the tea selection, and one for the sandwiches and macarons combined. Taj is much better. read more

As a dessert and tea enthusiast, I was thrilled when my boyfriend took me here for afternoon tea. Located inside the Boston Public Library, the Courtyard is the perfect place to spend time with good company and enjoy delicious small bites. On weekdays, their afternoon tea prix fixe is $39 which includes a series of small desserts, finger sandwiches and scones along with your choice of tea. You actually get one free refill as well and are welcome to switch out your teas after the first round of you wish you try something new. For tea, I started off with their earl grey and later transitioned to their white tea while my boyfriend started with jasmine and ended with their monthly special, the Cozy Copley which was a earl grey blend served with milk. Their teas along with their small bites were delightful! There wasn't anything we didn't enjoy. The service was good and I also really appreciated the aesthetic of the room itself as well. Amazing experience, I highly recommend! read more

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Despite having worked 2+ years in the same building and just steps away from the tea room, I'd never even been inside there until my sister specifically requested afternoon tea for her birthday. With the Taj and Langham hotels closed for renovations respectively, I looked up availability ASAP and there was only one booking left for that day. I snatched it and then silently counted down to the day. A couple days before, though, they called and said they needed to move our booking up by half an hour because they had to host an event. No big deal as long as we had our allotted 90 minutes. On the day of, we got there early and waited for the tea room to open up. We checked and were brought to our table where we were given menus tucked away in hardcover books. I chose the white peony tea, which was actually something I'd been thinking of drinking. The birthday girl got her jasmine pearl, my dad ordered a green and my mom had the white peony as well. We started off with summer salads with strawberries, and then the lovely tower of finger sandwiches, scones and petit fours. I personally liked the Maine lobster finger sandwich, plain scone with Devonshire cream (can't say no to clotted cream) and the macarons. They were all very good but nothing to write home about. In the end, I think I enjoyed the atmosphere of having tea with my family to celebrate my sister's birthday way more than the food. It was easily one of the most fanciest experiences we've had as a family. read more

TLDR: The service was horrible. The food wasn't impressive. Don't waste your money, really. Go somewhere else. The one star is for the location inside the BPL and some of the tea selections (just White Peony really). Other than that, our experience here couldn't be any worse. A few days ago, my friend called them to reserve a table. No one picked up the phone so she left a message with the time and number of people that we would like to reserve for. I was at BPL at the time so I went inside to see if I could make a reservation right away. They told me to call the number (why can't I just do it there??). I told them we did but no one picked up the phone. The receptionist said to leave a message. After all, we did that so we thought we were all set. Today we went there and they said they didn't receive any reservation... Hmmm. Interesting. Anyway, we wanted to check out this place so we waited for an hour for a table. When we came back after an hour, it took them 20' to set up the table. While that was going on, some of the employees kept coming back to us to check if we wanted table for 2.... I don't get it. We said many times that we wanted table for 4... one of the employees also looked nowhere near friendly and walked away, saying "Jesus". Um... we are paying $50 per person to eat here. What's with that service? For the price, the food is just so not worth it. Only one or two out of the savory options were tasty. The pastries were way too sweet. To top it off, we were given the checked half way through our meal. I mean, really? I understand that the place would be closing soon, but isn't there a nicer way to say it? Our whole party were so disappointed. It's hard to put into words how horrible our experience was. For sure we're not coming back here ever. For that price, there are many other afternoon tea places that are way better. Please, don't waste your time and money. read more

In my opinion, the courtyard restaurant at BPL is the best place for afternoon tea in Boston! Refined yet not stuffy and with great sandwiches and sweets, overlooking the gorgeous BPL courtyard, I highly recommend! Overall: 4.5/5 Value: 4.5/5 Service: 4/5 Decor: 4.5/5 Food: 4.5/5 One of the most sumptuous tiered platters you'll find for afternoon tea, packed chock full of goodies. $45 per person set menu on weekends (I believe $39 during week, with option to add soup/salad for $6), and you just select the tea. I like that they include both sweets and savory sandwiches in the set (when I went to the Taj, you had to get the most expensive set in order to get savory sandwiches). They also recently added a soup or salad as a starter, which makes it more like a comprehensive meal. The teas are delicate and delicious - I love the white tea and the earl grey. They also have matcha latte and earl grey latte by the pot too. Unlimited refills. Sometimes service gets a tad slow but in general attentive and nice. Not a cheap experience but good value compare to similar spots and pricing. Make reservations in advance! I'd call if you don't see your preference since sometimes they have more flexibility than listed online. Highly recommend here for afternoon tea! read more

Courtyard Tea Room - Afternoon tea - Tea Rooms Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

It's been over a year since my first and last visit here. Again the service was limited but weather was better (no snow on the ground) so the view was a bit nicer. Still retains a classy and elegant atmosphere but again, the server was not attentive. Water glasses remained empty and tea pots were refilled once after multiple attempts to wave down any server. Same selection of sandwiches (disappointed the menu hasn't changed in over a year) and the desserts were more rich and heavy than I remembered. Most memorable was the Wild Mushroom Butter on Pain de Mie Sandwich. Again I was disappointed in the pastries, especially the macarons. Just walk around the Boston Public Library, and enjoy the view. Save your money and go elsewhere for tea time. read more

The price and quality here did not match. I believe it was $39/person without sparkling wine. I felt like the sandwiches tasted like nothing and the dessert were bought somewhere else and taken out of the fridge. Tea was good but overall, it was very disappointing. I rather pay more and go to the nicer hotels in Boston for tea time. read more

Courtyard Tea Room - Tea time. - Tea Rooms Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

After 25 years of living in Massachusetts I hadn't ever been to the Copley library until now. This was the perfect way to celebrate my friend's birthday. The library has two rooms where you can get tea, both rooms have very different vibes. I personally liked the brighter room for the occasion. For $48 you get to select an appetizer and a tea. This comes with various sandwiches, scones, and desserts. I have included a photo of the options available the day we visited. I wished they had noted that the appetizers were option, it was $6 and the price was included in the $48 but I wouldn't have ordered it if I had known. I chose the Cozy Copley for tea and it was delicious, I highly recommend if it is still on the menu. The service was incredible! If you're decided on where you want to go for high tea in Boston I think this place is great! Especially located in the culturally significant Copley Library. read more

I recently attended a wedding shower at the Courtyard for a family member and it was amazing! I was dreading it because I have celiac and assumed I would just drink the tea and miss out on the amazing crumpets. Not true! They accommodated me with a whole tray of gluten free treats, AND they tasted great! Wahooo!! Their staff was not only knowledgeable and accommodating but also discreet which is much appreciated. I will host my next event at this location. read more

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This is an absolute must if you're in Boston for a weekend! It's such a beautiful space, the teas are exquisite, and the service was amazing. It was such a fun experience, we loved it! read more