We arrived at 11:45 on a Saturday and were seated right away. The restaurant was mostly full and the vibe was good. We had heard that service could be slow but we had no idea what we were in for. There were 3 women working the place. Waitress #1 took our order for tea and lunch. She then seemed to disappear. 40 minutes later I was about to get up and approach the kitchen and waiter #2 came to the table to apologize. Our order - had accidentally not been placed - but would be out shortly. Waitress #1 reappeared 20 minutes later with our tea and apologized for the mixup. That's one hour just to get tea! I told her she could make up for it with dessert - hint hint. We then waited another 30 minutes before the food arrived - delivered by waitress #3. SERIOUSLY UNBELIEVABLE. No mention from the wait staff as to any timing issues. We enjoyed our lunch and then ordered dessert which arrived in less than 5 minutes. I asked for the check, fearing further timing delays. We were not comped for the dessert. 2 hours on a simple lunch? I WOULD NOT RECOMMEND THIS PLACE. read more

Special Teas - 1/2 an English muffin with mushrooms and melted cheddar. - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Northborough, Massachusetts

Ok, nice little country vibe they have going. But they stuff WAY too many tables into small rooms not meant for a restaurant. And it took 15 minutes for the waitress to come over and at least another 30 for the tea and food to come out. And $6 for a tiny piece of lemon tart? methinks not. read more

Special Teas is a charming little lunch spot in a beautifully historic building located in the quaint little town of Northborough, MA. Its a great place to treat your mother or grandmother too, although men are certainly welcomed as well. Almost everything is homemade, or at least has that homemade taste. All their sandwiches and melts are served on their own homemade savory scones. The teas are served in these beautiful glass teapots that sit atop tea candle warmers. My favorite tea is the Green Pear Rooibos tea. Their specials of the day are always changing and their curried tuna salad plate is delicious! The shop is run by a great group of ladies that really make you feel like you are being invited to their house for tea! And the deserts....what a selection! I've brought my husband, my mother, my grandmother and my mother-in-law here, all on separate occasions, and they have all raved about it. read more

This place was adorable. Went there for the first time on Saturday. Cute location in Northborough with a crafts store in the same parking lot. The ladies behind the counter were super friendly. In the beginning, the service was a bit slow - I think they were setting up for a large group. But the waitress apologized and was on top of everything. My hubby and I ordered the pot of house chai - absoutely delicious. He got soup and scones, then we both got a toastie - food was wonderful. For dessert we had brownie cake and ice cream. The decor is very cute with country napkins and place settings. We sat in front of a nonworking fireplace. The whole experience was great. I'm going to be bringing my mom and girlfriends back there for sure. read more

This is a really cute place to have tea. I enjoy it very much and their selection is extensive. I'd definitely recommend it to friends.

Went here with my Mom when she was visiting from out of state. It was a great lunch and delightful experience!! Will defiintely be back and will tell others about it! read more

Everytime my daughter and I spend the day together we head for Special Teas for lunch. It is our favorite place! It is so much fun and so cozy and the owner is wonderful. The food is so delicious regardless what you order. We have never not liked our soup or sandwich or their delcious salads. And you can't beat the atmosphere. Their variety of teas is fun to choose from also. Give it a try! read more

Special Teas is a special place full of fantastic homemade food, fabulous tea, and delicious desserts. The staff is friendly and accommodating. I have been going for years. My only complaint is that they have gotten so many good reviews, it's not such a well kept secret anymore. You'll love it if you go but you should know, to be fair, that it's not a place (usually) for a quick lunch. They have a small kitchen and small staff so you may have to wait sometimes, but always worth the wait! read more

Try the lime tart that's on a delectable shortbread crust. Perfection. Truly ... perfection. Delightful service and amazing food!

Very disappointed with the service. I can't review the food or tea because we waited so long for both/either (over 30 minutes waiting after being brought the wrong tea once) that we finally left. We had a very similar experience a year ago-- the service was sooooooooo slow, for no apparent reason. We were hoping it was an isolated incident so gave it another try today. We will not be going back. It's too bad because we'd really like to support a locally owned small business. read more

Love this place! Soups are awesome, and you have to try the raspberry walnut chocolate tart!

Great place for tea lovers! Good variety of tea, delicious food, friendly and helpful staff.

I'm from Wilmington via England, and went here today with my daughter, I was disappointed with the waiting area which i thought was off putting, and I knew we'd have to wait a bit, but OMG. was it worth it, We had the tea for two, with a full pot of tea kept warm on heated trivet in a glass tea pot, assorted little (sarnies) British for sandwiches, and delightful little deserts, including delish scones with clotted cream and strawberry jam YUM, and tiny lemon tarts in filo dough shells, with a tiny blueberry on top, to die for,lots of other tiny deserts, my daughter ate all the chocolate ones, we enjoyed every single delicious bite, didn't have room for desert, but next time, and we are going back, I think we will have tea, and sample the deserts, what I saw being served to other patrons looked very good and very generous portions, and the next time after that, we will try some of the savory selections. Can't wait to go back. I also loved the mismatched, place mats, napkins, and furnishings. read more

I have been here a number of times & the problem is always the same. This is a quaint little home turned into a tea room. The interior is tastefully decorated, the menu items very creative & delicious with numerous selections of teas to choose from. The problem? The service. My college daughter, me & another college girl were the first ones to arrive when the place opened, thus the first ones seated. Why in the world it should take one hour to prepare 2 sandwiches & a spinach salad is beyond me. Two woman at another table in the same room who sat after us ordered the exact sandwiches as my daughter & her friend, yet they were served first & even finished before our meal arrived. After waiting 45 min. for our meal to arrive I took a walk thru the dining area on my way to the restroom & noticed the place had filled up quickly. Some of them had their food already, yet here we sat. The waitress brought our cups of tea quickly, but never returned. I had to flag her down for more tea & to inquire about our meals. Our meals were delicious, but frankly two hours for a simple lunch is kinda crazy. I figured by arriving first thing, everything would move along, but that is not the case here. So....if you don't mind waiting over an hour for your food to arrive, & don't have any plans for the rest of the day, enjoy a meal here. read more

Perfect place because of food, atmosphere and tea! BUT, the service stinks. Most of the wait staff is pleasant on a good day, but on a bad day, watch out! Can be rude, snooty and lack customer service to the point they make you feel like you made a mistake and walked into a place that doesn't serve lunch! I have had an equal amount of good service and bad service but the bad service has been severe enough to make me decide I will never go back. It is too bad, too. I doubt they will notice because they are so caught up in themselves. I doubt they will care because they will be happy not to be as busy. In this economy, they should rethink their customer service and pretend to like their customers whether they come when they are at their busiest or come when there is no one there. I had a birthday party there for my daughter's Sweet Sixteen with her special friends. It was lovely. But, when I returned for lunch with my two daughters months later, they were busy and looked at us like we had three heads to show up on a weekday for lunch. They turned us away instead of telling us that we would have a bit of a wait. 'We have no tables'. No, 'sorry' or 'would you like to wait or come back later'. Just, 'we have no tables'. I called to make reservations the next time, and I was RUDELY told that they only take reservations for 5. I thought for a moment and told her that I would bring 2 friends. She basically told me that I was a liar b/c I was probably not going to bring 2 friends. So, I calmly said 'thank you' and I hung up. A lost customer and I will share my story with anyone who asks! read more