Miss Hickory's Tea Room is a quaint tea house right next to the scenic Mill Stream Run Reservation…read more There's a softness to the place with its charming teapots and tea cups, pastel color scheme, and themed tea rooms. I had the loveliest afternoon tea with my mom at Miss Hickory's.
AMBIANCE: You'll step back into the 1900's with time-specific decor and waitresses' attire. Miss Hickory's occupies a mid-1800s farmhouse that was owned by the first blacksmith in Strongsville, William Weller. The current owners preserved the historic charm, transformed the farm house into multi-room tea house. There are two main dining areas on the first floor, and multiple gorgeous themed tea rooms upstairs (like the Gathering Room and Storybook Tea Room). The interior contains a lot of refurbished and vintage furniture, charming housewares, and decor. Think pastels, florals, and lace. The space comfortably accommodates big groups and pairs. Small parking lot is available onsite, consider car pulling if attending with a large group.
RESERVATIONS: I personally despise the commitment of reservations, but the process here is very easy. I emailed the tea house, received same day email response, and was not charged to hold the reservation. The tea room space started filling very quickly at open, so it's best to reserve your space.
FOOD/TEA: Multi-page menu will accommodate all types of tastes. Find another seasonal menu at your table with all the flavors of the season. The menu contains signature plates, sandwiches, soups, sides, sweets, desserts, and beverages. You can have anything from a full tea feast to no tea at all equally enjoying your time. If you're a tea connoisseur, read all tea descriptions at the end of the menu.
We ordered Miss Hickory's High Tea Sampler ($23 per person) that contains a shareable 3-tier serving tray with finger sandwiches, wonton cups, strawberries, scones, sweets, and crème. While I have seen larger portions at other tea houses, the food amount was very filling. Everything was extremely fresh, much fresher than experienced at other tea houses. I most enjoyed the walnut scones, they were so delicious! The standalone menu items seemed expensive and were served in very small quantities based on our observation of other guests. I don't think that ordering standalone items offers value. My mom thought that the experience was pricey, while I think it's about at market price.
Since the tea is not included in the sampler, we ordered and shared two tea pots - Loose Leaf Arctic Berry and Black Currant ($4 per teapot with refills but no sharing). They were served with a tea warmer which was incredible, I love me some hot tea! The flavors started out very mild then evolved during our experience due to longer steeping. We agreed that Arctic Berry was our favorite tea. If you're not into loose leaf teas, you'll discover a very long Twinings selection.
EXPERIENCE FOR KIDS: Many guests arrived with kids who were very enthusiastic about tea parties. They wore adorable matching outfits. Kids received their own tea experience - tiny tea cups and teapot. It was really cute! The room upstairs (Storybook Tea Room) seems to well accommodate anyone with children, has fairytales book, and play tea set. I can envision an adorable children's tea party in this space.
SERVICE: The service is extremely attentive. Five stars! Our waitress was so kind, efficient, and just generally pleasant. She presented us with a demo of additional desserts for purchase at the end of the dining experience. One of them was Bridgerton-inspired Mille-feuille! We didn't have any more room for desserts, but they looked really elaborate!
The owner inquired how our experience was at the end of our afternoon tea as well which felt especially welcoming.
SHOP: The tea house has a small shopping area by the entrance. The cutest things are tea cup cards with tea bags!
We loved our calm and delicious afternoon tea. We plan to return during nature's more scenic seasons like winter or the vibrant time of fall. I think that the views by the tea house will be unmatched. I have to say that it's one of my best tea house experiences.