the food was super cold & hard, the bus had no heat it was very cold. the tea was not great however the entertainment did its best. ride was shorter than stated online. overall not worth $179. read more

Overall, the experience was incredibly disappointing. The lack of communication, accountability, and basic organization between staff and management was unacceptable. I would strongly advise others to avoid this tour until the company seriously improves its operations. Our group of six had booked a 3:00 PM slot and arrived at the pickup location at 2:15 PM -- 45 minutes early. At 2:45 PM, a bus arrived, but staff told us it was for the 2:00 PM group and that they were running behind schedule. We were told our 3:00 PM bus might not arrive until 3:30 PM or later and were advised we had time to grab a quick bite, as long as we returned by 3:30 PM. We came back on time, only to be told we had missed our bus. The staff had clearly given us incorrect information, and no one seemed to have a clue what was happening. There was zero communication or coordination -- just total disarray. Even more frustrating, both the staff and the on-site supervisor admitted it was their mistake and took responsibility, yet they had no control over the situation and couldn't help us. We were told to contact customer care for a refund or rescheduling. When we called the customer care, we were put on hold for 30 minutes before the call was disconnected. On calling again, we were told there would be no refund and that we'd have to pay a $50 rescheduling fee per person. This is completely unprofessional, the least they can do is refund for the inconvenience caused or help reschedule to a later date. read more

The staff was nice, but the food sick. I recommend that the food is more fresher and not sit out. You need to have the food cover. This is a health and sanitation issues. read more

What a waste of money!!! The sandwiches were made with thick tasteless bread. The mocktail was just Welch's juice. The scones were delicious!!!!! The tour guides voice was annoying and people were talking so much and loud you really couldn't enjoy the tour. The tour guide also sang. Not sure why as her voice was terrible and the song choice was !@#$%^&*. I would suggest a new caterer, better choice of pumped in music. One good thing is that the employees are GREAT!!! read more

Great experience! The staff was amazing. Brianna, was great with all the your information and her singing. Tanesha did a wonderful job serving the teas and Davon made the ride smooth with his driving. read more

Ambience 5 out of 5: Nice decor, well outfitted bus, not just pink everywhere, clean, organized. Singing by hostess was a nice touch. Food and Tea: 2 out of 5 (basic level food package- which was still pricey): Some were hits; most of the sandwiches/desserts were NOT. Food was warm and bread dry; the teas were interesting though we only got a small taste and didn't get all of the different tea varieties advertised. They did also have cold bottled water which we got more of when we asked. Tea service was SLOW. Touristy: 2 out of 5- Touring was challenged because of road closures on a Saturday. Most of the time they didn't say anything about the monuments we were passing (luckily we are local to DC so we knew that). Big windows so easy to see. We were in the back so had a nice view on 3 sides. Organization: 2 out of 5- Originally wanted the DC to Annapolis trip which they canceled though it is still up on their site. 15 minutes before we were to arrive they changed the pick-up location. Said we were going to 85 minutes of touring and it was actually 60 minutes exactly. It was okay- TLDR- would not recommend this experience. Also not great for those who get queasy eating on moving things. We would not do this again. read more

Brianna and the crew did an amazing job for our tea service! They were kind, friendly, accommodating, and worked hard to make this an amazing experience! Brianna also has an amazing voice to make you feel like you were in a high class jazz club. I will definitely go again when I come back to DC. The food kind of sat in the sun so it wasn't the best but it was still good. I was always missing a sandwich from my savory plate, hence the 4 stars. read more

The check in was easy but that's about all I can say that is positive. The audio music was SO loud and they kept playing the same annoying song over and over again. The airconditioner was not working so it was very hot in the bus. Because of the pride evens the normal tour route had to be changed, and with it raining, we couldn't get any good photos from the bus. The food was terrible. The bread and pastreys were stale, dry, and not very tasty. The deserts were over flavored or under flavored. For the price of the tickets I don't feel it was worth my money, I could have gone to the St Regis paid the same or a little more and had a better experience. The wait staff were great But I feel I got gipped, honestly ripped off. read more

The overall concept/idea of Tea, mini sandwiches and desserts being served while touring DC was good. But this company (Tea Around Town DC) missed the mark in so many ways. 1st the times were changed several times because of over booking on Mother's Day. Yes, I expected a few delays, but not several. The original time booked was 2:30 but because the group was large, it was moved to 4:30, then the last change was 6:00 pm. So we all arrived 15 minutes early, approximately 5:45, ready to board the bus at 6:00. Well that never happened. The associate that was checking people in stated that he was only concerned with checking in the 5:15 group. Of course this was 6:00 and they company was already 45 minutes behind schedule. So we waited patiently to be checked in and to be called. We never were called, so we asked the associate, when will the bus arrived, it was now approx. 6:10 pm and the group that was originally scheduled for 5:15, had boarded and was just pulling off with only 4 -6 people on the bus. The associate stated that was your bus, but we had no idea because he only called out the people for 5:15 reservation. So we asked him could he stopped the bus, since it was a few steps from where we waiting and was stopped the red light, he said no, and non chantantly, told us to call customer service, and ignored us for the rest of the evening. We called customer service and was put on hold several times. When we asked for a refund, were put on hold again. Finally Tony one of your awesome employees was able to get a person on the phone and we we told a bus would come back for us. While now its 8:25 pm and its dark. So the large party boarded the bus for tea, sandwiches and desserts and the tour of DC. Well the servers and singer was awesome, but really what could we see in the dark, not much. Yes, we did receive a small refund, that was most appreciated. The servers, singer and Tony is the reason for the 2 stars, they were awesome and professional. Not at all what I expected. read more

I bought 4 tickets for the 10:30 tour. Arriving 15 minutes early as told with my two young grandchildren and my daughter. there was a match going on so Penn. Ave was closed. 30 minutes past departure time we see about 25 people standing in a corner. waiting also for the bus. no one received a text or email that the location had changed. finally someone comes over and tells us the location has changed to two blocks away. we were 40 minutes late. the food was ok, the bus was beautifully decorated. however the mic did not work so we have no commentary. they cut our tour short and offered us one of our teas to go. No apologies for the mix up.... nothing. can not say I would recommendation this tour read more

Hey Gals. This experience was an interesting one. I want to start off with the pros: 1. The decor was so beautiful. The attention to the theme was amazing. Very elegantly done. It reminded me of Bridgerton. 2. This is a nice outing for the ladies who love the tea party concept. The guests were dressed to the tea so you don't feel out of place if you dress up. 3. The employees were very pleasant. They were helpful with any issues. There was a wasp inside the bus at my seat. The waitress was able to assist and help us retain it and get it off the bus. 4. The waitress was very good at explaining the different teas we were given. 5. I admire the tour guide for continuing the tour after the microphone had some technical difficulties. The tour guide was able to project his voice loud enough for us to hear enough. 6. If you are looking for a nice photo op, this bus is the perfect background for that. The theme was outstanding. 7. There were real plates and utensils. Quite elegant. 8. The bus had a moonroof which was awesome as we didn't feel so closed in. 9. You are able to see the city. Con's: Let me start off by saying $99 for the petite menu option was not worth it so I know $125 for the Luxe menu option was not worth it. I understand that you are paying for the menu and the experience but it is still not worth it to me. Let me tell you why: 1. An app needs to be downloaded in order to download your ticket so it can be scanned. Not ideal for me personally. I would prefer the ticket to be pulled via my email. 2. The sandwiches were not amazing. There was more bread than filling. I believe for that price, there should have been more filling in each sandwich. 3. The food options seemed to be store bought. Not worth the price. 4. The tour itself was not informational. It was playful. I personally was expecting more history of the city to be told. 5. The tour guide was singing. It was cute but we could have lived without it. 6. The cup holder was broken & stuck to my souvenir tea tumbler. I told the waitress and she took it off my tumbler and gave it back to me to place back in the hole. Hopefully, they were able to repair it. 7. The microphone had technical difficulties. 8. They did not give us enough tea. For each different tea, they gave about a quarter of the tumbler. I was expecting for the tumbler to be at least filled half way. 9. If you have a big party, it will be hard to get everyone seated together. You may have to book everyone's ticket together in order to be seated near each other. Overall, the experience was good. In a social media era, this was great for the photos and aesthetics. I personally would not attend again just based on what I personally was expecting. This may be a good option for someone else. Suggestion: I believe they should get a photographer or at least a professional camera. This would be a good option for guests who want a nice picture on the bus. read more

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Update: still fighting for my money back from this company, please be aware they are shady. I did take the trip here in DC. The servers were great. The food was dry by the time we sat down. The tea was nice. could hardly hear the young lady giving the tour narrative. Was it worth the $270 I spent. No. read more

Such a cute experience! The teas were very tasty. Take a tour in the spring DC is very cold in January.

I came here with my volleyball team and the staff were negative towards my teammates. They're are assigned seats on this bus and you CANNOT choose these. They told us we couldn't sit together, we came here to be togther. So, we ended up switching seats and sitting togther. The first thing I wanted to try was the chocolate strawberry, I bite in and this strawberry was mushy. The juice sprayed everywhere, my cake pop was hard. It tasted like hard cookie dough, this isn't a problem for me but it was for my teammates. The chocolate is extremely waxy and would flop upon impact rather than actually break. This was 110 $ PER PERSON. This is extremely overpriced for the quality I was given, if this was 75 $ this wouldn't be a problem. I appreciate the to go boxes, tea, and water to be taken home. This is insane. The speakers were extremely glitchy and the tour guide didn't know what she was saying. I don't beileve she knew what she was reading. (No hate to her I'm sure she's not paid enough). Some stale food was on my table, and I don't feel this bus is cleaned enough. The windows are dirty which hender the pictures. I wouldn't recommend the 5 o'clock time, it got too dark to see the White House. Also, bordering took WAY too long. We had to wait for for people who were late! I don't recommend this place. read more

First I want to start by saying that this is a wonderful concept and we may have gotten a bus with poor service. We got on the bus, which was beautifully decorated, without a hitch. We had paid for the luxe package. At each table they had the tea service setup, we were a party of two and got two of everything. The food itself would have been much better if it was fresh. It seemed like it had been sitting out for a while as the cold salad items were warm and a small crust had formed on the cheeses and the cheesecake dessert had separated and tasted off. The big item for us was the trip is called "tea around DC" and we never got a full cup of tea. They came around at the beginning offering an ice tea, I asked for some. I got 1 inch in my cup. I asked for a little more and the man said no and stated there needs to be enough for everyone (my companion opted not to have any, so maybe I could have gotten another inch?). This is a 90 min tour, 20 min in and we hadn't seen another server for more tea (keep in mind my companion still hadn't had any tea). We finally got the attention of a different server who came around with another ice tea, this time I got 1/4 of my cup, a little better. The tour continued and based on the description there should have been 5 or 6 teas, we only got to "taste" 3 with two being ice teas and barely a taste. If you add it up we never got a full cup of tea for afternoon tea. It is a great concept but they need to ensure it has fresh food on every bus and that you really get a tea service. My suggestion is to give the tables a pick of the five or six teas when they get on like you would at a tea house, you'd order a pot of tea, then for safety just come around with hot water and fill each cup. Maybe have an ice tea as an option. read more

Tea Around Town - Food - Bus Tours Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

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I wanted to love it but the whole experience was a let down. Things to know: parties of 4 can be split into separate tables of two that are back-to-back not side by side so there's no way to interact. Apparently it's a regular thing they do as a money grab to fill the bus, but they don't let you know you've been split up until the bus is ready to take off, and then say there's nothing they can do. As others have said, the food was stale and pretty unappetizing. The decor is literally pink Christmas decorations. You'd think during the Cherry Blossom Festival they could at least add a couple branches of cherry blossoms which are inexpensive on Amazon, but nope they're sticking with cheap pink Christmas decorations year round. Also the windows are dirty so it's hard to take pictures. The only positive thing was the servers who tried their best, and it's really not their fault. But I would not recommend this to anyone. The cute videos you see on TikTok were made by influencers who got special treatment in exchange for advertising. Regular folks beware: your experience will not live up to the hype. Tea Around Town is a pricey disappointment. read more

Hello, I left a review on Google but it doesnt allow you to leave a seond review. After my first review they reached out to ask me to email them a more detailed review. Below is the review I sent them include pictures from the trip. They offered me $39. I spent $278 on the Luxe package. "I recently submitted a google review regarding my experience with Tea Around Town DC recounting my displeasure with the tour. I will give a full recount of the events and my reasoning behind them. Tour ID number: 448304621309. I reserved the 1pm tour which on the app says boarding is 15mins before departure. I arrived at 12:38. By 12:45 a crowd was gathering and there was no bus in sight. At 1:07pm a bus pulled up and let off a large group. This bus then moved down some and dropped off 1 person, an employee. I thought this person would let us know of the reason for the delay or atleast address us. No, they avoided eye contact and found a place to sit ignoring the growing crowd. At 1:35 the bus pulls up and now the employee who got off the bus is getting on. A male employee named Andrew then addressed the group that they would be boarding soon. Circling back, with Luxe you are supposed to have priority boarding. No, we were all crowded around in one big group waiting. The 2 women in fron to me went to get their tickets scanned and that's when Andrew announced this is the 1pm bus not the 1:30 bus. Well you could have fooled me and you certainly fooled them. I boarded at 1:38pm. The bus pulled off around 1:40/1:41pm. I was sitting in the back left booth with a party of 3 to my right, a party of 4 in front of them and 2 parties of 2 in front of me. The 2 booths in front of me were a party of 4 that were seperated. One of the patrons brought their own photographer. Andrew made an announcement we would be moving and started the safety debrief and stated to not get up while the bus was moving and to wait for a stop if we needed to get up. The photographer got up during this debrief and nothing was said. He got up multiple times during the tour having his posterior in one woman's face. He sat in the party of 3's empty seat and had his arm in my sister's face. I was sittin to the back and he was taking pictures out the window behind me and beside me having his camera in my face. I was unable to even enjoy what little view we had with his disturbance and not once was he addressed by our guides. The Luxe food advertised vs what we were served is reprehensible. I have attached images of what is advertised on the website vs what we were actually served. As I stated the crab dip/salad was sour. It was in a wonton cup vs the "vol au vent pastry bowl" that is advertised. The napoleon was not a crisp pumpernickel crostinis but a slice of bread, maybe even a baguette with some chunky spread. All the sandwiches were on thick toasted white.wheat bread when 2 of them are supposed to be soft on white bread. The cucumber was the saddest "slice" ive ever seen, almost paper thin. The "crisp"veggies were anything but, soggy, wilted and wet. The deserts were not as advertised either. The cheesecake is shown as either a muffin holder, it was wet and runny served in a cup. The chocolate mousse tart was just mousse in a cup which was chunky and had little bits in it. The eclair and macarons were basic so nothing there. The lemon meringue was just a crust and meringue, no lemon filling or flavor. The berry tart's "fresh seasonal berries" looked so sad I didn't even get a picture of it let alone taste it. The scone for Luxe was advertised as a cranberry scone with what can be assumed is icing on it. As well as a regular scone. What we got was a brown scone that tasted like cinnamon. Just the one flavor. The adirondack preserves and cloud 9 creme were just prepackaged single serve jelly and butter. Smuckers. As far as the tea's go, they advertise peppermint lemon, raspberry pomegranate, english breakfast, mixed berry hibiscus, earl gray and vanilla bean. They also have 3 different types of ice tea advertised, beauty blossom peach, moonlight current and summer passion. When asked if they were serving any ice teas they said no. As you can see 6 hot teas were listed. We were offered raspberry tea twice, the table beside us was offered raspberry, then early gray and raspberry again. No others were offered. I was also displeased with the fact we did not have any way to dump out the tea so we could try a new flavor. There was no ice tea offered. like i mentioned the mocktail just tasted like sparkling water with a splash of flavored tea. The server came upstairs 5 times but my table was only offered tea twice and it was the same tea we had. The tour advertised 14 attractions.I remember 4-5 that were actually announced. After some time the tour guide just got quiet. We parked to off-board at 2:27pm. The tour was advertised as 1hr and 30mins. From 1:38pm when I boarded to 2:27pm when we off-boarded it was 49mins. I paid $278 for 49 mins! $278 FOR 49MINS read more

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super cute and the crowd it brings is all decked out, which was really fun. don't be shy to wear your fascinator!

Great way to see the top highlights of Washington DC in a cozy, impeccably decorated pink tea bus! The food was lovely, the tea was hot and the staff were amazing! They even provided live music during the tour!! This was just super fun!!! read more

it was a good experience but we wasn't on the bus for 90 minutes. waiting outside in the heat. we aint get on the bus til 3:50 and didn't pull of til 4:20 waiting on people. There was stale food. And I feel like i should be confiscated for false advertising. read more

Nice chill ride through DC. Our singing guide Valarie N. was knowledgeable, funny, and had a beautiful voice, she was perfect. Food and desserts were delicious too especially the scones. I didn't drink any of the teas strangely enough I know, but they didn't sound appealing to me. They were cinnamon, some kind of raspberry, and mango something or other. However it was a great little trip around town. Highly recommend. read more

not high tea. more like lipton on a booty bus. seriously look up the definition of high tea and start over. bus was 1.5 late. bus bathroom was a porta potty with a sparkly pink seat over the stinking hole full of blue foulness and floor covered in some form of fluid. tea was served from a pitcher into plastic sports cups. the cakes were beyond stale. read more

The finger foods were okay. Nothing spectacular. We could have done without the singing. The tour guide gave incorrect information and we could barely hear her. Our waitress MaKayla did a good job serving the tea. It would be nice if they offered to take pictures outside of the bus and more inside. Definitely not worth the $350 we spent for the 4 of us. I probably wouldn't recommend for the price. read more

The food was amazing! Makayla, the server, was extremely friendly and made the trip enjoyable!

This experience had a number of things right, but they missed the mark on a big one that soured the whole thing. I paid the deluxe price to be assured of priority boarding and a private table for my family of 4 since two of the members are elderly. I was able to look past the fact that some of the upgraded foods I was to receive were not there. I didn't really care much that iced tea was not available even though it was supposed to be. We were even there the 15 minutes before boarding on a very cold day only for the bus to be late, but even that didn't really matter. But what I could not understand is that my family of 4 was separated even though there were booths for 4 on the bus. When we checked in and were told we were at different tables, I pointed it out in plenty of time to rectify the situation. The manager on duty said he had no power to change the computer seating. I've been fighting with customer service ever since to try to get a refund for the difference in price between the deluxe package and basic since I did not get the deluxe service. Instead of apologies, I'm getting excuses and the runaround and no solution after two weeks so far of back and forth. It's sad that something with such potential has such horrid leadership that they mess up the most basic thing. read more