Holly K.

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.

Jen H.

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!

Joy H.

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.

Cherie F.

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!

Gary L.

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

Colanie B.

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!

Tiffany L.

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.

Jennifer K.

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

Annie W.

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.

Linda Z.

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