Alice's Tea Cup

I took the two children I nanny for there on Valentines Day (this post is late) and thought it would be a fun environment for the children but it was opposite. The staff seemed to have an issue with the cash register and had me on hold to even place a drink order for about 15 minutes. At that time both children (2 and 5 months) were beginnung to get antsy. They finally brought us water and as she poured my water into the mason jar it went all over the place including ON my iphone 4s. Apparently there was a GIANT hole on the bottom of my glass. It was complete chaos and the waitress did nothing but look at the mason jar totally confused. Thinking we would at least get a tea on the house or a free kid meal we were still charged full price, put our meals in to go boxes and left miserable.

Having read prior reviews, I must disagree, and felt I must write of my experience, which was very nice. I took my daughter during winter break and yes, we encountered an hour wait. But the hostess sprinkled my daughter and I with "fairy dust" to her and my delight. She offered me a complimentary cup of a new flavor of tea vanilla riboos, which was hot and delicious, not cold nor burnt. She showed us some books my daughter could read while we waited. We were seated not long after. My daughter had a grilled cheese sandwich, which she said was "really great". I had tea and a delicious pumpkin scone. Service was somewhat slow, but our waitress was pleasant. The atmosphere was happy and cheerful, and we were not rushed out like at many other theme restaurants I have taken my daughter to. This winter break, we'll go back and I look forward to taking a friend and her daughter.

First and foremost, let me say that Alice's Tea Cup makes the best strawberry banana vegan scone I've ever tasted and the price is affordable!! That being said, it is not often available and one flavor of vegan scone per day is the ONLY vegan option they offer on the entire menu. The unfriendly staff will be happy to provide the following information with a nasty attitude in case you have the unfortunate experience of stopping in when there are no vegan options in the case and kindly ask, "Excuse me, do you have any vegan scones today?". Here's your response: "Our vegan baker only works 5 days a week, we can't expect her to come in every day!". Wow, thanks for the attitude, pretentious princess! On the positive side, they do have a vast array of teas to choose from and many are tasty, so that's a plus. But again, you'll have to deal with the seemingly lazy, uninterested staff to serve you. As an aside, I think it's pretty pathetic that this little shop tries to sell pink glittery fairy wings and skirts, but one day when I was in there, an older woman politely asked the girl behind the counter some questions about the sizing of these items and the employee actually said, "I don't know. I don't have kids and don't really know anything about them." So I stepped in and tried to help the woman, because that's what nice people do. Hint, hint. :)

I was very surprised to see some of these reviews. I went to Alice's Tea Cup for the first time with two other friends on a suggestion of one of them. I found the host to be very amenable (offered me a small table immediately, or, a larger one with a 15 minute wait), and the waitress to be very personable and helpful. The food IS a bit pricey, but as far as I'm concerned, well worth it. The desserts were amazing, and unique. The sandwich I had was fine, and the tea selections are varied and exciting. Thank you all for a wonderful experience. I will be back!

I've only been here for brunch, so can't really comment on the sandwiches whatnot. The scones, however, are fabulous. Crepes were also quite good. Tea was pretty good, but seemed a bit weak. The service was pretty friendly, though a bit rushed-probably because it was Sunday morning brunch hour. By the way, if arriving with a group, try to get there by 10am, otherwise the line becomes kind of monstrous. They also have a minimum order policy (I think it was $10/person), which kinda sucks because it's hard for one person to finish two of their huge scones+a pot of tea and then try to get something else...

I am disappointed to say that Alice's Tea Cup has not lived up to all the hype. I took my daughter and two of her friends here for lunch, and let's just say our waitress needed a serious attitude adjustment. Even my six year old daughter whispered to me after our waitress left to place our order, "Mommy, why does our waitress look so mean?" Clearly it would have taken too much energy for her to smile. Come on, this is supposed to be a kid-friendly restaurant, can't you feign politeness? I would describe the hostesses as aloof, unprofessional, and snooty. I got the vibe that this is not a very accomodating or flexible restaurant- basically if you have more than three people in your party and you come between the hours of 10am and 4pm you can almost guarantee at least a half hour wait since they do not take reservations. Our tea was bitter and over-brewed. Sad to say, I could have had tastier tea from across the street. The cake slice we split for dessert tasted old, and the cookie was hard, crumbly, and stale. To be honest, the only positive remark I have to make about this place is the scones. If I was craving scones in the future, I would take them to go in order to avoid the rude sit-down service. The place is totally cramped and claustrophobic, and there's only one bathroom. To make matters worse, once we finished our mediocre, overpriced food, my daughter and her friends were lured into the magical world of marked-up merchandise by the counter. I am not cheap by any means, and I have no qualms about treating my daughter and her friends to nice treats once in a while, but I am not dishing out $30-$50 for a pair of fairy wings. So not only did I feel mistreated by our nasty waitress, but then to top it off I get a guilt trip for not spending $150 on fairy wings. Next time my daughter and her friends want a fun girls day out, we're going somewhere else. Alice's Tea Cup is overrated.

I've ordered a few things from here before and was disappointed. The coffee chocolate chip cake didn't do it for me, the cupcakes were dry, and the chocolate cake too sweet - but the carrot cake is to die for!!! I've tried, but after Alice's Tea Cup I can't eat any other carrot cake without feeling thoroughly disappointed. I go back just for that. Goes really well with the jasmine green tea. Seriously this cake is ORGASMIC. Go. Right now.