Queen Mary Tea Room

07/12/09

Okay, but I'd try somewhere else next time instead

by lproper at Citysearch

I've been to Afternoon Tea in a number of cities and at a number of different places, so I was looking forward to trying QMT. After going to Afternoon Tea there yesterday, however, I'd try somewhere else next time instead of going back.

Unlike other reviewers' experiences, the service was friendly and good. However, for $30, I would expect that real cream be served with the tea instead of 2% milk. The fruit served was fresh and good quality, but the tarts and other sweets were okay, but not nearly as good as other places I've been. And their ratio of tea sandwiches to sweets was not what it should have been IMHO (too many butter cookie-type things and only two types of sandwiches, which they gave you only half a sandwich of each - other places I've been had more fun little dainty sandwiches, which I liked better). They also had a weird food-colored sugar on the table instead of normal sugar cubes - not sure if it was the milk or the sugar or a combination of the two, but the good tea was made lesser by using both.

Overall, it's a cute enough space (albeit a bit tight) and the service was nice. If you'd like to take someone to tea as a special treat that's really memorable, I'd probably try somewhere else.

For regular breakfast and lunch, though, the dishes looked good and the prices were reasonable and I'd go back for that sometime - just not for Afternoon tea.

• Pros: Friendly service, good tea selection
• Cons: High tea too expensive for what is served

01/01/09

What is it about this place?

by k8smith at Citysearch

We also encountered very rude service! Our server was practically pushing us out the door telling us that others are waiting for our table. Couldn't she be more tactful? It's not our fault their restaurant is so small, or that they schedule reservations too close together. I read somewhere that this is a good place for gatherings or special occasions. Perhaps, but NOT if you want to finish your meal or sample a few more items from their tea menu.

• Pros: Decor, if you're into frilly things
• Cons: Service, and very tight quarters

12/15/08

Completely unique!

by angelcity67 at Citysearch

I recently went here with my boyfriend on the first snow-day of the season and it was completely wonderful. Their selection of holiday teas was great and the atmosphere was like no other place I've been in Seattle. There were charmingly mismatched porcelain tea cups and two turtle doves in a cage behind a lace veil, which I thought was a great touch. However, I did take note that my boyfriend was the sole male patron in the room, and I was the only female who was not either over 45 or under ten years of age. It may be more of a mother-daughter spot than a place for a date.

• Pros: Unique decor, extensive tea menu
• Cons: Not a date spot

12/05/08

Terrible Service

by fiena98122 at Citysearch

I went to this restaurant for my birthday, and the service was shockingly horrible. From start to end, my friends and I were rushed through the entire lunch. We were not even allowed to select dessert because they had cleared the table and told us to leave for the other people waiting to be seated. If the servers were apologetic or even somewhat polite, I would not be writing this comment. But they were downright rude and offensive, even after being told (from the very beginning) that this was a birthday celebration. I will never return.

• Pros: Atmosphere and Decor
• Cons: Rude Service; Cramped Space

12/21/06

Pomp and circumstance.

by tifmitch at Citysearch

To walk into the Queen Mary is to enter a wonderland of English Romanticism. One would be hard pressed to find anything in the establishment that could have any more lace, flowers, or tea in or on it. This is not a minimalistic Japanese Tea house or a hearty Scottish Tea house. This is an English woman's tea room, pure and simple. Although the service is often a little lacking (servers are oftened distracted by other tables...getting seated can be difficult), the cullinary delights that await you are worth most bumps on the way to your table. A small room, the Queen Mary can feel a bit cramped, and certainly during the busy days it can sound like a gaggle of women talking non-stop; a dull roar of them to be exact. The afternoon tea is delicious, but their standard fare of soups, sandwiches, and pastries should not be overlooked. Men be warned, you will be severely outnumbered, and many of the women around you will be wearing rhinestone tiaras.

• Pros: Fabulous food.
• Cons: The ambience is an aquired taste. Groups of 8 and under.