Chantilly Tea Room, Tucson Arizona

Yes blog readers, I am bringing you a review in the "beyond" category. I was in Arizona for a few weeks and ended my trip in Tucson. I found this tea room online and dragged my four female  travelling companions there. They were up to the task and dressed the part. Here is a review of our experience.

Atmosphere

As you can see, from the outside the building was all Arizona with earthy colours and curved adobe construction. Right beside the building there were lizards and cacti. The inside however was an overwhelmingly and stereotypically English grandmother with roses and lace everywhere. There was piano music playing in the background and even the servers had some kind of lace as part of their outfits. The place was pretty big with multiple rooms. It was obviously a popular destination for lunch as well as tea. The crowd was mostly over 50.

Tea and Food Selection

We were very pleased with both the tea and food. The tea menu was extensive - featuring about 40 teas ranging from black to green to white to herbal etc. We were allowed to choose two different flavours between the five of us and chose Cream Earl Grey (always a favourite) and a flavoured blend (with a name I can't remember), that was chai-like and delicious. 

The food was fantastic and a nice blend of traditional and modern, with a southern twist. I had never seen an "empanada" (basically corn bread) on a tea tray before - there were bits of bacon in it and it was served warm. Divine! Also popular with our group was the walnut spread sandwich.

The scones were yummy and also served warm (to my delight). Although I prefer them plain, I did enjoy the chocolate cinnamon scone along with my larger plain one. Another Southern touch was the addition of a delicious home made lemon curd and a devonshire cream with Grand Mariner served along with classic strawberry jam and plain cream. 

The desserts wer also great - home made chocolate cake and a Skor square that had a shortbread base with layers of caramel and chocolate. AMAZING.

Presentation

The only thing to be done with the overwhelming rose and lace thing was to embrace it fully! It definitely had it's own charm. I love that our first activity after choosing tea was to go to the other room and choose our cups and saucers. 

The presentation was full of lovely details like a name sign welcoming us to the table, fresh roses, and lovely silverware. The sugar bowls and milk jugs were all unique vintage pieces like the cups.

Service

The staff were friendly and delighted with our tea outfits. Kristen our server was attentive and professional. She offered us more hot water when required and was happy to bring us more lemon curd.

Value

As with many things south of the border, this tea was a bit cheaper that what you would pay in Vancouver. With tax all in, it was $22.22 each and we were stuffed and needed to take some to go for later. To quote my friend Morgan "I have been taken out by tea and crumpets". For the quality of food and service, I would say this was a good deal.

Overall Experience

What can I say but lovely? We had a really great time and had absolutely no complaints about the experience. It's also really fun to take tea newbies out, particularly a group of girls. They enjoyed themselves immensely, although it did nothing to shatter the notion of afternoon tea being for grandmas.

I should also mention the gift shop, which featured many teas for sale. It also featured a wide selection of tea accessories including antique silver strainers, spoons and sugar bowls. The tea pot selection included a William and Kate wedding celebration pot.

The gift shop ceiling decor

Thanks to Jenny, Morgan, Aviva and Manda for being good sports and getting into the spirit by all wearing dresses and hats, despite the hangovers.

Just the Facts

Chantilly Tea Room

5185 N. Genematas Drive

Tucson Arizona

(520) 622-3303

www.chantillytearoom.com

Afternoon Tea Served Tues.-Sat. 11-3pm (Reservations Required by Phone)


Visited Tuesday May 22nd, 2012