The Tea Rooms 1892 — Restaurant in Melbourne

Short review: Not rushed, small table, great overall service, delicious food, good price.

Long Review: My Mum and I came to The Tea Rooms 1892 for High Tea a week before Christmas. Just after I booked, I read about the controversial sale/non renewal of the lease etc of the Hopetoun Tea Rooms. Regardless of what has happened behind the scenes, (and let's face it, it's none of our business really - what business doesn't have it's share of issues?) we were there to enjoy a High Tea. Having said that, the huge cake selection is still on display - along with the old Hopetoun Tea Rooms signage. There is a hanging sign outside with The Tea Rooms 1892 but it's not obvious. The decor is also still the same, as is the tableware - the cup and saucer set that Hopetoun sold is still for sale. So unfortunately, there's still some confliction as to which Tea Rooms we were eating in..

But onto our experience. We had to wait outside for 5 minutes for our table to be ready. Considering we had pre booked and paid, our table should have been ready for us. And the table itself was far too small for all that had to go on it. We found if we moved our chairs to the side instead of being centralised, we could see each other across the table. And the tables are still quite close together. Our drinks took 20 minutes to arrive and food about 10 minutes later - so 35 minutes from arrival til we ate. Our table was the only one with a linen tablecloth which felt special. The food was all delicious - we both especially enjoyed the pate with chestnut biscuit. To get fruit at a high tea is unusual (I've been fortunate to have experienced a number of different high teas) so it was quite a treat to have a fruit plate, which had 11 types of fruit pieces - very impressive! The scones came out after the main platter - unusual for high tea but something we didn't mind as we preferred to have the main food first instead of filling up on scones. There was nothing we didn't like. We were too full to eat the cheesecake and chocolate cake so they kindly gave us a bag to take them home in. The Mademoiselle Grey Tea I had strangely lacked flavour - it was supposed to have rose petals, which, if it did have, was not at all noticeable. The service was very good and nothing was too much trouble - from changing our plates as requested to getting extra cream for the scones and an extra pot of tea. We did seem to have a number of different wait staff looking after us instead of just one or two which I would have preferred for the personal touch. We got to stay for 2 and a half hours which we did not expect, so it was a very leisurely experience which we enjoyed. If you need to use the toilets, however, have fun trying to find them further into the Block Arcade with the directions we were given! Overall though, the food was enjoyable, the service was great and the price quite reasonable. I would recommend these tea rooms...

Everyone should get to experience a High tea at this beautiful historic tearoom. We (party if 3 celebrating a birthday) reserved the 11 am spot on a Saturday. I was a bit nervous about being seated in an exceptionally busy Victoria TeaHouse while in was 36 degrees of hot outside and had considered cancelling. I am so glad we didn’t.it was very busy and place seemed packed in tight, however it was refreshingly cool and had such a celebratory atmosphere. It turned out to be amazing experience and honestly I don’t know how the amazing team pull it off. The little TeaHouse is nostalgic but very busy, yet we were promptly taken to our table, beautifully set and our server En (from Belgium) explained how everything worked, 2 drinks each during the session, what food to expect and offered some suggestion on how we could get the pair the drinks to experience and taste from the set Hightea menu. We started off with cool refreshing drinks - the crushed lemonade was my favourite, light and tart with lots of ice.. Followed by massive 3 tiered serving of all deliciousness and enough so everyone got to try - bottom tier consisted of different, super fresh a deliciously sandwiches, Roast beef, chicken, salmon and also ham - not a crust in sight. Second tier consisted of many sweet delights. Again fresh desserts and cakes for everyone taste. Chocolate mouse cake, eclairs, macaron, passion fruit pannacotta. Third tier was made up of beautifully cut fresh fruit. Everything was beautiful quality. While the high tea set menu is pricey, we never felt ripped off. Quality ingredients are used and you can taste it. As if that wasn’t enough, the final dish finishes off Hightea with freshly made soft warm scones, cream and strawberries. Dear Lord they are heavenly. These are made on site. This tearoom, for me, currently holds the title of Melbourne’s best Scones. I paired mine with a beautiful English Breakfast tea. Others in my party had Affogato and the addictive dark chocolate drink. There is no way we were able to finish all the delights and we had quite a bit to take back home for later munchies. I had been told from a friend to also try out their Portuguese Tarts, which we took to go - and yes they taste like they were also made in heaven. Perfect, not too sweet, with good crispy bites. I cannot recommend the 1892 Teamroom enough, even if you just go for some great tea and fresh scones. My recommendation however is always try to get a reservation rather than walk in. It is very popular and you won’t want to be waiting in a line for some time. I also want to commend the amazing service and eye for detail of all the serving staff. I really don’t know how they manage to do it with such grace and so many customers. Our party never felt neglected (thx En) 😊 for helping us make a great birthday! We definitely will be back soon. Btw the pics do not do any justice to the food...

I am writing this review with immense anger about my experience at your restaurant this afternoon. Here's what happened:

On July 3, 2024, around 3:30pm, my friend and I decided to have afternoon tea at your restaurant. The waiter who seated us and took our order was friendly. We were having a pleasant time, appreciating the ambiance, and discussing how, despite the high prices, the location, decor, and friendly service made it worthwhile. We even talked about recommending this place to our other friends.

However, around 4pm, a lady who seemed to be the supervisor abruptly approached our table. She told us to settle the bill quickly because she needed our table as there were people waiting outside (I must mention that in my previous visits, I had never encountered this lady and had never encountered such demands before). My friend and I were confused and explained that we were still enjoying our tea and had half-eaten cakes and two pots of tea yet to finish. Why should we leave just because you need the table? The lady left after we expressed our confusion, and we continued our conversation.

About 5 minutes later, she rudely interrupted our conversation again, insisting that we pay and leave because there were people waiting outside. I explained that when we were seated, no one mentioned any time limit, and we hadn’t finished our meal. The lady rudely responded that she didn't have to explain anything to us and that they needed the table. She even mentioned having cameras and said she would call security if we didn’t leave.

Then she went to the side to make a phone call. My friend and I decided to wait for security to come and see how the matter would be resolved, but after nearly 20 minutes, no one showed up. Eventually, we just paid the bill and left. During this time, the supervisor lady stood nearby as if nothing had happened.

Now that I am back home and have had time to think, I firmly believe that this lady was acting in a discriminatory manner. Her so-called dining time policy seemed to apply only to us, who appear to be Asian to tourists. There were several Western customers around, but she didn't approach them with similar demands. I genuinely hope my feeling is wrong, but to experience such racist in a friendly city like Melbourne, is deeply upsetting.

If this lady continues to work there, my friends and I will never return. I will share this experience on all social media platforms to let others judge for themselves. If you wish to enjoy a pleasant time, avoid this lady; otherwise, you will be met with hostility...