Camella's Remember When Tea — Restaurant in Abingdon

Sadly, we were unable to enjoy this experience. We were met with numerous rules. They do not want you to bring your baby. They fear it could be burned. ( I'm not sure how other restaurants and businesses serve hot beverages with out this rule. 🙄) They will not accommodate an extra party member. Forget Southern hospitality. If they do accommodate them the extra party member must eat. As we were advised " everyone at the table must eat". On Saturday I had an 1130 reservation. The front door was still locked so we entered thru the gift shop. We were greeted by a young man who told us someone would be right with us. Finally, a woman arrived and she did not seat us. She began advising us of the rules referenced above. I was quite taken aback. Here's what happened: I had a reservation for 4 people. My brother was given the day off unexpectedly and drove his family there from Tazewell, Va adding the extra person. He said he'd wait elsewhere or just sit with us while we ate. That was not allowed. You must eat. We agreed that was fine. We were then lectured about no babies as a general rule since they could get burned by the tea. We advised that wouldn't be a problem but she continued to discuss the concern. I couldn't stand anymore of her nonsense. Advised her it was stupid and we left. What utter nonsense. My 8 year old niece was sad she didn't get her tea party. Today, we had our own. It was most fun. Don't waste your time here. Go across the street to the juice bar White Birch. It's amazing. There's mom's and kids and babies and awesome waitresses and wonderful food. I even saw a mom with her baby on her lap and a cup of hot coffee....

I had heard good things about this interesting place and was excited to try something different and unique with my family and friends. However, my experience left me feeling uncomfortable, embarrassed, and upset. As I was unfamiliar with the restaurant or menu items, I mentioned my daughter’s peanut allergy when the salad was served. The lady acted like I was supposed to know the menu (even though it was never presented to us) and also somewhat lectured me on the safety of peanuts and cross-contamination risk. As a parent of a peanut allergic child, I understand what cross-contamination is (and I truly appreciate the disclaimer) but I felt like she was demeaning in her response to me. This conversation resulted in her making me sign a hand written waiver stating I knew she could not guarantee the food had no trace peanuts. Before she made me sign, she did ask if my daughter would still be eating. I told her she would not eat her own, but I would still sign the waiver because I would let her taste some of my sandwich. She quickly pointed out that if she eats any sandwich, she would be charged for a meal. Anyway, the food and tea were very tasty, but the situation should have been handled much differently. It ended up being $25 per person (tax and gratuity I guess—the hand written post-it receipt did not have a break down) and I’m just in disbelief that this is how she does business. What should have been a quick, private conversation turned into a big ordeal for other...

Having afternoon tea at Camella’s Remember When Tea Parlor was a delightful experience and a highlight of a recent visit to Abingdon! (The negative reviewers obviously didn’t heed the rules.) First, you MUST make a reservation. If you wait until the week you are in town, Camella’s will probably be booked. At this, my first visit to Camella’s, I learned the owner and hostess, Carrie is basically a one-woman show. This means she will limit the number of guests that she serves. Carrie prepares the food, which today included a light salad, salmon mousse, as well as sweet cherry almond canapes, and delicious scones of three flavors.You must try the scones with Devonshire cream and jam! Finally, there was a lemon curd tart dessert. These palatable items are served on a lovely three-tiered tray. There is a menu of delectable teas from which to choose. I chose the chocolate caramel hot tea, and my friend chose the Lavender iced tea. We each had both teas. Note: Carrie is also the hostess, server, and dish washer. That means you will need to be patient, relaxed, and kind! Carrie was very informative and answered our many questions since we were both new to afternoon tea. However, after our visit to Camella’s Remember When today, we are now afternoon tea...