The Mad Hatter House of Curiosities and Tea Parlour — Restaurant in Anoka

I love this place but we never have great service. I keep thinking it will improve and it’s just been the luck of the draw but it never does. This time the manager was our server as they were short staffed. She was more responsive then we’ve experienced on previous visits (this time we were actually able to get refills on our tea without having to track down the server ourselves so that was an improvement.) This time I politely asked a question because I didn’t hear something while she was explaining the tea service. Yes I interrupted, but I didn’t hear. I said “Excuse me, what did you say that was?” She was downright rude at having to repeat herself and was so off putting and condescending. She tried to make up for it later by being more pleasant but it had ruined the vibe and made things uncomfortable. You don’t treat your guests that way. My second part of the review is not so much a complaint as information for those who haven’t been here yet. We were invited last minute by friends as their friends had canceled on them and she would have been charged a cancellation fee for not showing up. I didn’t realize high tea had been ordered which is an automatic $84 bill for my 13 year old daughter and I. We’ve already experienced the Queen of Hearts tea service and found it is not for us. You get very small bites of food and desserts for a hefty price tag. If it’s been ordered you can’t get out of it. I much prefer ordering off the menu as the prices are reasonable and the food is great. High tea is very pretty, unique and fun, however I wish we weren’t locked into it. I know there is a lot of prep involved so I’m not offering a solution or saying anything bad about it other than for me, I would have preferred to have the option to order for myself. I did not complain about this or request to order something else. Due to the preparation involved, it is expected that if high tea is reserved, you will pay for and have high tea. I know that and therefore did not even mention it. If you’re invited, make sure you know what’s been ordered and that you know you will be expected to pay $42/ per person for a few appetizers and tea. Tea for 3 is $126 and gives you each a bite of chicken salad, a bite of egg salad, a sliver of pimento toast, a sliver of cucumber sandwich, 3 bites of dessert and 2 scones. Again cool first time experience, just know what to expect when accepting an invitation. Lastly, we are still chatting and were asked to leave to make space for another reservation. Again, I get it but it felt rushed and awkward just the same being asked to leave. Our reservation was at 12:30 and we were asked to leave at 2. Not unreasonable on their part but we had been enjoying our conversation. I guess my thoughts for Mad Hatter would just be to look for ways to make your guests feel valued and respected. Make sure that they have the opportunity to order refills on the tea (at least twice.) Aside from that it’s an amazing place and a lot of fun. By the way, if your kiddo Is under 12, the kids tea is super cool and great for the price. They get a cup of fruit, full cupcake, unicorn sandwich and a few other fun things. It includes Princess tea which is strawberry lemonade. My 13 yr old used to love it but they’re pretty strict on the age thing. Definitely try the high tea at least once! Just know what to expect. I do recommend the Mad Hatter. Great place! However just wanted to give some suggestions after my last 3 visits have been similar in terms of service and/or lack...

Very unhappy! We were celebrating my sister's dinner last night and had one of the worst dining experiences I've had. First off you have to park across the street in the parking lot and ascend about 30 stairs to get the front door with signs that say "Just a bit further. It's worth the walk." That should have been my first clue that something was amiss.

My sister has a young child and informed them of this ahead of time during reservations. They assured her it would be okay. There was no where to put the baby carrier and we were crammed into the corner.

I arrived a few minutes late and the server never asked for my drink order. My mother at the end of the table even told the server that my wife and I would like a drink order when she took the food order and she never came back. She missed out on two glasses of wine (or more). Come to think of it, we never even received a refill on the water. Two people in the group ordered a pot of tea to split and they charged an EXTRA $1.50 for the second cup. This is not a bottomless beverage that they chose to share. I've never been charged for splitting a menu item.

Three of us ordered a ribeye. One ordered medium well and two medium. The medium well order came back medium rare at most. Mine was medium well and one steak actually came back correctly. The underdone steak was sent back and the server took the whole plate with sides an all. This was after everyone else was 75% done with the meal when the server came by for the first check. The steak was gone for a good 10 minutes before it was brought back on it's lonesome on a side plate. It was practically drooping over the edges of the plate. Oh, and before the steak came back the server tried to say that I swapped steaks with my sister, which would make sense if we didn't order a DIFFERENT menu item. Besides, who blames the customer? Anyway, then the server brought a small side of brussels sprouts for my sister's steak on the comically small plate.

After dinner our food was cleared and it took several minutes to come for our dessert order, which we requested right away. My sister's desert was brought several minutes after everyone else's because it had a candle in it or something. The server never brought extra silver for the desserts so people were using their butter knives, or whatever wasn't cleared. She finally realized this half-way through and offered to bring more forks.

As we were trying to leave, wait staff seemed upset that we were blocking the aisle getting the baby in the carrier. Again, they were made aware during the reservation and chose to put us in a high traffic area. My mother very calmly explained the events of the evening to the person that seemed to be in charge and he replied, "I'm sorry about that." Nothing else was said or done to try to make it right.

The worst part of the whole experience was that there was a mandatory 18% gratuity for parties of 6 or more. We had exactly 6 (without baby). I have worked in food service and have never left less than 20% in the last 10 years.. I've never been so angry about having to pay gratuity in my life.

So in summary: The food is mediocre at best and overpriced, they nickle and dime you, they are not kid friendly, they have terrible service, and their customer service is just as bad as everything else.

Do...

My friend was coming to town, and she requested we do one activity: enjoy high tea. I had no idea where we would go, so after some googling, I discovered the Mad Hatter. I figured it would be a fun adventure if nothing else.

I have to be honest before I go any further – I don’t like tea.

Or at least, I didn’t. This trip officially changed my mind. This trip changed my worldview. Mad Hatter made me like tea, dangit!

We did the full tea service, with was around 40$ a person and featured unlimited tea for 90 minutes (you can switch pots partway through a pot if you end up not enjoying it or want to try something new), as well as a tower of scones, finger foods, and tiny sandwiches. There were also some optional add-ons like soup, salad, and mimosas, though we opted to skip those. The best way to describe the experience was just fun. My friend and I sipped our way through two pots of tea as we sampled the tower, feeling supremely fancy the entire time.

I need to take a second to commend our server, Jessica. She checked in the perfect amount, making sure we didn’t run low on tea and we had enough milk and sugar, as well as bringing us the tower of food right as we were starting our second cup – perfect timing in my opinion.

I also need to take a second to just gush over the amazing atmosphere at Mad Hatter. We sat in the Library, which was full of interesting decorations and an atmosphere of elegance. I’m honestly really interested in going back solely to sit in different parts of the rest of the restaurant – the screened porch definitely caught my eye, as I’d love to sit and enjoy a pot of tea on a cold fall day. It’s also an excuse to try their brunch, which while I did not try, is apparently renowned and definitely LOOKS amazing.

All in all? Definitely give this spot a try. Even if you’re like me and have never really enjoyed tea before, you might find yourself surprised by the myriad of phenomenal flavors they have to try.

EDIT: I gotta knock a star off because they limit their services to special christmas tea only for the month of December. I wanted to go back for my birthday, but between premium pricing for the month and no brunch option, it just isn't in the cards. I get this is totally a choice and some people probably love it, but I'm...