Dr. Bombay's Underwater Tea Party — Restaurant in Atlanta

In January I contacted Dr. Bombay's and made High Tea reservations for a small Bridal Party in May. I paid my deposit right away. As the contract requests, I updated my head count appropriately. Several days prior to my reservation I was offered the patio seating space and informed that my party would be given 2 picnic tables "that can seat 8 each" (quotes from an employee) and "several other little 2-seaters". The date and time of our reservation arrived and sadly my party had multiple issues.

I gave the business a finalized head count of 26 and according to an employee of the business each picnic table could seat 8 for a total of 16. All 26 table settings were crammed onto the two picnic tables. Several of my guests were extremely uncomfortable, forcing them to fan out to the tables midway through the tea service. The table settings were so crammed that the servers could not place tea pots, food trays and ect. on the table. This caused a lull in service and several guests not having access to items. We did NOT clutter the tables with any outside decorations or items as requested in the contract. My party was seated and prepared for service within 15 minutes of our reservation. I was expecting SOME type of service. However, our server approached the table and simply said "can I get anyone started with some tea?" There was absolutely no welcome, explanation of the tea options, disclosure on how service would be provided, ect. My guests were extremely clueless and confused. Once service started it was very inconsistent. Tea pots were delivered with no instructions or pointers on steeping times. Tap water was not delivered until half way through and only half of the party received water pitchers. Food trays were delivered with not a single word - guests had no idea what was on the trays. And again, there was not room on the table so some of the guests got multiple trays while others got no food at all.

Further the business did not uphold their end of the contract. They seated a party of 26 in the space clearly described for 16. The High Tea Service did not come with lemon, sugar, honey and milk. The service did NOT end with a tasting of sorbet to cleanse the palate. To-go boxes of goodies were NOT provided. I paid for the service outlined in the contract and for adequate seating for my party number - neither was provided by the business.

The above issues resulted in the majority of my guests being uncomfortable, unable to access or enjoy tea and food and ultimately a very disappointing experience. I've reached out to my contact at the business and after one poor attempt to resolve the issue (she offered us two seats at an upcoming dinner at the location) I have not received anything further. I attempted to resolve the concerns with the business prior to posting any negative reviews. However, I think it is very important that people be aware of the poor service provided by...

My first time visiting Dr. Bombay's was for a high tea get together with some girlfriends. I'd never had high tea before, and I'd never been to an American tea shop before, either, but I think I had high expectations from the beginning.

The atmosphere is very quirky and whimsical. Paper cranes hanging from the ceiling, pages of a children's dictionary lining the bathroom, and small tables crammed in to accommodate the many guests. The place was full when I arrived at 5 on a Sunday, and it stayed packed for at least another hour. It's obviously a popular place, and with the fun vibes and large tea selection, it's easy to see why.

The high tea was somewhat of a disappointment, though. The high notes were the delicious teas we tried (plum cardamom something and blood orange something), the scones, the quiches, and the finger sandwiches, and the mismatched tea sets, but I wasn't impressed with the clear plastic cups and the store-bought cookies and mini cupcakes included with our spread. There were also very, very small plastic sample cups of I think Italian ice that came out at the end of our party, but they were so small, I think they could have been left out of the event entirely.

Essentially, everything done in house or independently was charming and good, but the parts of the tea that were obviously outsourced and mass produced are areas for improvement. Because it was a high tea, I had expected the entire event to fall in that first category. Maybe they were working with a tight budget when we arrived or had run out of china?

If you're just going to a cup of interesting new tea or a regular favorite, though, you won't be disappointed. The staff was very friendly and good natured. The first room with the windows and lighting is crowded, but pleasant. The location near the park and other shops lends itself to a nice walk after picking up your tea, too. I'd like to visit again, just not...

Terrible service. A friend and I got a Chai, which in times past has been amazing but this time we both agreed tasted odd. So we took it back after 2 sips to switch it out for something else and were very polite about it and the blonde behind the counter said she'd only give us iced coffee, which neither of us wanted. I asked if we could just get a tea and she said she's go ask but was going to serve other customers first. We waited 5 mins for her and her attitude to come back and we ended up getting a tea and an iced coffee (both cheaper than our $4 chai we originally ordered). She came back with only a half cup of both. I asked why it wasn't filled up all the way, or at least to 3/4 like we returned it, and she said she made a "judgment call" bc and decided that was an appropriate way to handle that situation bc they normally don't take things back. A brunette manager then came over to see what was up and also gave me attitude and told me it was my fault I didn't like it. 😳 I was astounded by their complete lack of people skills and customer service. She was arguing w me over an inch of leaf water. Someone needs to sit them down and explain some basic business practices and the economics of the cost of lost customers and a bad review vs the loss of two bad chai teas (which I doubt costs the store more than $.50 to make. Whoever owns the shop needs to reevaluate how they hire. To me it's incomprehensible that someone would treat a customer like that. And not just one employee but also a manager! Unfortunate bc it's a cool spot but not worth dealing with rude and pretentious cashiers. Those stank hipsters should be behind a computer somewhere, far away from customers as they lack any form of tact or basic manners. I'd be furious if I was the store owner....