Wee Fancy Tea — Restaurant in Brookside

My first and last time here.

Despite a beautifully decorated space and the scones being tasty, my experience was full of micro-aggressions.

I recently had tea here for a friend's birthday. The staff were short toned, passive aggressive, and honestly walked a very thin line next to condescending.

The staff seemed to be bothered by our presence, which was totally unwarranted. We ordered bottomless tea packages, and looked forward to soaking in the experience.

We were a large party of about 9 ladies, and other than having two out of state ladies (who traveled over two hours to get there) arrived late for the reservation - we were not obnoxious, or difficult to deal with.

The waitresses treated us like it was an inconvenience or annoyance to serve us, and were visibly annoyed by any request (additional menus, refills on tea, or questions about the menu.)

Our party was fully aware of the reservation policy and the associated time limit; we were fully prepared to comply. For some reason, the waitresses and other management staff members felt compelled to give us countdown reminders of when our reservation was ending, starting almost 45 minutes before the end of our time slot. We were rushed every step of the way during our visit, and I did not observe any of the other patrons being treated this way.

Even after we finished eating (With 10 minutes to spare, I add), we took the opportunity to take photos in the lobby next to the tea party scenery like everyone else.......... Would you believe that the staff inched us out the door by repeatedly saying "thank you for coming" in a very condescending way.

Its the back-handed "nice-nasty" tone that makes me never want to return here. And I am telling everyone I know.

If you ever experienced a micro-aggression, you know exactly...

We fancy tea has beautiful decor, wonderful staff but I was very disappointed in the lack of space. I booked a fairly large party. A party of 25. I talked with the person on the phone and they said they had a large table that could fit most of the people and chairs with tables around it. When I got to the location the table was taken when I had booked over a month in advance. As well as we were told we would just have to spread out on tables of three and four around a large party. Not only did I have to speak with the owner to get a party room when I had reserved over a month and a half in advance I was told by the lady at the desk my reservation was almost given away because I didn’t answer a phone call confirming again at 12:30( my reservation was at 2 and I got there 15 before )when I confirmed not once but twice a week prior. I also put a deposit of 100$ down so why they didn’t know I was coming because I didn’t answer a phone call a hour and a half prior is beyond me. This place is beautiful but needs better organization skills. Also I am usually a great tip giver but they demand a tip be payed automatically if you have a party over 8. In my case they needed 145 on top of the bill but crazy enough me and the rest of the party planned on giving more. I have planned parties at many places but that is just beyond me. I never been told how much to tip, they just don’t know that messes up how much the waitresses could truly make. I would have also liked to have been told that when I called to confirm the two different times and payed my deposit. Overall I had an amazing time but these things truly ruffled...

Updated review 8/3/24: I would again stress that this location is adorable with good food, but expect to be rushed. I made a reservation for 7, and was told we would need to be seated at a table for 6. They then instead offered to seat us at a table for 10. We got seated, started getting situated and were then asked if we could move to the table for 6 and a table for two since they had a party of 20 arriving in 90 minutes. We were also reminded of the 90 minute time limit. I have a difficult time understanding the need for a reservation if you cannot accommodate the table size or making people feel uncomfortable or unwelcome by insisting that they rush for a larger party coming in. I'd love to come back and will be giving them another chance toward the end of the month, but it may be the last, which is a shame.

Prior review: 5 stars for the adorable decor and food. The food was pretty good, but nothing spectacular aside from the scones which were amazing. The variety of tea was lovely. I do wish that the Princess Tea had options for kids allergic to nuts. (The Princess Tea currently comes with either PB&J or Nutella sandwiches.) They happily accommodated though and switched the sandwiches for a baguette. It should also be noted that when we showed up, the person at the front desk explained that reservations and time at your table should be limited to 90 minutes. This left is feeling slightly rushed and I wish we had known that when we made the reservation. We were able to finish in plenty of time, but did feel people hovering. I would definitely return, but with different...