Dragonfly Tea Room & Gift Shop — Restaurant in Canal Fulton

This review specifically focuses on the winery portion of this business.

Finding this place was a pleasant surprise! Dragonfly Winery has a wonderful and unique outdoor atmosphere right along the Tuscwarawas River, and a quaint tasting room.

During this time of COVID and uncertainty, I would recommend visiting on great weather days or avoiding normal peak times for a winery. It can be difficult to space out if dining inside during those times, but more than enough outdoor seating! All staff went above and beyond with safety measures, masks, and outdoor seating spaced out for safety, and privacy. I appreciate not being able to hear someone else's conversation while dining out. On this visit, almost every guest followed mask wearing guidelines to do their part to allow businesses like this to remain open.

I sampled all but two of their fourteen wines here. Whether your palette leans dry, somewhere in the middle or sweet, or you prefer reds, whites, or blushes, you will find something (or many options) that you will want to get a bottle, or three of! The Sunflower Sunset, their peach apricot chardonnay, is a perfect "agreement bottle" for people who have different wine tastes and want something to sip on a typical Ohio summer day. The apricot balances the peach nicely and it does not overpower with sweetness, and has a smooth finish that satisfies. The Gewurztraminer, named Stone Bridge which for some is easier to pronounce then the type of wine it is. Ha! This was a nice find if you love Chardonnays and are looking to expand horizons with other dry whites. I always try a Gewurztraminer when I see it at a winery because of it's drinkability. The last bottle we consumed was the blackberry merlot, appropriately named Encore, because we wanted more. The first sip immediately took me to a place in my mind where I wanted to have a nice beef dinner with my better half; specifically her beef ragu and noodles. It is on the sweeter side, but for someone like me who is all over the place (palette) with what they enjoy, this one surprised me. The main reason we stopped was for a wine we only sampled, and it is because we needed a specific bottle called Pink Paddler. Which is the perfect bottle of wine for a breast cancer survivor who is a member of the Dragon Dream Team, Ohio's first all breast cancer surviving dragon boat team that is based out of Portage Lakes. This pink Moscato is perfec90s for those who like a sweet wine; and since it is a Moscato, yes, it's that sweet.

Regarding the food, everything was delicious and appropriately portioned. The Blueberry and Goat Cheese Dip was unique and heavenly. It spread nicely on the warm and buttery French bread. The BBQ Chicken pizza does not try hard like at other places. It's BBQ sauce, seasoned chicken, and cheese on a flat bread; nothing else needed to save it. Perfect as a meal, or a lighter meal for two if doing smaller portions or just wanting to not over indulge. Be sure to get the dessert S'mores Pizza. With chunks of Hershey Bars, and perfectly browned marshmallows, it's like the S'mores of your youth is grown-up and contributing to a 401(k).

They also had live music that was not overpowering. The volume and balance was right for enjoying their talent, but also able to still have a conversation. Nick Bonner was the musician and he was pretty good with a variety of music and his own takes on some 90s hits, which were made new again with his renditions.

The next time we come here we plan to go for a hike or walk utilizing one of the neighboring trails and relax here afterwards. Definitly make it a point...

My family began a tradition last year where all the ladies in the family would meet for a Garden Tea at the Dragonfly Tea Room and Gift Shop. We had a lovely time last year. It was such a quaint and beautiful experience.

Unfortunately, my experience today shattered our former experience.

I have two young daughters, ages 4 and 6. This year they wanted to join the family for our tea. They love tea parties at home. I knew they would only nibble if at all at the food we would have. One of them has a food allergy and both are picky eaters. Often times when I eat at restaurants, I will bring in some fruits and vegetables to supplement their meal. Today I ordered a cup of hot tea for each of my daughters and I brought in a slice of salami, 2 baby carrots, 4 strawberries, and a granola bar for each of my daughters. I also brought 10 adults who paid $11.95/person for a Garden Tea.

At the end of the tea, I was presented with a bill that charged me full price for 2 meals off the children's menu because I brought in outside food. The owner did not have the courtesy to come let me know that I was not allowed to have my daughters eat the snacks I brought. I was simply blindsided when I was presented with a bill for $9.90 worth of food that my daughters did not eat. When I questioned the owner as to the bill and after being interrupted by the owner as I was speaking, I was told it was my responsibility to notify them at the time I had made the reservations that I was going to bring in food. Had I done that, I would then have been told about their unwritten policy. We're talking about a 4 and 6 year old who was part of a party that paid well over $120.00.

I'm still not sure how I was supposed to know about this business' policy when it was not in writing on their website or in their menu. We will NEVER be back simply because of the lack of courtesy expressed by the owner. I can be accepting of a policy, provided it's either in writing or I was given the opportunity to choose to put the food away. Such sad and disturbing...

I would not recommend booking large groups or parties here. They are very disorganized and do not communicate well.

I booked a semi-private room for a bridal shower of 20 people. I asked if I needed to know the exact number of guests prior to the event. I was told that it didn’t matter, that they would only charge the amount of guests that actually show up. I only had 16 guests show up and they charged me for 20 guests anyways.

They also stated I would have a semi-private room upstairs and we would all be at one or two tables. We were put into the kids room on the main floor with all separate tables that fit four people. We moved two tables together so people weren’t sitting by themselves. The waitress came in and said she had to move the tables back because they’re “weak” and “unstable” tables and shouldn’t be moved. So she made all the guests stand up and moved only one set of tables back. I felt like that was unnecessary and made the guests feel uncomfortable.

I asked the waitress if we could all get water with our teas and she said, “everyone?” With attitude. I thought it was pretty common for people eating to have some water for the table. It was nice that the food was already set up at the tables when we arrived though. The food was good but I think the owner doesn’t know how to accommodate for larger parties. They definitely should’ve asked for a final guest count. Since I asked beforehand and was told not to worry about it. Makes me think the owner just...