Sweeties' Cafe & Tea House — Restaurant in Dunnellon

It was great food , service was horrible. We called running late for reservation. I had a friends that drove up 6 hours from south florida and got stuck in traffic. I called sweeties to let them know we were running late. The person who answered phone said it was still ok to come for our 12;30 reservation at 1:00. We arrived at 1:00 there was no available parkingclose by So, We had to park quite far away from cafe. Then we are finally seated at our table by 1:20. It’s a beautiful place the food was delicious! The server was very condescending and rude. I was shocked. I was there to celebrate my 53rd birthday and I felt like I shouldn’t of been there. He made me feel that I was a hindrance to him. I wish they would’ve told us not to come if they didn’t want us there, the whole time was very uncomfortable. He made very condescending comments to me and the rest of my party. at first, I thought it was a joke, but then he wasn’t laughing. I will never be returning to this place I was highly disappointed!! at first, I thought he was joking, but then when he came back to the table, he continued with a rude comments The rest of the staff were the same. Horrible customer service. They also broke dishes loudly and seem confused when we ordered. When we ordered desserts, they got the order wrong twice I don’t know what was wrong with the staff that day, but if they didn’t want to see us, they should’ve told us not to come. Also, When we went to order it seem like they , like they were out of almost everything and when I asked for water, the server told me let me see if we have any water. If this was a joke he didnot laugh.. that is when I got really uncomfortable. Once again They should’ve told us not to come if they didn’t want us there when we called and told them we were gonna be late!! I work in the service industry and would never treat customers this way!! I was highly disappointed. I don’t know who this person was that was serving, but if it was the owner shame on him!!! I will never return to this place and I will make sure to tell a lot of people about how horrible the customer...

The moment we parked, we could already tell—this place was overflowing with charm!

Inside, the decor was a delightful mix of lovely, warm, fun, and funky, making the whole experience feel like stepping into a whimsical little dream. The service? Absolutely top-notch. Our server, Tony—the dashing half of the ownership duo—was not only attentive but also hilariously self-aware, handling his all-women clientele and staff (including his better half) with grace and humor. We totally appreciated his quick wit!

Now, onto the food—oh, the food! We both went for the tomato pie, which was heavenly. My friends paired theirs with the tomato bisque, while I opted for a fresh salad. And because we believe in fully embracing indulgence, we shared a ridiculously decadent peanut butter and chocolate pie. No regrets.

We had our hearts set on high tea, but alas, we learned the hard way that it requires a 24-hour advance reservation. But here’s the fun part—during tea time, they offer an entire collection of hats and dresses for women and little girls to play dress-up! You better believe we’ll be back for that next time I’m visiting from Chicago.

Oh, and if you go, don’t miss the outdoor patio—a serene little oasis with lush greenery and a soothing water fountain. It’s the perfect spot to sit back, sip some tea (if you planned ahead better than we did), and soak in the magic of this...

My mom and I stopped here on a whim after shopping next door and I’m so glad we did! Everything we ordered was fabulous and it was such a nice atmosphere. However, the best thing about it was our excellent host, Michelle! She was so kind and helpful and it’s clear she really cares about her restaurant.

While looking at the menu we saw that Sweetie’s offers “High Tea” for groups and my friend’s birthday was coming up so we scheduled a tea party for the three of us a few weeks later. The tea party was simply perfect. We arrived and got to pick out dresses, hats, and accessories for a photo shoot before our meal, which was a ton of fun. Michelle brought out the food and explained the “proper” way to stir our tea, what order to eat things in, etc. but we were free to do it however we wanted. We couldn’t stop laughing as we tried (and failed) to stir our tea the “proper” way.

All of the food and pastries were incredible, my mom still jokes that she could really go for some cucumber sandwiches or strawberries dipped in Devonshire cream when we’re at home. Everything was made from scratch - even the sugar cubes shaped like flowers were made in house! Michelle made sure we had more than enough of everything and refilled our teas often.

We will definitely schedule more tea parties, this was such a unique and...