Auntie Rae’s Sweets and Tea Parties — Restaurant in Holladay

I took my almost 7 year old granddaughter for her first afternoon tea experience. Auntie Rae's gets mixed reviews:

Positives: ~ A nice selection of tea. We were both happy with the recommendations & our choices. ~ The scones / lemon curd were delicious. The rest of the food was quite tasty as well. ~ The little pots of tea were the ideal size. ~ Offered a kid-friendly sandwich (turkey & cheese) and dessert (ice cream with a cookie) option. ~ The cute cheese shapes on the kids sandwiches were a bit hit. ~ And it's very affordable.

The disappointments:

~ The room: The only decor was plastic Disney princess banners & posters on the walls, and a small Christmas tree decorated with princesses. Other rooms in the house may be more inviting, but there was nothing about the room we were seated in that said "afternoon tea."

~ The table/place-settings: My granddaughter was given a paper plate and a Little Mermaid paper napkin, instead of a regular plate and fabric napkin, and no utensils, other than a spoon to stir her tea. She noticed and was disappointed.

~ Under-staffed? It took nearly 15 minutes for our initial tea order to be taken, and the couple of times I went to find someone for assistance (to request a regular plate), no one was around.

~ I was surprised we were not offered any water to drink. ~ No sugar cubes, only the paper packets like a coffee shop offers. ~ No cream or milk for the tea were offered. ~ No clotted cream or mascarpone offered for the scones. (The lemon curd was amazing though... ) ~ Music would have added to the ambiance.

Although we enjoyed our tea, food & conversation (my granddaughter loved having & pouring her own little tea pot) the atmosphere and experience were disappointing. Some very small changes could have made her feel more respected and special at Aunty Rae's, and would have elevated the experience overall.

Updated note in response to the owners reply: I have enjoyed afternoon or cream tea at dozens of tea houses in several countries - from fancy hotels to the simplest of cottages. Every one of them included water glasses, sugar cubes, the offer of cream/milk, and some kind of flower vase on the table. None of them used paper plates/napkins for children. Instead, they all treated children the same as adults, which is one of the delightful things about afternoon tea.

I can see in photos of others' reviews that some people were offered cream/milk, and some children at Auntie Rae's have been served on glass plates, with fabric napkins and utensils, so I do not know why my granddaughter was not. Perhaps our experience was a one-off, but it was disappointing none-the-less, as was the...

This place felt like a hidden gem. Cute outside and in; the yard was landscaped, and the white dinning room was so cute.

The glassware was pretty and the daintiness of everything was just what I was hoping for. The decorations were a little eclectic, but I loved that there were things that would appeal to kids. I came to tea with a friend, and it was perfect! But I could totally see coming back with my daughter for a mommy daughter date.

As for the food, everything tasted great! My friend loved her tea, and I loved my hot chocolate (with and without raspberry flavor). The tea sandwiches (chicken salad, and vegetable cream cheese and cucumber dill) were good; the scones, raspberry jam and lemon curd were all really delicious, and the fruit and cheeses were yummy. We were so full by the end that we took our desserts to go, and the desserts were big!

I used a Groupon, and it was a great value! Though it’s worth noting the groupon doesn’t cover gratuity.

There are some areas that are kids friendly (kids books, etc) and there even a changing table in the bathroom. I didn’t need these this time, but loved that they had them. Also, my data didn’t work, but they had a WiFi network I was able to log into.

I loved my experience here and I hope to visit again!

*If you found my review helpful, I would greatly appreciate a thumbs up (like) so google and I know. Thanks, and...

We were treated with the utmost kindness and civility at Auntie Rae's and I truly appreciate their hospitality. We came for high tea.

The food and atmosphere leave much to be desired. We were served rotten grapes which left us gagging and ultimately having to spit out. The lemonade was not real lemonade but tasted like watered down Crystal Lite. The hot cocoa was lukewarm at best and tasted more like sweet milk than real chocolate. The scones crumbled in our hands, and were difficult to even spread jam on. The strawberry cheesecake was topped with an old, browning, wilted strawberry. Especially in the springtime when strawberries are in abundance, it would be an easy upgrade to add a fresh strawberry! The tea sandwiches were tired and bland.

We loved the children's play area - so thoughtful so that adults can chat and children can play. The overall decor of the room could be updated. The princess artwork on the walls looks like someone framed a deflated balloon or cheap plastic party tablecloth. It would not be difficult to give the room an inexpensive makeover and update it a bit.

Bottom line is, the price we paid was far too high for what we got, and even though our host and server was as nice as can be, we could never go back or...