Akwaaba Tea Salon & Event Space — Restaurant in Philadelphia

Visit to the Akwaaba Tea Salon w/ 2 friends, 1 of whom is a Philadelphia resident, began w/ a wonderfully seamless reservation process. The anticipation for a delightful afternoon was set high, especially w/ the 20% gratuity added upfront. Stepping into the tearoom, we were greeted by a pleasant & clean environment. I went immediately to the restroom, the door opens directly into the seating area, quite close to my chair. Very quiet jazz would enhance the ambiance & create a more relaxed atmosphere.

We wisely reserved "Lancaster," which included salad & soup, the highlight of our culinary experience. The "Afropunk" tea captivated 2 of us with its aromatic scent & pleasantly very subtle taste, the other companion said the peppermint tea was aromatic & tasted acceptable.

Service: We found ourselves reminded multiple times to use the soup spoon, perhaps our conversation momentarily overshadowed our soup and salad consumption. We understood the distinctions between the various spoons (demitasse, dessert, and soup) & chose to use a dinner knife for spreading on our scones in the absence of a butter knife. We perceived a shift in our server's demeanor when she noticed the cluster of raisins on a scone dish, my friend prefers not to eat raisins in baked goods. I had only 3 raisins & would have happily switched.

Food: The savory bites were "okay." The onion tartlet, was a definite showstopper. The sweet offerings provided a good variety, including chocolate brownie fingers, lemon bar triangles, naked petite Bundt pound cake, & some flavorful cubes of bread pudding. We boxed sweets to go. Due to an uncooked crust texture the lemon bar, resulting in a "lemon mush" sensation. The bread pudding cubes, however, stood out with their nice flavor & non-soggy texture.

Our experience concluded rather abruptly, as we were reminded, just shy of a scolding, that our 90 minutes were up and we needed to depart. At this point, we had already boxed our treats, & the table was partially cleared. We had been discussing using the restroom but felt compelled to leave immediately, feeling quite unwelcomed. The table of ladies next to us, who had the same 3:00 PM seating and had finished & packed their items approximately 20 minutes before us, voiced their astonishment at the tone used to communicate OUR time limit. We exited the establishment at 4:37 PM. We understood the 90 min time constraint.

Overall, I believe Akwaaba and other tea salons serve as valuable spaces for gathering & celebrating. I sincerely hope our particular experience is...

The setting of Akwaaba is very pleasant, but we faced some clear teething pains on our visit. I hope to visit again in the future and have an even better experience.

The staff were very friendly, the music was great, and we appreciated the food options.

A few pieces of feedback:

The address for Akwaaba that comes up when searching on Google Maps and which has reviews is the address for the Bed and Breakfast across the street. There is no indication if you go there that the Tea Salon is in a different building, and no one answered the phone when I called to ask for help.

The pacing of the kitchen was way, way off. It took over 70 minutes for us to receive our food. Part of this was due to some dietary restrictions being accommodated I expect (one person was gluten free and one was vegetarian) but these are advertised on the booking page as diets that can be accommodated.

The tea was bad. I realize this involves preferences, but I have taught classes on tea, been buying tea for decades, and have visited tea shops in dozens of cities. The tea may be to the taste of the owners, or may be a cost saving measure, but for $50+ per person, I expect at least good tea. It's fine to have some teas that are primarily artificial flavor, but it's unfortunate to have only one option that is just tea, and for that to be...

My first time experiencing Akwaaba Tea Salon since it opened in June. I met the owner, Monique Greenwood, a former Essence magazine editor when my daughter and I celebrated her milestone birthday in 2022 at Monique's other property, the Mansion at Nobles Lane near the Poconos. In 2022, Monique mentioned she planned to open an afternoon tea salon. What a wonderful pastime experience, Afternoon tea! My sister, daughter, and I selected the Lancaster High Tea option, which provided three different teas, soup salad, and delectable Tea sandwiches and desserts. Monique and her staff worked magic, accommodating a large group and several small tables. What I relished about this elegant pastime: 🫖Akwaaka branded tea service/table setting 🫖Ladies wearing fascinators and gloves 🫖Beautiful older home repurposed for 🫖🫖Afternoon Tea Salon and event space for rental 🫖Plenty of photo opportunities inside and outside the salon 🫖Upright piano for live music but today we listened to classic John Coltrane 🫖The delectable...