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12 reviews for Adonia Kerrisdale Tea House
12 reviews in English
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Review from Evilyn T.
8/1/2011 1 Check-in Here
Forget the Mad Hatter's tea party, this place is like having tea with Marie Antoinette! A group of us came here for a birthday party, so we ended up renting the entire restaurant, which was about 40 people. We were all dressed in out frilliest, ruffliest gothic lolita attire and corsets and took over the restaurant.
We were given two different types of tea per table, we had orange pekoe and a peach tea (and ended up also ordering a blueberry one.) All of them were really good, and they smelled delicious. Then we were given those three tiered trays that people use for serving desserts and they had two levels of savory things, like little sandwiches and quiches, and the top level was the sweet desserts, and may I warn you in advance, the chocolate ones are intense! I could only eat half of the chocolate ball but the fruit tart was divine. As for the savory, I loved all of the vegetarian mini sandwiches, but my favourite was the one with pickled green beans (I think, it may have been asparagus?) wrapped in a white bread. So good!
The servers took great care with us, and made sure our tea was always full, and just when we thought we couldn't possibly eat one more morsel, another tray of treats showed up. After we polished off the three tiered trays of treats, we were served scones with very soft whipped butter. Then came a tray of shot glasses filled with a sweet custard and strawberry jam, with more desserts. It was definitely time to uncinch the corset! Our birthday organizer had calculated it out that it would cost $30/per person not including tax and tip. So it was a little pricey, but we left with full bellies and empty teacups. This was such a great idea for a group of frilly lolitas, I would love to go back and try the regular menu too.Listed in: Fancy Schmancy
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Review from Jenny S.
Surrey, BC
5/23/2011
They can't handle the demand when it comes to group buy deals. This place is very small, so you are basically sitting shoulder to shoulder with your friends when you're at the same table. We made a reservation but there was no table at the reserved time because other customers were still there - doesn't that defeat the purpose of making a reservation? They had no time limit so we end up waiting 45 minutes after the reserved time.
The food was average, if not less. Most of the stuff was what I can make easily at home (cucumber sandwich? tell me you can't make that.) or taste store bought. The tea was ok but the service was REALLY bad. The waitress never came by to fill water and when we asked her, she forgot and we had to ask again.
Service: horrible, food: mediocre, ambiance: nice decor but the place was way too small.
Summary: not worth your time and money EVEN with a deal. Save your money for somewhere like Fairmont or other high tea places. -
Review from Sherman T.
Vancouver, BC
7/31/2011
The service was great here. I ordered the Tuna Melt Sandwich and it was cooked to perfection. The portion was huge and they even included a salad which was out of my surprise.
However, it did take a little bit longer for me to receive my food because there was a mix up. They did compensate me with a fresh fruit tea.
I was happy with their service because at the end, they took care of me. -
Review from Hilda L.
8/16/2011 2 photos
The short -
Come here for the charm, not for the service (or the food, really).
Get the scones, don't get the creme brulee.
The long -
Let's start from the good and work our way to the bad.
Ambiance: 5*
The person who says this place is more for the experience is totally right. From the wall paper to the china, Adonia got the look down. It's quaint, it's proper, it's victorian. It makes me wish I came here in a tea party dress, a facinator, and lace gloves. A perfect setting for girl talk and catching up with old friends.
Value: 3*
Average price for a pot of tea is ~$6. It's fine to order 1 pot for 2 people since they refill the hot water. Average price for desserts is $8. We ordered 1 pot + 3 desserts and the bill came to $32 incl tax. I think the price is fair.
Food: 2*
Peach black tea was pretty good but I wasn't blown away. As with many fruity tea, it didn't taste as good as it smelled. We ordered the creme brulee, trio of scones & dessert sampler. We were lucky that when we ordered, the scones were just being baked, so they came out fresh, moist, and delicious. The dessert sampler came with a fruit tart, mango pudding & white chocolate mousse. None of them were memorable - they tasted like store-bought varieties. Creme brulee should have a creamy and silky consistenty, but theirs was thick and heavy. It was also bland. Definitely a let down.
Service: 1*
We had a 7 o'clock reservation and at 8:15 a staff member comes and informs us that there is a reservation for our table at 8:30. I stared at her blankly. She finished sheepishly "So.. you have to finish your food.. and leave by 8:30.." We had been chit-chatting this whole time and had barely touched our desserts. You expect us to scarf everything down in 15 minutes? I informed her that we were never told there was a time limit. "Oh you should've been told when you made your reservation..." Well we weren't, I explained, nor did you tell us when we were first seated. She runs off saying she'll see what she can do and returns later to tell us that we can have until 9 o'clock to finish. I annoyingly agreed to try. At 10 to 9, the waitress drops off our bill without us asking. Then attempted to take away our full pot of tea and clear our plates with food still on them. We had to stop her. Another staff member comes to tell us that the next party has arrived and is waiting over there. Do you really think guilt-tripping would work? By this point, we just wanted to leave as fast as possible as we couldn't stand all the dirty looks they were giving us. It's really a shame, because if their attitude wasn't so horrible, I would come back once in a while "for the experience."
Not sure about weeknights but it was a full house on a Friday evening (and probably the weekend). You definitely need a reservation as we watched them turn away customers after customers the entire time we were there. -
Review from Megan H.
12/25/2010 4 photos
This place is a wonderful place to have tea and a bite to eat! We ordered the peach black tea and a fruit tea as well. The tea was awesome and the server was very attentive to providing our empty pots with multiple refills of hot water.
We ordered the Full Afternoon Tea Set and it came with 3 tiers, each filled with a variety of delectable sandwiches, a scone, seasonal items, and desserts. My personal favorites were the potato salad, bread pudding, quiche, and the raspberry tart. The presentation of this tea set is gorgeous!
We also had the lobster bisque which is AMAZING. It came with two toasted pieces of focaccia. The focaccia was delicious on its own, but when dipped into the bisque, made my taste buds feel like they were in heaven :) -
Review from Carmen G.
Vancouver, BC
9/22/2010
Wow, I had such a great tea experience this week at Adonia. I went with a friend and we both ordered the Full Afternoon Tea Set. The sandwiches and sweets came in a beautiful 3 tiered glass tray, and the tea was served in a nice glass tea pot with a heater keeping the tea warm. All the sandwiches were more delicious than I expected, one with smoked salmon, a croissant ham sandwich, a cucumber sandwich with dill mayonnaise, and some others. There was also a really delicious mini quiche and tart. There were 10 different mini sweets for dessert including a mini meringue lemon pie, fruit tart, gold flake topped chocolate brownie, chocolate cake, and several others.
The tea was amazing and full flavored. I had the mango tea and my friend had the strawberry tea. The tea was extremely delicious and went perfectly with the food.
The decor is very cute and has an old English tea house feel.
I would definitely go back! -
Review from Claudia L.
Burnaby, BC
10/11/2009 4 photos
When I stepped in through the glass doors of Adonia, I felt like I was transported to the Victorian era of England where I imagine people to say phrases like "how splendid", call friends "darling" and always accompany their breathy, high pitched laughter with a head tilt and a hand flip. It's one of those places where you can imagine yourself sporting a pair of long, white silk gloves to hold your embroidered cloth umbrella that keeps you and your white poodle named Toto shady. Perhaps you'd wear a dress that makes your butt stick up with and tuck away a peppermint scented handkerchief under your corset.
How blooooooooody splendid :)
I met my best friend at Adonia for a long overdue catch up session and we could not have picked a better place to gossip, giggle and gobble some goodies. Although it's quite spendy, the service, quality and atmosphere is worth the treat.
A full tea set is $23 and includes
+ Your choice of tea from their wide signature tea collection (I got the Kalahari, which is a blend of Rooibos with citrus peel and lemongrass - "how spleeeeendid")
+ A three-tiered platter of tiny sandwiches and pastries (my favourite was the potato salad, cucumber sandwich and the richly dense scones - "aaaabsolutely delightful")
The full tea set is quite filling but they also have a mini version for $14 if you only wanna nibble. Their a la carte menu is a mix of East meets West items. You'll find Asian tea time goodies like shaved ice and European classics like pasta for dinner. The menu confirmed my Asian-owned hunch as high tea aka mid-afternoon tea [haa-mm-cha] is very popular in Hong Kong. And Adonia has done an exceptionally well job at creating a cozy, Victorian atmosphere with their heavy wooden round set tables, brown sugar crystals, delicate china and a Twinnings autographed poster in the bathroom.
We ended up chatting, sipping and nibbling for three hours and the waitress even offered to refilled our individual tea pots twice.
I think I have officially fallen in love with Adonia.
"Don't forget my darlings, to share this splendid place with your darlings and your darling's darlings as well! Oooooo. Also, park on the side street of East Boulevard (on the corner of McDonald's) for free. Keep that tip hush hush though. We wouldn't want people quarreling over free parking spots now, would we? Aaaa-hah-hah-hah. It's aaaaabsoluuuutely delightful! Ta ta for now darlings." -
Review from Andrea P.
Vancouver, BC
7/16/2011
A highly disappointing high tea. The sandwiches were okay at best, some of the desserts tasted like they came from Costco, and the restaurant (or maybe just the old couch that they sat us on?) had an odd smell that detracted from the ambiance. The Secret Garden in Kerrisdale is leaps and bounds better. Definitely won't be returning.
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Review from Joyce C.
2/6/2011 1 photo
my conclusion about adonia tea house is that it is more about the experience than the food.
the server was friendly but lacked knowledge about their tea's, seating was uncomfortable (the table closest to the window), and the food was just OK.
- my friend and i had the mini afternoon tea: the ham and cheese sandwich was tasty, but the croissant sandwich was bland. in terms of pastries, the fruit tart was the best one and the rest were average. our choice of drinks included the iced coffee and iced jasmine milk tea that my friend and i both appreciated.
i wouldn't return. my next stop for high tea would probably be secret garden tea house also in kerrisdale! -
Review from Gabby S.
Vancouver, BC
4/12/2010
It's okay.
I was disappointed by the bocconcini salad at $8 or $9. I guess you're paying for the ambiance.
The waitress looked like she was having a bad day and every time she walked by, I could feel the floor shake.
Maybe salad isn't what I should be trying at a tea house so I'll review after I try the afternoon tea. -
Review from Sylvie Z.
Vancouver, BC
7/24/2010 3 photos
Decor and ambience - really charming and cute, but tasteful - 5/5
Afternoon tea - based on the mini afternoon tea set - average, comparable to the Secret Garden but not outstanding like the Hotel Vancouver. The only thing missing from the mini tea set was scones with devonshire cream.
Service - good and reservations were easy to make. -
Review from Melanie S.
Burnaby, BC
11/13/2010
I've been here twice and all I can ask is how can this place get even more disappointing?
Maybe it's because we were using a Groupon for a 2-for-1 afternoon tea, but when you have four visible staff members behind the counter and leave your customers waiting over a minute to be greeted and seated for a reservation...it doesn't bode well, especially if you're trying to lure new customers away from your competition (which is a short walk away). I'm sure a minute doesn't seem like much time, but being such an intimate establishment and having family members in the hospitality industry, this is just not acceptable.
Anyway, we waited ten minutes for someone to get our tea order, and another fifteen for it to be brought to our table. I had to ask for cream and sugar. At a tea house of all places. I was aghast. Had we a more attentive server, I suppose we would have tipped more.
The staff seemed unfriendly. No friendliness, no checking if we needed anything, no prompt service from start to finish, and a very cold reception when we presented our coupon to the staff. At least this sort of service was completely consistent with my first visit to Adonia.
The food was a tad disappointing. When I eat a lemon tart, I expect it to be made with at least a shortcrust pastry base and not some weird sponge cake. The quiche was also very doughy--not enough filling and too much crust. Call me a food snob perhaps, but I expect pastries to be top notch if they're charging more than their competitors around the corner (especially when said competitor has a trained pastry chef on staff). The antipasto had a bitter aftertaste on both visits. I suppose I should praise them for some consistency on their part, aside from the terrible service.
So overall, I hereby declare Adonia Tea House to provide what has been the most terrible afternoon tea service in all of Vancouver. The end.
