Tea On the Tiber

We’ve been doing English tea weekly/​monthly since 2001 at various locations in the DMV and throughout the country (and out of the country) depending on where we are at the time. While we were once fans of Tea on the Tiber (mainly for their scones — mostly after the recession when a lot of their competition went out of business), in recent years things have gone further downhill.
PROS
1. Scones (but *no* clotted cream to go on the scone — talk about cutting major corners)
CONS
1. On more than one occasion there were ANTS walking on our 3-​tiered food display.
2. Another time they were unaware that we had a birthday, even though it was mentioned when booking.
3. No clotted cream. Really?
4. Parking? None. Try hunting for a place to park then hiking in your pretty outfit (sometimes in inclement weather or with guests with mobility limitations or children).
5. They’ve never been known for warm service, but yet another time, they were not only not accommodating but flat out RUDE to my well-​behaved son. The woman actually said this was a tearoom and children weren’t suppose to be here. Ironic considering #1, he was well behaved and #2, other tearooms offer teas specifically for children. Are we supposed to stop our tradition of afternoon tea just because I’m now a mother?
Other tea rooms had no trouble welcoming my son a week later, and even were playfully engaging with him and commenting on how well behaved he was through tea. They offer better tea menus and are always ant-​free, so while it might be a little bit further of a drive, they get all our business now.
Summary:
If you want you and your guests to not have to walk blocks to get to tea, wish to not have ants walking on your plate, expect clotted cream, and expect warm service and want all guests in your party to be welcome, take your business elsewhere.
Recommendation:
Reynold’s Tea Room in Annapolis will be more than happy to take care of you, and with better food at a better price.

I’ve been hear at least five times and could not believe I’ve never left a review!
Everything from making a reservation to partaking in the afternoon tea was and has always been amazing! As some pictures reflect, you are greeted by your hostess who is perfectly attired in what you would expect from an antique tea house who presents you with a menu of the tier of the day/​month/​season and a variety of teas either descriptions for you to choose from.
After your tea arrives, the hostess recommends that you leave the bag in the pot for roughly 2 – 5 minutes (depending upon strength desired) while you wait for your tier to arrive. You typically have the scone and fresh fruit selection at the bottom, finger sandwiches and other finger foods in the middle and desserts at the top. On first glance, one would think the tier will not be enough, but as you make your way from the bottom to the top, you realize you’ll have to ask for a box and possibly a take home cup for the remainder of your tea.
Overall, I have nothing negative to say about Tea on the Tiber. Each and every time I’ve visited the tea house my experience has been relaxing, enjoyable and memorable thanks to the wonderful ladies who take care of you!

I’m particularly fond of tea houses, as I’m an avid tea-​drinker already, and rather fond of scones, but I just wasn’t blown away. The scones themselves were delicious, and the tea was quite good, served in a pot big enough to satisfy [though it made the tiny table mighty crowded]. The rest of the spread was… disappointing, honestly. It might have been an off day what with the massive party of tiny shrieking children upstairs [which I grant played a part in my not-​so-​sterling experience], but I didn’t find the food or the not-​so-​attentive service exactly stunning. The fruit was hit and miss –a lackluster orange slice and some terribly underripe pineapple, with a tasty piece of kiwi and some juicy grapes for the fruit– and the cheese was just sad –an oddly cut inch cube of… something white?-. The tiny sandwiches were… just tiny, really, which was disappointing since I had a hankering for cucumber, though all of them were tasty. Dessert was interesting cheesecake, a brownie, and a piece of shortbread, but I honestly would have gleefully traded it for more sammies to make the lot of it a little less sugary and a little more lunch-​y.
Overall, the food was acceptable and the tea was good. I will be going back for the scones, since I asked on the way out and it’s apparently totally doable to just order scones and tea on weekday afternoons, and they were excellent.

This place is perfect for girls outing! My friends and I had the high tea on a gorgeous Sunday and thoroughly enjoyed our time here. Tea on the Tiber had a huge variety of teas and snacks. The food didn’t wow me but it was plentiful, and the experience was so pleasant and fun. You must make a reservation ahead of time because this place books up. The fact that it’s located among all the quaint shops in historic Ellicot City just adds to the charm.

I’ve done high tea a couple of times before (the best time being in London of course) but since I can’t get to London on a regular basis this was a great nearby option. The tea options are two pages of a menu long so that can be overwhelming. The «goodies» are pretty good. The scones with clotted cream and jelly were yummy and the cake was so good. The sandwiches were just ok. The waitresses are in old fashioned uniforms (like downton abby) which was cute and they were super friendly. The ambience was old fashioned Victorian era esque. They also have a floor devoted to kids (we saw a little girl in a princess uniform host her tea party birthday party, so cute). I’d come back for sure!

Had a «Shoppers Cream Tea» here with my husband a couple of months ago. It was a busy Sunday and they still managed to sneak us in. The food was excellent and the Shopper Cream was perfectly portioned, we got it with the iced tea as it was hot out and the carafes they serve it in are enormous, I could’ve sat there with a book drinking tea all day! Our server was delightful and I can’t wait to go back!

The day before she got married, my friend decided to organize a tea party with some of the ladies. I had never been to Tea on the Tiber, and the only place I could compare it to was a tea parlor I had gone to in Rochester, New York.
To start, the restaurant is just adorable. It’s decorated from end to end, and I almost felt like I was walking into a doll house. I really liked the décor of the place.
There were about 15 of us at the table, and each girl got her own pot of tea. The list was extensive, but it was easy to find something that I liked: chai. I liked how every person gets their own pot because it makes it easy to share. The staff also made sure to tell us where the bathroom was many times because you know how that can be.
The food was the highlight of the experience. They brought out several three-​tiered food trays that were absolutely beautiful. The bottom plate had different kinds of scones and fruit. The middle tray had an assortment of sandwiches. And best of all, the top was filled desserts including brownies, cookies, and the most beautiful fruit tars I had ever seen. Our waitress specially noted the heart-​shaped tomato sandwiches and called them «their specialty.» At first glance, these sandwiches where absolutely nothing special. It was tomato sandwiched between two pieces of white bread with some kind of mayonnaise on it. WRONG. I don’t know what they put onto this sandwich, but it was one of the best things I have ever tried. Next time I go, I will probably just order a plate of tomato sandwiches.
Overall, I really enjoyed my experience. The food was delicious, the presentations were gorgeous, and everyone who worked there was super nice. It was also very reasonably priced. I would absolutely recommend this place for women of all ages and for any occasion.

I love tea houses, and I absolutely love love love love Tea on the Tiber!!!
I came here with a group of 12 girls a little over a week ago for the Saturday afternoon tea the day before my wedding. I called only a week prior wondering if they had any reservations available because I decided last minute that I wanted to organize something with some of my girlfriends. They were able to accommodate us not only by booking a reservation, but they also asked about dietary restrictions and asked me what color I wanted the table decoration to be (and whether I wanted it to match my wedding colors)! We had a few girls who are vegetarians and they gladly made some optional sandwiches for them, which was really nice!
First of all, the space itself is just adorable! Really quaint and pretty and exactly what you would want a tea house to be. Second of all, they have one of the most impressive tea lists I have ever seen. It was really hard to decide! And they don’t bring you just a little cup of tea… no, we each got our own, full (beautiful) teapot! Third, and most importantly, the food was DELICIOUS. The scones were out of this world — the most delicious scones I have ever had. I could absolutely eat those scones with clotted cream and lemon curd every day for the next 100 years. The sandwiches were also amazing, particularly the tomato sandwiches (cut into the shape of a heart!) I don’t know what they put on it, but it was phenomenal. (Maybe it was a tangy mayo? I don’t know. We all tried to figure it out!) I could have eaten trays and trays of them (a la Harriet the Spy…) And then the top tier was dessert, which I think was fine but we were all so stuffed by that point that we barely nibbled on it. It’s funny because you think of afternoon tea as being light and even when they brought out the tiered trays we all kind of figured that we would have a scone here, a tea sandwich there, a sip of tea… but it’s really a lot of food. We all left completely stuffed and happy and a few girls needed boxes to take the dessert home! So when you see the price tag (I think something around $ 23 or so per person) for afternoon tea, know that this isn’t just some light fare — you will be getting a full meals worth of food!
If you can’t tell, I absolutely adore Tea on the Tiber. The space is great, the staff is great, the food is great… it’s just great! I am so happy that I was able to come here to kick off my wedding weekend festivities, and I know I’ll be back in the future (probably sooner than later) because it’ll be really hard to stay away! What a gem!

I love this place. I attended a bridal shower here last weekend. The staff was very friendly and accommodating, the décor and ambience were perfect and I love the tea selection. The desserts were amazing as well.

I wish I could give this place a higher rating, I really do.
My mom and I had our first visit at Tea On The Tiber earlier this year, I can’t remember exactly when. The woman serving us was an older woman, and seemed very short with us. The other staff girls were very kind and sincere.
After our Afternoon Tea and snacks came and we were almost done, the woman came back and said in a shocked tone, «You didn’t eat your scones yet?!» this wasn’t the first time she mentioned scones. It seemed as if everytime she came back to our table to check on us all she mentioned was «Don’t forget to eat the scones.» «Did you have the scones yet?» and as I stated before, «You didn’t eat your scones yet?!»
After we finished eating and walked back to our car I started to feel light headed, and on the way home I eventually got sick in the car, what a delight that was, right?
Overall, the building Tea On The Tiber is located is very exquisite and beautiful! Wish I could’ve looked around at all the other different rooms there but didn’t come to think of it until after we had gotten home.
The tea and the food was great! I do reccomend the Rose tea I think its called.

Wife, daughter, and father in law went for 3 o’clock tea and were all very happy with the experience. Choose from 30 or so teas and go back in time to an old english tea. We have all been to England for tea and this was the same. They make their own clotted cream which is very important to an english tea. The main street is also nice to walk and soak up the ambience. About $ 25 dollars per person, well worth the cost for the experience.

Located in historic Ellicott City, this Victorian-​style tea house offers a very reasonable and filling $ 23 afternoon tea. For added fabulousness, the servers all wear costumes resembling the lady’s maid uniforms in Downton Abbey.
The tea menu is substantial, with a nice range of varieties and styles, including plenty of low and no caffeine options. We went with black tea, sampling both the fragrant rose petal and wintery orange spice. I’ll run through this tea tier by tier — starting with the lovely citrus cranberry scones. These were sweeter than most scones, but still scrumptious — and accompanied by clotted cream, lemon curd, and berry jam.
The savory selection included chicken salad on croissant, a sort of deconstructed egg salad on water crackers, spicy pimento cheese in phyllo cups, tomato and mayonnaise on white bread, and for the vegetarian — a wee salad. These were all tasty, but not remarkable.
Finally, the dessert tier included a crumbly, buttery shortbread cookie, fudgy brownie, and slice of tasty, if somewhat overly sweet, coconut layer cake (buttercream frosting on top and coconut custard between layers of delicate white cake.)
For the price, the atmosphere, and friendly service — Tea on the Tiber is well worth the trip.

Checked out Tea on the Tiber for a high-​tea to celebrate a friend’s baby on board! We sat in the back room on the second floor with many windows. It felt like we had been transported to some lovely English tea room.
We each got a different pot of tea — and really didn’t even think to share since each tea matched our personalities and desires perfectly. The tier of treats was yumm-​O. We especially liked the chicken salad croissant and the refreshing fruits. I wasn’t the biggest fan of the bulky scones or the slices of cake but I think that might just be preference. The point is that there was plenty of food and different types of sandwiches and treats to satisfy all our cravings.
Our reservation was at noon and we didn’t feel rushed and the service was impeccable — questions were answered and we were checked on the appropriate amount.
We’ll definitely be back. Pro tip — they’re booked up almost a month in advance, we snuck in because many people were afraid of the pending snow storm!
Note: Many reviews say its a ladies who lunch kind of spot but we were two couples and it didn’t feel super out of place to have our men there with us

I just had my bridal shower here this past weekend and everyone loved it. The food was delicious and the tea was great (everyone got their own full pot). Only recommendation would be to add a few extra finger sandwiches. Parking and traffic are something to consider, but if you’re familiar with old Ellicott City, this is nothing new.
Comments from my mother, who arranged the party, were that they were extremely detail oriented, calling to check in on details before the event, coordinating colors, checking for food allergies etc. My seven year old daughter was the hostess, and upon arrival to set up, the staff talked to her to make sure everything was set up correctly.

EXCELLENT!!! I LOVED TEA ON THE TIBER!!! Went there today for a BDAY tea with 4 friends. The service was excellent!!! There is such a variety of tea to choose from. The chai is TO DIE FOR!!! All of the platter items were delicious too… and the desserts!!! The venue is very cute and quaint along busy Main Street in Ellicott City. Very charming location!!! Felt very Victorian! The only drawback is the parking. I happened to get a great spot RIGHT across the street (metered parking)…but my friends parked in the free lots further up the street. I wish there was more convenient parking, but it was totally worth it. I will DEFINITELY go back!!!

I booked the Library at Tea on the Tiber for a baby shower recently. None of us had ever been there, but I had heard good things about it, so I took a chance.
The reservation process was very easy, even when the morning of, we had to update the number of attendees. The staffed worked with me when I ended up having to make 2 changes an hour apart.
As for the experience, it was a wonderful one! I knew not to expect a lot of food, since it was a mid-​afternoon tea, but all of us were full and had to take home left overs. The portions were very generous,. Everything served was delicious, and each of us got a different tea, which were all very good as well.
The setting was so nice, and even though we went a little over on the time, nobody rushed us out (which I wouldn’t blame them for doing if they had). I will definitely return to Tea on the Tiber, and would absolutely recommend them for a shower as well.

Pro’s-nice atmosphere. tea and food was good. fun for a special occassion.
Con’s-like other reviewers have pointed out: the door sticks, we couldn’t get in either and the managers said it sticks. A sign on the door would be helpful.
–I wish when they seat you to tell the party to turn their cell phones on vibrate. Many guests cell phones were ringing and they even answered them. tacky.
–very noisy.
–having been to tea in England, would have more scones and forgo the large piece of cake they serve. i would also make the scones smaller so you can have two different kinds of scones instead of one large one.

A lovely, classic Victorian tearoom in the historical stretch of Ellicott City. Service, food, and tea selection were great. Although the desserts were likely not homemade, the huge cinnamon chip scones were and the sandwiches were certainly tasty (my friend raved about the fresh tomatoes).
Each person receives their own pot of tea (with 5 cups worth), a large scone served with clotted cream, lemon curd, and fruit preserves, 3 mini sandwiches, a large slice of cake, and a piece or shortbread and brownie. Oh, and a piece of cheese and fruit.
Bottom line: yummy and filling sweets and savories for a great price of $ 22.

My mother and I felt like we were in England having our afternoon tea. We ordered one full afternoon tea ($ 22.50) and one cream tea (just the scone, tea, and fruit for $ 12.50) and split everything. It was actually a lot of food, especially since the scones are so large and heavy. We really enjoyed the chocolate mousse cake. This a really unique place, and afternoon tea houses are really hard to find. I would love to come back again with a group of girlfriends.
FYI, there was not a single guy in sight, so leave your boyfriends or husbands at home if you don’t want them to feel too out of place!

What a delightful way to celebrate my bridal shower with some of my closet friends. We each choose a different tea to enjoy and the food was amazing. I’d highly recommend popping in and spending the day walking around Elliott City and stopping in for some tea.
Great for bridal showers, birthday, or general get togethers.