Tea Review- Tea Time in Palo Alto, CA

A first review of the challenge afternoon tea list! Tea Time in Palo Alto is a small afternoon tea shop that mostly takes reservations only though there were a few people that did walk-in. On weekends or busy times it's recommended that you make a reservation so that you can be guaranteed a spot especially since the place is very limited seating.

This afternoon tea shop is located in downtown Palo Alto so it's really easily accessible by Caltrain and there was a parking garage really close to the place that was free for 4 hours on weekends. They do also get bonus points for now being the closest afternoon tea place to my current residence. Calling to make a reservation was a little hard as they do close early (4pm) daily so if you wanted to call during the week you have to do it during what would be considered 'business hours' however you can also email them your reservation request. If you don't want the full tea there are some gluten free options and they were able to provide non-dairy milk for the tea upon request.

Ease of access (location, hours, ease of making reservation, dietary menu options): 9/10




The décor was very eclectic but cute inside and the chairs were very comfy! There were cups, saucers, and tea pots around for sale as well as some cute candies, loose leaf tea, and other small knickknacks. The staff was very friendly but not very knowledgeable (the sign said hiring so we guessed that the servers were a bit new!). 

Atmosphere (décor, place settings, staff): 7/10



The price for your basic afternoon tea was $44.95 and there was an option to select a slightly more expensive monthly seasonal tea pre-fix menu or get a lighter fair of just sandwiches or just desserts. I left feeling full and satisfied but not overly stuffed. 

Price (value for money): 8/10

The tea selection had a lot of teas I was interested in as flavored black teas but there weren't so many that it was overwhelming. They even brought out a little cup of the Winter Blend when we asked about it to smell. We ultimately chose a different tea but it was good to be able to smell the tea to know if we wanted it or not! We got the vanilla black and lychee black teas and both were very tasty! They did not come around with more water but the pots were large enough that while I did finish my pot of tea it did take until I finished all my food to do so.
Tea: 9/10

The scones were tasty but quite small. They gave us a small cup with half lemon curd and half clotted cream for the scone however it was so small I was afraid to cut it. I think I would have preferred jam to lemon curd but it was still good.
Scones (and/or crumpets): 6/10

The tea came with a spinach and artichoke quiche slice, a bit of green salad and a selection of 3 sandwiches. The sandwiches were mostly traditional tea fare (Pictured is chicken apple walnut salad, turkey cranberry, and pesto brie). They were also interestingly arranged- a slice of bread, some spread, another slice of bread, some spread, then kind of the main sandwich filling on top? Kind of like an open face sandwich but not really. It was kind of fun to have the sandwiches presented this way and they were all tasty!
Savories: 8.5/10

The sweets were less robust than I expected when I saw the sandwiches- those were really the star of the tea compared to the sweets. There was some mixed fruit, crispy crepe cookies, a I think banana bread and the scone. While these were decently tasty I was kind of feeling something was missing- maybe a pettifor, bonbon or other chocolate item would have rounded out the dessert selection better
Sweets: 5/10

Total average rating: 7.5/10

Overall Tea Time in Palo Alto is a solid place for afternoon tea- especially if you are on the peninsula and want a satisfying tea experience at a competitive price. I don't think it will be my favorite out of the bunch but I will definitely be back!

And of course my first outfit of this year was the last outfit I was going to wear for my wear everything challenge that got derailed!