The Dove’s Nest

Lovely to find a spot in Calgary that offers high tea, but I think it is slightly overrated at The Dove’s Nest. You get your own pot of tea, and sandwiches, a scone, and dessert squares – typical high tea fare. Where I think it falls short a little bit is that the sandwiches are not «to die for» and same with the dessert squares. The scone is the best part, but even then they serve it with jam and whipped cream (not clotted/​Devonshire cream which is the traditional ways of serving scones, so a bit disappointing if you are expecting a true high tea). They do have a very large selection of loose leaf teas, but I wish they had a bit more description of what the flavors are like. Love all the unique teacups they have on the tables… Drinking tea out of a teacup just tastes better! :)
As another reviewer said, the décor is cute but feels a little Grandma– esque. It can also be very busy and we were kind of smushed into a corner of the restaurant. Not the best ambience but it’s a sweet spot. Our server was pretty awkard which also detracted from the experience.
In terms of price point, high tea here is $ 31.95 whereas high tea at the Fairmont Palliser (much fancier, luxe location) is $ 37.50. Thinking next time I will try the Palliser for high tea; for a few more dollars I think the nicer location would be worth it and I hope they serve their scones with clotted cream!

Very delicious fresh food here. It is a very grandma — ish place. Cute. Tons of tea. The best scones I’ve ever had. Omg. I even bought some to take home. And then ate 2.
Definitely on the pricey side.
Take a favorite aunt, your mom, grandma, it’s very quaint.
I’d stop by for some baked goods if I were in the area.

Back in Calgary, I decided to go to the Doves Nest for brunch with friends. I must say, my experience was much different this time.
Once again, I had the scones covered in seafood and cheese, and it was quite tasty and fully filling again.
This time, our server was nice, but a bit inattentive. When we went to sniff the tea jars to determine which tea to order next, we were told we could not. If we wanted to sniff the tea, the woman had to hold the jar and fan the air over it towards us. I was extremely put off by this, partially by her attitude, and partially by a stranger waving their hand that close to my face. If people smelling the tea is such a problem, why don’t they have a rack with sample tins, specifically for smelling? I can only assume this girl was new or something, or the management hasn’t been to a Teopia, a Steeps, a Oolong… heck, any other tea house with more than five choices of tea.

I love love love this place. I come here with lady friends when we need some time to chat and catch up. We always do the High Tea service. The little sandwiches are delicious and fresh. The scones and cream are always so moist and flavorful and of course the petite desserts are to die for. I LOVE the lemon tarts.
It is about $ 25 for a pot of tea and the food per person. You either each get a single pot of tea or one large one to share. Each person gets about 5 mini sandwiches, one large scone and 3 desserts. I always go for the house blend tea because I think it is absolutely delicious. Black tea with hints of caramel.
I do not eat any red meat and they have no problem changing out the ham for another sandwich. I also have a friend with allergies and they are able to accommodate her as well. Just call ahead and let them know!
I always feel great leaving the place as they have a wonderful atmosphere and are always so pleasant. I keep bringing more of my friends here to try it when I want to have High Tea.
The only thing I would say that is a negative is that they don’t have high-​chairs and a friend of mine has difficulty getting her travel chair to fit on theirs. Perhaps it is best to leave the little one at home!
Highly Recommended!

Love this place :)
Very homey environment, quiet, very relaxing, friendly staff, awesome tea and snack. We ordered high tea for two (a bit expensive, definitely not something you would do everyday), but the sandwiches and scones are exquisite. The portions didn’t look like a lot but we couldn’t finish and had to take some desserts home.
My personal favourites are cream cheese cucumber sandwich and the scone, their salmon mousse tart was very interesting! Too bad we both forgot our phones at home, the presentation was very cute!

Very nice place for a high tea sorta thing. Dad and daughter sitting, drinking tea, reading. Food takes a while because it is all home made and fresh. I had the salmon eggs benedict. Very good. They have a kids menu. Very friendly staff who even gave us sample tea to take home as well as free dessert because they felt bad that we had to wait so long. Expensive, but tasty.