The Old Curiosity Tea Shop

So the boyfriend and I wanted to take our Moms out for Mother’s Day High Tea (totally his idea) and so I did a bunch of research. Now let me point out that I’m by no means new to the High Tea Rodeo. I’ve been to the Four Seasons a few times, Windsor Arms, The Old Mill and a few others in and around the city over the years (I cannot get enough of finger sandwiches — made by other people, of course). So we wanted something good that was located somewhere in the middle of where our Moms live. I perused my trusty Unilocal colleagues’ reviews, checked out a few places, tried to think of what might work for everyone. We chose this place. While I noticed on their website that they’re close on Sundays, I did pick up the phone to inquire whether or not they might be open on Mother’s Day. Sure enough — the gentleman who answered the phone (turns out later, it was Adam, the superstar) was very helpful and we booked one of the seatings offered that day. They left us a voicemail the day before to confirm and ask us to call back if there are any changes or cancellations. Perfect. I don’t need to call back because everything’s the same. Love! So we met up at the Tea Shop, and we were about 20 minutes early (leaving time for traffic/​construction/​anything that might have happened between downtown and Markham — the DVP had been a parking lot, so good thing we’d left plenty of time) but there were seats in the front that the Moms could sit on while we waited. Adam was fantastic — informing us that they were just setting up the table for us (we had chosen a later seating time when I’d booked it) and by no means did he or the other lovely owner — sorry, totally forgot her name! — ever make us feel remotely like we were too early, in the way etc. They could not have been friendlier, kind, patient, and professional. I was absolutely floored by the level of customer service offered to each and every one of us! This cute little place isn’t huge by any stretch, but I believe that that is what allowed them to give each of us such individual attention. When we were seated, we were given a cute little menu (with the history of tea/​high tea, something interesting I wish I’d asked to take one home with me) that listed all of the teas — thoughtfully divided by black teas/​greens/​herbal and fruit and another category (specialty teas perhaps?). I’m a big tea drinker and picky about what I choose and I apologized and asked if I could smell a few teas before choosing. Adam was ridiculously understanding fantastic, kind, understanding and thoughtful. Never once did any of us feel like we were wearing/​doing/​saying the wrong thing. We felt relaxed, catered to, and appreciated. Adam repeatedly asked if we wanted more hot water, and never for one iota of a second did he ever make us feel rushed. He made it very clear we were to take as long as we wished that there was absolutely no need to hurry with anything. The Mother’s Day High Tea included a lovely little pot of tea per person (refilled with hot water as much as we wanted), a two tiered sandwich platter (with 4 or 5 different kinds of finger sandwiches) it was all good! Now, mind you, these sandwiches weren’t necessarily the crazy high end ones you might find at the Four Seasons, however, they were fresh, tasty, creative and satisfying. A lovely bonus was the warm Welsh Rarebit (gooey cheese mixed with ground pepper and mustard and melted onto some yummy french bread slices)! We loved everything but were stuffed and we asked for them to boxed up to go (Adam first wanted to make sure that there wasn’t any problem with anything). Next course was two tiered dessert platters (don’t judge ‘em by the looks folks — just because some of the cookies may look like something you might find in a chain donut shop/​Indigo — they absolutely are NOT) were warm, freshly baked currant scones, clotted cream, 4 kinds of jam, fudge, shortbread and really great (and super pretty) iced flower cookies — 2 layers with jam inside as well as super great almond cookies. EVERYTHING IS GOOD HERE! WHAT’S UP WITH THAT? We were drinking 900 pots of tea and were quickly stuffed. The women in the kitchen work hard (plus they were super cool ruffled Victorian style aprons and frilled caps) as do both of the owners. I found out as we were leaving that Adam was one of the owners & a lovely young woman (also professional and welcoming) are both business partners — not to mention they’re both basically 12 years old, clearly experts in what they’re doing. Oh and you know what else? At the end of our excellent high tea, we were each presented with a little jewellery box — I wasn’t expecting much because (I’m already regretting telling you this because with these prices I’ll never get a reservation here again — or a great high tea) the low price! In each jewellery box was a cute and creative lovely necklace made out of china — I almost started crying. What a perfect Mother’s Day! Seriously, this is my new hangout. Thrilled, and grateful.

I brought my dad, sister and our close family friends here for a traditional, English-​style afternoon tea today. I wanted to show them that there are other places out there OTHER than Chinese restaurants which we have been going to for DECADES.
The setting was beautiful, the service was impeccable, and we truly enjoyed the assorted sandwiches and the different kinds of teas we got to taste. The desserts were too sweet for our Asian taste buds so we ended up packing most of it to take home (which we will very slowly polish off, sliver by sliver lol) but we appreciated the beautifully crafted shortbread cookies that were shaped and decorated as pretty flowers. One of our friends held up a cookie that was shaped as a tulip upside-​down and said «I know what shape this is! It’s a soft-​shelled turtle!» That caused some laughter all around.
We all had a really good time and I am really glad I got to show my friends and family what English-​style afternoon tea is like. Yes, it was not cheap, but it was worth every penny. At $ 24 per person, it is still cheaper than a lot of other tea places in the city that don’t even provide the same level of service and quality of food as this place. I will be back again soon with friends and/​or family.

A mother’s day tradition! The tea and sandwiches are always delish but above all the service is top notch! The place is small and cosy with an authentic english décor. Just wish hours were a bit more flexible for late seatings.

We go back all the time for the incredible service and food. I definitely recommend tea with scones instead of the big set. I hope they never change this because it’s what made me a repeat customer!
I always joke around saying that I’m going to visit Molesley on Main. Adam is just incredible!
Please refer to my previous in depth review about this hidden gem!

The old curiosity tea shop has a great selection of delicious teas and sweets. The shop is really unique and my favourite place to visit on main street.

This super cute tea shop is the perfect date spot!
Victorian surrounding, beautiful fine china cups and teapots. omg :) It’s a girl’s dream come true to have a tea party! (I never had one of those fake ones with my teddy bears when I was young ok).
We didn’t go for the afternoon tea. Instead, we just ordered the black forest brownie, victorian favourites, sweet treats, and victorian sponge. The treats came with 2 teapots of tea. The snacks were typical but delicious. Tea was great. Nothing crazy, but that’s English tea party for you! Definitely going back.

Came with my friends for girls afternoon outing. The place is very traditional English style and nicely decorated with lots of details. The staffs were very friendly and the afternoon tea special was excellent. The sandwich esp the nutty one was very yummy albeit the sweet dish was a little on the sweeter side for my taste. All in all, a cute little teashop great for girls gathering. Would reco!

My bridal party hosted my bridal shower here the other weekend. Overall, it was fantastic. The food was lovely along with great service.

Hubby and I had the set afternoon tea here this week. It’s $ 24/​each, comes with 2 tier tray of sandwiches and 2 tier tray of sweets. The scones were warm and delish. Cute little place, love the decorations.
The cookies were soft and buttery. We couldn’t finish all the desserts, so we took them to go for later.
The tea selection was impressive. I had the angle’s dream (maple and blackberry I think?) And hubby had the herbal (caffeine free) strawberry & lemon tea (forgot the actual name for this one). Both tea was great.
Service was great. Adam was polite and attentive.
Overall we had a good experience and the best part is its close by so we don’t even have to fight traffic driving downtown. $ 24/​each may seem expensive for sandwiches and sweets but still a bargain compared with other high tea places in Toronto.
Nice place to hang out with friends

This place has the authentic English style which made me feel as though I was literally having a tea party. There were many English ladies who come here for a discussion.
The waiter was extremely polite, offerring a selection of teas to choose from. In addition, we didn’t know much about the tierd high tea and thought we could order it the day of. Fortunately, he helped us arrange it so we were able to try it the day of.
The tiered high tea was filled with fulfilling sandwiches at the bottom tier with fig sauce and jam. The top tier had many freshly baked cookies. It didn’t taste extremely delicious, but it was definitely very authentic.
Each person was given a pot of tea from the selection of the high tea combo, which was very unique as well.

We loved our experience at the Olde Curiosity Tea Shop. They had a large selection of tea’s. The variety and quality of their finger sandwiches and freshly baked scones we’re excellent. Better value than a lot of places that offer high tea. The cosy ambiance, great service and attention to detail allows me to give it 5 Stars!

Perfect setting to go with your girlfriends to chat and snack.
$ 24 per person for the afternoon tea. They say to call ahead to let them know but when we arrived they were able to accommodate for the afternoon tea, so that was a plus! Comes with an assortment of mini sandwiches and dessert. Pot of tea of your choice, I tried the peach apricot black tea and it was delicious!
Cute, unique, quiet place in main st. You can buy loose leaf there so that’s awesome! Came on a Tuesday afternoon and it was quite filled up. The host was very nice and helpful. Served everything at a moderate pace so we were enjoying every second of our time. Didn’t hurry us even though they were near close.
The food itself was delicious! Not a thing I didn’t enjoy. It’s a bit pricey but you’ll leave pretty satisfied and full! Would definitely come back again. Maybe try to get the table next to the window, fancy!

Came here after new years with my mom. They are pretty packed at lunch time. We thought we booked the afternoon tea but turned out we didn’t. After looking at the menu, we were glad we didn’t because it wasn’t worth the money ($ 24 per person)
We got the shepherd’s pie ($ 14) with scones ($ 11). The scones came with tea and we chose bourbon vanilla. The pie was crispy on top and the meat was seasoned with a lot of worcester sauce. The england dressing is a mayo based sauce and was okay. The scones were really soft and tea quite sweet. We were both stuffed.
The décor was really antique! tablecloths, colours, tea pot collections and china are very unique. I like how we had a strainer for the tea, and the waitress dressed up too. The only thing I would critique is that if they wanted to go all antique, they should go all the way. There were plastic bottles of water on the table and they used paper napkins instead of fabric. It would be nice to be all round.
Neat place, maybe i’ll come just for the tea and china, but i’ll give it a 3.5÷5.

I’m not a big fan of tea so this 3 star review should probably be a 4 and maybe even a 5. There were so many teas to choose from and I had no idea which type or flavour of tea I would like but I ended up just choosing the first thing I saw which sounded pretty good too — Apple cranberry.
$ 4 for a hot pot of tea sounded pretty reasonable. The apple cranberry flavour tasted okay and tasted even better when I added sugar and milk. The colour turned a dirty pink after I added the sugar and milk.
The place was uniquely decorated and had tea pots displayed all over the place. There were old fashioned tea pots and elaborately decorated tea pots and even some cute funny looking tea pots. It reminded me of the movie Indiana Jones where he had to choose the right cup to drink out of but in this case its tea pots.
If you want to get some tea leaves to bring home its also an option here and for about $ 6.25 you could bring home a 50 gram bag.
Service was very friendly and just looking at the tea pots displayed all around with the Victorian atmosphere is worth the visit.

Went for high tea. It was okay. There are better places in Markham to go.
Vanilla tea was good. They do have a lot of teas to choose from.. Tiny sandwiches were meh, nothing special. The scone was stale, very stale. There wasn’t enough cream or jam to make it palatable. The sweets were just okay, with the exception of these teeny ginger bread cookies.
I want to be able to recommend this place but I can’t, I’ve had better

A random find but so glad I stumbled across it! I love that there’s something as unique as this place just a short drive from my house.
The minute I walked in I was pretty floored at how cool it looked! Very Victorian inspired with a bunch of old and fascinating tea pots plopped up on various fixtures on the wall. I also got a kick out of how the waitress was dressed. So, so awesome.
I ordered the Vanilla Cream looseleaf tea. It was delicious. The only downside to the place is that it gets really hot in there and the construction outside gets fairly noisy (not the fault of the shop, of course).
I’d definitely recommend this to anyone looking to try something new or anyone who’s passionate about tea. Their selection is phenomenal.
Tip: Make reservations in advance.

Definitely a hidden treasure on Main. This place is extremely busy so remember to call ahead to make a reservation.
Service was impeccable. The décor in this cute little tea shop was adorable. And the food was delish — don’t let those sandwiches fool you. My girlfriend and I left stuffed and we couldn’t even finish the cookies and scones. Would definitely recommend to others.

I took my mother here for mother’s day and had a wonderful time!
The tea selection is fantastic and the hospitality was very warm and genuine. They have decorated the shop with all sorts of tea paraphernalia and the atmosphere is reminiscent of Downton Abbey. The owner is always there so you aren’t dealing with a sullen teenaged summer student or indifferent employee who is disconnected from the business and consequently totally apathetic about the service. Quite to the contrary this small business does their best to be in tune with their customers. It was obvious they took care in making the little sandwiches and pastries, which were actually totally filling. My only problem is that tea cost $ 25/​person which I felt was a little high.

Don’t I love, love, love this store!!!
I love tea, old fashioned, caffeinated tea. Not flower tea, not fruit tea (these are popular now, I am told), I demand real tea leaves. This shop delivers. I often walk into this store when I have my leisure weekend walk. The lovely aroma of tea greets me when I step into the store. The store owner himself often serves me. I prefer a large variety of teas (light, medium and strong strength). I smell the tea leaves before I pick and choose what to buy (by gram). The whole experience is relaxing, luxurious, oh so zen. The quality of the tea leaves here meets and exceeds Twinings.
Humm… selection: I bought black tea leaves with a vanilla aroma, Nepal tea leaves, Northern Indian tea leaves, black teas with fruit flavour. I expect to buy more later. Though I don’t foresee myself buying, I am told that fruit tea leaves are very popular now.
Oh, they have an online store at
. It often runs specials and discounts. I personally prefer buying in store just to smell the tea leaves. :-)

The Old Curiosity Tea Shop have a huge selections of loose leaf tea which was a pleasant surprise… I would have never expect how extensive their tea menu is… a full 2 pages of tea for one to choose from.
The tea room itself is really Victorian and have really good atmosphere… which me and my fellow Unilocaler made reservations for
Afternoon Tea for 2 ($ 20/​person)
— The tea selections are awesome… we ended up selected 2 of the black English teas who were similar in taste but one of them was a little bolder than the other
— The sandwiches were quite good… the standard cucumber, salmon mousse/​dill…
— Really disappointed with the scones with currants… they were way too bready… without that only so good buttery taste and not crumby enough for my liking…
— The sweets is only a chocolate covered cookie… that is really really disappointing…
I will suggest just skip the afternoon tea… but come to get some loose leaf tea. most of them are priced reasonably for $ ⁵⁄₅₀ gram… and they also have a website that you can order online!