Tracy Stern SALONTEA

Tracy Stern is a little bit Marie Belle (quaint, beautiful chocolate shop) and a little bit Chocolate Bar (cool, hip, orange, modern décor) – both in NYC – and it was fun to reminisce about both on my last two visits here. And that’s a good thing!
My first time here I ordered a chicken focaccia sandwich at $ 9.50. It was ok, but a bit light on the chicken which was disappointing so I would take a pass on that one.
I was invited back, and this time I enjoyed the chicken club, quinoa yoghurt-​based salad and gluten free brownie. And of course how could I overlook the tea?! I decided to try a lovely decaffeinated tea: «The Natural Beauty,» and it did not disappoint. If I ever decide to give up coffee for good, this would definitely be my first stop for a modern tea shop. I nursed this cup throughout the day in fact, and it was quite sweet, pleasing to drink and flavourful, yes, even for a self-​professed coffee addict.
The sandwich, while still sparse on the fillings was a much better choice.
The quinoa salad was quite tasty and a satisfying accompaniment to the rest of my lunch. It kept well as take out, and I was able to eat the rest with my dinner which was an added bonus.
The brownie, while not as sweet as what I’ve become so accustomed to eating from most bakeries was delicious and did not leave me feeling like I had overdone it with the sugar. In the end, I much preferred it to the rot-​your-​teeth kind of brownie that I’ve ordered all too often at other bakeries. Although I’m certainly not gluten free and I’m reluctant to become so, I appreciated this one, and I’d recommend it to those watching their gluten intake or otherwise.
I did not eat «in» for either visit, although I enjoyed the environment of the quaint little tea shop. Too bad the tables and chairs weren’t near the front, however, as I’m sure it would draw even more people if they could re-​arrange their layout to appear more welcoming.
Both times I was served by the sweetest server and proprietors ever. While it never seemed to get too lined up at the counter, they were busy serving both restaurant patrons and counter guests at the same time. It was fun to look at all of the products while I waited, so it didn’t feel as if I was standing there for long.
So, altho the sandwiches are a bit pricier than one might expect, I’d venture to go for the salads, desserts and teas that they offer and you won’t be disappointed. It’s certainly the cutest bakery/​deli shop around in the Sogra ‘hood. I will just have to try the full tea service next time.

Agree with most of the reviews for the high tea service. Definitely not up to par with other venues that offer the same services in the city. Very modern décor and more of a coffee shop vibe. Pricy for what it is.

My friend and I had high tea at the Fairmont Vancouver for the same price a few times and always loved it. Therefore, we were so dissapointed by the food and service at Salon Tea.

They seemed to have an interesting selection of teas — we had the writer, not bad. The pastries were not appealing, the presentation was pretty poor and as someone before noted, the place was dirty. For a tea house that has spent so much on branding, the product and service was pretty mediocre at best. I won’t be returning.

SalonTea is, without a doubt, the worst high tea I’ve ever had (and I’ve had a few.) The scones are bland, the sandwiches are fridge-​y and the baked goods seem to be from frozen and no better than you’d find at Safeway (only much sweeter. They were so sweet we could hardly finish them). Unfortunately, it was just really wretched. The teas were fairly average.
Interestingly, though, it’s hard to really hate SalonTea, because the service quite good. We were waited on by two younger girls who were pleasant, professional, accommodating and attentive. Bad food and bad service seem to go hand and hand, and truly bad eateries can learn a lesson from SalonTea — if you’re peddling such awful food, best to have it served by great waitresses who really seem to care about doing a good job.
It’s still $ 35 dollars I can’t get back (and that’s with a coupon — full price would’ve been dangerously close to the fantastic Urban Tea Merchant, and the difference in quality between UTM and SalonTea is massive), but it could’ve been worse. It could have been the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver tea, which is only slightly better food-​wise and the wait staff is unpleasant and slow.
Best of luck to SalonTea — hopefully they can sort out the food. It really is a great location for a tea shop.

I came here, to use a group deal coupon for afternoon tea. The place was quite unique, with concrete floors and a bright modern feel. We were given our choice of teas, which was served in individual teapots. The food was not memorable, except for the scones, which I will always remember but not in a good way. They were flat and greasy discs and were not flaky and soft like scones should be. It’s a good thing I didn’t pay full price for the afternoon tea service… perhaps they were saving the good scones for full price customers?
Anyway, if you’re thinking of coming here for afternoon tea, I would recommend you try someplace else. One final note, the coupon was supposed to include a take-​home tea sample but none of us received it.

This cute tea shop is a real treat to have on S. Granville amongst so many coffee places. My mum and I like to come here and catch up. Since it’s just next to Meinhardt’s I feel people may skip over it thinking they are joined because it’s always fairly quite when I’ve gone.
The decore is very fun and modern which I love for a tea shop considering they can be a bit stuffy traditionally. They also have a selection of sandwiches, salads and such if you decide your hungry, and everything always looks delicious.
As far as teas, have the Earl Grey Chai tea it’s Delicious. That’s the one that has stuck in my mind the most but everything else i’ve tried is good too.
Enjoy!

I had heard a lot about the new SalonTea location on South Granville, and was eager to check it out to see if it lived up to its hype.
The verdict is in.
All in all, they have a nice tea selection with interesting names and benefits (The Dancer, Beauty Queen etc) but the place was downright disappointing.
It is dirty, lacking attention to detail and boring.
With very little to choose from in regards to pastries and food at the front entrance, a tea menu that is placed away from initial view and a clutter of household products for purchase, I ended up confused as to what Salon Tea was supposed to be.
The pastries were lacking and odd which made me wonder why they were even present.
To touch on the dirty factor, the space seemed like even though it was close to brand new, it needed someone to go in and retouch everything (spots in paintings/​walls, lights with dust collected, dirty tables and cluttered sales area).
The utensils I recieved were dirty with fingerprints and caked old food remnants and my glass for my iced tea was mucky and had white powdery fingerprints on it.
They also charge 2 $ for a single macaroon, which is nothing but sub par.
Needless to say I was let down.
While the staff were friendly and inviting, the cons were too much to be outweighed.
I won’t be referring any of my friends to Salon Tea in the future.