Point Ellice House and Garden

Not funded and it shows (as compared to some of the other Victoria historic sites). Heed the warnings. It is in a REALLY industrial industrial area. The outdoor tea on the lawn was fabulous. Very tasty, fun and well attended to. Of course it took about 45 mins before we got used to the sound of the breaking glass that was occurring across the street every five minutes. Setting was also gorgeous. The $ 30 was pricey but definitely worth it. The tour and building were wonderful and the staff was exceptional. If you can arrive by boat it really will enhance the overall experience. We ignored that warning because of time and drove in. Easy but not romantic in the least. A+ for staff, food, house, tour, and grounds. D for surrounding environs. Hopefully, someone can save this before it is too late.

What a pleasant surprise of a gourmet lunch at a house with an interesting history tour…
Took me over 30 years of living in Victoria before I finally made it to Point Ellice House, thanks to friends who reserved a table for a ladies’ lunch.
This is the highlight of a low end of town (industrial, recycling). The carriage house has been turned into a quaint restaurant. I was surprised by the varied menu: house-​made soup, crepes, paninis, gourmet salads, and afternoon tea.
The Prawn Panini ($ 15) was super satisfying with large prawns, spinach, sweet-​low heat chilli sauce, and a yummy cheese blend, nicely toast grilled. The side salad was fresh mixed greens, tossed in a light vinegrette with flower accents, I’m guessing from the House garden. Nice touch.
The three other ladies raved about their lunch and the attention to detail. Local Silk Road tea was an excellent accompaniment, served in tea pots with vintage tea cups. Service was super. A very relaxing, gourmet lunch.
A tour of the grounds and House costs a bit extra but a good walk after lunch, if you choose.

SSHHHHHH. Ths is a local secret that most tourists do not know about. Love this place and take my family members and out of town visiters hee. A fascinating tour of an early Victorian Colonial home with everything original including all furniture, China, silver wear and even family correspondence. On top of it the afternoon tea is over the top amazing and much better then the empress in my opinion. Price is right as well.

My family and I had tea here yesterday and it was wonderful! Living in Seattle, we have been to Victoria numerous times and were looking for something different. The Point Ellice House is not a well advertised tea, but we decided to give it a shot since we read a few good reviews online.
We walked the 1.5 miles from downtown to the house, but the water taxi that came right to the property’s yard looked like it would have been fun. As other reviewers mentioned, it is located just outside of town in an industrial area. This is really no fault of the museum, and we found that that the gardens blocked much of the noise and any sight of machinery. The grounds are beautifully maintained and the museum collection was extensive and interesting.
The tea service itself is really a great value compared to other teas we’ve had in Victoria (and Seattle). We made an email reservation and their customer service was very responsive and had a set table ready for us. Our group was impressed with the variety of food and tea, and the fact that it all was house made. Our favorite was probably the butternut squash soup. The service was attentive and we had 3 ladies waiting on us (we only had a group of 6 so I am wondering if this is because we had a reservation?). They were able to accommodate dietary restrictions.
I would highly recommend this tea and museum.
Weather note: The tea is served outdoors in the back lawn. We were blessed with a dry, sunny day and loved sitting outside. While they did have tents with side flaps, it probably would not have been as enjoyable if it was cold and rainy. I would suggest planning accordingly based on the weather.

The house and tour are interesting — they have preserved a lot of records and personal belongings from the family who lived here, so it’s pretty interesting. When you arrive, you pay for either admittance to the house only, or for admittance plus tea. We opted for tea but I really wish we hadn’t.
This house is surrounded by a dump and the outdoor lawn space where you sit for tea gets a strong whiff of the dump smell every time the wind shifts. Not pleasant. We were also graced with the constant horribly annoying reverse safety beeping of industrial machinery and sound of unending amounts of trash and recyclables being dumped on the pile as we ate. While the tea was good, the food was not, nor was the service. We were told that when we were done with the tour, to find a seat on the lawn and they’d bring tea. We sat and waited. Another group arrived about 5 mins after we did and they were served about 5 mins after that, while we were still ignored. FINALLY, after sitting there for about 15 mins, someone came over to ask what kind of tea we wanted. We ordered, and they brought out the tea and the food. The tables aren’t big enough for everything so they kept insisting we put the tea pots under the table… but there are a TON of giant ants crawling around, so NO THANKS. The food was meh — small pieces of cucumber and cream cheese sandwich and egg salad — both on spoiled bread. There was also a lukewarm soggy mini quiche (like the frozen apps type), a mini trifle of stale pound cake, tart frozen berries and some cream, and a really gross tasting chocolate chip cookie. There was a small cup of lukewarm lumpy carrot ginger coconut milk soup that probably would have been good if fully pureed and served either hot or cold but as a lumpy lukewarm mess it was disappointing. The highlights were a small scone (the highlight) with cream, preserves and lemon curd, a slice of banana bread (good) and a large piece of very sweet date square.
Once the tea and food were dropped off, we were completely ignored by our server who totally disappeared. We did notice that the other server checked on her tables, offering more hot water, etc. so I guess we just drew the short straw. Oh well.

I loved this tea house it was just lovely!!! Point Ellice House is run by volunteers and they are very polite and helpful. When I first arrived to the house and saw the outside of the house I was put off because it is in an industrial area; but don’t let that deter you it is a very enchanting experience. The tea was excellent, the meal/​food options were very generous. The pastries, butter nut squash soup, biscuits, the lemon curd were delicious! They were able to accommodate vegetarians and lactose intolerant people in the group. After our tea we took the tour of the gardens and the house it was a lot more than I expected, well worth it! You really feel as if you are in the 1800’s with the self guided tour and all the historical items in the house and the tea experience. Love this place definitively a well worth it unique experience.

Ever wondered what life would be like living as a social elite in Victoria during the 1800s? The Point Ellice House, Gardens and Tea is the very gateway that will guide you through a life of luxury, grandeur and even gossip!
For a reasonable fee, visitors have the option of visiting this historic landmark with a tour or a tour followed by an afternoon tea (I would highly recommend the latter).
The self-​guided audio tour will take you through the Point Ellice house and usher you from room-​to-​room and provide you with fun, historic facts about their significance and purposes. I won’t dish any spoilers here — that’s something for you to experience! Also to note: Majority of the artifacts you see in the house during the tour were once utilized by family members, guests and workers.
The afternoon tea is held at the rear at the building in the lovely gardens. During the summer, you are welcomed by a beautiful view of the Gorge Waterway and surrounded by lush flowers and greenery planted by members of the O’Reilly family themselves! I would highly recommended trying the ‘Point Ellice Tea’ which is blended specifically for the Point Ellice House. It’s the closest tea to what the O’Reilly family and their esteemed guests were enjoying over a century ago. Food provided during the afternoon tea is fitting and worthy of the lores behind this historic site.
Ultimately, a visit to Victoria — our province’s capital — is not complete without a tour and afternoon tea at the Point Ellice House. You’ll enjoy the experience (especially if the weather is nice) and will leave hoping to return again.