The Ivy Tea Room

My daughter took me for an afternoon of Tea and Treats. The food was amazing! The tea was fabulous! When I left I was so relaxed it felt like I had a message. The young women who waited on us was so sweet and attentive. Thank you for making this Mothers Day /​Birthday the most wonderful memory ever!

My mother and aunt have a garlic allergy and the owner was very accommodating. She spent time going over every item and switching out anything they could not eat. Very cute set up and wonderful tea and food.

I went to the star was themed party last Friday, May 6^th. I left feeling underwhelmed, disappointed and confused.
I’ll begin with the positives. The place is decorated beautifully. Very whimsical, yet tasteful. Loved the theme of the evening. It is very current and relevant to today’s pop culture. The food and teas were delicious and very filling. The place is extremely clean.
Unfortunately I had more negatives than positives. The doors did not open until 3 mins to when the event began, so everyone was forced to stand outside in the wind. It was very warm in the house and we were told the air conditioner was turned up as high as it could go. As more people filled in it got hotter and hotter. Not enjoyable to drink hot tea in hot costumes in a hot room. The service was lacking. It felt like we were bothering every time we needed something and the servers seemed like couldn’t drop the tea or food off othe tables fast enough and walk quickly away. There was no explanation of the tea, what it was good to mix in with, or whether we were new to the Ivy Tea Room or to a high tea experience. When we asked for an explanation, we were told they were too busy. The seats we sat in were pretty, but very uncomfortable. The description of the themed party had explained that there would a costume contest. The child in our party was looking forward to his aspect the most and suffered through the heat while wearing her already warm costume in anticipation for this assumed contest. When they finally announced the contest it was only to announce the winner. There was a collective feeling of disappointment in all of th kids in the room. Not only did they dress up and not win, there was no mention of when or how the contest was being conducted. A suggestion would be to let the guests know as they’re being seated or while they’re being served how this alleged contest was being judged. For almost $ 40 a person, I felt cheated and a waste of my money. The evening appeared amateur and disorganized.
There is another popular tea house located not too far from this one in Albuquerque and there aren’t any others. It’s almost impossible to not compare one to the other. I frequent the other monthly and although, the cost is higher, I would rather pay more for a better experience. I really do hope the kinks get worked out at the Ivy Tea House. It would be nice to have variety and occasional change of scenery. I believe the owner has a good vision, but the execution is lacking.

We visited this adorable tearoom for the first time and will definitely be back! It has such a cute and fun atmosphere for a little social time with your girlfriends! Very delicious menu! We loved their selection of teas and Amanda was very helpful to suggest what teas were best with the menu items! I highly recommend this awesome tea room!

Cute ambience. Friendly staff, every item was explained. Vegetarian option is same as non veg minus the meat. That NEVER works. It’s just not okay for 30 some dollars to give me the exact same sandwich without turkey= bread and cheese. Also, I left hungry. However, that’s pretty standard for a tea room.

I’ve been to the Ivy Tea Room twice, and both times were for special themed evening events, so I haven’t been in just for a regular tea seating yet. I was going to wait until after I had visited during their normal hours to write a review, but since I’ve been there twice now, I thought it would be appropriate to write about my experiences so far, but please keep in mind that my review is only based on my attending the special events and not a regular tea time.
First off, I am going to try really hard not to compare the Ivy Tea Room to the other popular tea room in town, the St. James Tea Room, because it would be like comparing apples to oranges. They are completely different and offer totally different experiences. Instead, I am going to focus on what I like about the Ivy Tea Room, and maybe a few things I would like to see improved on.
The first time I went was in September, for the Great Gatsby themed tea party. It was two days before my birthday, and I love anything vintage inspired, so I thought a Roaring 20’s tea party would be a great way to celebrate, and so my husband purchased two tickets. The second time I went was last night, for the Hocus Pocus tea party, and I went with three of my girlfriends. Both times, the tea was good, and the food was DELICIOUS. They offer some unique things on their menu, but the flavors go together very well, and everything is very fresh. The owner is warm and inviting. The décor is creative, but not over the top, which is very nice. I enjoyed both visits, and the food really does not disappoint.
One of the things I noticed was that even though both events I attended had a specific theme and costumes were encouraged, for both events they had just regular pop music playing softly in the background. It would have been nice if for the Great Gatsby tea they had had some 1920’s era jazz playing, or for the Hocus Pocus tea a Halloween party soundtrack or something to that effect. I think subtle touches like changing the music would be a great way to really play up the different themes. Also, both times, depending on which staff member served each course, they would either take a moment to describe the tea and what each item on the tray was, or would just set everything down and scurry off without hardly saying a word, leaving us to wonder what had just been placed in front of us. I’m not generally a picky eater, but it’s nice to know what exactly you are being served, in case it might contain something you don’t care for or have an allergy to. The regular monthly menus are posted online, and I’m assuming are available in the tea room also, so you know what you’re getting, but neither of the special event menus were posted online prior to the events. The reason given for this was that the items were subject to change up until the time of the event, which is fine, but unless someone explained to us what each item was, we had no way of knowing. At both events, we had to flag someone down at least once to ask what everything was after it hadn’t been explained when being served. If the menus for the special events can’t be posted online prior to the event, it would be nice if once finalized, they could either place the menu on each table or post it in a visible spot in each room. One last thing is that I’m not sure if they make note of when someone is celebrating a special event if it’s mentioned during a reservation. My husband said he mentioned that it was my birthday when he purchased the tickets for the Great Gatsby tea, but no one mentioned anything about it during the event. It’s not a big deal really, and it’s not a deal breaker if they don’t do it, but it would be nice touch and it doesn’t have to be anything extravagant or costly. It could be something as simple as making a note on the reservation to wish someone happy birthday, happy anniversary, etc. when they are seated, or to have a simple note placed on the table. It might have just been an oversight, or my husband may have thought he mentioned it but didn’t, so they might already do this.
Despite the few minor things I think can be done to enhance the experience for the themed events, I really did enjoy the Ivy Tea Room. One thing I want to note is that other than for the special events, you don’t have to make a reservation for tea time, which is really nice! Especially as the weather starts to get cooler, it’s nice to know that we can stop in for a pot of tea and some delicious food any time. What’s also nice is that you don’t have to purchase a full tea time menu. You can opt just to have sweets, or just tea and coffee. The prices are also reasonable enough that we can afford to come more than once in a blue moon, and on a whim whenever we feel like it. I look forward to stopping in again soon!

It is about time that someone gave the city another – LESS EXPENSIVE – option to St. James Tea Room. I just enjoyed a lovely afternoon tea here with my aunt a few days ago and could not have been happier with the experience. The owner is there, young, happy and enthusiastic to show you her beautiful tea rooms. The atmosphere is entirely less stuffy than St. James but also less private. Amanda has each seating area decorated differently in abstract references to what I am assuming are her favorite movies: Clueless, Great Gatsby, Nightmare Before Christmas. But the references, as I mentioned, are not literal but rather done in a tasteful style that implies these themes. I suggest sitting in the Great Gatsby or Secret Garden area, as these rooms are filled with lots of light. The great thing about the Ivy Tea Room that also sets it apart from St. James is that they have a walk-​in à la carte menu. You are encouraged to pop in with friends and just grab a cup of tea (or coffee – they have a full coffee bar) and a scone or egg sandwich with your girlfriends. The full tea was wonderful, however, and again, at $ 23.95/person, ten dollars cheaper than St. James. While St. James is decidedly a more formal experience, I highly encourage you to check out and FALL IN LOVE with this charming new tea room immediately!

The village now has coffee!!! And darn good coffee at that! Go here and experience the eclectic charm of this little gem which is a tea room and coffee house! Amanda has done a wonderful job on the design and Megan is so sweet– go here now and enjoy!

I’ve been waiting for another tea room to open in ABQ and this tea room is worth the wait!!! Excellent service, fantastic food, beautiful themed sitting areas, an amazing assortment of teas, all in a warm and welcoming house. The Afternoon Tea Menu (including a pot of tea per person) is well worth the price, and the price is very reasonable. All of the themed areas are based upon classic books, there is absolutely no «witchcraft or demonic» areas in this tea house!!! There’s also an open area if you want a cuppa with a scone or to sit outside on the patio. This is a place to visit multiple times!!!