Serenity Tearoom

It’s nice to have a classy tea room in Frederick. While there are plenty of hotels in downtown DC that offer tea, it’s great to have a place close to home– and that’s locally owned.
I very much appreciated the tea menu– there are a lot of great choices, and you almost can’t go wrong with any of them. I sampled the classic darjeeling, the caramel, and the indian chai spice. They were all excellent.
I also liked all the food that was part of the afternoon tea– there was not one item on the tray that wasn’t tasty, and the portions were more plentiful than previous reviewers noted. I walked away pleasantly full.
I also appreciated that when I made the reservation they asked if we had any allergies, and adjusted the menu accordingly (I got extra tomato and basil tarts instead of an eggsalad sandwich because I can’t eat eggs)…
As other reviewers noted, we made a reservation and experienced a brief wait (10 mins) when we arrived. And there are a few things inside that may increase the warm atmosphere of the room– some area rugs over the tile floors, perhaps some curtains or wallpaper on the walls, and maybe a few different kinds of seating arrangements (couches and coffee tables, etc… but there were some great antique furniture pieces and all the mixed china on the tables that made it a welcoming place to sit and enjoy tea…
I felt that the pricing was reasonable for afternoon tea, and I saw a lot of larger parties there… in fact, they have a separate room perfect for baby or wedding showers, birthday parties or really any large group.
I’ll be a return customer for sure.

Feast for your eyes and tastebuds. So loved returning last night with my sons. I love the teas and the food is ahhhhmmmmaaaazzzziiiinnngggg.

Finally came here after they moved to their new location and wasn’t impressed. I like the purple exterior as its eye catching but the inside is another story.
Once inside it feels like you’re at an Indian Buffett in that it’s open, cold and not inviting; they should have invested in a decorator as tea shops should be cozy and enjoyable to sit in.
The tea selection is quite extensive and there are lots of good options and I loved the fact that the tea was served in mismatched tea cups.
Food wise we only got dessert, peach cobbler, and it was boiling hot to the pint where we couldn’t eat it for a while. It definitely looked and tasted homemade but everything seems overpriced for what it’s worth.
Don’t think I’ll be back as I can get great tea elsewhere and it just feels awkward sitting there.

Stopped in for lunch this week and had a delightful experience. As soon as you walk in you are greeted by a hostess and seated immediately (place was not full so may have got lucky). Somber music fills the air and just adds to the elegant décor all in an effort to help you escape from the day to day grind. I decided on one of the sandwiches for lunch among all the delectable choices. The PLT or pork belly and fried green tomatoes sandwich was excellent. I had never tried pork belly before and have come to realize its no more than bacon (high quality) without the smoke flavors and extra additives. So is a fresh tasting pork. It was nicely roasted to a crisp on all sides and complimented with slaw, sirachi dressing and the aforementioned item all on a brioche bun. I had the accompanying garlic fries (handmade I should add) which made for a «belt-​notch moving» meal. I plan to check out their afternoon tea hopefully soon.

Expertly prepared Southern Comfort food, wonderful staff. The Shrimp and Grits were absolutely divine– great flavors. Also, be sure to try the stuffed hushpuppies and save room for Dessert!
No alcohol served at this establishment but the food more than made up for that.

This was the first night that the Serenity Tearoom opened it’s kitchen and began serving a full dinner menu, and what a pleasure it was to be there. Located in a simple square building with a hideous purple exterior, the inside of the restaurant was a joy to behold. This place is a diamond in the rough but once it hits it’s stride, there are glorious days ahead.
The cuisine is good, old fashioned southern food done with a touch of class. Appetizers such as fried green tomatoes and stuffed hush puppies were done to perfection. My friends had the shrimp & grits, fried catfish, and the perennial favorite: chicken and waffles. The service was great, the owner came to our table several times during the meal and her infectious enthusiasm and desire to succeed just makes you feel right at home. They had a three piece jazz band playing live music from 7:30 to 9:30 and hopefully this will be a weekly draw.
This place is definitely worth a visit. If only they could get a new paint job…

Pros: so many teas to choose from and they are all delicious!
Cons: everything else.
The space. Their new location isn’t cozy or warm feeling. Might at well be at the VFW. And it’s loud. Investing in an interior designer would be so beneficial.
The food. It’s SO tiny. And the clotted cream is totally not clotted cream. (Whipped cream concoction) The scones are not scones. (Biscuits.) And when you’re at a teahouse, a few things need to be authentic — and that’s two of them.
The service. While I understand the owner wanting to do everything herself, especially at the beginning of her new location, it slowed things down a lot. I didn’t want to smell my tea. I just wanted to drink it. Someone else can explain the sandwiches, too.
And finally, the price. The prices are absolutely laughable. I don’t think I’ve ever said that about a restaurant in a review. The servings are so tiny (the sandwiches are literally the size of a quarter!) and not authentic. The prices are just plain ridiculous. I’m all about splurging on a good, fun meal with girlfriends and a new experience, but this wasn’t worth blowing my budget for at all. I could go to one of the super fancy tea houses in DC for the same exact price. That just doesn’t seem right.

Please be warned Tea Room lovers, this is not somewhere you would want to go.
I can only give this place 1 star and that is for the tea which was amazing and perfectly brewed (loved 60 choices and endless) and also for the owners sake. While I was a little taken back by her rudeness on the phone she ended up being a wonderful person and I appreciated her kindness but as we all know, service, price and amount of food are more important.
I will not be returning here because of multiple reasons:
1. The wait time is ridiculous. I made reservations for 3 pm on a Saturday for 2 people since you could not pick a time like 3:30 or 2:15 etc. When she came to us after we were seated she told us we would be waited on in order of arrival which we thought was no big deal given the amount of groups there at the time (2). We ended up sitting there at the very least 45 minutes waiting just to order our tea. Once we did it was another 20 minutes just to get it since it seemed like she waited to get everyone’s order before bringing the tea out (by this time the room was almost full and she brought multiple pots all at once). We were both ready to leave by then since the chairs were not comfortable and were both bored having nothing to do or drink while we waited, not even a glass of water. If she had taken our tea order as soon as we arrived and we had that to sip on the 45 minute wait wouldn’t have been as bad. Still unacceptable though. They also have this strict rule of finishing your pot before you can order another. We wanted to order sooner due to the time issues they seemed to have. The owner, also upon delivering the tea, took the top off and put it up to your face so you could smell it. Me and my friend did not like this at all feeling pressured to give her an approval of some sort. When i didn’t smile at the smell she seemed to interrogate me as to why i didn’t have any reaction which i thought rude. I am fully capable of smelling the tea once I pour my cup, not needing her thrusting a lid in my face and asking me what I thought of it
2. The food was OK but not enough for $ 25.95. We ordered the Traditional afternoon tea. The portion sizes and simplicity of the finger sandwiches were ridiculous for what you pay. When one of the employees brought out the 3 tiered platter along with another tables’ she just set it on their serving station and walked away. We had to wait again for the owner to hand deliver each tray to the tables and explain each sandwich as another tray sat there on the serving tray waiting to be delivered. Ours in this case. The sandwiches were super tiny (slightly bigger than the size of a quarter) and non filling (you get six) and then the middle and upper tier were disappointments as well. She said 97% of the food was homemade but never specified what wasn’t. We are assuming the bread because it looked and tasted like cheap Wonder bread or something. The clotted cream was cheap and not real clotted cream so we are assuming it came from a jar as well. The scones were not scones but biscuits. Although good, they were not scones!!! I would pay $ 13 at the most based solely on the amount of food given and maybe $ 8 alone for the quality. We decided to make up for the cost by ordering multiple pots of tea however, by the time we got our second pot and were halfway through drinking it they had ‘last call’ for tea. We were only there 2 hours and again most of that time we were «waiting». This was the worst tea room I’ve ever been to. The biscuit was the best thing on the tier.
We couldn’t understand how none of these things were brought up in any other reviews.
It was not worth the 55 minute drive or the money. This was a last resort to begin with since our normal tea room in Winchester (The Coach & Horses Colonial Tea Room) was completely booked that day. If you want to see and experience a real tea room go there. It is worth any drive and the time you spend there is peaceful and the staff are amazing. It is .45 cents cheaper and you get a ton of homemade, high quality food in sizes that fill you up, as well as endless pots and many choices of high quality tea. We always have to take food home when we go here. Their scones are heavenly and truly scones and they give you real clotted cream. I put this here because anyone who truly enjoys tea rooms should not go to Serenity as a first time experience (or ever). Serenity is over priced and the cost you pay for their lowest tiered tray option is .45 cents higher than what you pay for The Coach And Horses highest tiered tray option. Please do not waste your time or money at Serenity. Me and my friend were very upset because we wasted $ 25 dollars in this place and our money is tight!
Granted I would only stop in to buy tea to take home from Serenity because it is high quality tea and very good. I hope the owner of Serenity reads this and realizes how poorly her method of service and portions are and changes them.

56 reviews, and Unilocal only shows 4 of them? Hey, Unilocal… what the heck? Well, I hope everyone is reading the filtered reviews as well…
I went here with my mom, future mother-​in-​law, stepmom, and 4 bridesmaids (yes, a party of 8) for my bachelorette celebration. It was a wonderful experience! The owner was very friendly and kind. The food was fantastic! Seriously — I would like the recipe for that butternut squash soup… I could live on it. And the little sandwiches pack quite the flavorful punch!
I tried a number of different teas: the holiday tea (wound up buying 4 oz of it!), Valentine’s tea (bought 2 oz of that too), caramel tea, and earl gray cream tea. I loved all of them — clearly! There are just so many teas to choose from! It was hard to pick.
Their seasonal scone was an apple scone, which was delicious with apple curd and clotted cream.
I really enjoyed myself. This was a great experience for a low-​key bachelorette party.

Stepped in here with my boyfriend during our first trip through Frederick on a Saturday. Not only are the tea blends here fair trade certified but of a pretty good variety as well. I had a really hard time choosing, but the owner was informative and friendly and gave me a menu as well as a history on tea. She answered my questions and much more when it came to the individual blends, kettles, quantities, etc. It was obvious she had a passion for tea and that was heartening when it came to the potential quality of the product, because she claimed to hand select and sample all ingredients and to custom blend all varieties on site.
There are samples for all of her teas, which I really appreciated, and she also provides some samples to take home should you want to try at home before you buy without having to buy a cup then and there. I particularly enjoyed the fact that the fruits and spices were all detectable whether they were meant to be subtle or not, as the owner said she did not use any artificial syrups, sweeteners, or flavorings to try and bring out the smell of an ingredient that was not there. All of the blends had pieces of real fruit or ingredient within. I ended up going with the holiday blend (a black tea blend with hints of almond and spices), and the caramel, which is described as «buttery with a hint of vanilla and butterscotch chips.» It smelled as amazing as it sounds!
I had to try the teas as soon as I came home. I like my tea bold, and these did not disappoint. I drink both blends with a dash of milk and a little bit of honey or sugar, and they not only satisfy my sweet tooth but have a relaxing, soothing aroma and hints of nuttiness and spice. They are perfect for early morning AND afternoon, although the holiday blend is more mild and less «dessert-​like» and something I’d recommend for when you first wake up. So far, I’ve been impressed with the blends and will definitely come back to try more.
I can’t speak for the food or the tea room experience and will have to add on when I go back eventually. As for the prices on the loose leaf teas, they seemed standard/​reasonable for custom, fair trade blends.

My sister-​in-​law and I stopped by the tea room for lunch. It was empty when we arrived and the owner took a long time in deciding whether or not she could fit us in (even though it was less than half full the entire time we were there). The tea selection is great and the tea itself was fine. The lunch food was just OK though. The salad was pre-​cut iceberg from a bagged mix with a few cherry tomatoes thrown in. The sandwiches were just OK. We were told it would take an extra 10 – 15 minutes for my sister-in-law’s panini, though it took a much longer time than that for our food to be served (and I don’t think a panini press takes all that long to use).
The owner also gave us a very extensive list of all of the specials which were hard to remember by the time she was finished with all of the information. It would have been better written down for us to look over. And overall there were just too many choices of jams, curds etc. I like going to tea rooms, but I don’t think I’ll return here anytime soon.

My friend and I came to the Serenity Tea Room today for the very first time. It was a very cute and quaint place. Very traditional. Clean and quiet. We ordered the Traditional High Tea which included the soup of the day, several tea sandwiches, fresh scones, several fruit tarts and other pastries, chocolate covered strawberries, and bread. Each person gets their own selection of everything listed. My friend chose iced tea and I chose hot tea. The tea is endless and you are able to try as many different flavors as you like, which was wonderful! There were 4 different soups of the day and the ones we ordered came out hot and fresh… and delicious! All of the pastries were so good. The scones came out hot too! The owner served us herself and she was very pleasant and helpful. She also gave us a little tour of the boutique in the back with all sorts of tea related retail items including a huge selection of high quality loose teas! I will definitely come back! My friend and I both had a wonderful experience today!

I just got home from having a birthday tea at Serenity Tearoom with 7 friends. It was PHENOMENAL. Blanch, the owner, is charming and personable and really takes the time to explain the food and tea selections to you. My party and I had the traditional high tea, which was $ 37.00 per person. This price included tax and gratuity.
The food was to die for! I had the butternut squash soup and I’ve never had better. Creamy and seasoned perfectly. The hubby had the white chicken chili and is still talking about how good it was. Each of the tea sandwiches were perfectly presented and had an astonishing amount of filling, considering they are finger sandwiches. The star of the show, however, were the scones. Like most of the food served at Serenity, they are made from scratch everyday. I had the house special English Golden Raisin with clotted cream and lemon curd. It was the most moist and delightful scone I’ve ever had the pleasure of eating. Hubby had the January feature scone, Cranberry Orange. He topped his with clotted cream and the house-​made key lime curd. I’ve never seen him enjoy a baked good more! All of the other high tea foods, such as the bread and tarts showed the same amount of care in preparation and were just as tasty. For my birthday, they even surprised me with a special dessert!
The highlight of the evening was the tea. Unlike most tea rooms where you must stick to your original tea selection for refills, Blanch allows each pot to be a different flavor. I started with the Buckingham Palace Garden Party which is a blend of Earl Grey and Jasmine teas. Amazing. My second pot was the Valentine’s Blend, black teas combined with Swiss chocolate and roses. Others at my table had different varieties and all really enjoyed their choices. Blanch offers an astounding variety of choices for teas. I believe there were at least 40 on the menu. Serenity also has an in-​house retail shop where you can purchase all of her fine teas and many tea accessories.
As we left, Blanch thanked me repeatedly for allowing her to help celebrate my birthday. You can tell she really loves her business; heart and soul.
The girls and I have decided Serenity Tearoom will be a monthly occurrence. The food and hospitable atmosphere are too lovely to only enjoy occasionally.

We took one of my very best friends here for her birthday today. We chose a Traditional High Tea, which included (for each of us) our choice of 3 soups, our choice of 3 scones, our choice of 6 – 8 jam and curd flavors, clotted cream for all, an assortment of tea sandwiches and small pastries, and even some beautiful chocolate covered strawberries. Also included were the unlimited individual pots of tea, from a truly impressive selection. The homemade scones and other treats, plus of course the teas, were all of very high quality, and well worth the price.
However, I was a little let down by the ambiance. The tea room is small, and a large party booked in the same space took over most of the hosts’ attention and made the room feel loud and crowded. Additionally, immediately outside our window there was a minor construction project happening on the building, which involved lots of hammering and drilling. It wasn’t exactly soothing, and we had to raise our voices to hear each other. It would have been a better idea to schedule that kind of maintenance for some of their off hours. (They are closed every Sunday and Monday.)
While I’d have preferred a slightly quieter atmosphere, my friends and I did have a nice time and enjoyed our selections. I can especially recommend the Plum Spice tea and the Sweet Potato Cinnamon scone. I’d certainly consider coming back again, but I’d try to plan for a less busy afternoon if its at all possible.

The owner was rude, the food mediocre and its not some place I would return to.

We had a wonderful time at the Serenity Tearoom. Went on a Saturday morning at 11am (be sure to make a reservation before going), and was greeted by the very friendly and welcoming owner. My sisters and I very much enjoyed the HUGE selection of delicious teas, and tasty finger foods that came along with it. The staff was very knowledgeable and attentive, the décor was most impressive, and we cannot wait to come back again and bring our mother with us!

We went for tea for our anniversary. The place is pleasant and the staff is attentive. This is kind of a unique thing and it’s hard to rate. Cost wise, as a lunch, it is expensive but compared to other tea places I’ve been to in the area it’s pretty comparable. Sometimes it is a little louder than you might expect. I noticed that there are a number of filtered reviews. At least a few of the seem genuine based on my experience so you might want to take a look at some of them too. Other than that, I have no idea how to rate something like this so I’m going to just give it four stars and move on. My wife really likes this place.

absolutely charming spot for afternoon tea.
the dining rom is pretty, but a little too «hard» — not enough fabric in the space so when 20+ women gather at various tables the noise can get a little loud. ;)
the food was DELICIOUS. and PLENTIFUL! when i was looking at this place online i thought the prices were a little steep. but once the owner told us what would be coming i realized the price was actually very appropriate. we were each served 6 savories, 1 scone, 1 slice of a sweet bread, 2 little cookies, 1 little fruit tart and one delicious chocolate-​dipped strawberry. plus never ending pots of tea. they had 60 teas from which to choose and each of us had our own pot (each pot poured about 3 cup-​fulls of tea.
the menu, with the exception of the scones, is set — no choices/​options are offered. we were given the choice of 3 different scones and 4 or 5 different scone accompaniaments (home-​made blueberry/​strawberry jam, home-​made clotted cream, lemon curd, etc.). the accompaniaments were stingily served in tiny little glass dishes, but when i asked for more jam and cream it was immediately brought.
also set was your seating — on a saturday they had 2 seatings: 11am and 3pm with nothing in between.
it’s because of the restrictions that i give this tearoom 4 stars instead of 5. i prefer to have a little more flexibility in my foods and reservations, but to be honest it wasn’t *that* big of a deal to comply with their arrangements…
if you’re looking for a good afternoon tea spot i highly recommend serenity. also there’s easy parking about 1 block away and there are several cute shops lining the street around the tearoom. great long afternoon location!