Food Friday >> Would You Like a Spot of Tea?

I really do enjoy afternoon tea -- I love the sandwiches, salads, scones, desserts, teas, etc. If you've never been to a place that offers afternoon tea service, keep reading for more information as I compare three places around the Bay Area!

1. Dartealing Lounge

This place is located in SoMa with nothing much going on around it so there's usually plenty of parking nearby/on the streets -- but I would still recommend making a reservation. When you first walk in, you will notice the cute, English Victorian-style decor all around the room, which quickly transports you to the world of Alice in Wonderland. The cups, utensils, plates, pots, etc. are all different+miss-matched which adds to the quirky/cute design of the place.

Dartealing has a nice selection of teas and sandwiches -- 45 teas & 16 sandwiches to choose from.

Since there were 6 of us, we ordered 3 of the Taste-Tea service for two (3x$40) which came with 24 sandwiches (6 flavors -- we got the fish & chips (my fav!), turkey & pesto, curried chicken, smoked salmon & dill, cucumber & herb, and ham & cheese), 6 sausage rolls (so yum!), tea breads, scones, 6 macarons, tea cakes, and tea cookies, and 3 bottom-less pots of tea (Cabana Boy, Rice-Too-Crispy).

Everything was quite tasty and fresh -- my favorites included the fish & chips sandwich, the sausage rolls, and the scones+cream. Whoever said afternoon tea doesn't fill you up has not been to this place! My not so favorites would be the salmon (sad because I love smoked salmon, I think it has too much dill) and the cucumber sandwich. I also like how the teas are bottomless and the server was so helpful in telling us how long to steep the teas.
This is a great place to bring little girls or to host baby/bridal showers -- they will revel in the whimsy and beauty of it all.

Overall Evaluation >> 4.9/5
Service | 5/5
Taste | 4.5/5
Atmosphere | 5/5
Menu | 5/5
Presentation | 5/5

2. Crown & Crumpet

Crown & Crumpet used to be located inside Ghiradelli Square but is now located in The New People Building, Japantown. I thought it fit better inside Ghiradelli Square and I think it's really strange that they are now located inside a Japanese pop-culture building. They still managed to make it cute and classy as ever with the art prints and floral tablecloths -- however, being that it is located on the first floor of the building with people walking by/going upstairs/etc., it doesn't seem exclusive/other wordly like Dartealing Lounge. In other words, it's more like a cafe now, instead of a small boutique/restaurant. I also didn't know that their store/gift shop was located on the 2nd floor -- I would have loved a sign/arrow or something -- bummed.

I sat by the window on the bench because I thought it would be more comfortable and better lighting for photos -- but no. The bench seat was getting really hot from the sun and the sun made weird shadows on my face. Their cups, saucers, sugar pots, tea pots, etc. all have the classic crown symbol on it and the saucers have different quotes on them -- cute! Our server was really sweet and she didn't mind that my mom & sister were running late -- she let me sit down first -- granted, it wasn't too busy at that time (Tuesday afternoon).

Crown & Crumpet has 30+ teas and changes their selection of sandwiches, savories & sweets, and scones daily so you never know what to expect. I purchased a Gilt City voucher for Afternoon Tea for Two which included 6 tea sandwiches, 4 warm savories, 2 warm scones with clotted cream, jam and house made lemon curd, 6 sweets and treats, and a large pot of tea (Jasmine Fancy) to share (Tea for One is usually $24). Since we had 3 people, I also ordered a side of crumpets, a house salad, and a hot pressed tomato, mozzarella, chicken, & pesto sandwich for us to share -- it was just the right amount of food for us.

I really like their scones + clotted cream (I put a lot). Their famous crumpets are like an english muffin+biscuit hybrid, definitely worth trying if you've never had one. I really liked the chocolate covered strawberries -- but didn't like the cucumber/cream cheese thing. I wasn't too thrilled with the sandwich selections -- but I did enjoy the house salad. All in all, loved some things, didn't love some things -- but still love coming here!

Another great place for little girls; not sure about large groups/parties because this place is quite tiny -- but I think there might be a private room!

Overall Evaluation >> 4.8/5
Service | 5/5
Taste | 4.5/5
Atmosphere | 5/5
Menu | 4.5/5
Presentation | 5/5

3. Rue Du The

Unlike Dartealing Lounge and Crown & Crumpet which are English style/themed and located in San Francisco, Rue Du The is French style/themed and located in Burlingame. It is part of the Leland Tea Company which has another storefront in San Francisco. The back wall is filled with San Francisco Art Prints of the different districts/regions -- very cool -- and there are many murals/paintings all over the store/under the counter/restroom of people enjoying tea. There is indoor and outdoor seating and they were really busy on a Sunday afternoon -- there seems to be one guy who makes all the decisions. Rue Du The has 7 sandwiches and 70+ teas to choose from. I purchased a Groupon for the Tea for Two (normally $27.95) which came with 2 sandwiches (Salmon Salad and Ham & Cheese), house salad, 2 scones, 2 madeleines (they ran out), 2 shortbread and house tea (I changed it to a green tea though).

I was really not impressed by the sandwiches, salad, or sweets (or lack there of) after having been to Dartealing Lounge and Crown & Crumpet. Nothing wowed me and I only enjoyed the scones which came with those pre-packaged butter (not house made clotted cream like the other places). I was really disappointed because I brought my little sister here as a surprise birthday treat -- thinking that it would be wonderful/fanciful/whimsical like the other two places -- but it wasn't up-to-par (in my opinion) to what I've experienced at other tea houses. The only plus side is that they have A LOT of teas to choose from, and since the Tea for Two only comes with house tea, I paid extra for a different pot of tea. Indeed, this is the least expensive of the three places, but I would much rather a pay a bit more to have the full afternoon tea experience with my little sister than to be sitting here eating underwhelming cafeteria food.

This would not be the best place for children -- more for older people who enjoy tea more than anything else.

Overall Evaluation >> 3.5/5
Service | 4/5
Taste | 3/5
Atmosphere | 4/5
Menu | 3/5
Presentation | 3.5/5

Overall, I highly recommend Dartealing Lounge (for more tea & sandwich selections) and Crown & Crumpet (for their famous crumpets & unique location) and I do not recommend Rue Du The (for their underwhelming everything).

Comment below on where you love to get afternoon tea!

Links San Francisco >> Dartealing Lounge
      San Francisco >> Crown & Crumpet
      Burlingame >> Rue Du The