WTF Guys, Take Your Lady To The Best High Tea Spots In Vancouver
High Tea Originated as a Guy Thing
I’m not joking!
Before clever marketing dressed up high tea as an uber pink, girly, and frilly affair, it was a meal for the working man.
(Tell your lady that the next time she makes tea plans without you!)
This manly, British tradition of tea, cakes, scones, and cheese toast began as far back as the mid 1700s! High tea literally got its name, because it was enjoyed after work on ‘high’ stools or standing up.
History Leaving You Less Than Empowered?
Maybe high tea’s history hasn’t changed your mind that going out for tea is the work!
Work to pay for tea.
Work to find something else to eat because the snack-sized food didn’t quell your hunger.
But also… Work that pays off in chill couple time that will delight your significant other! That being said, high tea is an unexpected date option when YOU approach your special someone with the idea!
Allow me to spill the tea on the Best High Tea Spots in Vancouver to take your sweetie to this weekend!
Contemporary High Tea
Experimental tea menus. Places that are modern, classy, plush - maybe throw in a few elegant crystal chandeliers and gold accents. You won’t find a trace of pink or Grandma’s lace here.
Jess’ Restaurant
A glamorous tea experience awaits behind Jess’ tinted windows. Although the newest player to the high tea scene (they opened in January 2021), their French-Asian fusion tea set doesn’t disappoint!
Price: 2 Tiers – $49 per person, 3 Tiers – $69 per person
Availability: Daily, 11 am to 3 pm
Make it a boozy high tea: Wine, spirits, liquers, and signature cocktails available for add on!
Favourites: Candied Bacon Egg-Benny + mushroom toast, Marco Polo Blue tea (they’ll give you a lemon wedge to change the tea colour!)
Address: 2179 W 41st Ave, Vancouver, BC V6M 1Z6
Reservations: Through their website @OpenTable
Website | Instagram
1931 Gallery Bistro
High tea on a heated patio? YES PLEASE!
Enjoy an artistic and beautifully-plated assortment of sweets and savouries, while people watching with a cool cocktail in hand. This modern tea, inspired by Yoko Ono & John Lennon, is the perfect addition to any date to the Art Gallery.
Price: 3 Tiers Growing Freedom High Tea – $80 per set (serves 2)
Availability: Daily, 10 am to 4 pm
Make it a boozy high tea: Signature art-themed cocktails available for add on!
Favourites: Sesame soy steak!!! Quail egg benny. Definitely get a cocktail.
Address: 750 Hornby St, Vancouver, BC V6Z 2H7
Reservations: Through their website @OpenTable
Website | Instagram
H Tasting Lounge
H Tasting Lounge’s Gatsby-esque, art deco interior is perfect with a Moët & Chandon! Imagine booth seating among plush navy, matte gold, and views of Coal Harbour right outside. The Lounge’s high tea menu changes seasonally, but the cute Ferris Treat Wheel and cotton candy tree remain a playful staple.
*During my five-week high tea binge several years back, H Tasting offered us complimentary Moët for canceled reservations during a renovation. It shows how great the lounge’s service is, and they’re open to have you for a Groom Shower!
Price: Winter Afternoon Tea – $55 per person
Availability: Saturdays & Sundays, 12 - 3pm
Make it a boozy high tea: Signature cocktails and mocktails available for add on!
Favourites: The cotton candy tree and the Ferris Wheel of treats are definite winners!
Address: 1601 Bayshore Drive Vancouver, BC V6G 3H3
Reservations: Through their website
Website | Instagram
Holts Café Vancouver
Formerly Colette Grand Cafe, Holts Cafe has gone through a rebranding face lift. Hidden among the designer names inside Holts Renfrew, this cafe offers a modern take on decor and food. Imagine an efortlessy-chic, Mediterranean seaside escape and French cuisine, without all the annoying sand.
WTF Bride was last here: January 2019
Price: Afternoon Tea – $55 per person
Availability: Daily
Make it a boozy high tea: Champagne and sparkling options available!
Address: 737 Dunsmuir Street, Vancouver, BC V7Y 1E4
Reservations: Through website @OpenTable
Website | Instagram
TWG
TWG, no longer neighbours with Van Cleef & Arpels in Downtown Vancouver, has moved into the Tesla showroom on Robson Street.
TWG’s tea service is nothing but luxurious. This iconic Singaporean teahouse chain offers the most blends of teas I’ve ever seen, with more than 800 varieties to choose from!
TWG not only offers a selection of set menus for high tea and seasonal themed tea services, but lunch options and tea accessories too! I don’t know about you, but I can’t wait for opening day!
WTF Bride was last here: March 2019
Availability: Temporarily closed
New Address: 929 Robson Street, Vancouver, BC V6Z 2V7
More details to follow!
Classic High Tea
Setting the standard for traditional high tea in Vancouver, here are some of the oldest tea houses in the city (and a newcomer to the scene)!
The Secret Garden Tea Company
The Secret Garden has been serving up tiers of finger sandwiches, cakes, and scones for more than 20 years! There’s a bakery and gift shop to browse, while you wait to be seated in the heritage tea room. It emanates warm and cozy vibes, but don’t mistake it for a hidden, secret spot - The Secret Garden will be busy!
Price: Spring/ Vegetarian/ Gluten-Free/ Vegan High Tea – $65 per person (includes tax and gratuity)
Availability: Daily, 10 am - 4 pm
Make it a boozy high tea: Not an option
Favourites: the savouries!
Address: 2138 W 40th Ave, Vancouver, BC V6M 1W5
Reservations: Through website
Website | Instagram
Neverland Tea Salon Vancouver
Neverland Tea Salon’s elegant, Queen Anne-style decorations are sure to make a statement, as you walk into this Victorian heritage house. It’s the tea salon that never gets old (Peter Pan joke, can’t help it). Opened since September 2013, this locally-owned pastry shop and tea house keeps things novel with its changing tea themes. Neverland is currently serving up Mad Hatter High Tea Sets before switching over to a Easter Tea Set from April 15th – April 19th.
WTF Bride was last here: September 2017
Price: Take Me To Neverland Bubbly High Tea - $62 per person, Grande Adventure High Tea - $52 per person
Availability: Monday - Sunday 11 – 5 pm (1.5 hour seating times)
Make it a boozy high tea: Take Me To Neverland Bubbly High Tea includes a glass of sparkling wine, rosé, or mimosa
Address: 3066 W Broadway Vancouver, BC V6K 2H1
Reservations: Through website @OpenTable
Website | Instagram
La Petite Cuillère
La Petite Cuillère was one of the first tea houses I visited!
Situated in the heart of Mount Pleasant, it has gotten a major celebratory and glamorous makeover since opening its doors in 2012. Sleek, gold, ferris-wheel like dessert stands have replaced the original 3-tier serving platters, and the hot pink couch also made a stunning debut.
Try not to do a doubletake when you see it through La Petite Cuillère’s windows! Their menu honours traditional English tea service, while catering to a more contemporary palate.
I’m overdue for a visit!
WTF Bride was last here: February 2014
Price: High Tea – $48 per person
Availability: Tuesday and Wednesday 12 - 6 pm, Thursday & Friday 12 - 5 pm, Saturday & Sunday 11 - 6 pm
Make it a boozy high tea: Liquor license on the way!
Address: 55 Kingsway, Vancouver, BC V5T 1R9
Reservations: Call restaurant 604-298-0088
Website | Instagram
Palate Kitchen
A recent contender to the High Tea game, Palate Kitchen is a chameleon. Opening its Georgian Revival Style heritage building doors in Feburary 2020, it started out as a coffee bar and brunch gathering place before launching its high tea menu in August 2020.
(For a few nights, it transformed into a Parisian-inspired bar that served up complementary cocktails!)
The restaurant is beautiful, with contemporary decor and high ceilings. Palate’s high tea is definitely on my list to try!
Price: High Tea – $55 per person
Availability: Saturday & Sunday
Make it a boozy high tea: Cocktails & mimosas available!
Address: 848 W Hastings St, Vancouver, BC V6C 1C8
Reservations: Through website
Website | Instagram
Cute or Themed High Tea
Transporting you into a whimsical world of designer shoes, wizarding schools, Eiffel towers, or just so much cuteness that you can’t help but run... Never mind, it’s too late.
Your SO’s death grip is already pulling you towards the teahouse.
Audrey Moment
Audrey Moment isn’t in Vancouver, but It’s. The. Cutest. Teahouse.
A straight drive down Kingsway, Audrey has solidified its rep as the first Tea House in Burnaby. It’s the place to make kawaii memories! (Like when you’re blending in seamlessly as Sailor Mercury)
Home to French accents, cute wallpaper, all white dining sets, and… golden, birdcage tea sets, Audrey Moment doesn’t disappoint!
Price: Rose Memories Afternoon Tea - $35.95 per person, Delectable Savouries Afternoon Tea - $29.95 per person
Availability: Wednesday - Monday, 12 pm - 6:00 pm
Make it a boozy high tea: Not Available
Favourites: The Rose Memories Afternoon Tea set is served in a birdcage!
Address: 120b-6540 Burlington Ave, Burnaby, BC V5H 4G3
Reservations: Call (604) 559-9789
Website | Instagram
Ladurée
The Ladurée dream started in 1862. Initially, it was just a bakery before Louis Ladurée’s wife revolutionized her husband’s idea and came up with the idea for Paris’ first teahouse - the place to be for women of high society.
The Ladurée legacy is synonomous with luxury, elegance, prestige, exclusivity, and of course, the world's best-known sellers of macarons! Lucky for us, we can live out that Ladurée dream without leaving the country.
Enjoy a decadent, Parisian-style Afternoon Tea on Robson Street! It’s hard to miss the emblematic soft green and gold gothic lettering of this sweet and sophisticated teahouse.
Price: Afternoon Tea, $60 per person
Availability: Monday to Sunday
Make it a boozy high tea: Glass of champagne or Royal Ladurée cocktail for $10.00
Favourites: Signature Macarons, and don’t forget to try the macaron icecream sandwiches in the summer!
Address: 1141 Robson Street Vancouver, BC V6E 1B5
Reservations: Through website @OpenTable
Website | Instagram
Faubourg Paris
Faubourg Paris brings a slice of the Parisian life to a bustling city like Vancouver. It wants us to be seduced by gastronomic adventures and indulge in small pleasures, like biting into a perfectly-made macaron.
While you can get French bread, cakes, and pastries from Faubourg all year round, their high tea offerings are few and far in between. It’s best to follow their Instagram, if you want to try the Paris-theme tea set I managed to get my hands on.
Price: $60 to $80 a set
Availability: Special occasions (Mother’s Day, Valentine’s)
Make it a boozy high tea: Not an option
Favourites: An Eiffel Tower stand is the perfect touch to this take out tea set! Plus the raspberry chocolate opera and vanilla croquant choux
Address: 2156 W 41st Ave, Vancouver, BC V6M 1Z1
Reservations: Follow their IG to keep up to date on any specialty tea set offers and remember to pre-order!
Website | Instagram
Patisserie Fur Elise
Patisserie Fur Elise was one of the first teahouses to start my high tea addiction and subsequent outflow of cash, haha!
At first glance, Fur Elise blends in with the neigbouring Queen Anne-style Victorian heritage houses in Yaletown. A warm, homey retreat in Downtown Vancouver, its cute interiors will have your eyes sparkling with delight. Patisserie Fur Elise is also a pastry shop!
WTF Bride was last here: June 2013
Price: $42 per person
Availability: Fridays 1:00 pm - 8:00 pm, Saturdays & Sundays 11:00 am - 6:00 pm
Make it a boozy high tea: Not an option
Address: 847 Hamilton St, Vancouver, BC V6B 6A1
Reservations: Use online reservation system or call 604 684 1025
Website | Instagram
The Fairmont Hotel Vancouver/ Notch 8
Notch8 is an upscale fixture in my favourite hotel chain - The Fairmont. With an everchanging rotation of elevated high tea offerings, you’ll find something both you and your sweetie will like.
Most high tea services will be held within Notch8’s chic and train-inspired decor. Sold out tea events like Tea in the Window, an intimate experience for two amid custom art, was held in the hotel’s street-level window display on West Georgia Street.
Another sold out event like the Jimmy Choo Tea (shown above) was hosted on the Roof (15th floor) where tea drinkers enjoyed the city skyline, listened to live music, and shopped the Jimmy Choo Autumn Winter Collection.
Classy!
WTF Bride was last here: September 2019
Price: Afternoon Tea - $69 per adult, $34.5 per child
*Afternoon tea to-go is also available
Availability: Friday - Sunday (Sittings at 11am, 1pm, 3pm)
Make it a boozy high tea: Tipsy(ish) Spring Afternoon Tea + tea cocktails, wine, & bubbles available
Address: 900 W Georgia St, Vancouver, BC V6C 2W6
Reservations: Through website
Website | Instagram
Yandoux Patisserie
The next time you’re moseying around Olympic Village, check out this patisserie for their Instagram-worthy cakes!
Yandoux offers a bright, simple, and mellow space for conversations. What they have in terms of decor (floral wall art, marble, succulents) are minimalistic and tasteful. Their serving sets for tea were so pretty and modern. I thoroughly enjoyed the Asian-inspired savouries.
Price: Savouries Tea Set or Signature Tea Set, $66 per person
Availability: Monday–Sunday, 12 pm–7 pm, Tuesday: Closed
Make it a boozy high tea: Not available
Favourites: Asian-style savourites from the Signature Tea Set and artistic cakes for the road
Address: 1731 Manitoba Street Vancouver, BC V5Y 0H8
Reservations: Call (604)-620-1899
Website | Instagram
Hy Tea Lounge
Tucked away on the edge of Granville Island is the beautiful Hy Tea Lounge. The Lounge is home in the contemporary and refined space of the Waterfall Building, a pyramidal glass building with floor-to-ceiling windows. During spring, you’ll want a picture outside this architectural design among the cherry blossoms!
Hy Tea’s ambiance is gorgeously Fancy. Soft lo-fi or piano music gently set the tone for tea, among the tall ceilings and cascading natural light. The tea was aromatic, and there were options for tea lattes too. Hy Tea’s classy tea experience is a calm departure from busy city life.
Price: Hy Tea Lounge Set, $56 per person
Availability: Daily, 11 am - 6 pm
Make it a boozy high tea: Add $9 for champagne!
Favourites: fluffy scones with delicious house made jam, smoked duck salad, bean curd shrimp roll, chicken and apple croissant egg salad sandwich AND Mello donuts! The tea was very fragrant!
Address: 205-1540 W 2nd Ave, Vancouver, BC V6J 1H2
Reservations: Call (604) 568-6888 or through OpenTable
Website | Instagram
Nothing Bad Happens at Tea
Does a flock of giggling girlfriends still come into mind when you think about high tea? Time to take tea time back, fellas!
Give tea a chance. Have your eyes glued on scones instead of phones. Enjoy your sweetie’s full company (after she takes photos of everything and told you you’re the best)! Indulge in conversation and take turns picking out what sweets or savouries to enjoy next.
When it comes to the 3 C’s of High Tea, are you taking your partner to a contemporary, classic, or cute tea?
Leave me a comment! Tell me which high tea places you want to visit.
