Best Restaurants for Afternoon Tea in South Loop

Having experienced High Tea at different locations, including overseas, I had expected an elevated experience for the price. The ambience was a lot more casual than I expected. The modern music was loud and our seating was in a heavy foot traffic area and directly sandwiched between the hotel bar and the window. The curtains next to us were dirty with food and grease stains. The menu for High Tea was on the same page with their standard bar menu with daily specials, not a separate menu. The tea selection was limited to standard teas, and were allowed only one serving. Since we weren’t shown a sampling of the teas, it could be assumed that the teas were from commercial brands, not higher end. When the food tray was brought to our table, it was dropped off with no explanation of what was served.

This was our first high tea experience and it was absolutely fantastic. We got seated in the side room, which was much cozier and quieter than the bustling main room. It was quite charming and, for us, was a much better experience. Our waitress, Ryan, was a delight and walked us through our first experience and made it memorable by taking countless photos for us! The cherry on top was the carolers and the harpist. The whole experience was excellent and we will be doing it again.

It was so fun to try curling at the Gwen. It wasn’t crowded & the staff was great. The only negative was that the outside heaters were not on.

Amazing experience. Francisco our waiter was the best. I highly recommend especially around holidays.

Everything was really good!! Loved the tea time experience!!