Niagara Falls is a breathtaking site located between Lake Ontario and Lake Erie. The popular Falls can be viewed year-round from both the United States and Canada sides of the river. I explored the Canadian side in the summer and made a point to find a local spot for tea, too. The afternoon tea room I visited the last time I was in Niagara Falls has closed, so I was excited to try Afternoon Tea at Old Stone Inn this time around.
About Old Stone Inn
Old Stone Inn is Niagara Falls’ only historic hotel. This boutique hotel is located on Fallsview Boulevard so it is walking distance to the famous waterfalls!
It features historic themed rooms designed to compliment the history of the property and courtyard rooms with modern contemporary designs.
Back in 1904, this building was a flour mill. Today, the owners pay tribute to its history with the Flour Mill Restaurant, their signature culinary experience located right inside the inn.
The inn’s restaurant is the spot for brunch, dinner, special occasions and even afternoon tea! Every Friday, Saturday and Sunday, Old Stone Inn brings an elegant tea time event to Niagara Falls.
Entrance
For afternoon tea, we entered through the side door that had a sign for the Flour Mill Restaurant. However, the front entrance can also be used. Those large doors will open up to a reception area with comfortable seating to wait for your reserved room or table.
Further along is the hostess area of the restaurant, right before the entryway. The hostess took us through the dining area to a round table by the window, under artificial trees with beautiful light pink blossoms and near exposed stone walls.
The table was lined with a floral runner and set with vintage teacups, plates, cutlery, napkins and glasses of water.
Tea Menu
I will admit that I was a bit surprised to not find any menus when we were first seated. Understandably, the food menu was listed on the website when making reservations but it did state that there was a tea selection from Tealise Organic for their afternoon tea service.
Unfortunately, this wasn’t the case for our visit. When we were seated we were immediately brought a teapot to share with a green tea blend.
Normally, this isn’t a tea that I would have ordered. It would have been a better first impression if we were given the option to take our time and select our own tea. In my opinion, this made the tea service feel rushed.
Also, we were given limited information about the tea they served us. I actually realized too late that those were green tea leaves inside the paper filter.
Unfortunately, this meant that our tea was oversteeped because the server did not recommend a steep time nor did they provide anything for us to remove the tea bag from the teapot.
Food Menu
Similar to most hotels that host afternoon tea, the food menu is set in advance.
The menu is listed on Old Stone Inn’s website, there is no physical menu provided. However, the website does state that menus are subject to change as they source only the freshest ingredients in season.
Based on photos from past tea services, it seems like Old Stone Inn uses 3-tiered stands to serve their afternoon tea. In our case though, one 3-tiered stand arrived with only sweets on every tier. Understandably, with the amount of sweets for 2, it would not have fit on just one tier.
A few moments later 3 dishes were brought to our table, one with scones to share and two with tea sandwiches decorated with green pea shoots.
Old Stone Inn does accommodate for any dietary restrictions, too. We were able to make one of our afternoon tea reservations vegetarian friendly.
We were very pleased that they took note of this and provided other options throughout the menu when needed. Just be sure to let them know of any special requests when making reservations so they can prepare in advance.
Savouries
Three different tea sandwiches made up the savoury portion of the afternoon tea menu.
On the individual plate were 2 Cucumber Cream Cheese sandwiches, 2 Salmon Cream Cheese Caper sandwiches and 1 Egg Salad sandwich. The latter was served in a large croissant whereas the other two were served on rye and whole wheat bread and quite small in size.
My favourite from the savoury menu was the Egg Salad. It was creamy with juicy cherry tomatoes and sharp scallions. The croissant was buttery with a nice crunch.
I’m not a huge fan of capers so the salmon sandwiches were not my cup of tea. Plus, I found the salmon slices too thick for a tea sandwich.
Scones
The scones were presented on the second individual plate. There were 2 per guest and they were a fairly decent size, too!
The house baked scones were plain and blueberry. They were circular as well which is the more traditional option for an afternoon tea service.
On the bottom of the 3-tiered stand were the scone accompaniments: cream, strawberry preserves and lemon curd. There was a generous amount of each for both of us, too.
While the scones looked and tasted great, I felt they were more like American biscuits than English scones. This is because they were very buttery with flaky layers. They weren’t really sweet nor were they dense like a scone.
A biscuit is not a scone, so unfortunately, this was my least favourite part of the afternoon tea menu.
Sweets
Lastly, the sweet portion of the menu filled the 3-tiered stand. It was quite different from the pastry menu they have listed on their website, so unfortunately we did not know what everything was exactly. But, the variety was certainly impressive!
From my knowledge and taste buds, the sweet items were Lavender Macarons, Fudge, Blueberry Tart, Coconut Lemon Cake and 1 other item I’m not sure what to call.
Fresh strawberries, fresh blueberries and white chocolate pieces decorated the 3-tiered stand as well. So, those extra items were a really nice touch.
My favourite sweet was the one item that I wasn’t sure about! Served in a tall glass, the bottom layer was a cookie crumb base, the middle layer was sweet and creamy and it was topped with strawberries.
Price
Afternoon tea at Old Stone Inn in Niagara Falls, Ontario begins at $59.99 per person, plus taxes and gratuities. The afternoon tea service can be upgraded with an added cheese board or alcoholic beverages which would increase the price.
The price included a pot of tea, 3 different tea sandwiches, 2 scones and 5 sweets per person.
Overall Thoughts
Old Stone Inn is worth a visit when you’re checking out the famous waterfalls nearby. Whether you stay at this inn overnight or just head over for afternoon tea, it’s a convenient location with fine dining and charm.
Even though I didn’t find their afternoon tea to be very traditional in terms of how it was served and the texture of the scones, the atmosphere is divine. The place is tastefully decorated with a mix of vintage and modern design.
I would give this afternoon tea spot a try again just for their great selection of pastries as the sweets portion of the menu was my favourite!
Visit Old Stone Inn:
6080 Fallsview Blvd.
Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada
https://oldstoneinnhotel.com/
*Afternoon Tea is every Friday (11:00-2:00pm), Saturday and Sunday (11:00-2:30pm). Reservations can be made online here.
**Prices and tea/food options may change. All were accurate at the date of this tea room review.