Located in Chatham, Ontario is an enchanting tea room with delicious afternoon tea offerings and unique treasures. Mrs. Bell’s Tea Room is a must-experience destination that blends tradition with charm. Let’s step inside and explore the atmosphere, menu, tea selection and more!
About Mrs. Bell’s Tea Room
Owner Wanda Bell has a deep passion for tea and the relaxation and connection this beverage can create. Mrs. Bell’s Tea Room has quickly become a beloved spot for local tea lovers and visitors.
In addition to traditional afternoon tea, they host themed tea events throughout the year. You can also book this tea room for birthday parties, bridal showers, graduation and other special occasions.
The location is wheelchair accessible, too!
The Dining Room
The charming tea room exudes a warm and inviting atmosphere. We were greeted upon entry and directed to a vintage-inspired dining table draped in lace table cloth and set with napkins, cutlery and vintage tea cups.
Gorgeous chandeliers hang from the ceiling and cast a soft, ambient glow, adding to the room’s sophisticated charm.
Several vendors have their products for sale at Mrs. Bell’s Tea Room. You can wander along the inside perimeter to take a peek at all of the handmade items, including but not limited to candles, toys, teapot birdhouses, pet accessories, artwork and more.
The display cabinets showcasing an array of delicate teacups were my favourite. It added to the delightful setting.
Tea Menu
Mrs. Bell’s Tea Room had a selection of 9 different teas sourced from Mighty Leaf Tea. When we were seated our server welcomed us with a wooden tea chest showcasing the different teas available.
The types of tea ranged from black teas to green teas to herbal teas. Tea bags were the only option, however, they were filled with whole leaf tea.
The tea chest highlights the tasting notes of each tea. It also gives the guests an opportunity to open the tea and inhale the aroma before making a decision.
Your choice of tea is included if you are ordering afternoon tea. I ordered a pot of Mighty Leaf’s Vanilla Black. It is a malty blend of black teas from India with sweet and creamy vanilla pieces and flavouring.
The tea was prepared inside of a vintage teapot and poured into vintage mismatched teacups. The taste was absolute perfection. I can see why this was also listed as the most popular tea at Mrs. Bell’s Tea Room!
Food Menu
Traditional afternoon tea is served at this tea room as is cream tea and a few other items like soups and quiche of the day. Vegan and gluten-free options are available if you give 24 hour notice, too.
The full afternoon tea consists of 8 tea sandwiches (4 different kinds), 2 scones with cream and jam and 4 sweets. I ordered Afternoon Tea but the half portion as the full would have been enough for 2 people. I like that this was an option.
My meal was smaller than a full afternoon tea service; it was served on a 2-tiered stand instead of 3. The tea sandwiches were presented on the bottom tier and the scone and sweets were on the top tier.
My sister ordered their Lady Bedford Trio which consisted of a tea sandwich of your choice, salad and soup of the day served in a teacup.
Savouries
The medley of tea sandwiches included Cucumber, Egg Salad, Tuna and Cherry Cream Cheese. The tea sandwiches were cut into small triangles with the crust removed.
My favourite of the 4 was the Egg Salad, followed by the Cherry Cream Cheese tea sandwich. I found them very flavourful as they had a good amount of filling.
The other 2 sandwiches were drier. I would have liked more cream cheese on the cucumber tea sandwich and mayonnaise on the tuna tea sandwich. However, I still enjoyed the variety!
Scones
There were a few different options for scones and guests were to select one. I decided to go for their plain scone but the other options at the time were raisin scones or raspberry scones.
The plain scone was just like a classic English scone! It was soft, crumbly and absolutely delicious. Accompanying the scone on the tiered stand was strawberry jam and a small amount of clotted cream.
Sweets
Since I ordered the half portion of afternoon tea, the sweet course only consisted of 2 different items. If the full afternoon tea was ordered, there would be 4 sweets that would have to be shared with 2 people.
Mini strawberry cheesecake and strawberry jelly roll was served on my tea stand for my afternoon tea.
They were both delicious so it is hard to pick a favourite from this final course. The strawberry cheesecake was very light and airy as was the strawberry jelly roll.
The jelly roll was filled with cream and topped with jelly and coconut. It was reminiscent of a Billot Log.
Price
Pricing varies depending on the item you are order, but full afternoon tea starts at $30.00 per person, plus taxes. Add-ons are available so you can get more scones, sandwiches, desserts or soups and salads, too.
Overall Thoughts
It is so nice to find another tea room in this area of Southwestern, Ontario as they are limited. I appreciate that this tea room is more traditional than modern with its menu and thoughtful decor.
The tea menu is a bit smaller than other Ontario tea rooms I have visited but I feel they did a great job at curating a well-balanced selection of teas to pair with their service. Sometimes more tea options can be overwhelming!
My only wish is that an extra dish was placed on the table to set the used tea bag on afterwards so it is not left in the tea pot steeping too long.
Coffee and hot chocolate can be served to those that may want to enjoy afternoon tea with others but sip on something different.
With its kind service and tranquil ambiance, Mrs. Bell’s Tea Room is an ideal spot for enjoying tea time with friends or family. It’s a place I hope to visit again!
Visit Mrs. Bell’s Tea Room:
241 Grand Ave East
Chatham, Ontario, Canada
www.mrsbellstearoom.com
*Reservations can be made online here.
**Prices and tea/food options may change. All were accurate at the date of this tea room review.