Windsor Arms Hotel

We tried their afternoon high tea experience and absolutely loved it. They have a huge variety of teas on offer. Service was impeccable too. They took into consideration all of the dietary restrictions that the group had. The high tea came with a good variety of sandwiches, finger food, scones and desserts. It's a lot of food and we boxed stuff to go too. I'd definitely return!

I was able to take my kids, 8 and 9, to high tea. It was so elegant and peaceful! My children enjoyed the sandwiches and sweets, scones with clotted cream and jams. So many selections of teas, I didn't have to worry about caffeine for the kiddos. Would definitely attend again and highly recommend to everyone! Staff was beyond welcoming and truly amazing.

Tea selection was top-notch. Waiter was attentive. Overall I enjoyed the food served with tea, but the croissants served with the brisket seemed a little stale. Otherwise everything was delicious, and I want to master their quiches. The jazz in the neighboring rooms makes me want to return on another night! Good spot for Valentine's Day!

Enjoyed a wonderful afternoon High Tea at The Windsor Arms. The tea room was everything you'd expect beautiful and elegant. The food was incredible especially given I am gluten-free and not always given great options in restaurant but The Windsor arms provided an equally excellent offering. The Earl grey tea with lavender was some of the best I've ever had. And our server Leon was amazing. His friendly, courteous manner and his thoughtful attention to detail was greatly appreciated. Thank you Leon and the team at Windsor Arms!! Your high tea is a big hit! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

First off, lobby staff is five star, the hotel has tremendous curb appeal, lobby has lovely historic vibe, fantastic location but the rooms are absolutely not five star. Rooms are maybe three stars at best. Tired, dingy, stained carpets, bathrooms that look like they were last renovated in the 80’s (see pic of tun and TV above it!). Sofa in suite is terribly worn and dirty. Flood lights from building next door are so bright they filter through the dated drapes. Carpets are so dirty I wouldn’t walk barefoot on them - and they don’t provide slippers. Or drinking water in room.! Weird, empty dorm frig just plugged into wall. Filthy monitors or something plugged in each room (see pic). Place has a musty smell. I looked online and read that this hotel was last renovated in 2017 but no way they did the guest rooms that recently. Hotel has amazing potential, and would be workable as a three star, but absolutely not a five star. If that’s what you’re looking for you’ll be terribly disappointed with the room.

Worth coming here to check out the high tea service! Incredible selection of teas - black, white, and green. Paired with quite the variety of scones, sandwiches, and desserts. Perfect date day! Service was top notch as well!

I recently had a reservation concern that was masterfully handled by the staff at the Windsor Arms Hotel. With much gratitude, I especially appreciate how skillfully the manager, Jacob, resolved my query. Jacob was very patient, incredibly kind and highly professional. The politeness of all the staff with whom I spoke, and Jacob’s attentive leadership, exemplifies best practices in quality customer service. Thank you very much for resolving my concern in such a professional, courteous and timely manner. I wish all the staff at the beautiful Windsor Arms Hotel a very happy and safe Holiday Season.

Enjoyed "Afternoon Tea" for two guests at Windsor Arms recently. They have 3 rooms for afternoon tea and serve it every day so they take it pretty seriously. The sandwiches were all fresh and diverse; lots of different breads and shapes and filling. I enjoyed the roasted veggie finger sandwich most. The scones (2 per guest) were served with a shared pot of cream, jam, and butter and tasted good. The sweets offered were all diverse shape and colour wise and tasted good. A lot of creamy gelatin based desserts (2/4) if you like that. My favourite bite was the chocolate mocha cake. There are many tea options here so easy for guests to find a tea they'd enjoy. It is proper loose leaf tea which is great! The service here was good too. I would recommend this venue for Afternoon Tea in Toronto Ontario. We also stayed over night and our room was really nice. I enjoyed the dark woods and antique furniture. The location is ideal so it's a great place to go for a walk around the high end shops nearby. All of the staff here was very pleasant and we enjoyed our "tea time getaway!"

Windsor Arms used to be a highly sought out location for high tea however their Google rating has gone down to a 3.6. My bestie treated me to high tea on a Monday afternoon for my birthday. When I arrived, the doorman greeted me & asked if I was there for high tea. I said yes then he told me where to check-in but I didn't really understand. I figured out that it was done at a small podium (not the check-in counter for the hotel) where you can also check your jacket/coat in for free. She kindly told me that I was the first person to arrive & asked if I wanted to be seated or wait in the lobby for my friend. I decided to wait in the lobby. As I was waiting, I watched several groups of people come through the front door and was also standing there waiting, not sure where to go. When my friend arrived, we were promptly seated in the Purple Room (I always seem to be seated in this room every time I come for high tea) at one of the corner tables. I sat at the couch which backs onto the wall & found the couch not very comfortable to sit at. We both chose our tea & placed our order with our server. Our server informed us that for the month of December, they are comping us with either champagne, mimosa or non-alcoholic sparkling juice. I chose the non-alcoholic sparkling apple juice along with the cream of Earl Grey tea (very delicious with an added dash of cream). Our multi-tiered plates of food & teas arrived. I started off with the goat cheese quiche and plain scone with clotted cream. Both are really good especially the scone with clotted cream which is what they are famous for! Everything kind of went downhill from here. The croissant with roast beef & horseradish was good but the rest of the finger sandwiches were dry and the flavors did not explode in my mouth. For the cost of the high tea, I expected more than that. The only dessert I had was one of the macarons and all I tasted was sugar. One major issue I had was that my non-alcoholic sparkling juice was not non-alcoholic. As soon as I had a sip, I could feel it in my blood stream. My friend had a sniff and said that yes, it definitely smells like alcohol. I made our server aware and she apologized profusely. It wasn't a big deal for me but they really need to be careful with this as it could of been given to someone who's religion doesn't allow them to drink alcohol or given to a child who doesn't know any better & gets drunk. The multi-tiered tea set never looks like there is enough but there is plenty that we both took some home. Overall, the company was great but the experience was just so-so. I would not come back here again & will look at other options if I am looking for another high tea experience in the future.

We tried their afternoon high tea experience and absolutely loved it. They have a huge variety of teas on offer. Service was impeccable too. They took into consideration all of the dietary restrictions that the group had. The high tea came with a good variety of sandwiches, finger food, scones and desserts. It's a lot of food and we boxed stuff to go too. I'd definitely return!

First time at high tea and it did not disappoint. The service was fairly attentive and we somehow ended up in a private room. The portions were more than enough and we had to pack some of the goodies to go. The favourites for me were definitely the salmon and chicken finger sandwiches. The tea selection is also incredible, the white chocolate tea was delicious! The ambience is nice, there were padded benches and pillows. It's definitely a treat for a special occasion.

For High Tea: Be careful booking special occasions here! Made reservations on Open Table for Thurs May 16 at 1:30 pm to celebrate birthdays for myself and a friend. Secured with a credit card. I booked it well in advance (end of March) because we both had taken time off work. Windsor Arms called a week before saying it is no longer available and Open Table was not updated correctly. They could not accommodate any other time that day except 12 or 12:30 pm. I asked if I could speak with a manager to see if anything can be done. No call back and my reservation was just arbitrarily moved to 12:30 pm. I guess they just trusted I would see the email notification... I decided to cancel my reservation because I have prior appointment and can't make an earlier time. Same with my friend. Now we are left scrambling to find new place for our birthday. Due to how they handled this, hesitant to book in the future unless you call them directly. Overall poor customer service and not handled well.

This was a Royal experience. The venue is quite ornate and elegant. The servers were very kind and patient. The assortment of pastries and sandwiches were all quite good. It was fun to try to all the different flavors. Huge selection of teas - I had trouble picking me. Finally, they didn't rush us out at the end which was nice.

If you look for a cozy place in downtown Toronto, with an exceptional afternoon tea, and you like opera and classical music, Here is where you need to go! The ambiance is very calming making you want to sit there and drink as much as tea you can! The servers are also very nice, providing interesting suggestions for your tea choice! I really suggest their original black tea. One area of improvement could be their macarons. I felt like they're too sweet but other than that, everything else was AMAZING!

It was first time to get to this hotel. Our company had a conference event that we got a happy night. The front door of the hotel was hidden at the street, and we dressed up and took a taxi to the hotel, but the taxi couldn't find the front door. He drove pass by, we had to walked back to the hotel. When we walked in to the hotel, the staff was really nice and directed us to coat check desk. And we had our colleagues welcomed us. The theme of the night was 007, James Bonds and Bond girls were all pretty. The band and the décor of the party were matched. There was an open bar with some cocktails of the night, and food was also a fixed menu. The waiters and waitresses were professional and friendly. We enjoyed the night very much.

High-tea-licious at Windsor Arms (@windsorarms ) Tea room with GFs!! Checked in was a long process due to a misunderstanding of our booking on Open-table & ended up waited for approximately 30 mins before our indoor table was ready. Other than the glitch during checked in, we enjoyed the service provided by our server & was happy with the rest of our experience there! My fav was the cranberry scone. When eaten fresh, it was slightly crunch yet soft inside n paired well with the peach jam n butter provided. The rest of the treat was also delightful!! $75/p (weekend price) What's your fav spot for high tea? 18 St Thomas St, Toronto Follow me on IG @eatntravelrepeat for more food and travel adventures!!

Really the only thing that's great about this place is the service- Saava was extraordinary. Let's start with the Ambience, it was a smaller tea room however nice. I was expecting to see little egg sandwiches and the fresh cream for my scones, instead my daughter and I had sandwiches which the majority had cream cheese. The scones were on the dry side and the desserts were just mid. Tea Choices are extensive and it is hard to pick. We celebrated my daughters graduation from university and they did bring us extra dessert which had fruit and some chocolate. For the price and experience I would not go back. However the service was outstanding.

I chose the Windsor Arms for afternoon high tea to celebrate Mother's Day this year. This was a BIG MISTAKE. Unfortunately, lots has changed since the last time I was here for the same thing a few years ago. First of all, there were weddings going on at the same time, making the lobby crowded and chaotic, and the staff, overworked and visibly frustrated. Not a calm, relaxing environment that you would expect during an afternoon high tea. When my mom and I arrived, nobody paid any attention to us. I had to talk to 3 different staff members to finally find the person who could check us in. They were polite, but inexperienced and not confident in their roles, especially given the chaos of the wedding in the same area. We ended up waiting on the second floor just to get out of the crowd while we waited, and they were unclear about when our table would be ready, so I kept having to go up to them to ask. There is also no washroom for guests of the tea rooms on the main floor. You need to take an elevator (there is no non-emergency staircase) to go to the second level and use the washroom there...the same one that people from the wedding parties were using. Again, very crowded. Once they were ready to seat us, they walked us to a table that was crowded by other tables and pushed right up against a stained, dirty counter that had empty bottles and used dishes on it. I expressed my dissatisfaction with that table, and the server said that he would clean the area up and it would be better. We waited a few more minutes, and he tried to seat us at the same table, where now, the items from the counter were gone but the counter itself was still stained and dirty. It frankly made me lose my appetite just standing there and looking at it. I went into the other tea room, where there were several empty tables, and asked to be seated at one of those. He agreed and got it ready. After a very stressful introduction to what was supposed to be a high-class, elegant, mother's day celebration experience, we were finally seated. The spot was fine, but the ambiance was still very loud, and we could feel the draft of cold air as the front door of the hotel opened and closed as the bridal parties took photos outside. The stench of cigarette smoke also polluted the tea room. As non-smokers, this really bothered my mom and I and further turned off our appetites. Onto the tea and food...everything was explained well by our server, who was very kind and trying to accommodate us. It was not his fault that the food was low quality, the bread of the lobster roll was stale (it was probably made in the morning and left to sit until 5:30, when we had our seating), and the overall vibe was anything but high-class and elegant. The tea was good, that's about it. The fixed price of this experience was $125 each + tax + gratuity (which I only left because our server, Jordan, was very kind and accommodating, and it wasn't his fault that the quality of the food was so low and the ambiance was stressful). As if in a mocking fashion, the experience came with "a special gift" of 2 tiny macarons to take away. I paid $324.88 in total for an experience that was stressful, frustrating, extremely disappointing on every level, and worst of all, that was meant to be a special gift for my mom. I felt like I got completely robbed. The actual value of what was consumed today (NO alcohol, by the way) was probably closer to $30, being generous. I understand that you pay for an experience when you do these things, but nothing about the experience was enjoyable or classy whatsoever. It actually felt dirty, and my teacup was even chipped. If the hotel can't handle hosting weddings and high tea at the same time (which is obvious), they shouldn't. The thing that makes me the saddest is that this was my mom's mother's day 2024...and you can't turn back or buy time. I just hope that in writing this review, I can save other people from falling victim to this place. GO ELSEWHERE!

Came here for a bridal shower and was seated in a private room with eight other individuals. They had a lot of selection of teas and the iced teas were refreshing. Service was attentive and quick. The scones were on the drier end, and the desserts did not look appetizing. One of the petite fours tasted as if it had gone bad, the croissant was not flaky, tasted stale, and was crushed. We were able to pack it to go, but I wasn't a fan of the food.

No water server did not come over served others who came after. If I had an option I would choose to give it .5 star the only reason why they get that. 5 is because I like their scone. It use to be great, the service the food. I find them racist for this time and the last when I went 2 years ago. Others round were served prior to myself when I sat down n was ready to order and all. No water, no menu or when the food was served last to be served when order was placed before those who came after. Even when we asked to speak to a manager/ supervisor it was disregarded, neglected as if our options don't matter. This time the sandwich was so dry that the bread curled... By the end of the high tea that top slice looked like a Pringle...

I actually did not enjoy my time here, this was my second time visiting and there was a chip in my mug and our server did not let us order more tea options where as the first time I came here a few years ago we got to try many other options for no extra cost. If you are paying 55+ because that's not including tax and tip for tea, you would expect better service. Totally not worth the price and some of the little desserts/sandwiches were not tasty and were cold as if they just keep them in the fridge. The tablecloth and fabric napkins were ratty looking and had holes in them... For such a fancy place you would hope they could at least keep it looking nice and maintaining it instead of letting it look worn out. My friends tea pot also had a hair in it which was extremely disappointing. Literally save your money!

A couple of weeks ago, we booked the Windsor Arms for tea on Mother's Day. The price was $95/person. We just got an email stating that "Just to inform you, the cost has been increase to $125 per person. This is due to an elevated menu including lobster, caviar, foie gras and wagyu beef". It is highly unethical to jack up prices after someone has made a reservation. Shame on you for the money grab, Windsor Arms!

Delicious and generously sized afternoon tea served up in a beautifully decorated space. Service is attentive and gracious. Weekend tea is automatically upgraded to a champagne tea and is slightly more expensive than tea on weekdays but the champagne served is excellent so we thought it was worth the upcharge. Afternoon Tea comes with a selection of savories - we particularly enjoyed the roast beef and the cucumber sandwiches. There is also hummus on toast, egg salad roulade and smoked salmon as well as mini quiches. Each person gets two delicious warm scones - our were cranberry and spice and plain traditional scones. Scones are served with cream and two jams. Finally, there are the sweets - we had petits fours, mini cheesecakes, cannolis and mini chocolate opera gateaux, all were excellent but the cheesecake was our favorite. On top of all the food, everyone gets their own bottomless pot of tea chosen from a menu of about 20 options. The tea rooms are elegantly furnished and valet parking is available for an additional charge - a nice option if you are driving into the city. Overall a wond

I went here with two of my girl friends to try afternoon tea for the first time. I'm sad to say, I was not impressed. We each got our own pots of tea and they did have a variety of unique flavours, which were quite tasty (I had Fu Man Chu). However, I have mixed reviews about the food. Let's start from the bottom. The scones were actually quite delicious, they were nicely buttered and the spread provided complemented them very well. The savoury plate (second plate) was the biggest disappointment. The croissants were so dry, a lot of the sandwiches lacked filling (I felt like I was mainly eating bread), and none of it tasted fresh. The only sandwich I enjoyed from this plate was the classic egg salad roulade. By this point I didn't have much of an appetite that I barely touched the dessert. I had little bites of them and they were okay at best. In general, it's a nice experience and the ambiance was very nice but I can't justify the price point with the quality (mind you, we paid full price). If you're going to try afternoon tea, maybe look for a Groupon first.

I went for afternoon tea on a Groupon with my girlfriend. The Groupon was $70 for 2 people before tax and tips. Our afternoon tea set included blueberry and regular scones, Devon cream, berry jam, peach/mango jam (I can't remember if it was peach or mango but it was delicious), tarts, assorted finger sandwiches, petit fours, and a pot of tea each. I ordered the chai tea and my girlfriend got the blueberry tea, I actually preferred the blueberry tea over the chai. The scones were pretty good with the Devon cream and jam, probably one of my favourite things from the tea set. The finger sandwiches were okay, I definitely had better. The petit fours were okay as well, some were good and some were just alright for me. Overall I'd say the food was pretty mediocre. I've been here a couple of times before and I think they definitely really need to work on improving their afternoon tea set. Every time I've been here I don't really remember any of the food being too outstanding. With that being said it's not that it tasted bad, I just expected better for the Windsor Arms Hotel, especially based on how much their regular price is for afternoon tea. The service for afternoon tea was pretty good. Our server was attentive and asked us a couple of times if we wanted more hot water for our tea, and made sure that we had everything we needed. They also accommodated our dietary restrictions. In terms of atmosphere, I found that it definitely conveyed a fancy environment. However I feel that they do need a renovation, the decor and layout just felt dated. In general, this is an okay place for afternoon tea, especially for the price point I paid. The location is also good and easily accessible, it's just a few minutes walk from Bloor -Yonge or Bay station. I would probably come back again on a Groupon deal since I really can't justify paying full price for this quality of afternoon tea.

Terrible service, classist and racist. I was treated better than my partner who is Asian.... Differential treatment based on what you look like. What is with the 90s outdated decor ? Are they broke ? Food was low quality. Tea selection was only good thing here.

I'm not sure why Windsor Arms has such a low rating on Yelp but this is actually one of my favourite venues for afternoon tea. The decor and the food is not presented as fancy and in-trend as Shangri-La or some other newer places but keep in mind it's actually cheaper than other places. You can also find some sweet deals on Groupon for this place if you keep your eyes out for them. The scones are better than the other venues and the food has a standard quality that doesn't change. Furthermore my group has always had to take food home because we were so full after all the food. Everything seems small and dainty but it's actual quite a large quantity of food. When I went to the Shangri-La with a large group I was actually left pretty hungry - they definitely did not give us enough for the group. Of all the times that I have been to Windsor Arms for the afternoon tea, service has also never been an issue and I am very sensitive about good service. If you have never been I would give it a try.

Picked up three takeout High Teas for a birthday celebration and was horrified and disappointed at the quantity and quality. The scones were completely pale and white and had no look of being properly baked at all While tea sandwiches are expected to be small - giving only one sliver of each type with only a thin scraping of filling is unacceptable. the salmon one was delicious - and was the size of a quarter!! There were only 2 containers of jam and cream for 3 teas. Petit fours are supposed to be small so I will only note these are the smallest I have ever seen. I have had high teas all over the world and this is without a doubt so far below as not even to bear comparison. Except for the price absolutely nothing was as in the same ball park. I sent a complaint and received no reply so am posting review.

I have done this high tea many times at the Windsor Arms Hotel. This is my very last time. I booked the high tea through Open Table on October 6th for a reservation on Saturday November 20th @ 1:30 pm at $55.00 per person. Two days before my arrival, I receive a telephone call confirming my reservation and indicating to me the price is now $75.00 per person. I told the Windsor Arms representative, they should honour the price advertised at the time of the booking. She indicated, "they can change the price anytime."I informed the employee, "I found this very unethical to call two days before my reservation to say, are you going to come and we jacked the price up by $20.00 per person." I asked to speak to the manager, which she replied, the manager will call you back. Never did. I had to call on the Friday before the reservation and spoke to the manager. She was all about, "we can change the pricing anytime", "you can come on a weekday for $55.00." "I can give only two out of the party of four $55.00, the other two have to pay full price, but you have to come at 5:30 pm." If I wanted to book a weekday, I would have. If I wanted to book at 5:30 pm, I would have chosen that time. Cancelled the reservation. Round two: My BFF wanted to go to a high tea, he never has done one and was looking forward to it. He chose the Windsor Arms. I didn't want to disappoint him. I told him lets go on a weekday as their site indicates it is $55.00 per person. I booked this one on November 19th for a Monday December 13th reservation at 1:30 pm @ $55.00 per person. Took the day off. No telephone call this time. Go to the Tea Room and sit down, looking at the menu, when my daughter says, "mom, the price is $85.00 per person, not $55.00."WTF ! Again! As the server came over, I indicated to him, I booked it at $55.00 per person. He said the price had changed. No kidding, I can read. Not wanting to disappoint my daughter and my BFF, and we were already seated, we had the tea. Not worth the $85.00. We did get a complimentary glass of Prosecco. Which is not complimentary, as I am now paying $30.00 more per person. And for $85.00, the service was not of a highest of standards. The server almost touched the food when he was pointing out the sandwiches and explaining what they were. The tea pot had tea splatters on the side which he wiped with his hand and there was a plastic fiber on the jam which he pulled off and didn't replaced the jam dish. He asked me how everything was at the end of our meal. I said it was ok, except the increase in the price. I was still talking and he was just walked away. Don't ask someone how is the meal or experience, if you don't care. As we were sitting there, waiting for our overpriced mediocre high tea bill. Another table of two ladies had the same issue as us. Booking at $55.00 per person and seeing it as $85.00 per person. They called the manager over, who explained to them they can change the price anytime. The lady indicated they should honour the price, the conversation got a little heated. The customer had to actually call from her phone the hotel to complain. Ridiculous. Managers don't seem to be able to handle situations in a proper way. Having worked in a high end hotel, this is very unethical. If someone books a room at $200.00 and the day they arrive, the front desk agent says, "sorry, it is $300.00." A booking is a booking at the price you viewed and advertised at. Whether a deposit was made or not. This hotel should have known in advance about the prices increasing. Had the common courtesy of calling their expected guests. To inform them of the price difference, so they can cancel and not trek downtown to find out after you are seated, the price you booked isn't the price you are getting charged. This hotel does not care about what is ethical and right. Forget about excellent customer service. Tread very carefully with this place, as what you see is not what you get charged.

This is my 2nd time to Windsor Arms for afternoon tea. My first time was many years ago on a groupon. This time we booked it over the Xmas holidays just to catch up with some friends. However, all through out December Windsor Arms put a mark up on afternoon tea. Typically Weekdays are $40 and weekends are $50. But this time on a holiday it was $65 + tips. Upon entering the hotel, we are greeted with a doormen. But once entering the lobby, though I was standing right at the tea room sign, no one thought to ask if I needed help. I had to flag a server down and was walked to the back and see were my booking was. Not offered to get my coat to check either. And then walk in to the tea room and be seated and introduced with our server. With the price hike, I expected high on food and service. Which I thought was pretty satisfactory on service and food was just okay. The scones were nice and fresh but also very crumbly. The desserts were that special either. The suppose seating limit is 2 hours, but was rushed out with our bills a little before 1.5 hours. My tea pot was not replenished with hot water, as my tea got colder and colder. Note that the tea I wanted initially was sold out, it was on the holiday specials page. Don't offer the availability if it's out. The environment was nice and peaceful to catch up with my friends. If you have to use the ladies room, it's a long wander upstairs by taking the elevator up. I do notice some first timers - moms and daughters. They would take the lift up and snap photos and all. It is a nice hotel. Overall, I see why Windsor Arms has some low ratings for afternoon tea. Will not be coming back soon. I been to other tea rooms before and enjoy their service and food over Windsor Arms.

Terribly outdated, stale soggy sandwiches, mediocre space, and service. Extremely disappointed and not worth it at all. I recommend the Shangri La for a way better experience for the same price.

I wish I could say that I loved it. I saw the low rating but decided to go anyways. I now understand why. I've been for high tea twice before and this was definitely an experience. Let's start with the positives. The ambiance and decor is great. The Tea Room has a beautiful set up with furniture and artwork that makes you feel like you're in England. The tea selection isn't too large, but there is a lot of variety, and the ones I ordered tasted great. The desserts were also pretty good. The scones were dense, heavy, and dry on its own, but tasted good with jam and cream. The service was a little strange. I attended with my friend and we wanted to share a pot of tea, as we knew one pot each would be too much tea. The server assured us that we would get one pot of tea. When she came back, she brought us two pots of the same tea. If she had explained it properly and if we knew we were getting two pots of tea, we would have chosen two different types of tea. We ended up sending one pot back so we could have two different flavours. The two pots are included in the price, which is $40 regularly, but $50 on Fridays and the weekend - a $10 difference for no reason. The server also kept starting at us strangely during the meal. Next we got our tower of food with scones, quiches, desserts, and sandwiches. You get 5 different types of sandwiches, but they were all awful. The salmon in the croissant didn't taste fresh, the shrimp made me gag, didn't try the ham, the egg tasted strange - the only one that saved the meal was the turkey and cheese, which wasn't great but also wasn't awful. So if you're looking for a fun high tea experience to take nice pictures at, this is the place to go. However if you're looking for some nice snacks to go with it, this is not the place.

This experience perplexed me. It's well known for its high tea experience and truth be told the room I walked by experiencing this truly looked like they were having a blast. I was envious. The food during our lunch experience was surprisingly disappointing on flavour and execution. Whether it was the chicken, the pasta or the eggplant dishes....no amount of fresh pepper, salt or Parmesan rescued them. There was no direction that this was a season to taste dish. Summerlicious is about,making me want to return and spread the word. I will say, the olive bread was the highlight. Fresh, soft and savoury. Every once in awhile a place can have its day but a table of ten people couldn't be wrong. The consensus for all our meals was similar - it was half heartedly okay, half. Would any of us go here or recommend the food, no. I can't speak for the tea but considering that's not quite my thing perhaps that's where this institution shines. I can say the management was very good in dealing with our concerns but the server who started off so well, did a complete 360 degree and took offence to our opinion on the food. That took us by surprise. Such a no no in customer service. So the lesson here is, absolutely share your point of view on the meal your paying for to management but if your server starts blaming you or disagreeing you, you know what to do with the tip.

Save your money for High Tea, we were thinking we were going to have a English High Tea, no clotted cream, or any real cream, no butter, wraps with some questionable fillings. Very disappointed. The cakes, were less than exciting. I have experienced High Tea all over the world, this was probably the worst. Not a good Birthday experience.

My dining companion had expressed a desire on a few occasions to enjoy an afternoon of High Tea, so when an affordable Groupon for the same popped up, I jumped at the chance. We arrived around 5:30 on a Thursday and the place was pretty much empty, although it filled up considerably the longer we sat there. I suppose I should be honest and note that I've never really cared for tea - it's just flavored water! - and this didn't really change my mind. I went for the Once Upon a Tea option ("Chocolate Bits, Vanilla, Fruit Blend, Organic Mint & Organic Rooibos") and it was fine but I struggled to finish an entire mugful. The food was uniformly mediocre, unfortunately. We were presented with an impressive array of small sandwiches and snacks, and though I ate everything in front of me, I would place the quality of the offerings on about the same level as a middle-of-the-road buffet. The service was fine but slow; I had to actually get up to pay my bill, although our server was very apologetic and noted that the room was busier than usual. (Said Groupon was set to expire just a couple of days later.)

Why's it so quiet in here? No background music at all? It's an odd first impression, but for a party of almost a dozen people, it was very apparent that we were much too rowdy for the venue. It was nonetheless quite an enjoyable experience in terms of ambiance and service, and I did enjoy not having to yell to be heard with even our large table of people. How nice! Afternoon tea has mostly been a mystery to me because it always seemed to be accompanied by an unreasonable price - isn't it not really a filling meal, more like a snack? How could I pay such prices for some tea and a few snacks? Sure, it looks great, but so so many high-end restaurants offer more scrumptious bites and attentive service. Will it be worth it? The verdict on the food was that not all of it is worth it. I do appreciate warm scones, small sandwiches, and Opera cake. I do like tea. But do I like mediocre filling between slices of bread? No. Do I enjoy coloured water with fragrances but no flavour? Absolutely not. I like my tea strong, hot, and flavourful - something for reasons I don't know I can never find at any of those fancy tea shops! Service was attentive. The venue was nice. Would it be a nice treat once in a while? Yes! Is it an experience? Yes! Overall did I enjoy? Yes! If anyone is footing the bill, I'll attend as many times as invited.

Came here for afternoon tea - great ambiance and okay selection of tea, but the food wasn't amazing.

Went there for an afternoon tea set, but wasn't very impressed. Driving there is terrible. We were stuck in traffic for quite a while, and then parking in the area is terrible. Already started off bad. When we arrived, the place seem to be under renovation. I looked empty, and dark. Entering into the restaurant was better, but it was a small restaurant. When the sets came out, there wasn't enough room to even put our teapots on the table, so had to put them on a side table beside our booth. The food there was nothing to write home about either. it was the standard set with mini sandwiches, a couple of pastries, and two pieces of deserts at the top. I can't really comment on all the food because i had to pass on a couple of them, but I can say that the tuna item wasn't very good, and the sandwiches were very small. Basically, everyone left a little bit hungry afterwards and we went to another place to get something to eat. The saving grace is the tea. The tea there is fantastic. For the price of the set, you may be better off going to another place to get your afternoon tea fix.

I was really x1 billion super hyped up about coming here for a holiday afternoon celebration right before ringing in 2020. Being an afternoon- tea snob and having had previous experiences for afternoon tea in both Canada (Toronto + Vancouver) and US (Chicago), I would say I have a fair share of opinions when it comes to a proper tea service. First of all, upon entering the hotel and standing at the tea room there was no one there to acknowledge us. We had to wave people down vto get any attention at all. There were two rooms to the the tea rooms. I noticed the one on the far end was occupied with a couple groups of people. However it had minimal furnishing while the first room that you see when you walk in looked more Victorian. I would have added some stars if the sight of the dirty tupperware sighted on every table didn't put a question mark in my mind what this place will deliver. The servers seemed confused where we should be sitting and after pointing out that I wanted to sit in the inner large 4 people table next to the window she made us wait about 10 mins to clean everything up. ( mind you, of all the afternoon tea places I've been too, not a single one was a dirty mess upon our arrival. We actually rushed here from our Gardiner Museum visit because we wanted to respect the tea time etiquette of being on time unlike the contrary.. Imagine my disappoint arriving here rushing in the bitter cold and having to wait when I had to cut my museum visit short) When we finally got seated, the servers rushed us and asked what tea we would like. I asked for the seasonal special which were' sold out'! A tea place should not be offering tea menu if items are sold out or give the guest the courtesy for something else. (this usually would imply a glass of champagne or an alternative) However, without any sense of apology, our served said flatly,' we are out',and seemingly underneath her breath' you better pick something else and hurry up finish eating). It took quite a while for our afternoon tea tower to arrive which at one look, I knew what I was getting myself into. Of all the places i've been to for afternoon tea, all the scones were brought in baskets that had nice towels wrapped around them to ensure warmth. The ones we had were displayed on the bottom of a cold tower. 4 pieces just throw on there for the sake of it. In the middle of the tower are the savory treats. Unfortunately,some finger sandwiches that looked like I would have been able to make them myself in 2 seconds. The bread appeared to be very stale and dry and when I picked one up to taste it felt like the sandwich was rummaged together in a matter of seconds from out of date loaves of bread. I was utterly disappointed with the sour cream salmon that was nestled on some extremely parched rye bread. The worst thing was the sweet treats on the top( I'm not sure who made them or how old they are, one dessert item had a pink breast cancer awareness ribbon on top.... excuse me but what month is this? does it mean that these desserts are 2 months old already?????) I am definitley questioning the freshness of any of the desserts or any item in the entire tower. One thing I really want to point out about afternoon tea that makes it special is not only how small and decadent they are, but the attention to freshness in each little helping(meaning each small sandwich and confectionary). The worst out of the whole experience was probably the tea+teapots( realizing that our teas were running low, I asked our server to refill the pots) to my utter disgust, the interior or the pot were filthy! They looked like they have been carrying a myriad of teas for months without ever being scrubbed! Staring at the tea leaves inside the pot I was gobsmacked to see how it expanded and filled up half of the pot! ( a reputable place would not have loose tea fill up half a tea pot.( are they trying to put us on a tea-high?which also makes me question whats in the tea pot is as they described on the menu) WhenI had had enough tea to basically expand like a hot air balloon and fly away, I hunted for the elevator that had barely any signage of showing where the washroom was. Mind you the washroom was not only filthy but also freezing (and this is in minus degree weather in Canadian winter) The service was horrendous throughout. I recall that the 3 servers on the floor were eyeing us from time to time but turning their heads away as soon as I started making eye contact.They would ask if we needed water refill for the pot and glasses but then right away rush off to somewhere else or forget which table asked for it. One server only filled one of our teapots and when asked again filled up the drinking glass instead. I believe the entire tea service was a little over an hour (now thinking back why it was so short I realized that the sweet and savory items were skimped. The afternoon teas ive had before would feature three levels without scones.

Receptionist at the Hotel was very RUDE. Renovation of the Hotel is so OLD. $60 for a tower of carbs and the waitress is there to make sure you finish well within the 2 hours dinning limit. NOT a relaxing tea room. Please stay away from this place, NOT HIGH-END, NOT A GOOD PLACE FOR LADIES GETAWAY.

We came here as we were unable to get last minute reservations at other places downtown. The fact that this was the only place we were able to get reservations last minute may have implications. The ambience and service was great. The tea selection was good, but of my party of four no one was amazed by the flavour of their tea. Food was ok. Nothing wowed us. Scones were pretty dry.

My daughter and I tried the afternoon tea. The hostess sat us on the patio in a shady area on the side of the hotel. The table was a bit low for afternoon tea, it was a coffee table, but we disregarded it because it was a nice day. Our server was friendly and checked up on us a few times. The food came out beautifully presented. My daughter actually ate the sandwiches and liked it. She is normally very picky. The dessert were impeccable, as were the scones and spreads. Would definitely come back when inside dining is safe.

I have heard so much about Windsor Arms Hotel Tea Room. And when my friend invited me to join her to a 3:00 Afternoon Tea date?! I AM IN!! - Services really lacking from the hostesses. While I announced our presences for our reservations to one of the hostesses, all I got was a cold response to have a seat and wait. And while other patrons that came after me have the same 3:00 pm slot reservation got seated right away?! This happened twice and finally I decided to check in with the other hostess and got seated right away! - Services really lacking from the waiter. For an traditional English Afternoon Tea experience, services is really important. I expect nothing but top notch services.. but just something is lacking. Waiter is a little condescending. Services need to be a lot more refined! - Tea room Set up needs improving The tables are set too closely together. The tiled floors is not suitable for a tea room as whenever someone gets up or moves the chairs, the noise can be unbearable with the chairs scarping the floor. - Food is really meh Sandwiches are soggy and the bread got crushed into a doughy piece of roll. Petite 4 just way way too sweet. Scones are not bad with the jams and clotted cream. Loose tea leaves selections though is very good. I love my Russian Caravan which is bold, strong, smokey and have a great body. For what Windsor Arms charging for their Afternoon Tea, I am definitely a little disappointed with the experience. There are definitely plenty of room for improvement!

High tea is a girl's thing. Seriously. I don't think men will ever understand the incredible fun in sipping tea in pretty teacups and eating finger-size sandwiches and pastries. So when I bought a Wagjag voucher for afternoon tea for 2, I immediately decided to take my sister there. We've never had afternoon tea in Toronto before, and our experience at Windsor Arms was truly amazing. The ambiance was absolutely lovely. The teacups and teapots were so pretty and totally made me feel like a princess. For my tea, I chose Passion & Envy, which was a green tea with passion fruit infusion. It smelled wonderfully fragrant, but tasted pretty much like typical green tea. My sister opted for Earl Grey with Roses, which was really delicious with a little milk and sugar. I didn't even know that I liked Earl Grey tea until I tried this one. The rose flavour was really delicate and nice. After awhile, our tower of goodies arrived to our excitement! The server immediately served us the goat cheese and caramelized shallot tart and encouraged us to eat it first. The tart was marvelous. Even I, who hates goat cheese, really enjoyed this savoury tart. Next, we dabbled on the two types of scones- plain and black currant! These were so soft and delicious, with a tint of citrus flavour. Knowing that the scones were filling, my sister and I ate half of each and packed one to go. Next up, we have 3 varieties of finger sandwiches: Smoked Salmon and Wasabi Sour Cream with Salmon Caviar, Cucumber with Sundried Tomato Paste and Dill Cream Cheese, Grilled Chicken, Granny Smith Apples Citrus Mayonnaise, Greek Yogurt & Chives. My favourite was the cucumber sandwich with cream cheese, because it was really moist. The grilled chicken was too dry. On the top of the tier were petit fours, which included a white chocolate concoction, strawberry cheesecake, caramel mousse chocolate cup, and mini lemon meringue tart. I loved the fact that we got to try everything in small quantities, because I don't think I would enjoy the sweets too much in their full-size versions. My favourites were the strawberry cheesecake and caramel mousse cup. Lastly, we ended with fresh strawberries with whipped cream. The strawberries weren't very sweet, but I still finished the whole thing. I absolutely loved my high tea experience at Windsor Arms. Most of the food was actually good! Above all, the intimate ambiance and pretty teacups almost made me feel like royalty! We drank refills after refills of tea, chatting away for two hours (would've sat even longer if there wasn't a time limit). I really regret not buying another voucher, as I probably wouldn't be willing to pay full price (high tea is not exactly cheap). But for special occasions, it's really a great treat to enjoy with girlfriends, moms and sisters.

One of my favourite places for high tea in the GTA. I've been here many times now for different occasions, and it's been lovely every time. Last week, I was here with a friend for the Twilight Tea, with a Groupon deal. This was not my first time using a coupon at Windsor Arms, and just like before, it went off without a hitch. Unlike another reviewer's experience, mine was perfectly fine. I actually got the same waiter I had the last time I was there - and both times, service was consistent. ATMOSPHERE: Classy, regal, old-world charm. SERVICE: Respectful, and timely. Servers were polite and well-dressed, which suited perfectly for a Tea Room. PRICE: Windsor Arms has always been on the higher end. Full Tea Set can be up to $50. But look out for deals from the likes of Groupon and TeamBuy for 2-for-1 type deals. FOOD: Fantastic scones! But like other reviewers mentioned, the clotted cream and preserves were already on the table before we were seated. This was strange to me too, because of the other 3-4 times I've been there, it was never pre-set before seating. Also, I agree that there was too little cream and jam for two people. I remember the servings for these condiments were more generous on previous visits. The sandwiches for Twilight Tea are different from the usual pin-wheel type sandwiches served during Afternoon/High Tea - these were more like mini sliders. So a the bread-to-filling ratio is not as great. I prefer the pin-wheel kind, because they're not as dry. Having said that, I still enjoyed the sandwiches for Twilight - especially the shrimp one, and the classic salmon one. The petit fours are good - same kind you'd get at Afternoon Tea. But instead of fresh berries with cream for dessert, we got homemade raspberry sorbet with prosecco. A nice, and more sophisticated end to the Twilight Tea. Overall, I'd recommend Tea at Windsor Arms for special occasions.

Yikes...what happened? I came here a couple years ago and had a blast. My good friend and I have a holiday tradition of going for tea and we jumped at the chance to go here when a Groupon came up (we should have known better...but hey, sometimes, you get actual good deals). The ambiance hasn't changed - in fact, the dated nature of this place provides a bit of charm. There were still fun hats and fascinators for you to borrow if you wanted the "full experience" while having tea. However, the food has gone down by a landslide. Let's start in chronological order, shall we? The mini-sandwiches were stale. The bread was stale. I couldn't actually believe it. It was hard to even eat it all. The pastries seemed like they were purchased at Costco and reheated on a mini-toaster oven - they were luke warm and the pastry shell was stale and flaccid. The scones lacked any flavour at all and they blended some strawberries and blackberries and told us it was "jam". It was SO not jam. I was so disappointed spreading fruit puree on my flavorless scone. Finally, the petit fours also looked like they were purchased from a big box store and placed on a plate. Everything was much too sweet on that plate and I could only eat 1. There was a fluorescent lime green petit four there that I was too nervous to even touch. Overall, I think this place needs better management and a little pick-me up because no Groupon promos are ever going to save them if their food is like this. I'm so bummed because I had such fond memories of this place back in undergrad and now, it looks like I will never come back. Very sad.

Overall: 5/10 Food/Drinks: 7.5/10 Ambiance: 3/10 Service: 2/10 Decor: 8/10 To celebrate an early Valentine's Day, my girlfriend and I decided to go for some fancy afternoon tea at the Windsor Arms Hotel. This was our first time there and we were in awe when we stepped into the lobby - it was beautiful and almost like a step back in time. We were hoping this lovely first impression would continue on into our afternoon tea. Decor: 8/10 The decor was intricate and ornate and each tea room had its own color scheme. My girlfriend and I were seated in the purple tea room right in front of the fireplace (which was perfect as it was a rather cold day). The tea sets on the tables were all mix matched. The decor is definitely better in person! Food/Drinks: 7.5/10 For the price, the food was average at best. Their tea selection was pretty good though. I had the earl grey with roses and my girlfriend had the Snow White tea. Both were very good. Bottom Tier: The scones were warm and soft, however the mini quiches were a bit lacking in flavor. Middle Tier: All of the sandwiches were good! My most favorite one was the prosciutto with cauliflower. Top Tier: I was not entirely impressed with the top tier desserts. The profiteroles were way too sweet and had this weird artificial taste to it. The chocolate crunch bar and the pistachio orange cakelets were fairly good. It would have been good to have some fresh fruit or nuts on this tier. Ambiance: 3/10 When we were first seated, a large group just left so it was fairly quiet. The classical music playing faintly in the background was a nice addition to the ambiance....that is until we couldn't hear it anymore. During our wait to be served, several tables in the room filled up quickly and it became extremely noisy to the point where my girlfriend and I couldn't really have much of a conversation. It felt more like we were in a crowded cafeteria than in a tea room. This could be due to having too many tables in a small room. When we left, we noticed the other tea rooms were nearly empty. I feel like equally spreading out tables in different rooms could easily fix this issue and offer a more enjoyable experience for all parties. Service: 2/10 I hate to say this but the service is the main reason I am taking time to write this review. Sadly I forget our server's name but I was thoroughly unimpressed with the service we received during our time there. During the start of service I didn't notice anything out of the ordinary. Our server took our orders for our teas and took our menus from the table. It wasn't until I observed her interacting with the other tables that I noticed that something was off. I don't know if we came off as intimidating or if she has some reservations towards same sex couples but I definitely feel like we didn't get the same level of service that the other tables received. She seemed nervous and I feel like she didn't want to engage with us while she was at our table. There was also one point where she came to check up on us and see if we wanted a box to go and we politely replied that we were still enjoying our tea and food. She then disappeared for a good 45 minutes and when we were ready to pay we had to flag down another server to ask for our server to bring our check. So we finally got our check and soon after she brought the credit card machine and then quickly disappeared. She didn't even come back go get the receipt and machine - no "have a nice day" or "thank you for coming". As a whole, My girlfriend and I were not very impressed with this afternoon tea and would not consider coming here again.

OK, I wanted to like this high tea experience. I know there are better reviewed ones on Yelp, but we didn't want to drive out 45 minutes from downtown so this was our choice, I read the reviews, mentally I knew what I was getting. Positives - the teas are pretty good. The dining room is pretty nice. Neutral - the finger sandwiches we got were OK. We had smoked salmon on top of like a Norwegian rye bread which was pretty strong for our taste, but probably fine for those who like rye. Egg salad was tasty, cauliflower was OK and the ham was OK. Negatives - the scones tasted relatively good, but they were really big and dense. So imagine adding on the clotted cream. It was heavy - which I get, it's a scone, but they don't have to be so dense. The parking is almost non existent unless you want to valet for $35C. No complaints from us because I knew this wasn't going to be a stellar afternoon tea, but I wanted to give it 3 stars, but based on what we had...couldn't do it.

I had high tea at this spot and absolutely loved it! The decor was fancy yet spunky. We sat at a big table with cushy purple seats. The entire space was adorned with beautiful chandeliers. The selection of food was delicious. I particularly enjoyed the scones with jam and the smoked salmon sandwich. All of the food was organized beautifully on tiered serving trays. Each of us chose a tea and received our own teapot, teacup, and loose leaf strainer. The china was exquisite! I ordered the earl grey with roses and it was delicious. I would recommend this spot for anyone looking to do a fancy high tea for a special occasion!

We came here for an afternoon tea. We liked the atmosphere and the food a lot. Plenty of food, no way we could finish it. They packed the left over for us nicely. Great service. Enjoyed it a lot.

Service is on point. Menu on the weekend is set no substitutions. There were a couple sandwiches my husband didn't like. Tea is impeccable. The ambiance is great. Overall we enjoyed our tea time. Not sure if I'll spend$50 per person again here, I've been to other tea rooms that have a great selection

I came here for Afternoon tea. I knew about the holiday pricing so I wondered if anything special would be offered. Just the tea blends were different. However the Winter White was sold out. The scones and sandwiches are large. So that gets you filled up. The desserts weren't anything special and they tasted alright. I was eating each sandwich really slowly and I wouldn't say that anything was special about the flavours. The holiday pricing is $65/person. I would say this should be $40/person. It wasn't like the room was overly busy. Our server came to check up on us but it wasn't like extra water was offered. Our seating was at 1pm and we were done by 2:30. It is 2hr seating maximum but our server cleared our table and immediately got our bills. So I guess it was time to go!

We came here in June and for a Groupon. You re really not getting your money worth considering you re only saving about $3 per person .Groupon restricts tea time to only mon-fri no weekends or holidays. Groupon you pay $64 for two afternoon tea and regular price is $72. Not including parking . Parking if you re lucky you can find $3 per 1/2 hour if your lucky. Dessert was stale. Middle tier tasted like left over pastries. Only the scones were food. Might as well get their tea time take out if that's the case for $25. Service was great , interior design is nice but don't bother coming here for the food

Not THE best for high tea considering the posh atmosphere and price tag. Food was mediocre..but the teas were good. They had good blends and quality was ok. Their scones were massive! Disappointed with the cream and jams. Not into the savory puffs.. their tuna puff was gross; sooo watery! Their tarts were delish though (curried chicken and a carmelized onion). The sweets were disappointing. 3 stars because of the atmosphere. Without it.. it'd be a 2 star rating just for the food.

Pros: Very good atmosphere for afternoon tea Cons: Price does not reflect quality Took my GF here for her birthday for afternoon tea. She's been wanting to try this place for a long time. Windsor Arms has a great deal of history behind it which makes it a perfect setting for afternoon tea. Sadly, based on the photos I've seen from the past and what I experienced recently, the quality of afternoon tea here is not what it used to be. I've been told there are 2-3 rooms here they use for afternoon tea. We were seated in a table right by the entrance. I felt they tried to fit as many tables as they could into these rooms. It felt really cramped. Compared to the Shangri-la, where we had a whole couch and large table, we had a much smaller space to work with. There's a good amount of teas to choose from. I like that every tea has a pretty good description for people like me who aren't pros when it comes to tea. My GF ordered their breakfast blend and I got one of the Japanese green teas. Our tea came out pretty quickly. It was our food items that took a long time. There were 4 tables that were seated and ordered after us. All 4 tables received their items before us. They had totally forgotten us. Then I overheard staff talking about how a tray is missing, most likely ours. When we finally got ours, not a mention on why it was so late. The food was OK at best, nowhere near what it was from older pics I've seen. They charge a premium price here ($40 a person), so you expect everything to reflect that price. The sandwich rolls were all over the place, I didn't know if I was holding the bread or the toppings inside. The scones were OK. The cream we were given for them had oil separation. The spoon for our sugar had sugar stuck all over it. We were the first group of the day so they obviously did not check for that before the day started. Like I said, if you charge a premium price, you need to reflect that in every aspect. Based on past pics and reviews, I expected a lot more. The quality seems to have gone downhill over the years. I was thinking maybe our experience was an aberration, but reading over some recent reviews, apparently it wasn't.

Enjoyed afternoon tea in the Windsor Arms Tea Room yesterday. From beginning to end, the Windsor Arms staff made our experience great. Our server was very attentive, and was also very obliging when I made a request for a change in the finger sandwiches due to dietary restrictions. The tea and scones were my favourite part of the afternoon. The Tibetan Tiger tea is a must try! Taking a star off because I found the finger sandwiches to be just average. Overall however, the atmosphere, the service, the scones and the tea were amazing. Will definitely be returning!

I don't even know where to start with this review...their high tea platter is a disgrace! For the price we paid, I expected a lot more! Maybe I should have read more into the negative reviews here before making the reservation. I have heard so many good things about Windsor Arms high tea service...as it's one of the best in Toronto...I have tried the Royal York high tea service twice before and thinks it's 100% better than this one. What irks me the most was the presentation, HELLO!?! where is it?!??! High tea should be presented nicely...but what I received here felt like it was just threw on the place by someone. First of all, their petite four was too overly sweet...and it felt like they were all store bought and not made in-house. 2ndly, the scones, was not flakey at all, it was a cross between a bread and a donut! I can't believe I have heard some praises for the scones here, my friend even said that it seems not throughly cooked!. -__-;;; and lastly, their savory dish was nothing out of the ordinary. When the word "high tea" comes in mind, my first impression is always "nice china" however our tea came in plain white tea pots that had lids that doesn't even fit the pot!!! One pot was even chipped! A total disappointment...my friend even said it's the worst high tea experience she ever had...I felt bad for even suggesting this place.