Tea Cozy Cottage

My friend Regina and I love to do high tea! We are always searching out new places, and re-trying old ones. What a pleasure to immerse oneself in fragrant tea, civilized napkins, pleasant service, delicate and dainty foodstuffs - and perhaps a hat to suit the occasion!

So last weekend, we finally made it to a place we had wanted to enjoy twice before, but plans had to be changed. This time, all was very, very well, and we arrived at The Tea Cozy Cottage, 7664 Wooster Pike, at 11 a m, for a bewitchingly delightful high tea.

The proprietor, Michelle Boyles and her husband Christian do it all themselves, with creativity, a light touch, a sense of fun. Christian is in charge of food - he is to be commended for the wonderful nutloaf. The space, tucked in behind the old ... (more)Heritage, is light and cheery - with a wonderful selection of teas, each made in a different pot. I tried a green and a white I had never had before. Aaaaah.

The theme for the day was the Roaring 20s - so we had celery soup and Waldorf salad from the menu of the Waldorf Astoria in its heyday. Each of the presentations was wonderful - just right in taste and portion. The scones, the fruits, the chocolate truffle - could not have asked for more - or better!

Now I have two favorite high teas in town - the Hilton Netherland Plaza and the Tea Cozy Cottage. Very different and very wonderful experiences, both of them. When you want to escape the maddening crowd, and return to a gentler time - I recommend them both highly!

I was just here in December and quite honestly, I had an enjoyable time. The hostess was friendly, professional, and knowledgeable, and the fact that we left the cottage feeling as if we've known Michelle for ages is only testimony that she knows what she is doing! I rarely find occasion these days to give excellent ratings on my dining experience, but I feel compelled to offer my compliments to The Cottage. Don't expect anything overly done or pretentious; The decor is light and airy in the way of English country cottage home couture. On the other hand, a lady or a gentleman would feel quite a home dressed in their fancy duds whatever the mode or fashion. The atmosphere was entirely fitting for a perfect ladies' tea, complete with hats. It was whimsical and fun, yet not too cluttered ... (more)to be elegant. The teas were prepared well, and stayed hot to the very last drop. The gourmet selections were not too heavy, appropriate for the setting and the teas with which they were served, and very well made. I particularly enjoyed the soup, which I believe was made from butternut squash and pumpkin. Overall, I was very pleased and delighted with my experience there and will return there again and again.

I've been to the Tea Cozy Cottage and I have to say that it's simply amazing! As a guy, I was worried that it's mostly for women or maybe even snooty but Tea Cozy Cottage is anything but that. Michelle is extremely warm and nice and the food and tea is excellent! I love the fact that you can have unlimited tea, especially for someone who doesn't know what they're looking for in a tea! It's the best tea house in all of Cincinnati!

There were three menu pages of teas available. A huge selection! The food was very good and the service was excellent. We will return! The scones and cupcakes were my favorite part of the foods served. The cottage was cozy.