The Front Porch Tea Room

My sister put together a group of us to go to this particular tea room. I've only gone a few times to different ones in the past & not real taken with them. So I went going into it as just spending the time together with my sisters and aunt. Well - I was very pleasantly surprised as it was a grand experience of a Tea room! EVERY single thing we were served was wonderful! Our server happened to be the owner and she was absolutely lovely & so informative on many things. What a blessed time. I would highly say to try THIS Tea Room! I hope to go back again.

As part of my birthday gift, my mother invited me to tea in my hometown of York, PA in November 2011. I came from South Carolina because my mother raved about this fantastic tea room she had been to several times in recent months. I was a little nervous about a tea party, as my perception was that they looked to be a stuffy experience only enjoyed by old ladies. Well, my perception couldn't have been more wrong. The Front Porch Tea Room was decorated in a beautiful victorian fashion, both inside and out. The gift shop was extensive and had something for everyone. The owner was our server and she added fantastic conversation to our meal. She was a wonderful hostess and described each course we were to be enjoying. The food was EXCEPTIONAL! I had never tasted ambrosia salad before, b... (more)ut I have found a new favorite. The pumpkin soup was the best I had ever tasted and I will be placing a special order for their salad dressing when I come into town next. The teas were good, but the food was out-of-this-world!!! There was so much food, we had to take some home with us. I can't believe my mother didn't take me here before, but I hope it is part of my birthday present every year. I will be making it part of my trips to PA in visits to come. I highly recommend this tea room. It has truely elevated the tea parties I had as a little girl to a whole new level. Ms. Bonnie, your tea room was simply amazing! Thank you!

Thanks so much for the delightful experience. This is my second visit and will not be my last. I found the food and presentation wonderful. I found Bonnie to be a wonderful hostess. The decor was a wonderful victorian style, done quite tastefully. I had a nice afternoon with my daughter from out of town. What a wonderful place to chat and nibble on the delicious foods, that were artistically presented. Thanks again Bonnie. Remember you are the best and in response to your last review,that was so negative, remember you can't please everyone and some people just can't be pleased.

This place came highly rated and we were disappointed at best. Main complaint was the not pleasant server, lukewarm tea and chipped cup that didn't even match the saucer.

Last week took two friends to tea in Hallam. We three had enjoyed another local tea room together so I wanted to share this one with them next. They ranked Bonnie's Front Porch Tearoom as top of those we've experienced together. One of the ladies had taken High Tea during trips to England. I lived in Bermuda 18 mo.during high school and remembered sharing teas with school friends after taking the local bus to Hamilton. (So grown up, don't you know.) Front Porch Tea Room falls between being more formal than my Bermudian memories but far more casual than friend's British High Tea experiences. House salad was beyond delicious, using nice mix of creatively arranged, tasty ingredients. Amazing range of tea choices available. Can't imagine anyone not finding one they could enjoy. Tea s... (more)ervice was casual in a winning way. Bonnie's people skills enliven each aspect of taking tea among the Victorian decor enlivened by casual garden touches. Each of several small rooms opens invitingly one after another, tiny tea lamps light each occupied table for a cozy ambience in natural daylight that peeks through windows set into thick stone walls and peek out at seasonal gardens and greenery. Yes, Front Porch Tea Room is unerringly touched with charm. In our group last week, none cared to don hats but we had fun looking at the variety. Also appreciated Bonnie's protective hat hygiene. We were tickled at how Bonnie introduced us each to our tea pot using color and design, tying each padded cozie to its pot with memory joggers as well. This tea room easily mimmicks the places I knew in Hamilton where one was welcomed into a public portion of the home which had been turned over to serving tea to tourists and residents longing for a gentle sit down between shopping and the trip to their own domicile. The lemon curd easily awakened tastes of two varieties of flavorful and authentic scones. Delightfully seasoned creamy Butternut Squash soup almost didn't leave room for the tea sandwiches which followed. Sandwiches were good but could have used a tiny creative touch to lift them to the excellent level of Bonnie's other offerings. Happily we all chatted and enjoyed our way through each treat because our desserts very perfectly capped our tea with a flourish and a smile. My choice was White Chocolate/Raspberry Mousse w/Chocolate Raspberry Sauce. Delicious. I'll be back. Have several dates in mind as my way of celebrating with other friends, some of whom as yet know nothing of the simple joys of 'taking tea'. Front Porch Tea Room, warmed by Bonnie's genuine hospitality, is fortunately located close enough for me to drop in from time to time. Its worth the effort of traveling a bit, certainly much more approachable than the unquestionably more rigid British originals. Bonnie offers a nice blend of 'The Way It Used To Be' unerringly shaped by a delightful twist of 'The Now'. My two teen granddaughters look forward to another visit with Nana one day soon.

Wonderful experience. We've been to many tea houses and this one was one of the best yet! Loved it.

Everything about having high tea at The Front Porch was delightful.The food was absolutely delicious, and the presentation was lovely. This was a gift to my sisters and sisters in law that I feel good about having given. While we all agreed that the food was great, it is Bonnie's charm that makes this an exceptional experience.

A delightful experience from the beautiful gardens to the scrumptious full-size dessert. My girlfriend and I were impressed by the plentiful food, each expertly prepared. I had the white chocolate/raspberry mousse with chocolate/raspberry sauce ~ YUM! I hope to return. Both the iced tea and the pots of tea were delicious. With all that was going on, Bonnie still chatted with us and made us feel at home.

The food was fabulous!! The cold blueberry soup with blueberry schnapps was the best! My party was early, but we were welcomed in right away. This was my first High Tea experience, and I will definitely be going back to Front Porch!

I have been here a few times now and have had wonderful food, tea and service each time. The people are friendly and all of the food is delicious. The pumpkin soup is to die for.

I'm not an expert at high tea, but we went in a group and had a lovely time. The food, tea, and atmosphere all excellent. We will go back again!

I'm not a tea afficionado, so I can't give an accurate description of them, but the iced peach tea and the hot mojito tea were both wonderful! The food was very tasty - the scones with clotted cream and lemon curd melted in your mouth, while the tomato & green bean soup had a nice zing. The crepe for dessert has created monsters out of my sister & I, as we already love Nutella but now have to buy some mascarpone cheese to mix with it!! The decor was formal and Victorian, but the atmosphere was far from stuffy! Bonnie and our server (did not get her name) were delightful and warm. The mismatched china was a nice surprise, as were the pieces sprinkled throughout the flower beds in the garden! The hats were another nice surprise, and one that we could not resist. All in all, it was a delightful experience for all of us. Thanks to Bonnie & her staff!!!

The food and tea was delicious.

Out of the many tea rooms that I have been to, this one by far exceeds them all. Thank you for a wonderful experience!

Wow! This place is amazing! The atmosphere is great–from the bountiful flowers outside to the unique mismatched china dishes inside. I loved how every guest could choose from a wall full of fun hats to wear. The hot tea that was served was a rooibos mojito. I'm not usually a big fan of rooibos teas, but the rooibos mojito was so good! I raved about the six course meal for days. Incredible food!

Last Saturday was my first visit to the Front Porch Tea Room...for a private bridal shower. The high tea was much more than I expected or imagined. Bonnie was a gracious and warm hostess as she greeted the guests and described each course as it was served. The food was outstanding!!! Everything...hot/cold teas, appetizer, salad, scones, soups, sandwiches & desserts...was absolutely delicious. The tables were set with eloquent china. The rooms decorated beautifully. The ladies enjoyed trying on and wearing hats. After the high tea, we sat out on the patio to open gifts. We also enjoyed strolling around and admiring the gardens. It was a perfect evening and the bridal shower was a huge success and one I'll always remember. Thank you, Bonnie.

I also attended the Mary Kay Cosmetics event at the Front Porch Team Room. What an awesome experience from beginning to end, the facility, the people and the food. Got to See!!!

We were at the Front Porch last evening for a Mary Kay Cosmetics event...The food was superb..and what made it so fun, was each guest chose a hat to wear to the tea. Everyone felt 'so special' being served by Bonnie.& staff.This was definitely an awesome event, and the gardens were spectacular...Definitely put on your 'to do list'..don't miss it!! Irene M. Harrisburg, Pa.

I choose The Front Porch Tea Room for my wedding reception for 130 people. We put a tent up in the backyard with the gardens surrounding the tent and it was absolutely beautiful! We hardly had to do any decorating because the gardens were so pretty. The staff did a great job taking care of my guests. We used the patio for the dance floor and loved it!! I would defiantly recommend The Front Porch for anyone who is looking for an outdoor reception! You cannot get a more beautiful location and great staff to work with!

All the Girls of our family met to celebrate the birthdays in the months of March and April. We had a wonderful time and everything was served with the style and charm. Bonnie was the perfect hostess and made us feel like we were old friends. I would definitely recommend this place to anyone looking for a fine tea house.

Bonnie pulls out all the stops at The Front Porch. Her poppy seed dressing is packed with flavor that compliment her salad that makes you want more! The apricot scones with white chocolate were my absolute favorite this visit. They made my mouth water just thinking about them again! And never forget Bonnie's rule for the clotted cream! (ask when you go!) Her soups, desserts, and tea sandwiches are always leaving me raving about how delicious they are and how I wish I could make them myself all the time!! Her yellow peach sweetened iced tea was sooo yummy I think I drank four glasses of it. The roobis mint tea brought me back to my grandmother's kitchen. The decor is charming and the gardens are beautiful. No matter where you live this tea room is worth the travel! You will not be disappointed.

It was wonderful. The food was really tasty and displayed well. The yard was so pretty we even saw a baby bunny hopping around oblivious to us being there. Way cool!!!!!!!!!!!

The garden and outside setting was beautiful. The flowers especially. We really enjoyed ourselves. The food was great. Loved the salad. I am sure our Red Hat Group will visit this Tea Room again.

The High Tea was excellent. The salad was especially good. There was plenty of food. The gardens are beautiful. I'm sure the ladies in our group will visit again.

During our Red Hat group visit, a cold peach tea and a hot tea were served. We had a 6 course meal that was wonderful, especially the salad!! Scones and dessert were fabulous. The grounds are just beautiful, and there is a large outdoor seating area under tent, which is also wonderful. We defintely will return.

The food, decor, service, and fine wait staff were beyond expectations. We loved our visit and plan to return soon with friends! We were so impressed that Bonnie came out to greet first timers!

I have been to other tea rooms and none have gotten close to the exceptional experience I've always had at the Front porch Tea Room. My most recent visit on June 3rd 2011 was not exception! Bonnie has always had a wonderful menu and atmosphere to enjoy your get away from the outside world. I've been taking people there for over 10 years and my companions are always amazed at this wonderful place tucked away in rural PA.

Our visit to the Front Porch on June 2, was a memorable event. The teas and each delicious course was explained and served so graciously. The food presentation was lovely, the atmosphere so re3laxing, the flower gardens - beautiful and the choice of spectacular hats add to the fun. It was worth the 2 hour drive. We will be back.

I took my Mother & Aunt her for Mother's Day 2011. We had such a fantastic time. Getting to select and wear the hats was a fun addition to an already great day. We are looking forward to making this a yearly tradition.

A very charming place both inside and out. The food was excellant and our servers were very friendly and helpful. I would certainly recommend this tea room to everyone. Our Red Hat group will deffiently drive the 95 miles to come back again.

We ladies had a lovely time at the Front Porch Tea Room. We enjoyed picking out a hat to match our outfit of the day. Gardens were lovely too but it was raining so we didn't get to walk through them. Overall it was a lovely experience and very victorian.

The food was delicious, especially the salad, strawberry cream soup, and chocolate chambord cake. The staff was engaging and very enjoyable. The decor included lots of pretty and fun things --inside and outside. If we had known sooner that we could request other teas, the whole experience would have been PERFECT. Many thanks for everything!!!

The two teas that were served (no choice) were both fruit teas. The two little sandwiches arrived with no garnishes and both were on bread of similar colors. However, what bothered me the most was that the dinner plate was used both as a charger AND a dinner plate. The salad plate was first placed on top of the dinner plate that had a charger beneath it. The salad plate was removed and we put our scones, jelly etc on the dinner plate. The soup was served next and placed on the dinner plate (and in the unused jelly on my plate). The soup bowl-now with jelly on the bottom- was removed and we put our sandwiches on the dinner plate - again avoiding the jelly. Finally they took the dinner plate away before the cake was served. While I enjoyed my visit there a few years ago, this recent experience was not a great one.

I had tea at The Front Porch Tea Room yesterday, 4/21/11 & it was lovely. My niece & her 2 daughters were with me & we were very impressed by the food & service. The gardens were particularly lovely at this time of the year. The decor has some unusual accents that keep your head turning quite a bit. Do give it a try. I hope to return for another tea, perhaps a dessert tea or a dinner tea.

I loved the portion sizes, six courses is awesome, but too large portions waste our resources or adds to my waist! Delicious

Our group visited the Tea room on April 14,2011 and had a great experience.- The food was delicious and the hospitality and service was outstanding. Looking forward to bringing the group back next spring. - Carol Suarez

Our 'Tea Time With God' group has visited many tea houses in VA, MD, DC and PA. Yesterday we traveled 3 hrs. for tea at The Front Porch. It was fabulous and well worth the drive! The tea/soup/dessert choices were all so delicious that we shared, so no one missed anything. The scones melted in your mouth. Linda and Bonnie provided delightful hospitality and service. My all time favorite!

My sister-in-laws took me here for my birthday. We had a wonderful time. The hostess is so gracious, the tearoom is delightful and the food was excellent. I plan to go back and take my mother and sisters too. It was one of the best teas I have ever been.

this was my first time. what a fabulous experience. everything i ate was different and exquisite. lovely woman serving us, if we didnt order it she sent out samples.best experince. loved the hats. there were many to choose from. tea was delicious. I WILL BE BACK.

I am not a very big fan of tea but for all of the women's birthday's in our family we all came to The Front Porch to celebrate. It was a very fun and comfortable atmosphere! We enjoyed the food and tea immensely, everything was amazing! Bonnie made us feel very welcomed and told us all about each thing we were eating and the type of teas we were having and what was special about them. For a person who doesn't go for tea I throughly enjoyed myself. It was a lot of fun being able to wear hats and take pictures and just be together as a family. I will definitely be going back there with my family again and hopefully be able to take some friends there too!

My church group had tea here the end of March. The food was wonderful as always. Looking forward to all the spring flowers that should soon be in bloom. Look for the YELLOW house on the hill. (was white).

March 18,2011 was the first time I ever enjoyed Bonnies' wonderful tea room. Went with my daughter & a friend. I have A Gluten intolerance and Bonnie went all out to prepare for me the foods that I could eat. Came home with a few treasures & memories from a wonderful , food ,fun filled tea.(so many wonderful flavors to choose from). Of course we all donned the hatws and had fun taking pictures inside and out. Thanks so much Bonnie. Kim,Meredith,Donnie

My Red Hat group visited the Front Porch February 19, 2011 and we were all extremely pleased. We have visited other tea rooms in the past and The Front Porch not only met, but surpassed our previous experiences. The cuisine and teas were excellent, the service was top notch...warm and friendly, gracious and not intrusive at all while serving our 'goodies'. We were in the front room which was sunny and bright and the decor was very pleasing....loved the gift shop also. Bonnie was so wonderful to work with and extremely accommodating to our needs. It's a definite re-visit for this Red Hat group.

My wife and I are familiar with 'afternoon tea' in England but we didn't know what to expect here and we were very pleasantly surprised. The atmosphere was very relaxing and enjoyable, and was made more so by the excellent and attentive service. The food was delicious, varied, with more courses than we expected for a 'high tea'.We were delighted by the whole experience and came away vowing to return with friends and relatives.

Just had had a baby shower there for my daughter and it was a first time having tea for all invited. We loved it!!!!! The atmosphere was great and the food FANTASTIC!Bonnie was wonderful at explaining everything and made it a very pleasant evening. Can't wait until I can go again.

Hi, My daughter, Dawn, and I visited your Tea Room in August, 2010. We had such a lovely time at your establishment. The food was outstanding!!!! You won't walk away hungry here... After Tea, we walked through your lovely garden. Thank you so much for a wonderful time.

Excellent food and service !! The food is plentiful and so good. I have been to many tea rooms and this is my first choice. I will definately return soon. Thank You for a fabulous tea.

Wonderful experience , excellent tea room with HATS and character.Next visit will try breakfast tea.

This is absolutely the best place for tea.Had a great time,delicious food & superb service. Bonnie is a gem&& knows how to make us feel special Certainly will return to get more CHOCOLATE ROSE dessert
Loulette 2/20/11

Thank you so much for a wonderful time! The food was delicious, service attentive and atmosphere pleasant. We had a good time trying on the different hats too! I'd come back just for that chocolate rose dessert!

This was my first experience here and just loved it! The food was so good and had plenty. The owner couldn't of been nicer. We had a great time! I'm going again soon.

My first trip to a tea room. What a joy. So relaxing, and every course of the High Tea was delicious! Will definitely be back.