Serendipi-Tea, Saxonburg PA

I rarely leave reviews but as someone who has been to several tea houses I felt this was one of our more disappointing experiences for how much it cost.

We took our 4&6 year old daughters to celebrate our oldest’s birthday because the website made us feel it would be more kid friendly.

The room is small and has white walls and white table cloths with minimal decor and a shop that sells candles, tea, etc in the same room. There was no music playing so we felt like we needed to whisper as the tables were so close together. The chandeliers were the highlight of the room. Overall we felt awkward.

While the large glass water goblets were beautiful, they were very heavy so much so that we needed to use two hands to lift them and made it impossible for my girls to use. The water was almost certainly tap and unfortunately tasted terrible. The tea was loose leaf and if you forgot to use the strainer in your cup every time you poured it out, it was difficult to remedy. The server only stopped at our table 4 times, once to get our order, once to deliver the tea, and once to deliver the food. By the time he came back out it was to give us our bill so we ended up sharing a tea cup and not drinking a lot of the tea. There was no other employee available anywhere.

What we most appreciated was the availability of a children’s tea menu but the only difference was a peanut butter and jelly option instead of the other 3 sandwiches. There was a lower price point for children’s tea but they only got one sandwich vs the 3 we got. Unfortunately we thought the food was not very good overall. The chicken salad was good but the scones were overly sweet. I appreciated that you got both clotted cream and lemon curd but the scones were too sweet to add anything to them. They were more like soft baked, sticky cookies.

If I could make any suggestions it would be to offer more child friendly cups to the children and to maybe play some background music and add some color to the room.

Afternoon tea cost $150 for 2 adults and 2 kids with 20% tip (they also charge you $3 for using a debit/credit card). In comparison, Johnston House is $43.75 a person regardless of age and also state on their website “we prefer an age limit of 12 and over and so do our customers”. While the atmosphere and food is higher caliper at the Johnston House, the Tea House on Main is clearly much more welcoming to children.

We were also disappointed that they didn’t acknowledge our daughter’s birthday in any way.

Overall, we appreciated the care and consideration towards children compared to other tea houses but feel they could make a few tweaks to make it more “kid friendly” as advertised and will probably not return as it wasn’t worth the cost.

I've been here several times with my daughters and sisters. It's a lovely place. The food is great. Staff is excellent. I would have rated this 5 stars, but it is very pricey.

Recently visited this lovely tea house with a friend. It was a very relaxing atmosphere. The food was fantastic & price is well worth it. This is a perfect little place to celebrate a special occasion.

My sister and I took our mom for any early Mother's Day. We all agreed the food was plentiful and we all left full. The apricot scone was amazing! I would've loved more of those. The chicken salad and ham and apricot wrap were our favorite of the sandwiches. We all enjoyed our teas. It's a cute place and we will definitely be back to try other menus.

We had a wonderful time celebrating my daughter's birthday. The food was delicious, and we really enjoyed the wide variety of teas offered. They were all very good. They also did a great job catering to my younger daughter and her friend. The girls loved it, and we hope to go again!

I LOVE to go for tea when Mum is in town. We decided to try a new (to us) place. Serendipi-Tea in Saxonburg.

First.this street is so cute and olde timey! Very charming location!

We had reservations and were pleasantly greeted and seated. Our server, who typically works in the back, was lovely.

Mum chose English Breakfast Tea and I chose Tropical Fruit Green Tea. They were both delicious, but came in clunky ceramic tea pots. This was disappointing, because we had delicate china plates & cups and noticed other china tea pots on other tables. I like Fiestaware in general, but the mix and match wasn't appropriate for the space. Also, the table cloths were plastic. Why?

The Savories: The Cucumber sandwich was tasty, but could have used more cucumbers. One more layer of thinly sliced cukes would have been so much better. The Chicken Salad was good, looked beautiful but really unremarkable. The Ham & Apricot Wrap was awesome! I'd love to pack these for a picnic! YUM!

Next up Scones: I LOVE a savory scone, but sadly the Cheddar Chive Scones were totally gooey and raw in the middle. The Lemon Poppyseed Scone was good. The drizzle was great! The scone was moist. It was good. I wouldn't be disappointed about buying it in a coffee shop, but I wouldn't be excited about it either. The Clotted Cream & Lemon Curd were both DELICIOUS!

The Sweets: The Carrot Cake bite was yummy. When I say bite, it was a bite, maybe half a bite in size. The Vanilla Tart was also yummy, but really not special. It was pretty.

This was less food than I've typically had at other teas I've been to, but that's a plus! I don't want to leave tea totally stuffed. The serving sizes were perfect! (but that carrot cake bite could have been a smidge bigger)

If this was the only tea house around, I would not be disappointed to go here. The ambiance (especially if you don't get a clunky ceramic tea pot) was great. But none of the food made me say OMG THIS IS SO GOOD! The ham wrap was close though! I'd give it 3.5 stars if I could, so I rounded up to 4 stars.

I have ben there a couple times for a special day with family and we had a relaxing time with amazing food and great tea! The service is personal and so very kind! I recommend this establishment hands down for a sweet connection time with anyone you bring!

We are absolutely blown away by their kindness and amazing communication! I can’t say enough about how wonderful everyone has been. Thank you so very much!

Perfect spot for a daddy/daughter date. She loves the food and the atmosphere is fantastic. You can tell the staff is always putting their best effort into the entire experience which makes it the perfect spot for a mid day 1x1 date. It's also well situated between a number of shops that are great to visit before/after you're done. Be sure to make reservations!

I attended Serendipi-tea in a party of three. If I were an inexperienced tea room patron, I might say this was a lovely afternoon, however, my experience leads me to say otherwise. Based on the other reviews, I'd say I was at a completely different venue altogether and found it to be way overpriced. Lets break it down.

Service:
We were greeted immediately by a delightful young server who did a great job taking care of us.

The tea:
Selection was very limited. I ordered the blood orange rooibos and it tasted like baby aspirin. I was surprised to see a $2.00 upcharge for the mango tea. At $35/person, any tea selection should be included.

The food:
The squash soup had a nice texture and was very flavorful. However, the portion was tiny; probably 1/3 of a cup. You're a tea room; why not serve it in a tea cup?
The chicken salad croissant and the feta cucumber sandwiches were tasty. I would have preferred a smaller cucumber sandwich and a third savory.
The pumpkin scone, although flavorful, seemed slightly under baked and was small. I did enjoy the addition of fresh fruit sharing the plate, but I would suggest replacing the orange slices with a frilled cocktail pick of 3 fruit bites instead, simply for the sticky fingers factor.
The desserts were disappointing. The cream puff seemed like a frozen puff one might find at a big box store. The cheese cake had a soggy crust leading me to think it had probably been frozen; adding a berry on top would have made a big difference. The brownie petit fours, we were told, came from the bakery down the street. They were average.

The atmosphere:
I found the room to be sterile and under-decorated. I liked the recessed shelves with the wall paper and tchotchkes in the one wall. Painting the rest of the room with a complimentary pastel color would add so much warmth and ambiance to the room. I did like the chandeliers. I did not care for the plastic table clothes. They really detracted from the potential elegance of the experience. The odd table decoration with the battery operated candles looked cheap. I think it was supposed to be a pumpkin. A real tea light candle and even just a single fresh stem in a bud vase is always better. My cup and tea pot were chipped and my daughter's cup had a big crack. And you're missing a huge opportunity to place items for sale throughout the dining room.

We stayed for less than an hour and concluded we just weren't feeling the "experience" of tea that we so enjoy. There are numerous other alternatives that we prefer. We will not be returning.

We wanted to love it because we love to support local businesses, but it’s extremely overpriced for what you get. The only items we liked were the chicken salad croissant & the scone & the rest wasn’t good at all. We are dessert lovers & the chocolate brownie & cheesecakes were just not good. We will be going back to the Johnston House in Mars from now on.

My sister & sister-in-law took my mom here for her birthday. She is a tea lover. From the time we arrived, we were so impressed. Allison greeted us with a smile & was so accommodating as my mom was in a wheelchair. The tea room is very cutely decorated. The selection of tea was very good & Allison gave her recommendations to all of us. After enjoying our tea, a tiered dish was brought to our table with sandwiches, scones, fruit & sweets. Everything was delicious. If you are unable to finish, to go boxes are available too. There is also a small shop to browse before or after lunch too. It was a really fun afternoon & I will definitely return.

This is a hidden gem in a cute little town! We had a great experience! The presentation, decor, tea, and food was amazing! We will definitely be back!

Such a lovely place to have a grown up tea party. The finger sandwiches, scones and desserts were so scrumptious. The selection of teas were so different. I had blood orange tea;no sweetener needed.

The cutest tea room! A Simple yet elegant place, perfect for your small gathering of girlfriends or a special celebration. The food was delicious and beautifully displayed. Many tea options to choose from. Ashley is the sweet owner of the tea room and her love for what she does truly shows.

I drove over and hour to have the most amazing experience I have ever had. I can't even put into words how welcoming the owner was. The tea house was beautiful. The food was delicious and the tea was so tasty. The whole experience is something I'll never forget and I'm so happy I got to share this lovely memories with my grandma on her special day. You made us feel so special.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart for what you do.

With lots of love!
I'll be back

If you haven't experienced High Tea at Serendipi-Tea in Saxonburg, you are missing out! It's unreal! Entering the tea room feels like stepping out of real life and into a pampered vacation. The space is beautiful and relaxing. The food is delicious, fresh and presented on a beautiful tiered stand. Ashley is a delightful host who has mastered the art of customer service. I can not wait to go back?

I love it! My husband and I went there. It was so amazing experience! My dream come true turn in real time! We definitely come back for sure!