Cardamon Tea Lounge Shop - Colchester

If you have not experienced this magic land then add this place to the top of your wish list! I have had so many afternoon teas and mainly in London but this afternoon tea exceeded them all. The detail, thought and love put in to my afternoon tea was practically perfect in every way. Delighted to finally find somewhere in Colchester this special and already have so many different themed afternoon teas in for 2020!

This restaurant is definitely worth visiting to admire the unique interior! It's a great place to reminisce about our childhood. The attention to detail in the decorations is amazing. However, the food is only average. There seems to be more focus on appearance than on taste. I returned a few months later and unfortunately, the food quality was still the same. The staff is very friendly though!

We were warmly greeted and taken care of during our visit. I would advise pre-booking and ordering special novelty dishes for particular occasions or to delight children. Each month features a different theme, making it a wonderful treat. While some may find the prices a bit steep, I believe it is worth it for the wow factor and creative themes. I have also thoroughly enjoyed the smoked salmon bagel from the regular menu on both occasions- it was very fresh and delicious with tasty accompaniments. It is really lovely to have a place that is out of the ordinary and whimsical in Colchester. We will definitely be back!

I surprised my mum with the Queen of Hearts afternoon tea and was excited based on the great reviews and beautiful pictures. However, I was disappointed as nothing seemed homemade. Most items on the plates appeared to be store-bought, such as the jam tart with berries on top. The clock biscuit was just a generic biscuit with a sticker. The sandwiches were okay but not exceptional, and the chocolate scones were bland and stale. Overall, I felt the experience was not worth the money and I could have easily made a similar spread for less than five pounds. On a positive note, the decor was lovely and the tea selection was good. But I wouldn't recommend going solely for the food.

This was a birthday present for a friend, I booked the Queen of Hearts Tea and it was fabulous. A huge choice of different teas (you can buy some tea to take away, too), delicious food and more than we could eat, we asked for a bag so we could take the remaining cake home. However what really makes this a great place for a special occasion is the quirky decor upside down teacups, Alice in Wonderland and Harry Potter themed table decorations and beautiful presentation of the food. The only negative I could find was the chocolate scones, a bit heavy but we didn’t have room to eat them anyway! I will definitely go back and my friend is planning a treat for her daughter. Service was helpful and friendly, can’t fault this for a great afternoon.