High Tea in Brisbane

I have been to many High Teas in Brisbane and have found it a fantastic way to treat myself.

One Saturday I was at Garden City and went to The Shingle Inn for a cup of tea and my sister (who shares my love of High Teas) suggested that as we were at The Shingle Inn we should indulge and have a High Tea there.

What an utter disappointment.

No special cup or saucer (like Pig and Whistle at Indooroopilly), no delicate sandwich (like Graceville), a "Monte Carlo" biscuit on the cake stand that was the size of a small tennis ball, orange juice which was NOT freshly squeezed and a bit bitter and generally a HUGE disappointment.

There was nothing :special" about it. Anyone can put a few sandwiches on a cake stand with a small cake, a mini savory pastry and a few other things. Serve it in an ordinary white teapot with an ordinary teacup and that is NOT a high tea, it as a sandwich, a pot of tea and a sausage roll a couple of little cakes.

If you want a fantastic High Tea - go to the Pig and Whistle at Indooroopilly. Their High Tea is a delight . Even a cup of tea and a fresh scone is served to you like you are at the Ritz in London. The jam is so good that you pile it on the scone and if you could get away with it, would lick the plate if you could get any more on the scone.

The High Tea at the Stamford Plaza is THE place to take someone for tea.

Totally agree with Fran. Keri Craig is a divine place for High Tea. Sshhhh...don't tell too many people about it though!

I have been doing the rounds of high teas around Brisbane /
gold coast and have been to all of the above and a few more. By far the best high tea around is up Tamborine Mountain (Eagle Heights) called Tea and Niceties. You get to select from around 20 different teas served in silver pot and delicate china setting. A three tiered server full of beautifully cut out tiny sandwiches, hot savouries, tiny, tiny scones with jam and cream and an array of petite fours (sorry if not spelt correctly). If you want the high tea of your life try this place.

Does Kerri Craig require reservation?

I have been to a few high teas in the area, and I would recommend Stamford on WEEKDAYS, NOT on weekend. Weekend is a cattle run, you have to queue up behind 10 bridal shower party girls on site. You still get all-you-can-eat high tea on weekdays, at around $25, with fewer chocolate choices and each run is served by waitress, but the food tastes better when you don't get hurried along. I also find the dessert way too sweet on weekend. Their Stockholm Blend is to die for.

Another high tea place that is completely overrated is High Societea. I was told that this was the best high tea venue in Brisbane, and boy, was I let down. The china they use is not even that exquisite to make up for the quality (the lack thereof) of food.

If you haven't tried High Tea at Joseph Alexanders then you are missing out! The whole experience is lovely and you can be sure you are well taken care of. The staff are attentive without being overbearing and are there to make your High Tea an experience!

The food is fantastic and there are too many teas to choose from, and they are all bottomless, as well as espresso for those coffee lovers. Nothing microwaved here, all delicious and well proportioned.

The view is also beautiful, and the building itself is gorgeous and perfect for the High Tea venue. I have been many times and would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a fabulous experience! Don't hesitate to make your next High Tea here, you won't regret it!

I just went to Kerri Craig Emporium today and it is the WORST high tea I have ever had. I have had high tea throughout the English speaking countries, from London to Victoria, BC, from Sydney to Hong Kong, so I believe I have some authority in this aspect.

The most outrageous thing is, they serve tea at the END. What am I supposed to drink for washing down my food? Champagne? Why don't you call it high champagne then? The tea choice is extremely limited (6 or 7), the essence of high tea is still the tea, not just the finger food, which I saw them pick out straight from a fridge.

Then the food. Two scones, two pastries, one quiche, 4 finger sandwiches. Scones were average, quiche was hot but tasted like microwave food, and sandwiches are worse than what I make at home, no garnishes whatsoever. The cost? $32.95 with no refill, for $25 or so at Stamford which served much better food at a first class location, I get endless refill.

Now, if they made me happy with the food and the tea, I would have had much less to complain about the location. It is at the side of a really outdated department store carrying clothes only your grandma's generation would wear. The tables are too low so that you will have to hunch over for your food.

Service? Non-existent, when I was there, they had less than 3 tables occupied. It is even worse than High Societea.

I've been to a few High Teas in Brisbane, and while none are as good as my mums, I have had enjoyable experiences at a few.

High Societea - Beautiful tea room if you can forget you're not that far from a dirty train station. Decent selection for the sweets but nothing amazing; I was most disappointed with the hot savouries which were just a deep fried curry puff, spring roll and sausage roll. Doesn't really deserve the reputation it has.

Joseph Alexanders - I went there when they first introduced it so it may have changed since then, but needless to say I didn't go back. They were way overpriced for the amount of food and the quality of it. We had coffee which also wasn't that great and the service was poor. I'd try it again though to see if it's changed.

Stamford - Still a winner, and perfect for a larger group. It is a buffet so you aren't waited on hand and foot but their food is delicious and coffee/tea plentiful. Service has always been good for me and I love the Sunday afternoon by the river listening to the violinist they usually have. Definitely the best value for money high tea, though it does lack the hot savouries element which they should perhaps add.

Queenies - Nice, but way overpriced. It's about $600 for a scone.

Room With Roses - Best left for the older, upper class women.

Tea and Niceties - Haven't been here yet however my mum knows the owner so we're going to head up there one day together. My mums been there and she said it was absolutely lovely, spectacular in every aspect. Definitely one to include in a day trip up the mountain. Not to be missed!

Batavia - WINNER!! If you haven't been here then by god you are missing out. Their high tea is PERFECT and they have lots of different options. They have three courses which get brought out individually so you can space them as you like to keep the food fresh. Their food is beautiful, from the pastries with special dipping sauces, to the cookies and cakes with chocolate dipping sauce, to the full course of cake. I highly recommend the Strawberry Shortcake and the Orange Almond Cake. Divine!! Located on Grey St, Southbank, near the cinemas, you have to try it. Even if you just go there for coffee, it's served in giant cups and you get jugs of milk and coffee so you can mix it yourself. I've even taken many of my guy friends there and suddenly they love taking tea (though I had to refrain one from drinking the rest of his warm milk straight from the jug). Can't rave about this place enough - it's open way late, the chairs are comfy and it's the place to go if you want good food, good sweets, good coffee, good service, good prices and a looooooooooong chat!!!!

As an overall comment, the best high teas are by far the ones where everything is made fresh and by hand. I dislike going to high teas and paying what is actually a fair amount of money (given what it costs them to make it), and getting some frozen things warmed up and a ham sandwich on white bread with a stale scone.

Well, based on Sabrina's review I took my son and husband to Batavia and I have to say, I was really REALLY disappointed.

We were unable to reserve a table - it's a "show up and take your chances" situation, so as a result we were stuck out on the road which was noisy and hot. This would be disastrous for any special occasions so for this alone I wouldn't be able to recommend it.

However, I was determined to make the best of it as it was hubby's birthday celebration.

The tea was presented beautifully, extra jug for the hot water, milk, strainer, everything was perfect there. Extra milk that I requested also arrived. (that always trips the waiters up for some reason)

My son and husband ordered soft drinks (1 orange juice and 1 coke) which cost $8.00 EACH !!! It was cheaper to drink tea. I nearly had a fit paying the bill. I could have bought 3 full bottles of coke down the road for that price. $16 on 2 soft drinks. Ridiculous.

I chose some gluten free options, but there weren't as many as I thought, in fact, very few, and I certainly couldn't have done a high tea options with sandwiches, as was available to those fortunate enough to be able to eat gluten.

My husband ordered a quiche and it was microwaved and still cold in the centre! Yuck! Conversely my garden salad was very warm and inedible. Potential for food poisoning there.

All in all it was very underwhelming and if hadn't been my husband's birthday I would have refused to pay, but I didn't want the day to be remembered like that.

I'm so sorry to report so badly about a restaurant, but it would be fine if you were

1. Happy to take your chances about getting a table
2. Didn't have any friends with gluten-intolerance, otherwise they'll feel very left out
3. Just feel like a cup of tea and a piece of cake.

Anyway, they have some lovely furniture for sale inside, and we felt that that was worth the price of tea-time and we _will_ go back for the furniture ... any maybe a simple cuppa.