st. james tearoom

never would have guessed!. i have been to 'tea" in canada, australia and several major u.s. cities and was very pleasantly surprised to find that a wonderful bit of a bygone era can be found in my own backyard. i have even dragged my 30 something adult children there and they loved it. my daughter loves to dress up and always finds a great hat to wear and my son likes the variety of tastes. the tea is always excellent. although i prefer the black teas, i enjoy the lighter teas, too. the cream scones are to die for. when you consider that a movie, with popcorn, loud noise, and superheroes costs as much for 2 hours as pleasant conversation and tasty tidbits with real people, the price for the experience is pretty reasonable. one of my favorite places to go for a special occasion or an opportunity to turn an ordinary day into something special.

won't return. if you combine the existing reviews on st. james, they summarize my experience. there with definite hits but there were significant misses. i left yesterday with a lot of ambivalence about returning, but on further reflection today i’ve decided that i won’t return.

the place is charming and the gift shop is fun to wander around while waiting for the call to be seated. our “nook” was fine for me and my guest. there was adequate privacy. we occasionally heard nearby guests but no one was loud or disruptive.

our first problem occurred when we were seated. our hostess sped through the rules (with an emphasis on being sure to clear out when they ring the bell that your time is up) then looked down and said, “oh my goodness. you don’t have any tea.” she left to get the pot that no one had delivered before we were seated. so we waited. we heard the nook next to us receive their food. and we waited. after at least 15 minutes our hostess returned with the first pot of tea. we had requested royal tea with champagne (which was really new mexico bubbly) and the hostess asked when we’d like that to be served. i told her now would be great. she disappeared.

after about another 10 minutes our food finally arrived and the next oddity occurred. we’ve enjoyed high tea across the u.s., ireland, england, and british colonial outposts. tea has always been delivered in increments. the first pot of tea is accompanied by the savories. once guests have enjoyed those another pot of tea is delivered with the scones. once that has been enjoyed and plates cleared the third pot is delivered with sweets. the st. james delivers all three courses at once (stacked on a tiered tray) and staff check intermittently to see when the next pots of tea should be delivered.

we had enjoyed our savories (which were all very good) and the first pot of tea and the bubbly had still not been served. when the hostess checked in, i asked her again and it was clear she had completely forgotten. she disappeared, returned with the second pot of tea, and said the “champagne” was on its way. we started on our scones and finally another staff member showed up with the bubbly.

we ended up declining the third pot of tea because by the time our hostess surfaced again there was only 15 minutes of our allotted time left.

i knew from reading the website that 18% gratuity would be included, but i was incredibly irritated that we were charged 18% for such shoddy service. by serving all of the food at once, they’ve figured out a creative way to minimize service. yet even the minimal service they should provide was terribly lacking.

so all in all: the tea and food are quite good but the poor service ruined it for us. had the service been on par with the pretentiousness of the place, i might consider going back. but that’s not the case.

experience. a very big disappointing experience with sub-par food, poor service, extremely rude servers and an altogether unpleasant and expensive rip-off. unfortunately this was not what i was hoping for and a completely upsetting and dreadful time.

i felt the tearoom was overpriced! we were stuck in a small "room" with curtains on both sides. the tables were too small and had too many things on the tables which made it awkward moving things a round. we were allocated only 2 hours so we had to rush things a bit. paying $17 per hour per person is outrageous!

the "maid" came in and gave the bill to the hostess and demanded she pay now which put her in an embarrassing moment. would have been better if the bill was presented quietly as we were getting ready to go. - more polite and more discreetly.

i would not recommend the tea house as people could have gotten more for their money elsewhere. we can always have high tea at home as tea is cheap to make.

too expensive!

i love going to this beautiful place. the only other place i've had high tea is at the ritz in london & the intimacy at the st james makes it that much more special.

everything at the st. james tearoom is charming... the tearoom is filled with elegant, intimate rooms...

save for a special occasion. i have been to the tea room a few times and i love the atmosphere they provide. it makes the experience intimate and the teas are always so good. the trays of food they provide are full of flavor for bite sized portions and i love the lemon curd and scones. you can stop by just to buy some goodies at the gift shop - try the plum cake, at only $5 it serves 2 and is delicious. also check their menu which changes every little while depending on the season.

there are negatives : it is quite expensive considering you don't get a full meal and you get glares if your table gets too loud.

an adventure into wonderland. this tearoom is a complete treasure that we are so lucky to have. we have gone three times now for special occasions and each time gets better. we have always sat in a private nook with just my husband and myself. when they first bring the food, which is always incredibly delightful, it never looks like enough to us. but then we never can finish it! the tea is delicious and my favorite is the shimmer tea in the winter. beautiful and such a treat! my only complaint is i truly hate/despise their new website design. the website before was perfect and now i cannot find anything let alone make a reservation. seriously - put it back!

perhaps best in the world. now before you get all in a huff about claiming that st. james tearoom belongs in the vaunted company of the very best in the world, just two words, "try it." having been around the world, the st. james tearoom in albuquerque is one of the very best. its staff is superb. seating is excellent. decor is meticulous. the food is very good. teas amongst the best i know of and i have tried many. the sandwiches and delectables are fresh and well done. presentation is thoughtful and what else can be said except. try it.

snooty. i really dont understand why all the ladies who want to be in the junior league rave about the st. james. what snobbery! i made the mistake of getting talked into going for a girlfriend's lunch. after a $100 per person bill, another friend and i had to run to flying star to get real food!

cute for conversation and tasty bites. the sjt is the sort of place to meet up with an intimate group of friends for conversation and celebration of a special occasion. it's pricey, and while there, you'll want to indulge in everything on the trays without having to watch your calories. clotted cream and lemon curd on scones is not health food, people.

in april, for my recent baby shower, i was among 5 others and we enjoyed our experience: especially being curtained off to enjoy each others' conversation. two of us were pregnant, so the whole group optioned for the decaf teas. one of us was not a meat-eater, so we went with the vegetarian menu. while you don't leave stuffed, you are quite satisfied. every little finger food dish was carefully prepared and had a lovely presentation. none of us missed having not eaten meat; lots of creativity with vegetables and fruit came out of that wee kitchen. our teas were aromatic, interesting, and flavorful. the servers took their job quite seriously, and they really left us alone--a minor complaint is that we were not checked on sooner after finishing a pot of tea.

in june, i returned with 3 others. this time, we donned silly hats from the "borrow it" wall, and again had another splendid little afternoon.

be prompt to arrive for your seating. moreover, i suggest that one amongst your dining companions should agree to serve as timekeeper so none of you get caught gulping down your desserts before thefinal bell rings to end your seating. lingering in your curtained area is not permitted; they'll move you out to the gift shop. it makes you feel somewhat like a cattle call when you are being shuttled out, but se la vie, it's high tea.

three britt's review. hands down a remarkable experience especially when one considers it's albuquerque location. the design of the venue is tasteful and elegant, each seating area embraces guests who immediately feel cozy and comfortable. one wouldn't think dividing a large room in to six or eight separate seating areas only divided by heavy draping would feel so intimate, but it does! the gift shop is remarkable with gifts in every price range and a magnificent assortment of beautiful items to choose from.

the st. james offers prefix monthly menus with assorted treats in the savory through sweets realm. while certainly different and interesting, they were not quite what i would call typically british tea. both mum and i are born and bred uk so this comes from some experience with the subject matter, and certainly one must consider the various levels to what would be considered "typical" tea depending on class status. certainly little bison pies would be limited to the upper crust, no pun intended, rather than the working class. and there were more than a few items rather non-typical on the tray. all of them delicious and intriguing just not what we know to be typical.

now there in is the difference, you see the st. james is not typical and that's the magic of it. the presentation is at once proper and well bred, beautifully presented, and a little bit intimidating. very british. but after the first cup of tea, it all settles in for a lovely, relaxed, civilized experience. more than the refreshment, the st. james speaks of a simpler time, when people sat close together, face to face, and didn't need to speak in raised voice. they talked about everything and nothing at all. a more gentile time.

i wasn't aware of the price before i arrived. some in my party were surprised but in retrospect, it's no different than a special dinner out. just much, much, more civilized.

you need to go and discover for yourself. i left feeling tranquil but at the same time invigorated. i plan to go again, and more often. the value is in the experience.

something different. i went for the first time a couple weeks ago for my birthday. i had a gift card so i just called and made a reservation. it was different because we were lounging on couches instead of the usual table and chairs and i loved how we had a private seating area. they serve only finger foods with 3 different flavor teas. all the food was tasty! even though i felt like i was hardly eating, i left full. i even got to take home some free tea because it was my birthday :) i would not recommend for someone who is picky. they have certain days and times when you can make a reservation. you can't just walk in or go anytime. they have one menu and they cater to allergies, but you have to pay extra for that and tell them ahead time.

fun place. i love this place. it is a fun place to go with some girlfriends or for a special date. the foods are delicious...but not going to be filling. this is "tea" fare, mostly finger foods. they have meals with several course, but still going to be light fare.

the teas are amazing and i recommend trying several.

only thing i complain about...the price. it is expensive.

this is a wonderful experience that everyone should try at least once. i enjoyed everything that was served with our meal. the portions may look small, but by the time our meal was over, i was very full. i believe the price is reasonable for everything you get. it was the most relaxing atomosohere/meal i have ever experienced.