Royal Tea room: Proper tea for proper children

Looking for something different to do on a way too hot Sunday, we decided to go for a hike and visit the Royal Tea Room in La Plata, MD.

It was a proper place, full of quirky antiques and more than a few members of the red hat society. Now, I should add that my husband is British, so the idea of going to a tea room for the afternoon with a bunch of old ladies wasn't the least bit off-putting.



We decided on the full tea which started with a salad and soup, moved on to a course of scones with clotted cream and jam, and then to the fancy three tiered tea service with little sandwiches, savories, and pastries and cakes. Included was any tea or beverage (the peach iced tea was lovely) with your meal followed by any teas with your scones and pastries (we had earl grey, English breakfast, and rooibos cranberry.



The food was tasty, fresh, and reasonably interesting-- but nothing fancy for sure. Some of the baked things clearly came from in house, and some clearly weren't which really was the only big negative for me (as well as the inclusion of food coloring in a few things). I didn't go there expecting anything fancy and it was a great way to kill a couple of hours.



Child-friendly? It's a quiet and proper place, and while they do have high chairs and innumerable older women who want to hold your baby, its quiet and the place is packed with antiques little hands could smash in a moment. However, if your child would like to go to a proper tea party, this is your place. They get to choose their tea cups and you can get all dressed up in hats and boas for the occasion. In fact, when we were there, the folks from below came to pay a visit. Who knew?


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