Blue Willow Tea Room - Petersburg, VA
Summary
Blue Willow Tea Room in Petersburg, VA is a charming tea house in an antique shop. During my visit I tried the full afternoon tea. This included tea, fresh scones, soup, and an assortment of sandwiches, canapes, and desserts.
Food Overall
Service
Atmosphere
Location
Value for Money
Overall
What I Ordered: Full Afternoon Tea
$49 for two people
Birthday Tea
The full afternoon tea includes two pots of tea. One for each person. You can order two different types of tea. I tried the “Birthday” tea which was a black tea with a variety of fruit and berry notes. Also, the pot held about three cups of tea. I quite enjoyed the depth of flavor in this tea.
Scones
The scones were served with jam and Devonshire cream. The scones were fresh and warm. Each person gets one scone but they are a good size to split into halves. Devonshire cream is essentially a thick buttery spread. The cream and jam were alright but they tasted like something you would get at any store.
Broccoli Cheddar Soup
The broccoli cheddar soup was a pleasant creamy cheesy soup. The serving size was modest. I liked that it was served in a tea cup.
Food Name
The afternoon tea comes with a variety of tea sandwiches, canapes, and desserts served on separate trays in a tower. Each item is served in pairs so each person gets one. The tea sandwiches were cucumber sandwiches, egg salad sandwiches, roast beef with cheese, and a turmeric chicken salad sandwich. I though the sandwiches were a bit dry and bland. My favorite was the cucumber sandwich and least favorite, the roast beef. The savory canape tray included hot beef pastries, tuna salad tarts, and cheese tarts. Again, the canapes were a bit bland but were better than the sandwiches.
The dessert tray had skewers of fresh fruit, slices of chocolate cake, macarons, oat cakes, and shortbread cookies. I thought the dessert tray was the best of the three. The macarons were very tasty and the other desserts were pleasant, lightly sweet, and paired well with the tea. Overall, I think the food was pretty bland and dry, but the serving size was large and they offered a good variety and presentation. There were so many items that you left full.
Overall Food
All in all, the food at Blue Willow tea room was pretty mediocre but the tea itself was great. They have a selection of 20 teas to choose from including, herbal, fruit, and black tea in normal and decaf. The food was bland and felt rather store bought, instead of homemade. I think the best items were the scones, the soup, and the macarons. Even though the afternoon tea was fun to try with the large variety of items, I think I would recommend just getting the dessert tray because it was the best overall and paired the best with the tea.
Service
The service at Blue Willow tea room was very good. The server was extremely kind and friendly. I think if you went regularly the staff really makes an effort to get to know you. Also, the server was happy to give suggestions and brought out our orders quickly. She did not check back that often but I think it was intentional so they don’t interrupt your conversations. Additionally, reservations are recommended but you can also walk in and dine.
Atmosphere
Size
It is a small dining room with about 10 tables.
Who Goes Here?
It looks like groups of friends and couples primarily dine at the tea room. It looks like an older crowd though there are some younger and middle-aged folks as well.
Overall Atmosphere
The atmosphere at Blue Willow tea room is vintage but casual. They have a very unique setting because they are inside of an antique store. The building itself is historic with lovely tray ceilings and architecture. You enter through the main antique shop but there are additional antiques in the dining room as well. It appears they use antique tea sets as well. Despite the sophisticated vintage surrounds, the actual dining experience is relatively casual. You could dress up a bit if you want but everyone saw dining was dressed casually.
Location
The Blue Willow tea room is in historic downtown Petersburg, VA. The surrounding area has charming architecture and old brick streets. However, it is not a very clean, well-maintained area. They do have several large free parking lots within a block of the tea room.
Interested in finding things to do in Virginia?
Value for money
I think that Blue Willow tea room is a decent value for your money. Though the food could be improved the tea and experience is quite good. Moreover, Blue Willow offers a much more affordable price point than the other tea rooms in Richmond. It is as much as half the price of some. Additionally, the setting of the antique store is very charming. Consequently, I think it a much more accessible, affordable afternoon tea experience that most people could enjoy. Also, because of the price point I think it would be easier for people to go regularly.
Overall
All in all, enjoyed my visit to Blue Willow tea room. The tea selection was very good. However, I did think the food had room for improvement. I would recommend going to Blue Willow tea room if you want a pleasant place to chat with friends and enjoy tea with desserts.
