If you live anywhere near Tacoma, Washington and you love a good afternoon tea service, then you must find your way to The Olive Branch Cafe and Tea Room in Freight House Square in downtown Tacoma. The place is without a doubt over the top when it comes not only to hospitality, but decor as well.
Mrs. HB and I were overwhelmed by the kindness of the staff and the quality of the afternoon tea service. So much so, that we are already making plans to go back again.
This is the table Mrs. HB and I were seated at. Isn’t it lovely?
The place settings.
We selected a white strawberry tea for our tea service.
Mrs. HB ordered the champagne tea and I had the Queen’s tea. Mrs. HB and I have been to several tea houses {and some have been better than others} but The Olive Branch Cafe and Tea Room is our favorite so far.
Shrimp cocktail…. now that was a surprise.
Prickly pear sorbet to cleanse our palates.
Scones, warm from then oven.
The tower of tidbits. No crusts!
It’s a good thing I took pictures, because I couldn’t remember everything we ate. Just that the food and setting was wonderful.
They even had a piano player. His name is Brian and he played name that tune with Mrs. HB. I had no idea what the song was, but she guessed right away.
There was even a hallway stuffed with hats and fascinators in case you were in the mood! đ All in all The Olive Branch Cafe and Tea Room was a big hit. We both loved the place and give it a thumbs up.
Tea and scones, is there anything better than that?
Have a great Thursday everyone, stay warm.
~Mavis
The Olive Branch Cafe and Tea Room
2501 E D St, Tacoma, WA 98402
Jenn says
Hi Mavis!
Now that you’re on the East Coast, if you ever come to Philadelphia you must try the tea service at The Dandelion. From reading your blog over the years you’ve gotten me to try many new things: removing my “grassy” yard and installing a shade garden and winding pea gravel path (bought the rotatiller you recommended), creating a yearly list of goals, LONDON FOGS (yumm) and tea services and I LOVE the tea service at The Dandelion!!!
Glad to see you and Mrs. HB had a fab visit!
Mrs HB says
I was lovely ! The song I recognized was âTiny Bubblesâ recorded originally by Don Ho. But do you remember the surprise ? Actual bubbles started flowing from the ceiling . I do have to say it jogged my memory .
Mavis Butterfield says
Yes! Now I remember the bubbles. That was cute.
Linda Practical Parsimony says
I was especially paying attention to all the lamps. I love lamps. This was such a beautiful post. Is that a real dog with the piano player.
Mrs HB says
I donât think so . đ would have been a nice touch though !
Judith DeWitt says
What a beautiful post! You take the most interesting photos, but, how do you manage to get them taken when no one else is around?
Torry says
I love The Olive Branch and have been there several times. Just in case you or your readers haven’t heard of it, there is another very nice tea room in our area of Western Washington: Steeped In Comfort in Lakewood. I highly recommend reservations. It is a sweet little shop and the food is wonderful. It is not quite as over the top as The Olive Branch in dĂ©cor, but just as nice in its own way.
Bitsy says
Oh! I just love the family that runs the Olive Branch! And their tea room is just darling. To be
For my girlfriendâs birthday, I made reservations for High Tea and it did not disappoint. To be fair, my favorite color is pink sparkle, so I may be the smallest bit biased.
Since Iâve moved from the North Slope Historic District to unincorporated Port Orchard, my new favorite tearoom is the Gray House on Bethel Road.