Tea for Three at Soho House Chicago

Recently, Soho House Chicago launched daily afternoon tea service providing Chicagoans another fabulous afternoon tea option. Tea is served in The Allis, the lobby and lounge area open to the public. So no, you don't need to be a Soho House member to feel like one!

The Allis
Photo Credit: Soho House

I stopped by on a Saturday afternoon with my mom and sister to enjoy afternoon tea for my sister's birthday. It was fairly crowded in the lounge area but we were able to grab a round table near the window. There are a variety of seating options including intimate tables, larger dining tables, and couch seating, allowing you to choose what type of tea experience you want. While I don't recommend afternoon tea from the couch seating, our tiny round table was not large enough for the three of us (especially when factoring in tea cups, teapots, and the tiered serving tray!).

The selection of teas at The Allis is not expansive, which is great for someone like me who has a hard time making a decision. The usual suspects including green tea, jasmine tea, English breakfast, and Earl Grey are all represented, along with more interesting options such as African Rooibos and Verbena Mint. Tea is served in your own mini tea set custom designed for Soho House. I secretly wanted to take one of these sets home with me--they were adorable and beautiful at the same time.

Jade Green Tea

Tea service includes a tiered serving tray showcasing Pastry Chef Kady Yon's take on traditional British tea service. All items are housemade and include finger sandwiches, fancy cakes, scones, and pastries. We ordered tea for two plus an extra teapot and there was plenty of food! I'd recommend sharing the food unless you're starving. 

Pastries, Cakes, Scones, and Finger Sandwiches

We decided to start with the savory sandwiches which included traditional options including smoked salmon and cream cheese, egg salad, and ham with Dijon. We weren't too crazy about these because there was no added flair, but I can never pass up some smoked salmon.

Finger Sandwiches

The next tier included scones with clotted cream and jam, as well as sliced citrus poppy seed cake. The scones were dry and hard in my opinion, and left me disappointed. However, my sister liked them. The cake on the other hand, was bright and fresh.

Scones and Citrus Poppy Seed Cake

The top tier included a color assortment of mini red velvet cupcakes, profiteroles, a fruit tart, Victoria sponge cake, and chocolate mint French macarons. As a lover of all things sweet, this was my dream. Too bad we were so full already! We did make room to sample the cupcakes which were moist (sorry) and topped with a decadent cream cheese frosting, as well as the mint macarons. Sadly, we couldn't make it to the beautiful slice of cake, or the profiteroles or fruit tart. Everything looked delicious but I can only vouch for what we tried. My favorite item overall was definitely the cupcake.

Cake, Mini Cupcakes, French Macarons, Profiteroles & Fruit Tart

Afternoon tea at The Allis is not your typical stuffy service. It's definitely more laid back and casual, which is nice if you want an unpretentious afternoon tea experience. My biggest complaint about tea was our service. Our server was aloof and at one point completely disappeared without warning. Service aside, I think afternoon tea at The Allis is a great value and a nice option for entertaining out-of-town guests, or for a special afternoon with friends or family.

Afternoon tea is served daily from 3-5pm at The Allis and no reservations are required. Tea service is $18 per person, or you may also order items a la carte.

Note: our tea service was complimentary; however, opinions expressed herein are my own.

The Allis

www.theallis.com

Soho House Chicago

113-125 N. Green Street

Chicago, IL 60607

312.521.8000