Windsor Arms Afternoon Tea Toronto Review: Is It Worth It?

THE GEN X WANDERER / Windsor Arms Afternoon Tea Toronto Review: Is It Worth It?

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Windsor Arms Hotel ~ Another Surprise of Afternoon Tea

As part of our 26th wedding anniversary, this one was part of the itinerary. My husband surprised me on the second day of our celebration weekend with a reservation for Windsor Arms Afternoon Tea at the Windsor Arms Hotel on St. Thomas Street in Toronto. Twenty six years in and he can still pull off a surprise. Although I’m glad I did grill him a couple of days before on where we were going because otherwise I would shown up in my sweatpants and a t-shirt!

I filmed a reel of the day, so watch it below, then come back for the menu, the tea list, the price and one slightly illegal souvenir. But in the meantime, here was our itinerary.

• Thursday Afternoon ~ Check in at Bisha Toronto
• Thursday Evening ~ Dinner at Jacob’s Steakhouse Toronto
• Friday Morning ~ Room service from KŌST (on the 44 floor of Bisha)
• Friday Afternoon ~ Afternoon Tea at the Windsor Arms Hotel Toronto
• Friday Afternoon ~ Casa Loma (We didn’t make it here, there simply wasn’t enough time)
• Friday Evening ~ Akira Back (Japaneses Restaurant)
• Friday Late Night ~ Valerie (Hotel X) (Didn’t make it here either cuz anything past 10:30 for me is a NO, but I appreciated his ambitious nature in trying to get me out)
• Saturday Morning ~ Breakfast at KŌST
• Saturday 12:00PM ~ Check out of Bisha Toronto

Where is Afternoon Tea at Windsor Arms Hotel Toronto?

It’s actually on the ground floor off the lobby. There’s a restaurant with multiple rooms. My logo X marks the spot for the Windsor Arms Hotel!

Neither of Us Is Bougie, We Just Like Experiences

Let me be clear: I’m not bougie and neither is my husband. Our idea of a big night out used to involve a coupon and a babysitter. But at our age, experiences beat stuff every time.

Last year we did the Celebrity Beyond cruise and coincidently with did their Afternoon Tea excursion at Eden. This year was a staycation, carry-on only, no airport and no baggage fees. Every year my husband tries to top the one before, and this year’s attempt was Windsor Arms afternoon tea. He did well.

Arriving at the Windsor Arms

The first person we met was the doorman in a three piece suit, friendly as can be and not the least bit stouchy. I’ve forgotten his name, which I feel terrible about, so sorry sir. He asked if we wanted a picture, and obviously we said yes.

Inside, it was mostly older gentlemen looking after us. Old school, traditional hospitality vibe. No Gen Z waitstaff with blank stares, no mumbling, no “let me go check on that.” Just people who know their job and do it with some charm.

Windsor Arms afternoon tea is served daily in the Tea Rooms of this Toronto heritage hotel, and the hotel calls it an iconic experience. The vibe backs that up. If you want high tea at the Windsor Arms, that’s where it happens.

Side by Side and Slightly Mortified (Me Only)

Nobody warned me about the seating. They put us side by side in a corner, facing out, so everyone in the room had a clear view of us. I felt like a museum exhibit titled “Middle Aged Couple, Anniversary.”

I’m an introvert. My husband is an extrovert so he loved it. We’ve been married 26 years and have known each other for 39, so I think we’ve earned the right to sit across from him and talk, like normal people. Side by side seating feels like something for newlyweds and lovebirds. We’re Gen X. Our love language is sarcasm and a respectable distance. But again, he loved it.

What saved me personally was the teapot, which landed right in front of me. I used it as a shield. Pour slowly, stare at the tea, avoid eye contact with all strangers. Hiding behind a hot beverage is practically in my DNA. If you’re like me, introverted, then definately ask for a table where you can face each other.

The Menu: Windsor Arms Afternoon Tea

>> Check out the Windsor Arms Afternoon Tea Menu Here

Here’s what Windsor Arms afternoon tea includes, pulled from the fall menu. Menus change with the seasons, so check before you book.

The afternoon tea is $85 per person (CAD), before tax and gratuity. The menu notes $15 off Monday to Thursday, and holidays are subject to price change. That covers selected loose leaf teas plus the house creations below.

Scones
Freshly baked plain and maple apple scones with house made seasonal preserves and clotted cream.

Savouries

• Quiche with roasted butternut and goat cheese
• Classic cucumber sandwich with winter truffle cream cheese
• Smoked salmon on charcoal cracker with citrus zest cream and orange blossom pearls
• Duck rillette tart with balsamic glaze and fresh fig
• Halal sliced roast beef on pretzel with grainy mustard and sauerkraut
• Egg salad croissant

Sweets
Petit fours assortment.

The Tea Selection

The tea list is the real show at Windsor Arms afternoon tea. There are 31 loose leaf teas, numbered on the menu, so you can order like you’re at a very polite deli.

• Black Tea: Windsor Arms Breakfast Tea (a classic Assam), Darjeeling, Keemun, Dune Black Currant, Tibetan Tiger, Chai Arms, Lemon Tea and Lapsang Souchong
• Earl Grey Collection: Classic Earl Grey, Earl Grey with Roses, Earl Grey with Blue Flowers (lavender), Yuzu Grey, Earl’s Gold and Cream of Earl Grey (I chose this)
• Green Tea: Jasmine Green, Green Envy and Gen Mai Cha
• Oolong: Magnolia Oolong, Milk Oolong and Iron Goddess
• White Tea: White Precious Peony, Snow White and Blueberry White
• Puerh: Fu Man Chu (puerh blended with jasmine oolong) and classic Puerh
• Tisanes (caffeine free): Citralicious, Twilight, A Fruit Medley, Once Upon a Tea, Rooibos and Peppermint Willamette

The menu even includes an Earl Grey history lesson. Bergamot, a bitter Italian citrus, gets added to black tea, and the name comes from Charles Grey, the second Earl Grey and a Prime Minister of England. Free dinner party material.

If tea alone isn’t festive enough, the Windsor Arms afternoon tea menu pairs with a Tea Time Cocktails and Sparkling list. There’s an Earl Grey 75 at $21, a Mimosa at $15 and a Windsor Kir Royal at $18. Non alcoholic options include the Earl Grey Garden and the Spiced Orchard, both $13.

The Ladies Room Napkins Deserve Their Own Section

At some point I escaped to the little ladies’ room, and I need to talk about the hand napkins. In the reel, I admitted I stole two of them. I stand by that.

They’re thicker than anything I’ve ever dried my hands on, with the Windsor Arms logo printed right on them. I have no idea who their supplier is, but it felt like a waste to dry my hands and toss one out. As a graphic designer, I appreciate the thought and the expense behind something as small as a restroom napkin.

Yes, I know the nightly rate here is probably very high. But little details like this make you feel like you’re getting your money’s worth. Somebody cared about the napkins, so imagine the rest. That attention to detail is why Windsor Arms afternoon tea feels like good value.

A Short History of Afternoon Tea

Before you book Windsor Arms afternoon tea, a little history helps it all make sense.

Tea reached England in the mid 1600s as an expensive luxury, kept under lock and key in caddies. Catherine of Braganza, the Portuguese princess who married King Charles II in 1662, was a devoted tea drinker and helped make it fashionable at court.

Fast forward to the 1840s. Anna Maria Russell, the Duchess of Bedford, had a problem. Lunch was light, dinner didn’t happen until eight o’clock or later, and she got a sinking feeling every late afternoon. So she had tea and snacks brought to her room, then started inviting friends. Honestly, I respect her. A woman with a hangry problem and the power to fix it.

The habit spread through high society, Queen Victoria joined in, and soon afternoon tea was a social event with fine china, tiny sandwiches and scones. Hotels figured out they could charge for the whole production, and Windsor Arms afternoon tea carries that tradition on in Toronto today.

Afternoon Tea vs High Tea: What’s the Difference?

This trips up almost everyone, including me until I researched for this post.

Afternoon tea was the upper class ritual around 4:00PM: small sandwiches, scones with jam and clotted cream, and pastries, served on low tables in a drawing room. That’s why it was sometimes called “low tea.”

High tea was the working class evening meal. After a long day, people sat at the tall dining table around 5:00 – 6:00PM for something hearty, like meat pies, cheese, bread and strong tea. The “high” refers to the table, not to anything fancy.

The irony is that “high tea” sounds posh but started as the blue collar option. In North America, hotels and restaurants use the term for the fancy tiered stand experience, which is why people search for high tea at the Windsor Arms or Windsor Arms hotel high tea. What Windsor Arms afternoon tea actually serves is the classic formula: scones, savouries, petit fours and a pot of loose leaf tea.

Is Windsor Arms Afternoon Tea Worth It?

Our total for Windsor Arms afternoon tea came to $226.68. The menu price is $85 per person before tax and gratuity, and that’s where we landed. It’s not cheap. But was it worth it for the experience? Yes. At our age, that’s the kind of anniversary I’d rather have.

Tips for Booking Windsor Arms Afternoon Tea

• Check the discount. The menu lists $15 off Monday to Thursday, which helps if your schedule is flexible.
• Dress up slightly. No formal wear needed, just a small effort.
• Ask about seating. If you’d rather face each other, say so when you book.
• Say yes to the photo. If the doorman offers, take him up on it.
• Check the current menu. Seasonal menus and prices change.

FAQ ~ Windsor Arms Afternoon Tea

Final Thoughts

If you live in Toronto or just visitng and want a special occasion without an extra plane ticket, Windsor Arms afternoon tea is a lovely way to spend an afternoon. We did it for our 26th anniversary, and I’d happily do it again, just with a bigger purse for the napkins.