I love this place! It’s great for hanging out around the university between classes. The place is small, but the atmosphere is casual and funky, and their selection of loose teas is pretty good. The staff are very friendly, and the owner is around most of the time (he’s also nice, though he’s not above bashing his local competition, which can get tiresome). The hot tea service is the best value; they give you a little pot and cup, which they’ll refill with water as many times as you like, and you can sit there for hours enjoying the free wifi. If you get peckish while you hang out, the chicken pot pie soup is delicious!
As a restaurant, it’s fine, but it isn’t a tearoom anymore. They only offer a couple of (bagged) hot tea options, and several fruity iced teas. The food is largely locally-sourced and well-prepared. Good for lunch, bad for tea.
Chantilly is one of my favorite restaurants in Tucson! If you’re looking for a Victorian tearoom, Chantilly is your place. The tea selection is a little limited (if you’re picky like me and stick to blacks, oolongs, and whites with little to no fruit infusions), but the food is incredible, and the ambiance is wonderful. They play classical piano music, and the dining area is full of beautiful bone china cups and saucers. They serve several traditional tea services with sandwiches, scones, and petit-fours (though their “high tea” isn’t as filling as it could be), as well as breakfast and lunch. I recommend the quiche of the day if you go for lunch. Also, their house-made lemon curd is the best I’ve ever had.
The teas themselves run from more traditional blacks (Yorkshire Gold, Windsor Castle, Irish Breakfast, etc.), through oolongs and greens (most of these are flavored), to whites and herbals. They also serve iced tea, though I personally think it would be a waste to skip the hot tea service.
They also have a small retail area, where you can buy vintage china pots, cups, and saucers; scone mix; aprons; hats; and other ladylike tea things. You can also purchase the teas they serve (though generally only in small quantities).
All in all, a great place to take a leisurely lunch and enjoy many pots of tea while you look out onto their small garden. One caveat – the decor is quite frilly, so unaccompanied men might feel a little uncomfortable unless they’re pretty secure in their masculinity. Still, the food and atmosphere are worth it!
