The Empress Tea Room

12924 N Dale Mabry Hwy, Tampa, FL 33618, USA

Address:	12924 N Dale Mabry Hwy, Tampa, FL 33618, USA
Phone:	+1 813-988-9027
Site:	empresstearoom.com
Rating:	4.3

Location

Photos 100

Reviews 6

Vito Rebecca

My girlfriend and I went to the Empress Murder Mystery dinner event last night and it was truly the biggest waste of money we have ever experienced. I would be weary of people who have reviewed this place positively because there was nothing redeeming or memorable from the night there. We both ordered the fish dinner which was Tilapia that tasted like it was thawed out minutes before in the microwave. The food was tasteless and very small portions.The "rich chocolate" cake was nothing close to its description.The beer is priced reasonably at $4 a pop and a glass of wine for $6 a glass, but the 18% mandatory gratuity they tack on per person really leaves a bad taste in your mouth. (Note: even if you do not order drinks, you WILL be charged $9 a person for the honor of being bored for ~1.5 hours) Now regarding the "Murder Mystery Show"; it was extremely boring and poorly organized. My girlfriend and I both have great imaginations and were looking forward to a night of "solving a mystery" according to how the Empress Tea Room describes the night and the reality of it is only one person from each table of ~9 people gets to play the part of a character in the murder mystery. And for that one person I am sure the night is a bit more fun but for the majority of people sitting at the tables you play the role of a mere spectator asking silly questions to the characters who just read off of the boring scripts provided by Empress. Long story short we left early before the "exciting mystery murder" was solved and we entered my car hungry, bored and confused as to how a dull and bland dinner cost $100. Again, be careful of other reviews on this page, it is almost obvious that these reviewers work for the Empress. Waste your money elsewhere.

LeRoy Alaways

We went for the Murder Mystery show and after reading the two reviews below I was expecting bad food and service. First off, the decor of a tea room is very nice even though it was made up for the show. We had reservations for two with two living social vouchers. Since we followed the rules we were seated at the same table (make sure only person makes the reservations and does it at the same time). Since about 100 people show up at the same time it takes a little while to seat everyone but thats not a big deal nor the fault of the Tea Room. We didnt order tea but iced tea was provided to each table and it was incredible. I will refuse to go to restaurants with bad tea, I would go back for lunch just based on the iced tea for dinner. I gave a score of 2 for food because it was a dinner show and the chicken dish I was served was good, my wife said the fish was slightly over cooked. I noticed no one at our table left anything on their plates. Again there was a murder mystery taking place and a mass seating. So yes, if you ordered a beer it might take a few minutes to get it. But once they started it went very smooth. I dont think there was one complaint and every one there for the show cleared their plates and had a great time. Yes, for the groupon/living social deal you had to pay a tip. It was actually 15% and there are notices everywhere. Every table had at least two notices on them telling people they were going to be charge this. Every person also received an e-mail confirming their reservation and guess what? The tip is mentioned in the e-mail. Just because some people didnt understand show and group/mass seating. Doesnt reflect poorly on the restaurant. The show was great and I could see going back for an afternoon tea.

Candyce Payes

I wanted to give this place 5 stars, but for a few reasons, I didnt. First, it was HOT in there. I am not sure if they are cutting down on electric bill costs or what, but I had to tie my hair up and I noticed several other women dining had done the same thing, and I still felt very warm. The chocolate covered strawberry I had was melted just from being on a plate for a few minutes. Second, the portions are very small. I will say, everything tasted GREAT, but I felt like I literally got the corner end piece of each sandwich. I dont feel I got my moneys worth. The tea had a wonderful taste, but was very watered down and barely lukewarm. My table was in the middle of the room. The staff were all excellent. Very kind and attentive. There was a baby shower going on next to us and the group kept standing RIGHT next to my table talking very loudly about ultrasounds, stretch marks and husbands...and even cursing at one point! I felt I wasnt able to enjoy myself because of this. Maybe I should have said something, but I wasnt there to cause any problems. I just wanted to enjoy a nice high tea with my son. Overall, my impression was just so-so...Im not saying I definitely wont return, but Im also not putting it at the top of my list.

P Foster

I recently held a bridal shower at this venue and I cant say enough good things about the entire experience. It was perfection from beginning to end. The service was stellar, the food excellent and the atmosphere everything I wanted for a bridal shower. We were given plenty of time to celebrate a very special day and were totally accommodated with everything they could do for us to make it special. Since I was the host for the event, I had tons of things to deliver into the area where we were going to be seated, but they were completely supportive of all my plans and even helped with whatever I needed. Its a wonderful place to have a very special day or celebration but also just a great place to go for fabulous teas and wonderful scones, tea sandwiches, lunch items and fantastic soups! I would recommend this to anyone looking for a nice outing to a wonderful restaurant operated by a great owner, Kim.

Elaine McLaren

There arent enough stars to rate this establishment. I recently traveled from Fort Lauderdale to host my daughters baby shower here. I had planned a lot of personal touches for this event and was anxious that I may not have time to complete it all. Not only did I have ample time, but the 4 members of staff who were made available to assist me in setting up were great. It was a tremendous experience, and most of my guests told me that they had never been to a baby shower event before, as lovely as this. My daughter remarked at how elegant it all was, and that it was just right for her. My hat is off to this lovely establishment for the professionalism and the outstanding service (and all this while hosting several other tea parties at the same time). I just want to say "Thank You" all for making ours an affair to remember! I will definitely visit this Tear Room again...

benjamin boykin

We made a reservation for 4 and had 2 groupons. We were seated at two separate tables because they informed us that only one groupon per table could be used. Worse, they seated us across the room from each other. The claimed they were fully booked though only two more tables were seated the whole time we were there. Im not sure if they told my friend when she made our reservations about their groupon policy but at the very least they could have sat us next to each other. The food was nothing to brag about and only two kinds of tea to choose from. As a side night, we went one night for The Murder Mystery dinner and the food was awful - we figured they were only a tea room so lunch would be better. I will never go back as they were not welcoming at all. A Corner of England in downtown St Pete is great. Ive been there twice, both times very good, one time with two groupons.