Tea in Chicago
 

Does anyone have a suggestion on where I can take my adult daughter for afternoon tea in Chicago? We will be downtown and then want to wander/shop the Water Tower area? shortty

What a lovely idea. I know the Four Seasons here in Philadelphia serves tea so the FS in Chicago may also, although I don't see it on their website. Just out of curiosity, I put 'high tea chicago' in Google and got listings for the Ritz Carlton, the Drake and the Peninsula. That reminded me that we were in NYC recently and saw tea (scones, etc.) being served at the Peninsula there also.

The Four Seasons does serve a very nice tea. The Peninsula has a very popular tea and if you choose to go there make reservations early. The Ritz is right in Water Tower so that is very convenient. The Drake is a little out-dated to me. For those of us with daughters who are not adults yet, American Girl Place has a fun tea for youngsters.

Tea at The Drake is great. It's worth it just to visit the ladies' room.

Russian Tea Time on Adams near the Art Institute--russianteatime.com My husband and I very much enjoyed dinner there after the Symphony. Haven't yet had tea there. But we've heard very good things about it. We're planning to take our daughter while she's home from college.

We had tea at the Drake and I highly recommend it. The harpist provided relaxing background music, the tea & goodies were tasty and ample, and we were not rushed at all. (And Carolyn is right - the ladies room is very nice!)

How old is your daughter? The American Girl store has a tea room, doesn't it?

Ooops, My Bad. "Adult daughter". Sorry.

If you'll be at Water Tower, tea at the Drake, no question. It's gorgeous, well worth the price, and it's true, the Ladies' Lounge is amazing!

The Drake has the history/ tradition of tea. I love old.

My family loves "tea time" and have tried practically all of the places in Chicago. The Ritz and Penninsula have the best selection for tea sandwiches and pastries, although the Ritz is nicer about refills. The Four Seasons has the best atmosphere, especially if you get a spot by the fireplace. Sometimes, in the winter, the Ritz has chocolate fondue--you should call and check on that. You must make a reservation, no matter where you choose. All of these places fill up quick and rarely have room for walk-ins, espcially on the weekends.

The Ritz is lovely, I was just there with my mother last week. I would definately suggest it if you are at Water Tower Place.

I don't believe that the Walnut Room does a tea though does it? It is a beautiful spot though.

A note on the Walnut Room, the reporter in that article must have gotten lucky. We were down on Tuesday and the line was enormous, we hadn't even gotten to the point where you get the beepers so we ditched the Walnut Room in favor of RainForest Cafe (not my choice). I'm not sure when the lines die down, I gave my mother in law a raincheck for another day.

We had tea at the Drake the week before, it's the only place I've had tea in Chicago and it's the one with the longest tradition. Someday I will go try the Peninsula, I've heard that it's nice but out of towners always want to go to the Drake.

During the holidays at the Drake, there is harp music and Christmas carolers. It's a beautiful classic hotel, beautifully decorated. They give you enough food to consider it a meal, lots of finger sandwiches, scones, pound cakes and an assortment of desserts at the end. When I called, they said they only took reservations for large parties, we had no trouble getting in during a weekday afternoon.