My Mom started a tradition eons ago that we go have tea someplace festive around Christmastime. We would go with my great-aunt, who has since passed away and my cousins. When my Mom moved out to California, I continued the tradition with my cousins, and we’ve had tea pretty much everywhere in Chicago you can have tea by now. I definitely should do a top five list of teas in Chicago! Now that my Mom is back, we’re a foursome again, and this year, we decided to revisit The Allis at the Soho House Hotel in Chicago. You don’t need to be a member of Soho House to eat here, and the last time we were here, we absolutely loved the tea. They had cute boho chic plates and napkins, and the downstairs lobby area was festively decorated. The price was also very reasonable compared to other teas around town in fancy hotels.

This time, we were seated upstairs in the restaurant area, which seemed ok, but turned out to be not very ok. There weren’t nearly as many Christmas decorations there, our table was extremely wobbly (not the bottom pedestal which you could fix, but the tabletop was wobbling on the top of the pedestal!), and it was really loud up there. It was so loud, in fact, that we were shouting to hear each other across the table to be heard. It was not really a very warm atmosphere, and the chairs were not very comfortable. Gone are the cute, boho chic plates and serveware and replacing them are plain white plates. I noticed that they were serving tea in the cozy spots on the ground floor, where we were before, and you’re seated in cute and comfy upholstered armchairs and couches there. It was uber-decorated for Christmas, and when we left, I was sad that we weren’t seated there.

All that said, our tea and teacakes were delicious. There were three different sandwiches, scones and muffins and cookies that were all extremely good. There was a nice assortment of tea, and we also got glasses of sparkling wine. The little sandwiches were the traditional ones – egg salad, cucumber, and salmon, and they were all yummy. The highlight though, were the sweeter options including the cranberry scones which were fall apart delicious and melted in your mouth. The orange cupcakes were also great, and I typically don’t love citrusy desserts.

All of the cookies and desserts were amazing, but the highlights for me were the frosted gingersnap cookie and the raspberry crumble bar. The food for this tea was extraordinary, and some of the best I’ve had in Chicago, easily. Unfortunately, the atmosphere sort of detracted from the whole experience for me, and if we go back again, I would definitely ask to be seated on the main floor for a more festive, if quiet atmosphere, and more comfortable seating.