Our 53rd Spot:

The Hidden Tea Room

310 N. California Lodi, CA 95240

www.hiddentearoomlodi.com

[Note: No, I didn’t misnumber. It is our 53rd. Our 52nd was rescheduled. Stay tuned for that…]

Don’t judge a book by its cover, they say. It’s really cute in there! And they played really good tranquil music. I actually Shazam’d a few!

You guys already know, I don’t look at any website or socials or menu before I visit a new Spot so I can come with fresh eyes. Had no idea there was a Gift Shop in here too!? I LOVE gift shops!! And so do my 2 girlfriends I brought with me yay! Since we came a bit early, we were able to peruse…and they even walked away with quite a few goodies!

Our table was huge! I felt so far away from my husband (our chauffer hehe) (no but, my girls absolutely love him and he loves them back too)… But it was actually such a good idea, because sometimes at these tea spots there just isn’t enough room for all the tiers, and scone fixings, and teapots. So what a great idea for having all this room!

I could tell from the gift shop and from the names of the teas offered on their menu, that it was mostly (if not all) teas from Harney & Sons. That was okay with me, cuz at least I like that store brand. My girls and Huz got the Bangkok (coconut, ginger, vanilla), Salted Caramel (which we actually have at home…I boil before guests come over for a natural air freshener), and Thai Rooibos (one of my favorite blends from Harney). I ordered their tea of the month which was Cupid’s Cherry Chocolate. Both notes were present, but it was sweetened…and I didn’t like that.

They offer two levels of tea service and one for children. I always get the one with the most stuff, so I can try everything for you guys! Okay so- before I go in on this review, I have to say 2 things. (1) It makes it really really hard to do my job when the customer service is so good AND especially after meeting the owner. And (2) but you know I’m always gonna keep it a hunnid with yall, ALWAYS.

Vanilla Scones – Everyone gets 2 scones, yes! These were really good. Ultra crunchy outside with super chewy fluffy inside. I add all the fixings offered (as per ushe), and ate my whole first one before the tier even came. Never happens! Even my friend who said she’s not a scone person, liked these.

I could already tell when I saw those big-o quiches that this Tea was gonna be just aiight. Don’t forget: I have been doing this for 10+ years and have a seasoned palate. This is not my first rodeo; 52nd to be exact. (yeah I know what I said, labeled “Spot 53” but really our 52nd)

Sundried Tomato Quiche – The egg was so juicy (just how I like), light tomato flavor, seasoned well.

Cucumber Cream Cheese – Far too much cream, barely any cucumber (I mean, you can see from the picture). They were cut so thin, so when you did get a bite in there- it was soggy. (not crunchy, which is how they should be) And the cream cheese had like a tang in it. And not a good kind.

Deviled Ham – We all enjoyed the spice this one had. Buut, that was about it. It was fine.

Chicken Dill – DRY! Shredded breast meat. Too much dill. My girl + I were talking…maybe add some lemon zest in that joint or something!

Listen, I really tried to make it work with these! I even began to emulate my inner Remy (from Ratatouille) and started taking bites of sandwich with different things to make it taste better!! The Cucumber- great with grape. That Ham- amazing with apple. Chicken- take a bite of orange with it, yass. But didn’t finish either and didn’t take home the leftovers.

White Chocolate Chip Blondie, Butter Cookie, White Chocolate Dipped Coconut Macaroon – I only took a bite of each and didn’t want any more of either. Blondies used to be my favorite. I know me a good blondie! That didn’t taste like a blondie. The white chocolate chip was nice. When she said “rose butter cookie”, I expected to have some rose water flavor or something. Nope. Just butter. And bland butter cookie at that. Again, the macaroon was just okay. The white chocolate on the bottom made it palatable.

Despite the below mediocre food (honestly, my kids could have presented a better tea service), I do have to say: the customer service was GREAT. The owner, oh she was lovely! They have been there since 2016 and she’s only owned it for 2 years. These are the times when I have my husband in my ear reminding me that people could use my Tea Consulting if I just started that business already! If the staff at Hidden Tea Room do happen to read this, I hope they take my notes as constructive criticisms and offer better food and tea. They have a good operation there. I didn’t add a picture of their store, cuz I wanted you to experience it for the first time like I did!

And it’s always a good time with those girls, it doesn’t matter what we do or what kind of food we have! They’re like family, so we know how to make it a party!! We enjoyed the almost 2-hour trip out there and almost 2-hour trip back. Even stopped by a coffee shop on the way home and had my very first Dutch Brothers! (shh, don’t tell anyone I had coffee…I know this is a TEA blog!)

Follow us @parTEAwithmeBlog on Instagram | Threads | TikTok