Room with Roses Cafe

Very disappointing! We went as a birthday treat for my sister-​in-​law and also for my 7 year old niece to experience her first ever High Tea.
The café is in the foyer of a mall, so definitely not pretty or welcoming.
The food was dismal: tiny sandwiches with fillings that tasted of… Well, nothing really. Bland and on cheap, nasty white bread.
The scones were ok, which is why I gave them 1 star.
There were no cakes as such, just tiny little pastry things.
At a price of $ 42 for the deluxe high tea and $ 49 for the chocolate, this place is a rip off.
Although my niece enjoyed the sweet foods, she spat out the sandwiches. Her comment on her first ever High Tea? Yucky sandwiches!
I cannot recommend this place at all.

I spent $ 20 on a few sandwiches that didn’t make me full at all… the majority of the $ went to the fancy atmosphere. The servers were friendly and nice though.

Why the 2 stars when the others gave 5 stars?
Because it’s an all out rip off. Who wants to pay $ 12.50 for a single scone with a smudge of cream and a blade of jam? Worse, who pays $ 19.50 for a sub standard egg and lettuce sandwich that has the crusts cut off and comes presented in triangles. Christ! A cappuccino will cost you $ 5.20 and it’s nothing to write home about.
You would only pay so much for the pleasure of sitting in such a regal, ornate den as this one is. Sure, I gasped and clasped my hands together upon approaching this café. There’s fresh roses on each table, and there’s floral patterns everywhere. On the chairs, on the tables, on the dresses that the customers wear.
However, the quaint joy of the whole experience soon vanished upon opening the menu. The prices are criminal. After getting over my disbelief, I ordered a slice of cake for $ 14.95. Well, disbelief turned to disgust when I saw what I got for my money. If I order a cake for damn near $ 15 dollars, I want to see immaculate presentation, I want a mountain of cream AND ice cream to come with it, I want offensively shiny polished cake forks to be presented to me by wait staff wearing gloves… let’s just say, I want so much more than what I got, which was a humbly presented slice of cake that really didn’t taste any better than cakes I’d had elsewhere.
It is a unique setting, yes. But it’s really not worth how much it will cost you.

The Room with Roses Café is an absolutely gorgeous little café right in the centre of the city that will give you not just a delightful cup of tea but a very unique experience. Upstairs in the heritage listed Brisbane Arcade, a fitting spot for such an old-​fashioned eatery, the Room with Roses has been nominated as one of the best cafes in Brisbane. I visited for a high tea and if it wasn’t quite so expensive at $ 42 a head I would do it every day.
I felt quite like the queen, selecting delicacies off a porcelain stand and attempting to sip cappuccinos as daintily as possible. The table we sat at under a sparkling chandelier overlooked the arcade and had a beautiful bunch of roses as a centre piece. My friend poured tea out of an antique looking silver pot as we giggled at our utter failure to look elegant enough to fit in to the surroundings.
It is pricey though and looking at the menu even just coming in for breakfast, lunch or a coffee and cake would severely dent the wallet. But you’re not just paying for a snack here, you’re getting a delightful trip back in time to the era grandma was young in.

Room with Roses is, quite literally, the most darling little café I’ve ever seen. If it was a person, I’d hug it hard and not let go.
But actually, it’s more than a café. It’s an experience.
I’m not normally one to frequent a tea room (I’m more about binge drinking wine in a bar), but this is a place of such fabulousness that I’d happily live there. It’s all 1940s glamour (in the Chandelier Room) with a splash of retro kitsch (like floral patterned furniture, and huge, throne-​like cane chairs with flowery cushions) and a whole lot of style.
From the home-​made biscuits and preserves, the waiting staff dressed in crisp black and white (all wearing ties, even the girls), and the cappacinos (delivered with the froth in a heart-​shaped pattern) this place defines the word divine.
The only drawback? Unless you’re just dropping in for a coffee or tea, It’s not cheap. Sandwiches start at just under $ 20 and the light lunchtime meals are even more exy than that. It’s always pretty booked out around lunchtimes, too, so beware.
But I’m quite hooked on the idea of having High Tea here for my birthday. At $ 42/​head (with an extra $ 7.50/glass if you want bubbles) it’s not a bargain. But from one quick glance at the menu I’m sold. Think raspberry scones, ginger scones, mini salmon cakes, chocolate «heaven» cake… have I convinced you yet? They’ll even do gluten free options if you pay a little extra and give them enough notice.
I think I’ve found the venue for my wedding (yes, they have had them here). Once I’ve found a man to marry, that is (anyone know where all the straight men over 30 hang out?)