Detroiters looking for a true Irish tea room experience can find it closer to home than the Emerald Isle at the Irish Tea Room in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario. Just a five hour drive from southeastern Michigan, the tea room is nestled among art galleries, theatres and bed-and-breakafasts in the middle of the small town that borders Lake Ontario.
Pat Henry, owner of the Irish Tea Room, was born and raised in the village of Claudy in Ireland. Inspired by her mother, Mona, who spent many years in catering, Henry began cooking at an early age. Her love of cooking led her to Portrush Catering College on the north coast of Ireland. After graduating from Portrush, she worked in several restaurants in her native country and New Zealand, with the goal of someday opening up her own tea room. Opening the Irish Tea Room 7 years ago, Henry recreates the quality of home-cooked food and the friendly atmosphere she experienced in Ireland during her childhood.
The tea room is located at the back of the Irish Design gift store. With its hardwood floors, uncluttered table settings and generous servings, the tea room reflects Henry's charming and unpretentious personality. "I make everything served here but the dishes", Henry says with a smile.
The menu has traditional tea fare such as scones, sweets, and Devonshire cream, but also includes Irish specialties such as Guinness Steak Pie and Irish Whiskey Cake. In addition, there are a number of gluten free items to chose from.
A selection of Barry's teas are served, but tea is not the exclusive beverage of this tea room. Patrons can also choose specialty coffees, gourmet hot chocolate and apple cider. Adult beverages are also offered including Guinness and, drawing from the celebrated product of the region, a variety of Niagara wines.
A half-day's drive from one Great Lake to another, Niagara-on-the-Lake is home to the Shaw Festival which feature plays of the famed Irish playwright and other Shavian dramatists, several picturesque wineries, and, as so aptly noted on the tea room's brochure, at the Irish Tea Room, "a little taste of Ireland".
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