Camellia Tea Room

I always wanted to try Camellia Tea Room since last summer and I would think I was over my High Tea phase but there is not a week where I don't think about going over to a tea room and having scones with tea sandwiches, sipping on well-decorated ceramic cups. . . oh the life. Camellia was calling out to me and for the last three visits I have missed the opportunity to spend some alone time to enjoy some tea.  This time. . . oh boy, this time I was able to try it! Visiting the site was a tease since it was elegantly formatted. There was no price but to me price is nothing but a number but I was hoping it was less than $30.

When I got there I popped myself in the quaint place and everyone's eyes were on me; there was a small party going on and it was a little embarrassing with me standing there in my jeans and jacket. It wasn't embarrassing it was more towards how I am okay with my own presence alone but to others it can be taken as odd. The person at the counter greeted me and I gestured I will be outside. I sat down and was immediately greeted by my server (I do not remember her name but she had blonde short hair). I immediately told her what I wanted and she came back with the Irish Breakfast tea which was super strong and it came with raw sugar cubes which I thought was awesome because it made the experience more tea like and it was the first time I ever heard of raw sugar cubes.

My tea was pleasant to sip while soaking up the downtown atmosphere. There was a few times where a few cars would rev up their engines or someone's rap music blasting in the street. As I sat there I was wondering if the food will be as fancy as the china sitting on my table and then came the tiers.
 

First tier: Cucumber sandwich, Egg Salad, Roast beef with blue cheese

Second tier: Currant and ginger scone with strawberry preserver and devonshire cream

Third Tier- Almond cake, coconut macaroon, and lemon tart

The sandwiches were not as good as I expected, especially the roast beef sandwich. You would definitely need an acquire taste to enjoy but everything else was super delish! After eating the top two tiers I was full and took the desserts to-go. When my server came back with the bill I was amazed on how much it cost; it was $24 plus tax, around $26. I did leave a tip to my server since she checked up on me and re-filled my kettle several times. When I left I was a walking tea balloon. . . like a water balloon but it's tea instead. Camellia Tea Room is a quaint place for a quaint town but keeping in mind that renting out property in Benicia costs a pretty penny. Camellia was a place I always wanted to go to, I went, and I tried it out. Not the best but I checked it off my list.

Camellia Tea Room - 828 1st St # C, Benicia, CA 94510
Value: 2/5
Service: 5/5
Food: 3/5
Atmosphere: 3/5
Overall: 3/5