Tearoom Tour

The weekend was for measuring and planning our son’s new kitchen. Hubby will build the cabinets in Missouri, and we will truck them to Kansas. Later in the fall, we all will gut his kitchen and create a lovely living space for the son!

We arrived in Wichita early enough on Friday to do a tearoom tour before the kitchen took over the weekend. We were sad to learn that a Victorian tearoom has closed and another is for sale. The economy has clobbered Wichita where many people, particularly in the aircraft industry, have lost their jobs.


However, we found a new tearoom, The Cup and Saucer, on the west side of Wichita. Cute little place with a small antique store included outside the tea area. It is chock full of shabby chic decorating items. The food was good, tea delicious, and the décor was inviting. Owner Sherry Underwood was attentive and informative.

Afterwards, we dropped by Riverside Cup of Tea for dessert of caramel pudding cake and ice cream with iced tea. The Riverside was the first tearoom we found in Wichita and remains special to us. It is nestled in an old neighborhood near the banks of the Arkansas River. It is not far from where DH’s grandmother lived for years. Here the décor is delightful as well and food is always good. The Riverside is distinct in that they are now serving breakfast on Saturday mornings. The menu sounds great with lemon pancakes, a hearty breakfast casserole and several egg dishes for morning choices!

One other new tearoom is small and tucked into a collection of shops in a brick building at Old Town. This tearoom has only been open a few months, but the owner, Irene Neilson, has owned a tearoom in Lindsborg, Kansas prior to this one in Old Town. Time was short, and we had no time for sampling here!

Before leaving town on Sunday, we dropped in at World Market, always a fun place to look for tea, foods, and kitchen items. I picked up a new tea by Republic of Tea, Pumpkin Ginger Spice. This morning we sampled it on the deck in an amazing fall-like temperature of 49 degrees. It was tasty, warm with spice and definitely a good item for autumn drinking. Although I hate to see summer end, especially this cooler one for Missouri, I will be glad to see mums and pumpkins make their debut. If only they were not a harbinger of winter!