Rebecca L.
Google
I've been to high tea at the English Rose Tea Room in Carefree, which is exquisitely decorated and serves great food, but when my girlfriend and I went looking on Yelp for a tea room near to where we live in Gilbert, the options were limited. The Quirky Royal Tea Room sounded cute and although we had reservations about the mediocre reviews of their food, we figured it would suffice for a birthday tea service, as our friend had never experienced high tea before. Never in our wildest dreams did we anticipate getting FOOD POISONING!!
On December 14th, 2025 instead of it being a joyous birthday celebration, it unfortunately became a day to remember for all the wrong reasons. Halfway through our two-hour seating, after eating their tea sandwiches, I became violently ill, sweating profusely and developed severe stomach pains. I couldn't sit upright and could barely walk to the car. My friends made the decision to drive me to the ER at Mercy Gilbert Hospital where they diagnosed me with food poisoning. I also experienced vomiting and diarrhea. The stomach cramps lasted on and off for five days, forcing me to miss two Christmas parties. Five days later, our friend, the birthday girl, came down with severe stomach cramps too, and spent the weekend in the hospital.
My girlfriend and I returned ten days later (with proof of a diagnosis of food poisoning from the hospital) to ask for our $130.00 back. As soon as that number came out of my mouth, the owner, a British man, became instantly nasty. At that point I informed him that I also had a $1,000 ER bill that I wasn’t even asking him to reimburse me for. He insisted there was no way I could have gotten food poisoning from his establishment, stating that it takes 24 hours for a foodborne germ to incubate, which is NOT the case. It can happen immediately, within 45 minutes as in my case, or as far as two weeks after ingesting something tainted, depending on whether it's viral or bacterial in nature.
Looking back, there are indications that this business is struggling financially. The storefront is located in a strip mall with Good Will, and though they've been at this location for 18 months, they still haven't invested in signage, which can be expensive. The interior decor is also rather unfinished and consists mainly of Pepto Bismol pink walls, which aside from being a horrendous design choice, is a cheap fix, though it does serve as an omen of the food poisoning to come. And please tell me why the hostess, Robyn, was dressed in jeans and a tee shirt rather than a proper tea dress and hat, which is a bit disrespectful to the patrons who themselves dress up, as the fashion is part of a proper English tea, isn’t it? All of these tells, including the way he responded to me, are concerning, because when a business is in financial distress, they may serve food past its expiration date, or hold off on repairs to their refrigeration system, which may not adequately chill food. Next time I have doubts about going to a restaurant with questionable reviews, I'll trust my gut, so my poor gut doesn't have to suffer the consequences of eating tainted food.