Pam catered a tea party baby shower for us for 35 guests. The food was delivered on time and it was absolutely delicious. Every guest raved about everything -- tea sandwiches, scones, pastries. We highly recommend doing a tea party bridal or baby shower and letting Pinecone Cottage cater it.
Food: 5
Service: 5
Gilberto Francisco Viniegra Arámbula
Great experience, it's a hidden gem in Downers
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Sean Lecko
This place is a dream for vegan and non-vegan tea lovers alike! Been here twice and both times were perfect experiences. From the outstanding food and earth shattering tea, this place is Heaven. Our server Gilbert was so attentive and helpful. He and tea expert Julia were so great and full of knowledge and passion. Can’t wait to come back!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Emily Evans
Pinecone Cottage is a fantastic place to have a beautiful and delicious Afternoon Tea! It’s located in the amazing Downtown Downers Grove. The soups and salads are very flavorful. The tea sandwiches are delectable. The scones are scrumptious. And the desserts are wonderful. There are so many awesome teas to choose from. Everything is served on gorgeous china. There are Vegetarian and Vegan options, which is great (as I am a Vegetarian). Pam and the staff at Pinecone are just awesome! I would highly recommend Pinecone Cottage!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Karen Encher Skala
The cutest little place! Always decorated beautifully. Delicious food and wonderful service. I’ve been here many times over the years.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Holiday Cookies, Four Course Prix Fixe Afternoon Tea, Scone, Three Course Prix Fixe Afternoon Tea
Mary Ellen Spokas
A charming place for a light lunch or tea! Food and service are both excellent. Take some PineScones to go!Parking: Street parking in front and village free lot next door.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Scone, Three Course Prix Fixe Afternoon Tea
Julie Guise
I think Pam and her team are so clever with their themes and food selections. I love what she does out of her garden for pairing teas and sandwiches. Classes there have always been fun. And she's very generous sharing her knowledge! My favorite spot in Downers Grove! Stop in, slow down and enjoy your visit!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Sampler Platter, Scone, Three Course Prix Fixe Afternoon Tea
Kimberly Walters
My adult daughter and I LOVE this place!!! We have a yearly outing that coincides with the Downers Grove Ice Sculpture weekend. We love the food and service, and of course the delicious TEA. Our most recent visit, Chef Pam talked about how she came up with the menu and also about the spices and ingredients used in the food!! It was very interesting!!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
TheTeeweewas
An all around excellent experience. Each small course was better than the last. We will assuredly be returning.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Hugh Tea Service
Connie Thompson
Wonderful! Excellent tea and food. I particularly appreciate the gluten free choices.Book ahead! They are really busy, especially on weekends.Lovely Staff and easy going place.Vegetarian options: Great veg options.Dietary restrictions: The menu is very inclusive for a specialty restaurant.
I loved it. Elegance. Tasty cuisine. Tea was beautiful! Atmosphere cozy and inviting. I have had tea at Browns in London, High Tea in Victoria BC at the Empress hotel. Who knew Pine Cone Cottage was in my back yard. See you soon.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Yamen AlShawaf
Rude staff!!When asked about availability, the staff responded in a poor way full of arrogance and attitude. Don't recommend.
Service: 1
Beee anon
Very ample menu. Had to take some home! Was a brunch High Tea celebration for a girlfriend's birthday. I have visited another Tea Room not too far away and this one is quite pricier but not necessarily more bang for the buck. It is a lovely experience with a delicate atmosphere.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 4
Suzy Holland
My mother and I both LOVE high tea, have been to high tea all over the US and even in other countries, and the pinecone cottage is one of the absolute best. The fact that the owner creates a custom, themed menu each month is incredible, and means you can visit frequently and have a completely different experience. She is so creative with her menu, you will get to taste flavors you haven't tried before. And they have a huge selection of delicious teas. The atmosphere is very cute and cozy also. Highly recommend!!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
sue pitkin
Fair to abysmal.First off, we waited at least 10 minutes to see a server. It took a further 20 to get a pot of tea and a hot chocolate. We finally got the first part of our afternoon tea nearly one hour after walking in there. This is in a restaurant with 8 tables, one of which seems to be used as an office.The tea started with soup. A cauliflower soup, which to my mind was too salty. But I recognize that may well be personal taste. Next came the savory part of the tea; with a gingerbread scone and pumpkin devon cream - more dessert than savory. A curried apricot/ginger/pineapple sandwich was a confusing mix; too sweet to be savory (although the bread was truly delicious). The final course was the ‘dessert’ course and if you weren’t too keen on spice based flavors, you would be out of luck.My observations were these; service - two speeds, dead slow and stop. People being turned away because of being “fully” booked. While no one likes to be hurried through their meal, had things been handled more efficiently, tables could have been turned more regularly. Also in a restaurant of 8 tables, using one of those as office space means losing about 12% of turnover.Also, why oh why, when so many people LOVE chocolate, were there no chocolate dessert options?In short; a quaint place with molasses speed service, zero warmth (literally and figuratively, I saw people putting jackets and coats on and the only friendly comments were on leaving)with a seriously confused afternoon tea menu. If this place is struggling financially, it really wouldn’t surprise me. I am sad. I hoped we would find an afternoon tea gem and instead it was somewhere we’ll laugh about never visiting again.
Pam catered a tea party baby shower for us for 35 guests. The food was delivered on time and it was absolutely delicious. Every guest raved about everything -- tea sandwiches, scones, pastries. We highly recommend doing a tea party bridal or baby shower and letting Pinecone Cottage cater it.
Food: 5
Service: 5
Great experience, it's a hidden gem in Downers
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
This place is a dream for vegan and non-vegan tea lovers alike! Been here twice and both times were perfect experiences. From the outstanding food and earth shattering tea, this place is Heaven. Our server Gilbert was so attentive and helpful. He and tea expert Julia were so great and full of knowledge and passion. Can’t wait to come back!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Pinecone Cottage is a fantastic place to have a beautiful and delicious Afternoon Tea! It’s located in the amazing Downtown Downers Grove. The soups and salads are very flavorful. The tea sandwiches are delectable. The scones are scrumptious. And the desserts are wonderful. There are so many awesome teas to choose from. Everything is served on gorgeous china. There are Vegetarian and Vegan options, which is great (as I am a Vegetarian). Pam and the staff at Pinecone are just awesome! I would highly recommend Pinecone Cottage!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
The cutest little place! Always decorated beautifully. Delicious food and wonderful service. I’ve been here many times over the years.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Holiday Cookies, Four Course Prix Fixe Afternoon Tea, Scone, Three Course Prix Fixe Afternoon Tea
A charming place for a light lunch or tea! Food and service are both excellent. Take some PineScones to go!Parking: Street parking in front and village free lot next door.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Scone, Three Course Prix Fixe Afternoon Tea
I think Pam and her team are so clever with their themes and food selections. I love what she does out of her garden for pairing teas and sandwiches. Classes there have always been fun. And she's very generous sharing her knowledge! My favorite spot in Downers Grove! Stop in, slow down and enjoy your visit!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Sampler Platter, Scone, Three Course Prix Fixe Afternoon Tea
My adult daughter and I LOVE this place!!! We have a yearly outing that coincides with the Downers Grove Ice Sculpture weekend. We love the food and service, and of course the delicious TEA. Our most recent visit, Chef Pam talked about how she came up with the menu and also about the spices and ingredients used in the food!! It was very interesting!!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
An all around excellent experience. Each small course was better than the last. We will assuredly be returning.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Hugh Tea Service
Wonderful! Excellent tea and food. I particularly appreciate the gluten free choices.Book ahead! They are really busy, especially on weekends.Lovely Staff and easy going place.Vegetarian options: Great veg options.Dietary restrictions: The menu is very inclusive for a specialty restaurant.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Deviled Egg, Hugh Tea Service, Red Cabbage Gorgonzola and Caramelized Walnuts Empanada, Assorted Pierogi, Scone, DZ Bourbon Ball Truffles, Cranberry
Restaurantji Recommends
I loved it. Elegance. Tasty cuisine. Tea was beautiful! Atmosphere cozy and inviting. I have had tea at Browns in London, High Tea in Victoria BC at the Empress hotel. Who knew Pine Cone Cottage was in my back yard. See you soon.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Rude staff!!When asked about availability, the staff responded in a poor way full of arrogance and attitude. Don't recommend.
Service: 1
Very ample menu. Had to take some home! Was a brunch High Tea celebration for a girlfriend's birthday. I have visited another Tea Room not too far away and this one is quite pricier but not necessarily more bang for the buck. It is a lovely experience with a delicate atmosphere.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 4
My mother and I both LOVE high tea, have been to high tea all over the US and even in other countries, and the pinecone cottage is one of the absolute best. The fact that the owner creates a custom, themed menu each month is incredible, and means you can visit frequently and have a completely different experience. She is so creative with her menu, you will get to taste flavors you haven't tried before. And they have a huge selection of delicious teas. The atmosphere is very cute and cozy also. Highly recommend!!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Fair to abysmal.First off, we waited at least 10 minutes to see a server. It took a further 20 to get a pot of tea and a hot chocolate. We finally got the first part of our afternoon tea nearly one hour after walking in there. This is in a restaurant with 8 tables, one of which seems to be used as an office.The tea started with soup. A cauliflower soup, which to my mind was too salty. But I recognize that may well be personal taste. Next came the savory part of the tea; with a gingerbread scone and pumpkin devon cream - more dessert than savory. A curried apricot/ginger/pineapple sandwich was a confusing mix; too sweet to be savory (although the bread was truly delicious). The final course was the ‘dessert’ course and if you weren’t too keen on spice based flavors, you would be out of luck.My observations were these; service - two speeds, dead slow and stop. People being turned away because of being “fully” booked. While no one likes to be hurried through their meal, had things been handled more efficiently, tables could have been turned more regularly. Also in a restaurant of 8 tables, using one of those as office space means losing about 12% of turnover.Also, why oh why, when so many people LOVE chocolate, were there no chocolate dessert options?In short; a quaint place with molasses speed service, zero warmth (literally and figuratively, I saw people putting jackets and coats on and the only friendly comments were on leaving)with a seriously confused afternoon tea menu. If this place is struggling financially, it really wouldn’t surprise me. I am sad. I hoped we would find an afternoon tea gem and instead it was somewhere we’ll laugh about never visiting again.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 3
Service: 1