The Whistling Kettle Edit

5 ratings
1 2 3 4 5
Type Tea Room
Style Modern
Serves Loose-leaf, Chai, Iced
Food Full menu
Features Tastings, Afternoon tea, Free wi-fi
Good For Dates, Groups
Hours
Mon Wed 11:00 AM 6:00 PM
Thu Fri 11:00 AM 7:00 PM
Sat Sun 11:00 AM 6:00 PM
Photo submitted by IllBeMother221B

5 Reviews

The Whistling Kettle in Ballston Spa, New York
5/5
Edit
Cameron B. rated this place
5/5
and said Edit

I found the Whistling Kettle here on Steepster, and decided I wanted to go. So my boyfriend and I drove over to try their afternoon tea on a Sunday afternoon. Their afternoon tea consists of your choice in three categories: savory (sandwiches, premium salads, crepes, quiche), sweet (scones, tea breads, sweet crepes, cake), and either a house salad or a cup of soup. My boyfriend and I were both very impressed with the food, and the quiche and soups in particular were very good. He didn’t get a tea, but I chose their Ancient Forest black and found it to be tasty enough. From what I can tell, they resell blends that they purchase online (they have several teas that I’ve seen before at many online retailers such as ESP, Culinary Teas, etc.). I don’t find this offensive, but I consider this to be more of a food establishment and not a tea blender.

The Whistling Kettle in Ballston Spa, New York
5/5
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Amanda rated this place
5/5
and said Edit

I love The Whistling Kettle. I always get their Afternoon Tea, and I have never been disappointed. You get plenty of delicious food, tea, and desserts and the price is phenomenal.

I also receive their Tea of the Month and I have not been let down yet. Last month I got an oolong that is out of this world!

The Whistling Kettle in Ballston Spa, New York
5/5
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Emily M rated this place
5/5
and said Edit

I love it here. The “Afternoon Tea”, as described by another reviewer, is great. Tastey crepes, scones, paninis, tea bread, tea sandwiches… I’ve yet to taste food here that I don’t like. The environment over the years has gotten a little busier and louder, but it’s a small space and a tearoom, so it’s not unexpected. They have an pretty extensive list of teas available, and a “sniffing bar”, where you can smell the teas ahead of time if you so choose. I often get the same waiter when I go, who’s very friendly and helpful. Most of the staff I’ve encountered is. The Whistling Kettle is a favorite for my sister and I. We visit whenever we can, and as of now, I have no reason to think that we’ll stop!

For people in groups of two: A note on seating. Don’t expect to be sat at a big booth if you come in with two people in your party. You will be sat at a smaller table, which may or may not be simi-close to another table. It’s not like you are on top of people/brushing shoulders, but everytime I go, some older pair complain, as they want a bigger booth and feel too close. The Whistling Kettle is a small space, and this can’t be helped. Over the years, it’s also gotten more popular. Because of these things, booths are reserved for parties of three or more. No exceptions. If you have a problem with that (and you shouldn’t. Like I said, though close to others at most of the two-seaters, you have your own space and can easily ignore the table next to you) then either bring 3 or more,go during off hours, or don’t go. In my opinion, the food and tea is worth the possible closeness. I’ve never felt uncomfortable, and I’m a person who likes her space. It’s a tearoom, not a ballroom. Just keep that in mind, and enjoy this cute and unique place!

The Whistling Kettle in Ballston Spa, New York
3/5
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Amanda rated this place
3/5
and said Edit

I wanted to give this place 5 stars, but there were too many mishaps during a recent trip with my mom.
First, was the mold floating in the simple syrup. When we mentioned something to the waiter, they almost had an attitude about it. Umm i’m pretty sure it shouldn’t have green things floating around in it. Then they featured 4 tea of the days. I ordered the Harvest peach & strawberry. It was so delicious i wanted to buy some. So i asked about buying it, and they don’t sell it. The other 3 tea of the days they sold, but not this one. It was a ‘special’ tea, and they didn’t know how long they would have it and didnt know if they would ever get some in stock. Which is weird because they have a huge 5 gallon drum of it brewed up, so you had to have had a substantial amount of it ordered to be making that much. The good part of the trip was the food. It was so very delicious. So on to their ‘tea room’. If you can even call it a room. More like a tea cubby. It was about 3 feet wide, and with my mom and i standing together, it felt like i was constantly reaching over her to grab some samples. We wanted to try some teas, so we got a bunch of different samples, which were decently priced. But then i get home and look up some reviews online and it seems as though this place just repackages the tea. Two flavors that come to mind are angels dream and mango amazon. If you google them, many other tea places carry these flavors with the same flavors and descriptions.

The Whistling Kettle in Ballston Spa, New York
5/5
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IllBeMother221B rated this place
5/5
and said Edit

Finally stopped in here this afternoon and had their afternoon tea service. This gets you a sandwich, crepe, or other sammich of your choice. Then you pick a soup or salad, followed by your dessert. Finally you have the tough choice of picking one of their teas. I went with an iced honeybush green. Not bad. The service was quick and friendly too. They also have a “sniffing” bar where you can smell all of their teas on hand,

Sadly they do not blend their own teas. Bit of a downer as I figured they would. I did find out they will blend their teas for you upon request. So that’s pretty nifty. They also sell their teas by the sample pouch, tins, and bagged pound. I’ll be heading back there in the near future.

UPDATE: They also now offer a gluten free menu, only issue I have with this is there are usually no options for a soup and the chocolate cake with no flour is the only gf dessert. I also found out that they have started to blend some of their own teas! Plus they will be opening a Troy, NY location in the Spring!