The Blue Willow Tea Shop brings a proper British tea room to the Gravenhurst waterfront. Tucked into Cockburn Square at Muskoka Wharf, overlooking Lake Muskoka, this small, beloved spot pairs a vintage boutique with a full afternoon tea service — reservations recommended, as the room is intimate and seatings are prepared to the booking.
The signature is the traditional High Tea: three-tier trays laden with scones and clotted cream with preserves, cucumber and other delicate tea sandwiches, savouries and sweets. Sticky toffee pudding makes an appearance, as does a local butter-tart twist, and themed menus rotate monthly so regulars always find something new. Beyond tea, the kitchen serves breakfast, brunch and lunch — the soup-and-sandwich lunch is a noted favourite — and the loose-leaf selection ranges from lavender green tea to vanilla chai.
The boutique side is half the fun: antique and vintage teaware, British imports, jams, jellies and gifts, with curated pieces also sold online. Gluten-free options are available, though the shop notes it can’t do dairy-free or vegan. Two hours north of Toronto, it’s a small room doing an old ritual exactly right — silver, scones and a lake view.