Rita's Tea Room & Gift Shop - Big Pond

Great place to stop for a cuppa on the way towards Sydney. You can also learn more about Rita, buy her CD's, and .... if you have time .... enjoy a generous bite to eat.

Situated on the right hand side of Route 4 as you head north. If you are on this road we would recommend a stop. We had already had a picnic lunch earlier so stopped for coffee. They were very accommodating. Our vibes were so positive that another time we would try and make it a lunch time stop. Started by Rita MacNeil a famous Canadian singer/song writer (now deceased) who hails from Big Pond. The building was once a one room school house later purchased and enlarged by Rita and made into a cottage then later a Tea Room.Since we only had coffee we can't judge the food. However, several other tables were having late lunches. Their food was well presented, looked good, and they all seemed very satisfied. The coffee was elegantly presented in a China coffee pot with matching cup and saucer. Even though we were only having coffee, we were treated very, very well. The ambiance is relaxing with recorded Rita songs playing (softly) and decor befitting an elegant Tea Room.WOULD WE GO AGAIN? We'd love to.WOULD WE RECOMMEND IT TO FRIENDS:? Its not for everybody. Some would find it perhaps a bit too precious.

The site of Rita's Tea Rooms was originally one of the numerous one room schools prevalent throughout Nova Scotia. It was eventually purchased by Canadian Songstress Rita MacNeil and used firstly as her family home and then as a tea room. The tea rooms provide a very tasty light lunch as well as morning and afternoon teas. Around the walls are the history and records (literally) of Rita's highly successful music career. The staff make you feel at home right away and there is a small gift shop to be explored as well. The tea is worth going for even if you know little of Rita MacNeil.

Stopped to have a light lunch and tea at Rita's tea room with my husband and our friend. I was a big fan and now they are as well.The food was good although, not large portions...one scone to share between two people? I'm also not sure why they only have one type of tea, Orange Pekoe. You probably shouldn't plan on going for a substantial meal.The service was quite good considering how many guests arrived while we were there and that the server also covers the gift shop.What people really go for is to learn more about an amazing Canadian talent, Rita MacNeil. I had no idea how many awards she had won and they were on display with photos of her, taken with different stars.We picked up a couple of her cd's in the gift shop which were a little on the pricier side but, since some of them are hard to find, we bought them anyway.

We happened to be passing and made a point of stopping in just to get a tea to go. The place was great, lots of memorabilia about her and the gift shop was nice. The lady who served us was so nice, she told us they served enough tea that day and to just go because we were in a hurry. We thanked her but stayed and paid.