L.S. Ayres Tea Room

For the Holidays I decided to take my Mom and her older cousin to the LS Ayres Tea Room. They told me all about going when they were young and first in Indy, so it was a trip down nostalgia for them.It is located in the Indiana State Museum which has a ton of fun things to explore. We didn't go to any exhibits but did enjoy the Christmas decor and overall winter themes in the lobby.You must make reservations as it gets very busy during the holidays when they are open! They have a check in hostess who takes your payment (it is a buffet with tar es and service charge included), and seats you.As we waited to be seated there are a lot of older photos to look over and information into the history. Very interesting! They had even put up a sample mechanical window display which I'm told was part of the allure of LS Ayres downtown back in the day for the holidays.Once seated the space is quaint and very classy. They have a fine dining type atmosphere and servers per table. You get drink orders and then head to a touch free buffet. It is slightly confusing at first as you can ask for anything and more than one of something, but it isn't super easy to grasp at first. Once you get the flow though they do a good job or giving you all the items you requested. The menu has a variety of fruit, salad, breads, their famous chicken velvet soup and tea sandwiches. They also have a hot area with Mac n cheese, chicken tenders and fries for those who desire it.My only thought was that for someone like my Mom it was a challenge to get her plate and carry it back to the seats. They hand you the items on a full plate and not a try, so it can be cumbersome. I suggest going for first course, then back for second etc. If we were to go back that is going to be our approach!Once seated you can go back and ask for anything again. We were the last seating so just keep in mind timing as well as they give you 1.5 hours for your time slot.They have a separate spot for the deserts which were also lovely. They had various cakes and macaroons which were my favorite.Overall a lovely experience and a delightful time to reminisce for those who remember it in the day. It was a bit loud as there were several families but overall a lovely experience. The staff were very kind and quick to serve and clear.We enjoyed our time and the parking garage below makes it easy to find a spot as well.

A bit of nostalgia located in the Indiana State Museum. We were told the carpet and chandeliers are reproductions from the original Tea Room at the Ayres store downtown. There are b&w photos to enjoy on the walls and around the hostess desk to take you back in time - some from 1905.The restaurant is only open for the holiday season and you must call for reservations. The buffet, which is plated by servers behind the counter, is $33.00 pp including gratuity and fees. The small cup of chicken velvet soup was slightly warm, as was the mini chicken pot pie. A variety of finger sandwiches, breads, salads, fruits, chicken fingers, and Mac and Cheese are offered. The dessert station has some nice selections. Servers bring the drinks and check on you.Beverages are included. Adult beverages are extra. Don't forget to pick up a parking validation voucher from the hostess stand. $4.00 for parking with voucher.

My grandma has mentioned many times that she wanted to go the tea room so this year I made reservations and surprised her with an afternoon on the town. The reservation process was a bit tricky with lots of back and forth - not sure why or what the time slots look like (it was pretty empty while we were there but maybe the numbers are just that limited?? All of the food we had was delicious, the velvet chicken soup and pot pie were definitely highlights. My grandma loved the tuna finger sandwiches. The dessert was fun- the og pecan ice cream was a real treat. It was fun to reminisce and talk about all the good times. The buffet style/service was a little odd but they must have a reason for it? Grandma definitely did not like that type of service lol. She pointed out all the differences from when she went but with both agreed that overall it was a fun experience and we would come back next year.

Nestled in the India State Museum, the L.S. Ayer's tea room is a great place to go for some nostalgia. During the holidays, you have to make reservations in advance if you want guaranteed seating. They have for different time options, each about and hour or an hour and a half. The buffet includes the famous chicken velvet soup that'll transport you back to your childhood, a variety of finger sandwiches, chicken salad, Mac and cheese and more. Drinks are include, with the exception of alcoholic beverages those can be purchased for an additional charge. Overall, the food is decent, but what you're really paying for is an experience and nostalgia.

The ambience is a nice memory, but the food was really mediocre. The only outstanding things were the chicken velvet soup and the ice cream ball. The chicken pot pie was embarrassingly bad. Literally like you would buy at the grocery store and give your kids. The chicken salad was well below the quality you could buy at Costco in a plastic container. Not worth the price at all. They really need to step it up! LS Ayres did not serve garbage like this.

The tea room has long been on my list since I was an intern at the museum several years ago. I finally made a plan to stop in this season and it was cool. I never visited the original L.S. Ayres location since it closed when I was a baby, but I enjoyed hearing other guests talk about it and sharing stories with their kids. The team room recreation was beautiful and definitely full experience. I'm not usually a fancy place kind of diner so I felt a little out of place but all the staff were really friendly.Since COVID, they have buffet-style offerings of all the classics like chicken velvet soup and pot pie. I actually enjoyed that more since I always have a hard time deciding what to order so I enjoyed a little of a lot. The chicken velvet soup and pot pie were my favorites.It is a little pricier at $28.50 a person but you're definitely paying for the experience in addition to your meal. The tea room is only open from November 25th-January 1st and they do highly recommend reservations since seating is limited.

Celebrating with a dear friend and reminiscing about our childhood visits to the Ayres Tea Room. The Indiana State Museum has recreated the Tea Room perfectly. This is a small venue and only open for the holidays. But so so special!We loved the convenient underground parking and the parking voucher from the restaurant. You don't need a ticket to the museum if only going to the restaurant.Of course the holiday decorations were beautiful. The servers in all black were very attentive. This is a buffet. But all servings were already plated in small dishes. The staff prepared your plate based on your selections. [One price payable at the entrance]. I didn't ask if we could go through the libe more than once. My choices were plenty!They do serve mimosas or bellinis for an additional charge. So, I had salad, chicken velvet soup (of course) with small sandwiches. They also served mini chicken pot pies, Mac n cheese and French fries. And the hot chocolate with whipped cream seemed to be a hit with the children.The price - $31.50 plus gratuity - was alot for the food, but not enough for the memories.

While only open six (6) weeks a year (generally between Thanksgiving and shortly after New Years) and only during the "lunch hour", this "pop up" restaurant is something you must experience. Perhaps instead of looking at this as a restaurant, it should be viewed as another "exhibit" to the museum. Taking people back to the days when you would dine at the department store restaurant after a day of shopping, this is a place that lets you relive those memories and make new ones with your family.Chicken Velvet Soup is a must have. I also usually try one of the sandwiches, most recently was a Turkey Orange Cranberry sandwich, and finish with a Pecan Ice Cream Ball for dessert.For the younger members of the party, there is a children's menu. You can also try the tea experience. Children can then finish up with a Clown Cone and select a prize from the treasure chest.Maybe it is the nostalgia, or the fact that it is only only open for a few weeks a year, but this is a fun experience that we look forward to every year.

One of the perks of the holiday season is that you don't have to have a large group to have a meal at the recreated "L S Ayres Tea Room". After wandering the museum, I stopped in the restaurant and they had plenty of room for me. (Note that the room can be reserved for private events that could interfere.) I am old enough to have visited the original restaurant when it was located on the northeast corner of what is now the Circle Centre Mall. I wasn't a frequent diner, but I think they museum has done a great job of recreating the look of the interior of the original. They've even put views of Meridian Street in the faux windows to enhance the aesthetic. What I recommend to visitors here is that they go with the classic menu items that are marked on the menu. No visit is complete without their Chicken Velvet soup. Just a bowl is enough. But it is truly one of the best soups I have ever had. Just enough chicken. Such a creamy texture. Delicious taste.I also ordered the Classic Club which is a stacked, lightly toasted sandwich that is quartered with spears. The sandwich contains ham, turkey, bacon, & Swiss. The small triangular quarters tend to disassemble when you take the spears out, but if you use two hands, you can manage. The flavor was okay, but just not on the same level as the soup. I haven't tried the other food items to see how they compare since I only get here infrequently and go for the classics.The service was dressed to match the fine setting and was friendly and very good though they can be tied up by large groups for short periods.This is a place you can wear your fine clothing, but casual wear is okay too.It tends to draw an older crowd who appreciate the history, but don't let that discourage you from taking in a tasty meal while visiting the museum during the holidays.Review #3422

I've been looking forward to coming here since we got married at the museum and had been in the tea room before, but hadn't ever eaten here. We both got different teas that we're great, and we split a cup or the chicken velvet soup, at the recommendation of our server. It was so good! I could see that people come here year after year and get the soup as a piece of nostalgia.We both got the tea experience. The food was amazing, which is not a surprised as it's catered by Kahn's Catering. The fruit, sandwiches and desserts were all delicious. Our server was awesome too! He gave us a lot of the history of the tea room, and he was very attentive. I think we'll make this a yearly tradition.