Tea house serves lunch with European flair

The passion owner Kay McGlone possesses for cooking emanates from the storefront of Kay's Tea Parlour, with the teapots, tablecloths and comforting smells enticing customers craving home-cooked flavors with a European twist.

Originally from Scotland, McGlone said she grew up cooking with her family. She operated a bakery, Just Cakes, for 10 years in Dublin, Ireland before moving with her husband, Conor, and four children to the United States about 20 years ago. After working at another bakery for the better part of two decades, McGlone decided to create her own eatery, opening up Kay's Tea Parlour in 2010.

"I did really [want to open a tea parlor], because anytime I was out, there was nowhere to get a nice cup of tea," she said.

The restaurant has grown in popularity in the three years since opening, but McGlone said she was initially concerned about how successful a tea parlor would be in Texas, where hot tea is hardly common.

"When I opened, I offered them hot tea and served it on china and everything," she said. "And at first people said, 'Hot tea?' But now I sell more hot tea than I do anything else. Most people drink hot tea. It's more popular than coffee."

While Kay's Tea Parlour features several distinctive flavors from Tea in Texas, a Texas-based tea wholesaler, her establishment offers more than just a hot cup of tea. Customers can enjoy a scone or sausage roll with their tea in the morning or sandwiches, homemade soups, salad plates and quiches for lunch.

Kay's also offers a variety of pastries and desert options. Pie choices include traditional favorites, such as pecan, pumpkin and fruit flavors, but McGlone also cooks carrot cakes, chocolate tortes, strudels and specialized desserts, such as banoffi pie, a combination of graham cracker crust, fresh bananas, homemade toffee and cream.

However, the restaurant's menu is hardly set as McGlone said she always looks for new and inventive recipes to offer her customers.

During the holidays, McGlone makes traditional holiday fare with puddings, mince pies and Christmas cakes with marzipan in the icing.

"It's all my own recipes that I use," she said. "When my family was growing up, I was always in the kitchen."

McGlone said her Scottish and Irish influence is evident in her food. Since opening she has developed several loyal customers including many native Irish and Scottish customers looking for a little taste of home.

Brian O'Leary, originally from Ireland, said he has been coming to Kay's Tea Parlour for years and frequents the locale two or three times a week. A fan of the chicken pot pie and steak and kidney pie, O'Leary said Kay's is one of his favorite Katy restaurants.

"We found this place two years ago, and it's the best food in town," O'Leary said.

But the restaurant is also popular with American-born residents. Debbie Best, of Katy, said she loves hot tea and has been coming to Kay's for years. She regularly orders quiches or soups of the day, but she said she always find something different to enjoy.

"The food is delicious, and it's like I would make at home," Best said. "And it's nice to come here to eat, because it's not so noisy."

McGlone said she believes the restaurant's growth in popularity mirrors the upward trend of hot tea and tea parlors in the United States.

"I think it's just different to have hot tea," she said. "I think it's just people trying different types of food."

Chef specialties

• Quiches — The menu offers homemade quiches including ham and cheese, spinach, chicken and tomato and mushroom and bacon for $7.95 with soup or side salad. Customers can also order them to take home. Vegetable flavors are $9.95 for 6" and $14.95 for 9". Meat flavors are $12.95 for 6" and $16.95 for 9".
• Meat pies — Chicken pot pies and shepherd's pie, a savory dish of ground beef underneath mashed potatoes, are both meaty favorites of Kay's customers during lunch. The dishes can be ordered family style, costing $14.95 for four servings and $22.50 for six to eight servings. Mince meat pies are also available for $14.95.
• Sandwiches — The lunch menu offers a $4.95 sandwich special with options of chicken salad, tuna salad, smoked turkey or ham and cheese. Customers can also order a $7.95 lunch special with half a sandwich and a cup of soup or pick up party trays, offering 24 sandwiches of their choice for $25.
• Pies — Kay's bakes its own fresh, homemade pies, including pumpkin, cherry, peach and apple for $14.95 and pecan for $16.95. The restaurant also offers banoffi pie, made of graham crackers, bananas, homemade toffee and cream for $22.50.
• Pastries and other desserts — Kay's offers a $25 dessert tray with several options. Lemon iced cake and carrot cake for $32.50; chocolate torte, apple raisin strudel or cherry cheese strudel for $22.50; and pumpkin bread for $8.95 are also available.

Types of tea

Kay's Tea Parlour serves up hot tea presented on china. Customers can also purchase the following custom tea flavors for $7.95 per bag:

• Green Dragon
• Orange Rooibos
• Peach Perfection
• Lady Bird Earl Gray
• Cowboy Rooibos
• Irish Morning
• Chocolate Madness
• Christmas in a Cup

Kay's Tea Parlour, 5617 Second St., Katy, 281-392-7970, www.kaysteaparlour.com

• Mon.–Sat. 9 a.m.–4 p.m.