Spencer’s Jolly Posh Foods [closed]
1405 W Irving Park Road
Chicago, IL 60613
While we are frequenters of Mexican, Haitian and Thai grocery stores, until this trip we had never visited a British / Irish grocery store in the United States. Selling everything from Dairy Milk chocolates to house-made British sausages and back bacon, Spencer’s can fulfill almost any British grocery craving. When we found out that this little grocery store also served high tea we knew we had to visit ASAP.
As you can see from the pictures, Spencer’s is primarily a grocery store with a seating area. There are tons of British candies, cookies and other snacks stacked up, so sweet tooths will be especially pleased. It being the holiday season, there was also an abundance of shortbreads and Christmas puddings. In addition to dry goods, there are also British cheeses and butter available in the refrigerator. Spencer’s also has an extensive lunch menu, featuring primarily hot and cold sandwiches but also some heartier options like a traditional Ploughman’s lunch (which includes Pork Pie, Ham, cheddar, bread, salad and other fixings).
Though the sandwiches seemed enticing, we made a beeline for tea. There are two options for tea time at Spencer’s: a cream tea for $8 a person and $22 for high tea. If you have any little ones in tow there is an option for a children’s tea ($14), with cookies (or should we say biscuits) and Nutella. We ordered a cream tea for two, which came with a pot of tea with unlimited refills, and two scones with clotted cream (M’s favorite) and strawberry jam. You can pick from a huge selection of imported teas, and we chose a pot of chai-like Christmas tea, which paired well with the sweet scones. Though, in the end, we definitely could have used another scone. You can order single scones for $3.50 or four for $12. We greatly enjoyed our tea, and the service was friendly and attentive. If you are looking for a tea time without fuss, definitely give Spencer’s a try.
Eating The World 