Chado Tea Room
(118 reviews)79 N Raymond Ave, Pasadena, CA 91103, USA (626) 431-2TEA Website Suggest Changes
Recent reviews
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C B
My cousin took me here as a birthday gift a few years back. It was a really cool experience, getting the tea sampler and watching the blooming tea over chocolate truffles, but I know she had to have booked the event super far in advance with Groupon. Haven't been back since because it's out of my price range.
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JP
I have had tea here a few times and the service was so bad I never wanted to come back in. But I used to think their tea sandwiches were good so for more than ten years I was a steady customer buying their sandwiches and tea to serve at tea parties in my home. The last couple of times the food has not been good. In fact, today it was an embarrassing disaster. The bread was dried out. The presentation was horrible -- for example, the salmon sandwiches were just a half a piece of white bread with a little cream cheese and a slab of salmon with no dill, no garnishment, nothing! The Mediterranean sandwich which was supposed to be made with goat cheese didn't have goat cheese, just cream cheese. And all the sandwiches were made with such a skimpy amount of filling that they were mostly a mouthful of dried out bread. They have a large selection of teas and the ones I bought for the party today were fine.
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Mary
We were a party of 9 and had a wonderful time celebrating my bother's birthday. This is our second time to Chado Tea. They have the freshest salads, tasty tomato bisque and the tea the selection is divine and largest I have ever seen for one tearoom. The staff is knowledgeable and courteous. We can hardly wait to go back!
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dina k
Chado in Pasadena! I discovered it a while back and have been meeting girlfriends for afternoon tea ever since. We go there for our b-days. I had my graduation party there. I'm having my bridal luncheon there! I want my baby shower thrown there! (When the time comes). This is definitely the place to go if you want a quiet relaxed luncheon or brunch. Its private but not boring. Even my fiance loves it. 5 starts all the way. The service is great! The tea is phenomenal. The the sandwiches and deserts are yummy :) I have never had a bad experience at Chado Tea Room.
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Sharon B.
Chado is one of our favorite places for afternoon tea. The scones are accompanied by their delicious cream & jam. The sandwiches are creative & more substantial than other tea rooms. Everything, including dessert, is nicely presented. Chado has an amazing selection of teas which are perfectly brewed. We always receive excellent service. I noticed the entry of Bill & Clare 9/7/10. In the years we have been coming here, we have never been served marmalade. We think the china tea cups are attractive and suit Chado's style and the tea tastes great in them.
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silli yelp
Beautiful Pasadena! I came here with my friend for her Birthday. I have never been to a tea room before, everytime I think of afternoon tea and scones, I think of chatty english ladies and large hats. Ok so this place is not like that nor is it filled with english ladies; the decor is simple and the wall of tea jars is pretty cool. We had the tea for 2 which came with dElicious sandwiches, I am not a scone person but these were great. The cakes were ok, :/ hmmm the chocolate cake is well....earthy? I would avoid the chocolate cake. We also had a black raspberry tea with champagne in it-best tea I have ever had! Everything rocked, our server and our food :)
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Bill and Clare
Clare and I recently had Afternoon Tea here and we were disappointed. The server coundn't understand us and had to be assisted. The tea wasn't served in bone china cups but should be. We were served orange marmalade which should have either been jam or lemon curd or both. We do hope that improvements will be made.
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A yelp
Place is fantastic:
Great selection of tea
Food is delicious
Service is great
The waiters there are very nice and very helpful.
I had tea there with my family, and what they give you is fantastic. The little sandwiches and scones are just awesome.
I highly recommend this place for tea and even just to have something to eat.
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Amy
Everything here was pretty average but whats really surprising is how dull and uninspiring the atmosphere is. Come on people, its time to get an updated look for your tearoom. Your West Hollywood place is no better. Part of the charm of going to tea is the overall experience which includes service and interior
design with in your establishment.Attention to detail goes along way especially when your
food is mediocre. You can not rely
solely on your tea selection, which is comprehensive. Its time to try harder and maybe consider a 're-do'
Good luck!
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steph C yelp
My cousin's wife had her baby shower at Chado Tea Room and I cannot think of a better setting for a non-drinking woman to gather her female friends and relatives to squeal about babies. The place isn't particularly fancy and the space actually feels a bit old, but it's very cozy with its little shop of teapots to one side.
The cute came with the service of afternoon tea. The only other place I've had high tea was in a fancy place in London that had the most incredible scones that ever crumbled into butter on my tongue. Chado Tea Room is a different kind of place, less formal and less focused on knocking it out of the park with food. The price tag is accordingly less hefty, and I think you get a lot of value for the $18 a head you (or your hostess) pay for the experience.
I don't mean to imply that Chado's food is lacking, because it is not - I just wouldn't come back for the food alone. With your afternoon tea, you get an adorable tiered rack of sandwiches, scones, and pastries that look and taste pretty and delicate.
There are four varieties of sandwiches on the top tier - the Punjab, consisting of eggs marinated in smoked tea with Mayo and green onions; the Mediterranean, with goat cheese, watercress, and oliveade spread; the smoked salmon, served open-faced on dark rye with cream cheese, baby dill, and lemon; and the Souchong chicken, with shredded smoked chicken breast, Mayo, and cranberry lingonberry sauce. All of these sandwiches were lovely, though none of them had me wishing for more.
The second tier holds scones with strawberries, cream, and apricot jam. The scones were good but not marvelous, and I think scones need to be kind of marvelous to merit the calorie expense, don't you think? As to the cream, I think I actually whip better at home.
The third tier offers pastries, which vary from rack to rack. We had slices of chocolate cake and banana walnut cake with vanilla custard. I'd ordinarily prefer banana walnut, but that chocolate cake was delicious, moist and interspersed with on-the-mark half-melted chocolate chips. We also got a couple of wafery cookies.
Throughout our time there, waiters came around and offered us different kinds of tea, usually pouring two varieties at any given time. I tried the pina colada rooibos, peach black tea, and black tea with jasmine, mandarin, and vanilla. I have to say, the teas were all excellent, soothing and wealthy in flavor. I especially like that all the teas were perfectly steeped and poured at their best. I don't like when my cup of tea gets bitter on me when I ignore it for five minutes.
All in all, I'd say Chado Tea Room offers a pretty unique experience in L.A. and that I'd recommend it for any girly non-alcoholic occasion. High tea takes time, but I'd also come back just for the tea and a light lunch. The food may not wow you, but the whole package is really quite sweet.
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m
I like this place! I have been to this tea room twice and both time were happy about the tea, food, and service. It was a good place to relax and hang out with your best girl friends on a Saturday afternoon. If you happened to be a tea lover, you would probably be quite satisfied because their tea list was very extensive. I also enjoyed the food that came with the afternoon tea set. I liked their small sandwiches the most. The scones and the cookies were tasty also, especially after you spread the freshly whipped cream on top of them. There were also other items on the menu if you were in the mood for something more substantial.
In terms of price, I think this place is one of the more economical choice for afternoon tea in the area. Street parking is quite easy to find. I would definitely come back.
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Kimberly Valkenaar
I love this place! It is not too girly so my husband enjoys it too! I had a bridal shower for a friend & she LOVED it. I also think we made a few converts from coffee to tea. I love all the food items and have tried them all but my favorite is the afternoon tea option. No other tea house has the vast quantity of tea like Chado.
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lisa
my mom loves chado. we have always had the best tea experience in here, we love the food it 's always fresh, tasty and generous and price amazingly reasonable. we had my sisters baby shower here and when they were serving everyone was speachless. they have hundred's of teas i love the rena's chai and their fine vanilla tea. try chado's on sunday afternoon really nice jazz. and it is free too.
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sue and matt
the best tea room in the pasadena area. knowldegable people and great selection of teas. we will be coming back.
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Gina
This is one of the best tearooms. The different teas and their history was very interesting and informative. My friends and I celebrated our birthdays. We all agreed that it was a great experience. One of my friends took some leaf tea home to try. We all thought that for the food and excellent service the price was very good. In fact we plan on bring other guests to experience the great tearoom. Before I made the reservation, I was thinking of going to another tearoom but after I read the excellent reviews I chose Chado and I am glad it did.
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j
There is indeed a very high quotient of dainty-ness here. The tea is outstanding. Scones are great. I'm surprised no one has mentioned the music though. On Tuesdays from 11am to about 4pm guitar legend Jimmy Wyble plays here. Check him out here http://www.jimmywyble..... Jimmy is 86 years old and sounds fantastic. He played with Benny Goodman and Sinatra back in the day. You'll find LA's top jazz guitarists here drinking tea and eating miniature sandwiches and listening and playing with Jimmy. It's an enjoyable, relaxed hang.
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Annie Scottsdale
Excellent place! Tea is wonderful, a wide variety of tea selections, very knowledgeable staff, and overall wonderful pricing.
I had the coconut cake: WONDERFUL :)
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loves_tea
This is our favorite local tea house. The atmosphere is not victorian or 'girly,' which is a nice incentive to bring the fellas along. If you are looking for teddy bears and roses, this isn't the place for you. The scones and cream are excellent, the sandwiches are great (they toast their bread), and their vegetable soup is so rich and flavorful. However, it is their tea selection that truly makes this place great. The only caveat (and this may not even be a caveat if you are a true tea lover) is that the tea pots are not refilled with hot water. We are told the reason for this is to keep the taste of the tea consistent each and every time, and it does. This is a great place to be adventurous if you want to try new teas, as you aren't likely to be disappointed. We appreciate Chado's modest atmosphere and frequent about 2-3 times a month.
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Erin
I love this tea room! Regardless of what others say, this place is my absolute favorite. Ive been here many times and the experience is always exceptional. They have a wonderful selection of tea, the sandwiches are delicious and large and the scones are soft and tasty. The whole presentation is what a tea experience should be like. What I like most is, the ambiance. Its not a cheesy or 'too girly'. Its quiet and classy. Highly recommended.
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jen
first I went for a baby shower and then i had two parties at chado. everything was just amazing.
The scones are to die for and the podrea tea is really tasty.
service is always very good, our server knows all the forty page tea book. they are just extremely good with large parties and reasonable.
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linda
Awesome ambience not your typical tea room (no floral decor). but very classy. the tea selection is quite nice, a large selection and of many flavors. the chicken and cucumber sandwiches are very tasty, and addictive aswell. the scones are the best part of the tea. must try! service has always been pleasant tek, jordan, and sam they are very attentive and informative i like your tea or milk first analysis.
i would highly recommend chado for a great tea lover.
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catherine
My favorite tea place in all of southern California. I love it! there is a book of teas to choose from. my boy friend and i have a weekly Afternoon tea lunch at chado. the staff is always welcoming and very attentive. the atmosphere is fancy enough for a special occasion but relaxing and comfortable for informal dining.
you might need reservation during the weekend. if you love tea; i highly recommend it it is very reasonably priced. before i was buying loose tea from different places now i am just set at chado. great deal on both price and quality.
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STEVE4TEA
I have been coming to chado for years, for an informal business meetings and tea needs. it is undoubtedly the finest tea room in the southland. the tea is always well prepared and the prices are affordable. Refreshing place to include on a busy day. I love it! THE BEST QUALITY TEA!
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E. Tan
I have loved having tea at this location for many years. Imagine my disappointed during my last three visits. Maybe I'm just getting old and picky... I just feel that the service has become somewhat indifferent; can't put my finger on it. Even the sandwiches tasted odd this last time around. I could continue, but I'm still puzzled.
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Jason
I recently moved away from California, and one of the only things I will miss is Chado. My wife and I were regulars, and we loved the relaxing atmosphere, knowledgeable staff (Tek is to tea what a sommelier is to wine), and delicious sandwiches. The Punjab is our favorite (Souchang tea-soaked egg salad). This is not a silly, frilly tea house, but a sophisticated establishment that is as welcoming to men as it is to women. My wife and I now order tea from them online because we miss it so much. I recommend Margaret's Hope (the best Darjeeling I have ever had).
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patricia
THE BEST DARJEELING TEA I HAVE EVER HAD!!! I have been to chado's twice before, but this time it was exceptional. the service is friendly, knowlegeable, and as timely as the large crowds will allow. they have every kind of tea you could want,each time i went; i have been asking for advice,and each tea was steeped just right.
the food is delightful, the sandwiches are just right, the crusts are cut off, the bread beautifully toasted. i loved the smoked salmon and limerick sandwiches, and for dessert scone with the cream and jam is just perfect. i give this establishment five star.
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tracy
After hearing much praise about chado tea room for the past several years, I was finally able to get there with six of my friends. we had an excellent experience. when we entered the tea room,we were greeted by our server then we were courteously seated and we were given the tea and food options. the tea menu is just overwhelming over forty pages they are all stacked on the wall in a beautiful brown tins.
we had their Afternoon tea service and combinations; everything was just fantastic. the scones were marvelous - wonderful texture and just-right flavor. The food selections offered more than enough variety. My personal favorite, a very tasty cream of tomato soup, and waldorf salad. one of my friends had the salmon and carrot soup combination which was just amazing.the tea making process was quite appropriate, done with perfection and artistry. The conversation with our server about our many options for tea, and the character of many of the teas we did not know, was almost as much fun as our actual tea and food was outstanding.And of course, our service staff was excellent, friendly and most helpful.
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Amber
we visited chado tea room with my sisters recently and being a tea drinker I was very impressed with the variety of teas and the quantity of food. The tea selections offered were outstanding and delicious. The food was fresh and was both excellent in taste and presentation, the service was friendly and knowledgable. . I would recommend this tea room to anyone. you don't have to dress-up and price is very reasonable. We will return.
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Lisa
As soon as you walk in to the tea room something was smelling heavenly which i think was the flavor of the teas. I went with a couple of girlfriends and we had the best time! The service, tea and food were fantastic. the tea pots were very charming and the scones were delish. The atmosphere is very simple but lovely. When we finished our afternoon tea,buying the teas was the fun part we enjoyed it!!!. I would recommend this tea house to anyone and everyone!
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Madison
When I'm in the Pasadena, I love going to Chado's. I only wish they had one in the Orange County area. This is the only tearoom my husband will go to because it's not a 'frilly' place and it's more of a restaurant atmosphere. The sandwiches are always so yummy and the fillings are generous in comparison to many other tearooms that just spread a thin layer of filling. It took me a few trips to figure out that you can substitute sandwiches. I'm not a big fan of the Mediterranean sandwich, so I always substitute it with another cranberry chicken. Also, you do need to let the servers know what type of scone and dessert you want with your tea, because they usually don't ask. The service could be better, but the quality and price ($15) for tea is VERY reasonable. I have gone to other tearooms that charge $30-$45 that aren't half as good.
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jen
I have been to the chado tea room several times and have always had an amazing time. My first time was to host a baby Shower, and since our experience was so great, we have planned a monthly Tea. we have tried other tea rooms and they don't measure up to the experience specially with tea bags. The food here is always great!
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susan
I found chado tea room several years ago through a AAA article and have returned numerous times a year since with friends and family.
The food is always freshly made, good portion and delicious. The scones are an absolute must for dessert.
Service is always friendly and we are never rushed through our meal.
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kate
I am also a regular at chado tea room; I have lunch at the tea room almost every week. It is a wonderful place to have a nice cup of tea and to sit and talk with a close friend . The selection of loose leaf teas are just excellent we always try a new tea. The food is so fresh we love love love the tomato soup, and tastes like home. My friends and I love the simplisity, the atmosphere and the food! and the The staff is so nice and I definetely suggest it to any tea officanado!!!
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don
This is my personal favorite tea room. me and my wife visit tea rooms all around the state whenever we are out of town. well i am at this establishement on a weekly bases and i doubt it if the people are commenting about chado because being a repeat customer the service, food , and TEA are all superb i don't think it is me along who thinks this way because they are always swammed on the weekend. THEY KNOW HOW TO MAKE TEA AND THEY HAVE A GREAT SERVING STAFF. i have tried scarlet, and huntington ;when it comes to tea preparation none of those come close to chado. afterall we don't know any other tea place in the area where we can visit on a weekly bases without dessing up. our family love chado and we recommend it to all our friends and guests.
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Jessica D.
There must be some confusion as to what a tea room should offer in way of tea/food/service/appearance. Sans the wide tea selection, this restaurant is a disappointment. I'm not picky, and nor was my guest, however we were so sickened by the tea sandwiches and'dessert' that we literally left our food there, pais or $45.00 bill and got out of there as soon as humanly possible. I WILL NEVER VISIT this establishment EVER AGAIN. It should not be rated as a tea room because it IS NOT. As for those patrons who rely on the 'comfort, service, and delish food' you are sorely mistaken, might I even say insane to call this place your tea room of choice! Terrible!!!!! And shame on those of you for mis-leading others !!!!
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t4fun
Having spent several years in England, I know what a good cup of tea should be and a great scones should taste, and i was giving up on looking for a place that have both. But on my trip to old town pasadena i discovered chado tea room, a tea room with forty pages of tea list. thanks to the knowledge and expertise of the tea merchants for their wounder blends and taking the time to ask questions and making selections based on my personal preferences. I've even been introduced to some new teas that I wouldn't have tried otherwise. I can't say enough positive about this lovely shop - it's worth the trip!!
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DD
A group of ladies went to a birthday party over the weekend. it was a great experience; we all had the afternoon tea it was great and we all had a good time. the tea and the scone were my high lights.i had their gold tisane tea which is very fruity herbal blend and my sister had mango flip which she didn't care for very tart and sour but they were very accomodating they changed to an indan chai tea that was the best chai tea i have ever tasted. if for sandwiches the cucumber and watercress were my favorite . i didn't care for the egg salad nor for the chicken because it was a little too sweet for my taste but all my girl friends loved it. the place was extremly busy and i recommend making a reservation when you visit it looks like a fun tea room not to flowery and a lot of nice things too.
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AN
I took my mother here for her birthday because she and I both love the experience of High Tea. When we arrived, the place was pretty small. There were other people standing there, which made it difficult to find a place to stand and wait. Unfortunaely, we shouldn't have had to wait since I made a reservation, which I would definitely recommend you do if you want to avoid waiting for a long time. We weren't seated right away; the server claimed they needed to clear off the table. It took about ten minutes and we were finally seated. It took about ten minutes for someone to come over and place our settings down. Then it took another five minutes for our waiter to bring us menus. Then, it took about fifteen minutes for our server to come back and take our order. We waited about twenty-five minutes for our food. The finger sandwiches were very disappointing, especially the egg salad. VERY BLAND. The scones were the absolute best. The strawberries and Chado cream were great. The desserts were OK (nothing to run home and tell your friends about). The tea was OK. When we had completed our meal, no one came to give us our check. I finally had to get up and ask them for it. VERY BAD. We asked for water from the waiter and never got it -- had to finally ask the busboy for water. The ambience was OK, food was eh, and the service was terrible. It was a Sunday at 12:30pm that we attended.
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vickie
It was n't my intent to review chado; however, i am compelled to do so after stumbling on some of the BOGUS points that were raised. Though it is upto the individual to judge the experience, i do think this is a very decent establishment with a reasonablely priced menu because i have had 'afternoon tea' for $45 and above but the experience at chado surpass all of those places for less than $20. I do agree after looking at the tea selections and the place in general; they do need more dessert choices. neverthless, their sandwiches and scones are my personal picks of any other tea room in the area. infact after a long day in caltech I love the punjab and chicken cranberry with the tomato soup, and a scone for dessert .
since i frequent chado and i even have arranged my sister's shower in early January 2008 with out a doubt i can say i adore this place.
what attracted me long time ago was a tea tasting class i attended and the skill and knowledge of the guys behind the counter.
finally i do think this is the only tea place where they have a tea room and wide selection of teas in one roof..OVER 300.,and a fine tea wares. i definitely recommend the tea room to any Tea lover.
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Colorado Springs
We visit this tea room often and are never disatisfied. The scones are to die for and we also love their waldorf salad.It is the only favorite tea room of my husband.
- Lisa
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karen
I work in pasadena and well I am a loyal customer of chado. i have been going there for more than five years with a group and just alone in the afternoon sometimes. everybody at this establishment is so friendly and helpful. it is not frilly and fu-fu it is just a casual atmosphere. i have tried rose tree cottage, scarlet tea room and many more in the pasadena area; however, i still like to stick with chado because with a group at work, we litrally have lanchon twice a week at chado, and i have had their afternoon tea several times which is just excellent. infact we had two bridal shower on a weekend where we witnessed people litrally waiting for more than half an hour for a table if they do not have reservation. which showes the success and greatness of the establishment. not only that this is also my husband's favorate place to buy tea because he is a tea fanatic he has been to china for a business where he got educated about different teas.
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Crystal
WOW! I have a hard time believing that so many people that wrote reviews have actually been to this 'tea room'. I was SO surprised to experience such horrors because of the rave reviews that I feel compelled to write one of my own. First of all I called to make a reservation and didn't get a very warm and fuzzy greeting. The man who answered the phone was so hard to understand because of his abrubt replies and extremely thick hispanic accent. Nevertheless, I just figured someone had answered the phone that doesn't normally do so because I was calling early in the day. We walked in a little surprised at the cafe setting rather than the frilly atmosphere we were expecting, and were 'greeted' with a busboy looking fellow who said 'two?'. I replied that I had made a reservation and could only assume that he didn't speak much english because all he did was motion to a table. There was never an explanation of the menu or any sort of welcome. Very disappointing. So we ordered the ONE tea menu that they offered. It was inedible. If you expect your egg salad to be gray and taste like burned tea with the consistancy of chalky egg, then go here. No I'm not exaggerating. The 'mediterranean' sandwich had so many stems and had dirt in it that it was obviously inedible. We were never offered a choice of what type of store bought old bundt cake that came with our tea, so my friend and I got served a lemon slice and a chocolate slice. It was just not good. Also we were never given a choice of what kind of scone we would like because apparently they offer different varieties. Fortunately I was served a plain scone, while my poor friend was given the most awful orange-cranberry scone that I've ever tasted. I don't mean to be so rude, but we were never checked on by the server and were just so saddened that such great reviews misled us. Thank God it was only $15 a person. And as for their tea varieties, I' take a hundred less tea selections for some edible food. I hope the owner will re-evaluate her menu.
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RL
A group of ladies went to this tea room on a tuesday afternoon; we had a great time with Jimmy Wyble and
his friends accomplished jazz muscian.
The food was plenty and very good flavor on everything we all agreed
the portions were all very genorous the chicken and the smoked salmon
were my personal favorate. they
have the best scones that I have ever tasted. the tea room is easy to fined;itis on the heart of
old town pasadena. It is not real formal establishment which I have been to both kinds and like the informal but pleasant atmosphere and the gift area was fun to explore. All in all the experience was great and hope to take my family there sometime for the holidays
RL
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Cindy
I love going to Chaddo. I usually don't need an advanced reservation. The price is very reasonable - $15 for afternoon tea. There are hundreds of tea selections. The tea sandwiches are not the usual delicate tea sandwiches; they are more like regular sandwiches - the bread is toasted, they are cut in half diagonally instead of into fourths. The scones and desserts are just OK, too. Still, I love going to this place when I just want to sit down with a friend and to enjoy a pot of tea. This place makes me feel like a traveler passing through, having some tea and sandwiches while resting my feet.
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Julie Hanson
Chado provided wonderful food, service, and atmosphere. There was a group of 10 of us for our inaugural meeting of our Purple Hat Club, in honor of Erma Bombeck. We spent a fantastic afternoon visiting and sipping tea. Parking in Old Town Pasadena can often be a challenge but this is easily resolved by the valet service offered by Chado. What fun we had. We pulled up, left our cars, and had a restful respite. I would highly recommend this tea room for all the reasons mentioned and the fantastic prices.
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gigi
Amazing establishment! we just had a 'TEA PARTY' over the weekend and everything was just excellent.Thank you for your gracious service at our 'Tea Party'.The service was more than excellent and the food divine! we will certainly be back. Again, thank you for your wonderful food and service.wish you are in ventura county.
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linda
chado tea room is just charming.It is tucked back from the busy colorado blvd. While you are there you forget you are in the mid of old town. The teas are very nicely arranged on one side of the tea room, over two houndred, we first went to buy a gift for a friend we end up tasting over four diffent teas, and left the tea room with two full bag of teas. The guys behind the counter kept on brewing samples. I have done a lot of wine tasting events, by far sniffing over thirty teas topped all the tasting events I had before. The tea room is nicely decorated. I especially liked the ambiance its just welcoming to all and very modern. If you like flavors try the st.marc's which is a berry blend and their cinnamon appricot tea.The food is always tasty and very filling. chado is a great place to spend a relaxing afternoon with your friends. I think this the best tea room in LA.
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tracy
A visit to the chado is one of the wisest choices I've ever always made when it comes to a place to eat as well as a place to relax and enjoy the company of a good friend. The selection of teas is wonderful, and it is served at just the perfect temperature, and everything is prepared fresh and with a great deal of forethought and taste. I always enjoyed all the tea sandwiches. but smoked salmon with cream cheese and the chicken cranberry (sounds so simple, but it is truly divine)are my personal favorites. talking about scones they have the best, infact when I first discoved this place for my friends bridal shower, what kept my coming is their authentic scones and a wide selection of teas. . The chocolate cake was a little sweet for my taste.The atmosphere is friendly and welcoming. This is THE best place to take a girlfriend and/or relative for a special occasion or just to enjoy some time together. It is one of the few tea houses in which I think my husband would feel comfortable in and be satisfied by the menu. It is truly a relief to me to find such a treasure in pasadena! ( very reasonably priced menu!!!)
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Jennifer
I had decently high expectations after reading the reviews, however, I was extremely disappointed. There was a great variety of teas, however, I didn't really enjoy the 2 that I tried. I had the afternoon tea-the sandwiches were stale and distasteful. The scone wasn't sweet at all, it was like a undercooked biscuit. And the cake was too sweet. My boyfriend had the sandwich salad combination. The salad was basically half a handful of lettuce with a side of (what tasted merely like) balsamic vinegar. There seemed to be a funny smell/taste in all the foods. The service wasn't great either. I wouldn't recommend this to anyone. Although the Tea Rose Garden just south of Chado's has poorer reviews (due to poor service), the food is no doubt about it fresher, tastier, and the teas have a pleasant taste.
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Grace
It's definitely one of the best places to have tea. I have been coming here for years the sevice is always gracious and attentive. It is just simple and charming. you don't have to dress up. The space is phenomenal; occationally it is very hard to get in on weekends because they would have private events; however,it is a peaceful place any weekday afternoon. the 'afternoon tea and the waldorf salad' are my favorite on the menu. the tea comes with sandwiches, scone, the best clotted cream,outside of England, and a pot of tea. add to this they have over 200 decent tea selection. it is just an adventure. I always enjoy coming here.
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Eileen
This was my first time at Chado Tea Room. I was most dissapointed with the service. They had a bridal party they were serving when we arrived, so it took them a while to greet or even seat us and we had reservations. I had to waive someone down to get their attention. The service was slow and I didn't care for the noise level. Hard to hear one another. Other than that, the food, tea and dessert were great.
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Jennifer
I have been to Chado Tea Room twice and consider it the tea to beat--their food is absolutely wonderful and (I believe) home-made. (Nowadays, unfortunately, my impression is that many tearooms purchase pastries from Sam's Club, etc but this is NOT the case with Chado's!)
The afternoon tea is nicely balanced with a generous serving of sandwiches to offset the sweet desserts--you don't leave feeling as if all you ate was sugar. The sandwiches are unique and tasty (the eggs in their egg salad, for example, are soaked in tea adding an interesting and delicious twist).
Scones and cakes are moist and scrumptious.
Overall, a very satisfying experience--Chado Tea Room is my standard and I have yet to find another tea that lives up to it!
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sandra
I have attended two special events ' Afternoon tea parties' at this tea house; they were both wounderful experience. the food was plenty and very good flovor on everything.the tea list is impressive and was fun to explore.
. service was excellent. questions were kindly answered. it is an informal but pleasant atmpsphere
Due to my schedule, I have not yet tried tea on a normal day. however, each of my visits have left me eager to return.
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kim
I have been to chado many times. And every time I have come, I have felt welcome by the peaceful atmosphere and friendly service. I love to go there for any special occasion and even just to sit back and relax. chado's scones and cream are absolutely delicious! it is definitely my cup of tea!
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ern
My husband surprised me with tea for two three years ago at chado's .What a great place.The tea selection was awesome,the decor very clean,and intimate. The service was fantastic, very attentive. whenever we are in town now, this is our stop for afternoon tea. my husband loves the chicken cranberry sandwiches and the tomato soup ,and I think they have the best scones, they are just to die for.
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Carolyn B.
The sandwiches were dry and were difficult to eat because the fillings kept falling out of them, however, the chocolate and citrus cakes were very moist, flavorful and tasty. We were not asked to have our tea pots refilled, which is why I only give an average for service. Also, the waiter whisked our pretty tiered platters away before asking if we were finished. I hadn't sampled the shortbread yet, darn it! The tea room was pretty with the wall of teas and the English type decor. The room was full, on a Sunday at noon, and the noise level was very high. We had to shout to each other to be heard at our table. I would recommend this tearoom only on a weekday, perhaps, when it is less busy.
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N
I'm not much on tea to begin with, but after my kid went to London a few years back, he can't seem to get enough of the stuff. So, when a co-worker suggested that we go to Chado's for lunch, after some apprehension I figured, 'Sure - why not?'
I'm a connoisseur of other things brewed - namely beer and coffee - and have a decent knowledge of both. However, when I saw the book length menu of teas here, I was quite overwhelmed. Still, I know what flavors I like in most things brewed, and after reading a few of the many, many detailed descriptions, I decided to give the Mauritius a try. Turns out it's their most popular.
As for the food...well, I'm a Texas gal (all of the southern charm, none of the otherworldly weirdness) raised in New York (yo! howbouddacuppacowfee), and now live in LA (none of me is augmented - I'm 100% all 'Nat'-ural). All that to say that dainty tea sammiches and clotted cream jus ain't my thang.
However, every time I've had lunch at this place - including today - I've enjoyed it. My Mauritius tea is strong and black with hints of vanilla. And the Chado chicken salad is simple but tasty.
I've not sampled the ever popular triple-decker Afternoon Tea, but all my colleagues rave about it, so I'll have to give it a try some day. Still, after dining here, I always feel as though I've 'classed up' just a bit.
Now that's sayin' somthin!
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Dixie
Good moderate and affordable price. You have a choice of choosing a complete tea or a la carte The sandwiches' filling were too bland for my taste which was a shame as they were put together with good ingredients. Chado did emphasize they served their own home made cream and not the Devon Clotted Cream (which is truly typical of a real english tea) as so many other Tea Houses claim they do, but do not serve. Chado's interior is really lovely and modern, open and airy. Also their boutique offers lots of choice.
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tina
i have done three parties at chado each of them were quite a success!!!In fact, I just had a party of 35 on june 3rd everyone in my group was trilled with the service,food and ambiance. they were even accomudating my vegeterian guests. well when you plan an event i do know they explaine their AFTERNOON TEA service precisely, and i also know you could make substitution on sandwiches until the day before and they will also work with you if you have vegiterians. i do know each person selected a pot of tea they wanted from 300 teas.
chado you will still be the best in the States.
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Jamie
The food and tea were excellent; however, the service was terrible. I had a large party there for a bridal shower. I was not informed that substitutions needed to be made during the time of reservation. I got there early and tried to make substitutes. I guess I should have asked in advance but one of the owners (female) gave me a hard time about it and raised her voice at me. I was shocked at this. I read the other poor reviews on service and am not surprised at all based on how I was treated by the owner. She proceeded to talk about me behind the counter once things were 'settled'. It was a good thing none of my sister's guest witnessed it. I will not be returning. There are other tea rooms that offer good service where one would not be yelled at!!!!!!!
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Dana c
We have been to many tea places in Southern california and this one is the best by far. The service is excellent and friendly. The food is better tah any we have had anywhere, and the value is great. The tea selection is the largest we have ever seen. We will continue to return to this tea room and highly reccommend it to anyone who enjoys high tea.
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Jessica
Service was great until the point when we were asked to leave because a larger party was ready to be seated. We had not been there more than an hour, with reservations. We attended this tea room for my mom's birthday. I had even sent a letter to the establishment, and heard nothing back from them. I would not recommend this place. There are far better places in Pasadena than this.
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Kathy
I am an avid tea lover and owner of a tea room. I have visited numerous tea rooms, but CHADO remindes me of MARIAGE FRERES in paris. the selection of teas at chado surpasses all the tea rooms i have been to( in the STATES). the food is delicious, the TEAS OVERWHELMING, which I praise them for, and the service always polite, hospitable and welcoming. It is gratifing to see someone like Tek who enjoyes every aspect of tea and unfold the hundreds of teas. I adore chado, and I highly recommend it for tea lovers.
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nicole
we have been to different tea rooms, but chado is the best tea experience ever! the food ,atmosphere,and service were superb. the owners Reena and Tec are really great , friendly,and knowledgeable teaholicers. they were making sure everybody from my party was having a wonderful time.
such a fun place; if you love TEA TEA TEA we highly recommend CHADO.
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brad
for me and my wife going to chado has been a treat for more than three years. we have visited chado for years. Each experiance has been phenomenal! The food,atmospher and service has been wonderful. TEK is a really down to earth very very attentive Gentleman; he even knows our order. we spend 30 to 45 minutes just learning, sampling and buying different teas.
Definitely a place i would recommend and visit again and again.
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niki
By far the best tea room in town excellent selecion of teas and friendly sevice. if it is your first time ask for recommendation; they know TEA. I had my sister's birthday party on the weekend everybody in the party was extremely pleased. the ' afternoon tea' and cream of tomato soup is a must try. thank you chado; for the surprised birthday desert and delightful atmospher. we will be coming back.
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niki
By far the best tea room in town excellent selecion of teas and friendly sevice. if it is your first time ask for recommendation; they know TEA. I had my sister's birthday party on the weekend everybody in the party was extremely pleased. the ' afternoon tea' and cream of tomato soup is a must try. thank you chado; for the surprised birthday desert and delightful atmospher. we will be coming back.
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niki
By far the best tea room in town excellent selecion of teas and friendly sevice. if it is your first time ask for recommendation; they know TEA. I had my sister's birthday party on the weekend everybody in the party was extremely pleased. the ' afternoon tea' and cream of tomato soup is a must try. thank you chado; for the surprised birthday desert and delightful atmospher. we will be coming back.
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Lisa
The Pasadena Chado offers one of the most reasonably priced teas in the area. The portions are generous, in fact, the sweets are overly indulgent. Their Afternoon Tea sandwiches are generously cut and the bread is always toasted. However, the fillings can be lacking in taste and the salmon did not look at its peak. The lone scone will singe your fingers! I ordered iced Earl Grey and had to add sugar to cover the bitterness. The downside was the terrible service. Our reservation was disregarded and another party of two was seated before us. Eventually, an employee did inquire if we wanted a table! I have observed this before-- the staff never seems coordinated! The table was in a tight, uncomfortable corner. Observing how long other guests were waiting for orders to be taken and food to be served, we were immediately prepared to place our order and that seemed to help. Weekends are not pleasant. The place is uncomfortably jammed and the noise level discourages conversation, especially when there are large parties. Chado deserves to be on your tea list--just plan to go at off hours!
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Dee
This was my first visit to this tea room, and I think it is appropriately categorized as “urban”. Unlike the other tea rooms that I frequent, this room was lacking the charm and ambience of a more English style place. Chado is very reasonably priced, and must be praised for their incredible tea selection. Unfortunately, serving the tea in a coffee mug type cup takes away from the beauty of a true tea experience. Despite the lack in charm, Chado offers very tasty sandwiches and the strawberries with cream were fantastic. Unfortunately, I cannot say the same for the desserts. Both the carrot cake and upside down cake were dry and bland.
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Alexis
Even though my group's experience at Chado was fine in the beginning and middle, it ended in disaster. Unfortunately, that's what the hostess, guests and most importantly the celebrante will remember.
The food served was nothing out of the ordinary. This wasn't the problem. Management has major scheduling issues and lacked knowing how to handle situations like ours in an appropriate manner. There was nothing appropriate about how our experience ended.
Our bridal shower was perfect to begin w/. We were able to 'set-up' (something I confirmed twice!) 30 minutes prior to our actual party start time). There was NO OTHER patrons there when we began to do this. We had a party of 28 so we needed an adequate amount of time which we got and appreciated until we were later informed this time was to be included in our overall time limit. Something that was not conveyed to us BOTH the times myself and the Maid of Honor confirmed the date, time (beginning and end), and set-up arrangements. I bring this up because the person that had booked our party booked us from 11:30 to 2pm (w/ set up at 11am per confirmations). We did not know nor did we find out about another large party being schduled right after us at 1:30pm until the bride to be was opening her gifts!!!! As the bride opens her gifts and as the guests play 'Gift Bingo' another party comes in to set up. This pretty much RUINED our ENTIRE experience. It did NOT help that the other group had no manners or class as they stared us down and made rude comments about us having to hurry. Nevermind we were trying to make a memorable a wonderful experience for our Bride-to-Be. So our group of strong-minded women had to make a scene prior to leaving which made the bride-to-be unhappy that we had to deal w/ the whole dilema. It also did not help that management tried to blame US, THE PATRON for coming too early when we clearly confirmed TWICE what would be the earliest time to set up. He claimed that because we got there at 11am that it should have ended at 1:30pm even though our reservations (confirmed w/ the waitress) stated 11:30am to TWO O'clock!!!!! I also believe that the hostess there that day (6/25/06) was friends w/ the rude and incosiderate party after us and allowed them to stand there and gawk at us even though they were told to wait outside. This obviously was not our party's fault!!! Bad management, bad scheduling, and unclear instructions will keep myself, the bride and our entire party of 27 from EVER returning to that place!
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Jason
The Pasadena Chado boasts better service and atmosphere than its WeHo counterpart. They offer a generous portion of food for the price, even if the chicken lacked its advertised lapsang. Don't come here expecting a frilly chintzy 'old lady' cottage-style teahouse nor a Chinese teahouse; there is no gongfu to be had here unless you bring your own implements (we did!), and the only cottage-style features of Chado lay in its tea-sandwiched menu and the glazed earthenware Alice-In-Wonderland-esque teapots.
I personally don't trust reviews by people who can't spell lavender and think that English scones make a teahouse authentic (the tea ought to rank higher than the bakery items in evaluating a teahouse, IMNSHO), and I find this a fine substitute for a gongfu-style teahouse until such a place exists in LA.
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J.C.
Scones were disappointing - I have had afternoon tea in several little tea rooms in England and these scones were not anywhere near as good as the scones I have had there. They were crunchy on the outside and they seemed to be toasted, which is NOT how scones are supposed to be served. Moreover, the atmosphere was not like one would expect in an English tea room...the cups and saucers were not elegant at all: they were coffee shop coffee cups. The imperial earl grey tea was relatively good, as was the cranberry and salmon tea sandwiches...but these did not make up for the lack of atmosphere or decent scones. If you want an authentic experience, go elsewhere...it is worth the five or so extra bucks you would pay. If you really don't care about scones or the atmosphere, and just want to hang out with your friends without worrying about the price, come here.
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Raluca
I was very unimpressed as I thought this was a Tea Room when in reality it is a Restaurant that offers Tea. The Earl Grey Lavendar tea that I order not only lacked Lavendar but whas also very bitter. The service was horrible. Personally when I think of tea room I don't think Diner style teacups. I will never go back again.
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vicki
we throughly enjoyed our tea experiance at chado tea room. they have a wide selections of tea ; delicious Afternoon tea specially the scone and a wounderful service they definitlly know TEA well.
dear chado and staff,thanks for making my sisters birthday so special; she is still talking abou it. we will be coming back again and again.
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Anita
Enjoyable on the whole. The vastness of the tea selection was truly impressive! My only complaint is that the Punjab sandwich (egg salad) could use a touch of salt. And maybe asking folks if they had a preference in what they might want as a dessert. I am allergic to walnuts and bananas and found out a tad late that the delicious cake I was tasting was actually a banana/walnut cake. I will return however, I'll just be sure to ask next time.
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Alison
I've been meaning to review this place for quite some time. My group has met here for tea on many occasions and we've always had a wonderful experience. The food is delicious: excellent scones, marvelous tea sandwiches and pastries. And of course, the tea menu is second-to-none. The variety is simply dizzying. I've always found the service to be pleasant and accommodating and the atmosphere simple, but comfortable. I recommend Chado for anyone serious about good tea and I don't doubt that my friends and I will return again.
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kitgrl
I had a wonderful time at the Chado Tea Room in Pasadena. The food was exceptional and the varieties of tea was outstanding. The room is nicely decorated which made it a relaxing place to visit with friends. I highly recommend the Chado for their ample portions and delicious food. I will return with my family for another visit.
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Becky Woo
Look no further tea lovers! This tea room is by far the best in all! My husband and I are avid tea fanatics, and have travelled to England, San Francisco, Austrailia sampling high teas. We have even frequented teas in some of the most beautiful hotels in California (Peninsula, Bel Air Hotel, and Ritz-Carlton, Fairmont). Chado excels over all in scones, tea selection, portions and service. We are always happy to return to Chado even after touring England for a wonderful tea. We are so lucky to have a Chado in Pasadena and L.A.
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Blackrose
My sister and I visited Chado and this was our very first tearoom experience. The food was good and the tea selection is a tea drinkers paradise. The experience was wonderful oh my.... I loved the scones with the cream, that was to die for. I have been to one other tearoom since then and I must say the portions at Chado was far greater than the other tearoom. I ate until I was full and loved the fact that we each had our own pot of tea. I would recommend this place to anyone and looking forward to our next time.
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smoocheee
My favorite place so far!! Loved it. I enjoyed every aspect of my visit. The tea was delicious, the sandwiches were scrumptious. The scones were great as were the desserts. I've already made plans to treat both my mother and my mother-in-law to tea at Chado. The atmosphere was perfect, my friend and I spent over an hour comfortably at our table. A wonderful place to enjoy tea and the company of friends.
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Jennifer
On a visit from FL I could only choose 3 tearooms to visit...I am so glad this made the cut. It was beautiful inside with an outstanding tea selection and knowledge owner who helped me choose several loose leaf teas to take home. The presentation of the lunch sampler was elegantly done. The scones were wonderful. The deserts looked great but were not quite my favorite. They were short-handed so we had a little wait towards the end but well worth the wait. My trip to CA was enhanced by this charming tearoom. Don't miss it!
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newtotea
My friends and I just had an afternoon tea on Sat. The tea, hot or iced, was very good. The sandwhiches, scone, and desert were good. Everything was brought out at the same time which was new for me. The server was nice, we sat down right away. She offered to help us choose a tea since we didn't know which one to choose when there are over 100 to choose from..