Elizabeth
User's reviews
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The English Rose Tea Room and Gifts
I went to the English Rose with my mom, sister and niece, for my niece's 6th birthday. The tea room is charming, with a sort of French/English garden theme to the decor. We enjoyed the food, the staff made a fuss over my niece, and our experience was very relaxing and fun. The only issue we had was when I went to buy a tin of their signature tea -- a rose-scented black tea blend called, appropriately, The English Rose -- and discovered that they only take cash and credit cards as payment. Other than that, if I lived in the area, I'd definitely be back!
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Tyme for Tea
This is one of my favorite places to have afternoon tea. The tea room is a space in the middle of an antique shop which makes for a fun ambiance. There are hats and feather boas to dress up in. The pricing is fair and the quality of the food is very good, freshly made in the open kitchen off to one side of the tea seating area. Teas are loose-leaf, mostly flavored blends, but some unflavored, like English Breakfast. The service has always been excellent; in fact, the service here is superior to the service I've received multiple times at the Fairmont Hotel in San Jose! It's a great place to go when you're in Niles visiting the antique shops, or the Silent Film Museum, or the Railroad Museum, or anything else in the area.
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Mountain View Tea Village
This is a shop for buying loose-leaf Chinese tea: in other words, you cannot buy a cup of tea or any food here, you cannot sit in the shop and drink a cup of tea, and there are very few, if any, flavored tea blends. However, if you want the kind of teas that Chinese people drink at home, this is a good place to go. This is where to go if you want to find Chinese herbs for medicinal use, also. Service is basic; the staff will brew some tea for you to taste, and they will tell you all about the tea, but there is an unspoken expectation that you will buy something. I bought a floral/black tea blend from them and have enjoyed it very much; most of their teas are unflavored, and loose-leaf.
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Cynthia's Tea Garden
This is a charming little cottage tea room. It is small -- literally one table in the former dining room of the house! The owner is also the cook and server, and she's a lovely, friendly English woman. The house is decorated with antiques, dolls, and teddy bears, and there is a little gift shop in the front room. The tea selection was not huge, but included loose-leaf tea, and the menu is pre-set and includes fruit salad, tea sandwiches and savories, scones with jam and cream, and a dessert. Pricing is about on par with Lisa's Tea Treasures and most other afternoon places that I've visted.
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Satori Tea Company
This is one of my favorite places to have afternoon tea. The food is always good -- alterations can be made for dietary restrictions with advance notice -- and the variety of tea is wonderful. They have several blends that are not available anywhere else. Pricing is average for a tea room, and I've always gotten good service. Decor is whimsical, sort of Alice-in-Winderland meets Japanese Lolita, but it's fun, although the huge white plaster baby heads on one wall might take some getting used to!