Hola,
I was wondering if anyone had some good Afternoon Tea recommendations?
It doesn’t have to have a full menu of tea sandwiches, etc., the most important things are:
Thanks! 
Any concerns about price?
No, unless it’s stratospheric baller status stuff like Tempura Endo, LOL. Thanks.
I like The Peninsula for an upscale afternoon tea. My mother-in-law goes to the Rose Tree Cottage in Pasadena with her friends.
The Langham in Pasadena has a nice, large, bright area for tea. Food was just ok, service was lackluster We arrived early for weekday tea, perhaps they’re better staffed on weekends.
Food and service aside - Meets nice setting and atmosphere requirements.
Hi @MaladyNelson,
I just googled some pics of The Peninsula in their “The Living Room”… wow, those towers of food, it’s like a full meal? 
How do people finish all that food and have tea? (I’m looking for just 2 people.) LOL.
The space looks pretty.
Thanks @ipsedixit. I definitely wanna try out Huntington’s Tea Room, but probably when the weather is warmer (so we can enjoy the outdoor gardens as well ;)). Did you like their teas?
I’ve only been to afternoon tea once in LA, and it was at Chado. It was many yrs ago, but the selection was vast (overwhelming, actually), so I can’t imagine that you wouldn’t be able to find something to your liking. Unfortunately, I don’t know much about teas and can’t even recall what I ordered! 
You can find a list of their tea selections on their website.
The decor of the LA cafe was a bit… antiquated. It’s apparently permanently closed, however. The pics for the other locations look better…
I believe the Beverly Wilshire Hotel does a nice tea.
Eater LA has some suggestions:
I must admit that, the few times I’ve had afternoon tea, I’ve always considered ambiance and food to be more important than the tea. ::hang head ashamedly::
no.
I really appreciate the plush seating at The Peninsula, which definitely helps when consuming the massive quantities of food served at their afternoon tea. But in all seriousness, the sandwiches, desserts, and tea are all top notch.
Hi @MaladyNelson and all,
So are these more plush / bountiful Afternoon Tea places recommended here… would the food be too much for 2 people? (I don’t like wasting food.)
Or are they meant to replace lunch / dinner?
Thanks.
Afternoon tea is usually meant to replace dinner (unless you’re having a very late supper), and can easily replace lunch as well if you have a big breakfast that day. That’s assuming you’re having the full afternoon tea; i.e., sandwiches, scones, and pastries.
As above, I’ve had good teas at the Peninsula, Huntington Library, and the Rose Tree Cottage in the past. I haven’t had it recently, though.
I have found the Peninsula to be the highest quality tea - food, tea and service - and most consistent. It is definitely a meal replacement for us. I have also been to the Langham several times. I don’t find the service to be as quite as good as the Peninsula and it is harder to get Saturday reservations, but it is still a good experience in my opinion. Even with much lowered expectations, we didn’t like anything about the Huntington tea experience. Rose tea cottage was too cutesy for my taste, but I haven’t been in a long time. I’ve been to the Montage BH tea once about two years ago and the service was laughable, but I will likely give that a try again. Also on my list to try is the the Bel Air Hotel (haven’t been since it became a Puck managed site), the Beverly Hills Hotel and more casual and less pricey American Tea Room.
I second @heidi 's assessment of The Peninsula’s afternoon tea. Also, I’ve always treated afternoon tea as a substitute for lunch - albeit one with copious sweets.
Thanks @theartgirl, @heidi, @MaladyNelson. Got it.
On a side note, is it possible to enjoy The Peninsula’s afternoon tea service with just their great teas and maybe a smaller selection of sandwiches? I really want to just enjoy some tea and ambiance in a relaxing afternoon, and still keep dinner plans.
Thanks!
Just eat less. You’d still pay the same (60/person?).
To make it worth your while, you can ask them to bag up additional treats to take home aside from the standard cake they give you as a souvenir.
IME, you can order one aspect of the afternoon tea - e.g. tea and sandwiches, or tea and scones (cream tea) - at a reduced price. I’ve done it without a problem in various cities whenever I haven’t wanted a full afternoon tea. I’ve never known a venue to bring fewer sandwiches, though.