Nestled in the lush grounds of The Huntington Library, Art Museum and Botanical Gardens is the tranquil, upscale Rose Garden Tea Room. This idyllic, sophisticated tea house is the perfect way to celebrate a special occasion. Located in Pasadena, California, this tea service is an experience that is great for tourists and locals.
You will feel transported to the tea party you dreamed of as a kid. Or feel as though you get to have the experience of going to England, minus the flight! Get dressed up and go enjoy a beautiful and classic tea service.
Reservations are recommended and the entrance fee to The Huntington Library is required and not included. Plan to make a day of this experience. Enjoy the museums and the stunning, sprawling gardens. When it is time for your tea experience, you will find yourself just off the rose gardens. If you’re looking for the rose garden to be in full bloom, May will be your best bet!
Inside seating in the tearoom has a clean and upscale aesthetic. The new outdoor seating will allow you to soak in the surrounding nature. Depending on the time of year, the outdoor seating has drawbacks. The heat makes outdoor seating a very sweaty experience, especially when drinking hot tea. For this reason, I prefer the indoor seating for the bulk of the year.
Tea Service
When you sit down, the table is already immaculately set. You will choose what type of tea service that you want. Traditional tea is currently $64 a person and comes with the full tea service. The Huntington Tea service is currently $77 a person and comes with the full tea service, a glass of sparkling wine, a lobster roll and an additional sweet treat. You can’t go wrong with either service.
Then you will choose your tea. You may only choose one type of tea for the duration of your service. My husband and I always order different ones from each other so we can share multiple types. They come in little teapots, so it is easy to mix and match within your party. There are traditional teas, green teas, tisanes and seasonal teas. There are typically 15+ to choose from. Our favorite teas that we have had are the Earl Grey Crème and Huntington Rose Blend which are traditional teas. And for seasonal, we loved the Apricot Escape (Summer) and the Aztec Spice Tea (Fall).
Food Menu
The first bites you receive are some of my favorites. Seasonal scones that are freshly baked in house. The flavors can be savory and sweet but there are always two types. I am a fan of savory scones but the sweet are delicious as well. They serve scones with Devonshire cream, lemon curd and sweet marmalade. I have never been a fan of marmalade in my life. But when I tell you, Huntington’s Sweet Orange Marmalade is incredible, I mean it. I have a jar of it in my pantry and learned to make scones just to have an excuse to eat it. If you try it and love it or aren’t going to tea and just visiting the gardens and museums, buy a jar in the gift shop on your way out. It makes a great gift or is a wonderful treat for to home for yourself. 
Next on your tea journey, the classic 3-tiered tea stand will arrive. Here you will have all your food presented and your server will talk you through the items. It will be an array of finger sandwiches and sweets. These often change with the season as well, especially the sweets. I’ve never had the same sweet options twice. You can expect to have around 6 types of finger sandwiches, and the bonus lobster roll if you got The Huntington tea service. From the savory menu my favorite item is the smoked salmon, dill cream cheese and caviar. And I will always be a sucker for the classic cucumber sandwich.
For the sweets, you can expect 4 treats and the bonus sweet if you got The Huntington tea service. They can be anything from truffles, tarts, madeleines, cream puffs, mini cheesecakes and bon bons. As previously stated, these are switched up the most on the menu. You can always expect them to be delicious with a wide variety of flavor profiles.
The food arrives beautifully presented. A part of you may think, “Is this it? Certainly, it can’t be filling.” But I always walk out full or needing a to-go box. No matter who I am with, we walk out stuffed and try and walk off our fullness to the best of our abilities in the surrounding gardens. But, if you find that the food is not enough, there are add-ons on the menu. For an additional fee, as stated on the menu, you can add items such as soup, salads, cheeseboards and caviar. There are plenty of wines to choose from and cocktails as well!
I hope that if you have the pleasure of enjoying a special moment at the Rose Garden Tea Room that you have a wonderful experience!
