Rose Garden Tea Room - San Marino

The tea is amazing good food not badly priced either. want to go again only problem is that you have to pay to get into the library so if all you want to do is tea then it gets pretty expensive.

A last minute reservation got us into the gardens on Free Day! Highlight was the delicate tea and scones, but at $50 per person, this was not a good value ‍

NEW OWNERSHIP NOT GOOD!!! The Tea Room is now being managed by a new owner. My previous review was 5-Stars, but I now give it 2-Stars. I have been coming to the Tea Room for over 20 years and the changes to the menu and tea selection are not welcome. I liked the past flexibility of picking only what you wanted from the buffet, and not having to wait for the waiter/waitress to bring you the additional items that you like. ADDITIONALLY, they no longer sell their loose tea. My wife and I went to the Tea Room just before Christmas last year to restock our supply of their traditional holiday tea called Goldrush , only to find the new management does not believe in this additional source of revenue.

The Rose Garden Tea Room was a place that was very special to me before the changes that recently ensued. I truly looked forward to the tea room as the highlight of my visit to The Huntington, whatever season. My husband and I would make a point to celebrate my birthday here among other special occasions this brought us to the Tea Room several times per year. When my grandmother visited from Chicago during Thanksgiving of 2015, we made sure that a visit to the Tea Room was on the list. She loved it! When I heard that they were changing the concept/food/tea, I kept an open mind and visited the newly imagined tea room on New Year's Day 2017. Wow. What a disappointment. Not only were certain items omitted from our tier that were included on others' tiers at nearby tables (crumpets, among others I believe), we were not advised that we could order seconds on the items that we did enjoy (some of the finger sandwiches)... To top off the food being scarce, the tea that we tried (their Huntington Signature Tea) was far too floral than I prefer. I miss their Blackberry Tea!!! Further, as I enjoy more savory bites, I felt that the price wasn't worth what I received in exchange. I wish that we would have had a different experience. I feel sort of depressed that this piece of enjoyment in life has been taken away. So long to the salads, fruits, endless finger sandwiches and Blackberry Tea...

The Rose Garden Tea Room has upped its game, so I 'm revising my review to be 5 stars. The buffet is gone, the service is top-notch, and there 's now a chef !!! who makes fabulous food. He actually came out and asked people how things were. We were a bit skeptical the other day when we visited for our annual birthday tea, since we liked the unlimited food in the old buffet. But never fear! After pulling out our chairs for us and helping us put our napkins on our laps, our server told us that if we needed more of any of the delicious food items he 'd get more for us. And he did! Although some of the less-traditional tea items such as cheese, crackers and salad are gone, the scones, sandwiches and desserts they now serve are better than ever. And I 've come here nearly every year for the past 22 years!! They even have soft, tasteful music playing. I no longer feel like I 'm in a cafeteria, and appreciate that my fellow diners aren 't always getting up for more food at a buffet, so we can enjoy our experience together more. Great job, Huntington! I can 't wait to visit again!!!