Scarlet Tea Room

Everytime I have gone to the tea room it's been a great experience. The food is delicious and the ambiance is to die for especially when they have the pianist. I've been there for a baby shower and they give you a variety of sandwhiches and teas. The best experience I had there was when I had made reservations for my moms b-day and invited my two sisters. We were supposed to meet there at 4pm but my sister didn't realize how long it would take her to get to Pasadena from Santa Monica. My mother was riding in the car w/my sister and my other sister cancelled. I was there waiting alone and I didn't know if I should cancell the reservation or not. I knew my mom and sister where gonna be late but I didn't know how late. I went into the Scarlet Tea Room and spoke with the owner about it and she allowed me to sit down and wait for the rest of my party. By this time I already had a headache, and she offered me a free shot of espresso to help relieve my headache--who gives you free anything now a days? She was being so nice and told me not to worry about anything although there were reservations made for after us. Finally my mom and sister got there about 1hr. later. We enjoyed the food. The owner who was also hosting and waiting on us was being sooo funny and making us laugh. After a while she kindly reminded us that the next party was coming in and we had to finish soon. I'll never forget her kindness in allowing me to wait and push back my reservation when it was a busy day for them. Thanks for being so nice! more

Goods: 1. Ambiance 2. Waitresses are friendly 3. Not crowed at all. 4. Parking is free for 90min in Pasadena 5. The owner was very funny and fun to talk to. 6. Price is decent. Bads: 1. Tea sandwiches: stale bread lacking flavor. 2. Tea tasted artificial and overpowering. Could be used as perfume. 3. Preserves were like smuckers jelly. 4. Scone texture like water damaged plywood. 5a. Whipped cream from a can (became runny after 10 minutes) 5b. They tried to cover up old strawberries with whipped cream. 6. Marzipan tasted waxy. 7. For not being busy, the dishes took FOREVER to come out. Overall, I'd say this was the worst tea experience ever. Pros: Ambiance Cons: Horrible food more

I've been to the Scarlet Tea Room many many times and have not have one bad experience! The food is just delicious. Especially the Scones with the Scarlet Cream!!! ummm...To DIE FOR!!! I just made myself crave one just thinking about it..lol.. and the staff is just so sweet. The moment you walk in the room, you feel very welcome from the staff greeting to the amazing welcoming environment and feel of the room as well as the excellent customer service. \r I take my family there many times and sometimes just with my husband for a nice quite evening of tea. I have also attended a bridal shower at the Scarlet Tea Room and everyone was just speechless at the service and the delicious food.\r \r Totally recommend to EVERYONE for any occasion or simply an afternoon or evening of tea and scones! Pros: The Food, Tea, Wine, & Staff!! Cons: just perfection more

The service is great. The hostess was attentive and funny. Every engaging. The rest of the staff was polite and courteous. We had the Tea Ceremony which consists of a strawberry sorbet, scones, your choice of 4 of their tea sandwichs, petit fours, and strawberry romanoff. The sorbet was a little icy but a good palate cleanser, the scones were huge, flaky, and flavorful. They are served with an abundance of devonshire/clotted cream, lemon curd, and strawberry jam. Feel free to dip some the strawberries and blackberries that come with the scones into the cream. its yummy! they have about a dozen different tea sandwiches to chose from. We picked four each. We particularly like the apple/cheese, the brie/walnut, and the roast beef/cheddar. I think the roast beef cheddar is the only reason my boyfriend would agree to do afternoon tea with me again. The petit fours are well done. The strawberry romanoff was a litte weird...its basically slivered strawberries mascerated in sugar topped with whipped cream. it sounds good but we were a little strawberried out by the time we were done.\r it is a little pricey for tea, i know you can get a comparable tea at some hotels in the area for $28. But the extra couple bucks is worth it because the service is impeccable and the food is, for the most part, well executed. (oh yeah, and your guy can get boddingtons or other beers there if he doesn't want to drink tea.) Pros: not your usual afternoon tea Cons: a little pricey for what you get. more

this place has always been a fabulous place to escape the world for a couple of hours, but it has really shaped up in the past 6 months or so. the food is without a doubt the best on green street and the service is different than anywhere else. the best way i could describe it is over the top helpful and friendly. you will not go wrong when ordering, everything is delicious. more

For our 10th anniversary my husband took me to the Scarlet Tea Room. We live in Northridge so I did not know that this wonderful restaurant existed. The beauty of this place is breathtaking. It was dimly lit with beautiful light fixtures and chandeliers. There was an amazing jazz group performing that night which was perfect because we went to a jazz club on our first date. We were sat at a perfectly candle lit and romantic table in a quiet corner and next to a window. Our server was very attentive as were the rest of the employees who regularly checked on us throughout the evening. Everything was delicious. We didn't know exactly what we felt like drinking so they brought us a variety of samples of different wines and their sangria, which is what we ended up drinking. I ordered the Tuna tower and my husband ordered the Hoisin shrimp. They were on beautiful platters and looked like they came right out of a gourmet food magazine, and tasted like it too. I had the Filet Mignon and Roger had the Chicken Roulade which were both cooked to perfection and served with just the right sides to make your tastebuds scream in ecstacy. After our entrees we were both pretty full but our lovely server brought us out a dessert anyway, on the house, to celebrate our anniversary. Not only that, but the band also played us a special song which made things that much more special. Thank you STR for making our 10th anniversary so special. Pros: Ambience, Service, Live Music, Comfortable seating Cons: ZERO! more

I walk into this tea salon on a Sunday afternoon. We are greeted by a friendly staff. Note: Make reservations. Don't know why, but I think they are nicer if you do. We are led to the owner who refers herself as Scarlet. She is very friendly, asks us for the name the reservation is under, and then proceeds to tell us that she has our table ready. I then told her that we may have one more guest, and all of a sudden she turns mean and snaps at us that we would have to wait off to the side for 5 min. She becomes rude because of one little change. \r \r Besides the owner, our server was incredibly nice and social. She told the secret rule; you just need to tilt the top of your teapot upward, and that would be the symbol for more tea. My friends got the scarlet tea ceremony ($29), a five course meal (sandwiches are small, but the entire meal is filling). I preferred to order mini tea ($11) = 2 scones + your choice of tea, which was enough to fill me up. Scones are scrumptious, yet not as dry and crumbly that Starbucks tend to have. Maple scone was my fav.\r \r Funny thing, there is only one bathroom for each s e x. You would think that at a restaurant where they serve lots and lots of tea, there would be more stalls since customers would feel more needs to relieve their bladders.\r \r If you are looking for a place for a loud party, this place is not the right place. It is incredibly quiet. You feel as though you should be proper and talk in low voices. Occasionally, there would be polite cheers/songs of happy birthdays... Don't think it would be the right place to take guys either. Saw only one guy at the place.. he looked very awkward. Also, I used the boy's bathroom since there was a line for the girls' b/c of only one STALL.\r \r Nice + about the place, they are not too pushy about making you leave. The place closes at 4 PM, but we were there till 5. Not so nice: if you're going to split the check by card, there is an additional fee. Either pay with one card, or bring cash. Pros: variety of tea Cons: split check fee more

Though it was a little difficult to find, the minute we walked through the door we were warmly greeted by the friendly staff. They led us to our beautiful table as they gave us a little history of the place. Beautiful decor, fine china adorning the tables, I could see why they wouldn't encourage 2 year olds to come...after all, this is no Chuck-E Cheese. We celebrated my daughters sweet 16 with the Tea Ceremony. It was all of our first time and we enjoyed every morsal. The delicious strawberry sorbet which is served first (for palette cleansing) was served on the most delicate leave shaped china with a sprig of fresh mint. It did the job brilliantly and left our mouths fresh and watering for the scones. The scones were so light and delicious, we had apricot, maple and vanilla, and they were served with the most tongue tickling lemon curd, cream and strawberry jam I had ever tasted. The assorted tea sandwiches we had next were perfection. I have never been a finger food person but these were slightly larger than other tea sandwiches I've seen, and with so many different ones we got enjoy many diverse flavors. My favorites were the Brie with walnut and watercress and the egg salad with tarragon. The mini desserts were delectable as well as immensely visually pleasing, and the final course was exactly what our waitress told us it would be, the perfect ending to a wonderful afternoon. Not only a great place for afternoon tea and holiday celebrations, but also for a power lunch as well as an unforgettable dinner experience. See you soon Scarlet! Pros: service, special diet accomodations, ambience Cons: zero! more

One of the best restaurants I have visited in a long time. Great staff, delicious food and wonderful atmosphere where you could forget time and get away from your everyday norm. \r \r I have been there for an afternoon tea and for dinner. All my guests loved it. \r \r Robert k. Pros: food, ambience, service Cons: Difficult to get in on weekends. more

Upon entry in the lovely room, they first thing that comes to mind is ""aahhhh, this is going to be a sweet afternoon."" Unfortunately, the less than welcoming greeting was enough to make me turn around. But who was I to complain, it was my teenage daughter who invited me and was paying with her hard earned babysitting money. The place was half empty yet it took about five minutes before we were seated and another ten minutes before someone came around to take our order. Okay, so the the tea menu is $29 and looks very pretty on paper, but that's it. Left half on the plates. We couldn't wait to leave the place. This is the worst tea salon. The service is indifferent and the food is marginal. Go to the Langham Hotel or Chado nearby -- $39 or $15, you'll come away much happier. Pros: Pretty Dining Room Cons: Indifferent attitude. Marginal service. Overpriced, lackluster food. more

The staff is very rude.\r We hadn't finished our food, and they were rushing us by removing our plates.\r When it was time to pay the waitress said in a very rude way that they could only take two credit cards from our group. We had a reservation for ten people and one of our friends did not come, and they charged us anyway (their policy). So make sure if you have a party there that everybody shows up.\r It is very expensive for what they gave us.\r \r more

Just moved back to this area from San Diego and wanted to enjoy a refined setting for a light lunch with my friend and goddaughter. Why didn't I check with citysearch first? Previous reviewers remarked on the rude treatment they received from the staff. Well, I could not agree more. First, I did not make reservations \r (did not think it necessary for a Thursday) and just as another reviewer experienced, before letting the door close behind us, immediatley and snobishly (ie no smile or friendly hello just a raised eyebrow and a scowl) asked if we had one. Still, we were seated only a minute later. Hmmm, feeling self important? The setting was comfortable despite the very ""grandmothers house"" vibe of the main dinning room. We wanted to go the tradional route and ordered the high tea; two orders. Our waitress suggest ordering something for my goddaughter, but as three year olds are, she is a light eater who usually ends up sharing our plates.\r The sandwiches were tasty, tea flavorful and the scones were good if not traditional . The desserts , though, should have been passed. Stale petite fours,sour out of season strawberries served three different times during our courses, and a creme brule that had a wierd taste (burn hair?) because of no caramel crust ; just a burnt cream top. Ugh!!!! Just thinking of it still repulses me. All of that does not compare to the final insult we endured. Remember, we each ordered a high tea and my goddaughter just nibbled on our food without receiving any extra table service. When we received our checks ( we split the bill) we were EACH charged a $5 split tab fee. Never, in any restaurant I have dined at previously was I charged a fee to split a tab. Really, I felt we were being penalized for sharing our food with a three year old. Not a nice thing to do and really not something I would mind overlooking for what amounts to a barely mediocre tea experience. Pros: Hot tea, good sandwiches Cons: Desserts, rude staff, unfair surprise fees more

The tea, sorbet, sandwiches, desserts... all very tasty morsels. The sole reason I will NEVER RETURN is the poor customer service we were given. As soon as I walked in the door, with the door not yet closed behind me, I was stopped in mid-step by the general manager and one of the waitresses who began to interrogate me about the details and the correctness of my reservation, with my party seated at a table just a few feet away. The general manager wanted to argue with me and insisted everyone in my party order only the tea ceremony and I pay more than what was ordered due to a simple misunderstanding in the reservation. She did this in front of all her other customers and in front of my guest of honor seated right next to me. This was VERY EMBARRASSING. To make the matter worse, the general manager proceeded to make disgusting gestures and facial expressions and harsh eye contact for the entire duration of our dinner! \r \r I will gladly opt to have my next tea at Tea Rose Garden on 28 S.Raymond just a couple blocks away! more

I was told over the phone while making a reservation for my family and some out of town guests that there is no place for children at the Scarlet Tea Room. More specifically there is no ""room"" for them. I've never had a problem at other tea rooms in the city let alone in Scottish or English tea rooms or any other tea room I have taken my children. I was told that the delicate china and hot tea would pose a risk. I've managed to keep them safe from burns so far - in fact every morning in my house. So I can't rate the tea room itself or the tea or the food - but if you have kids stay away! In our case we will stay far, far away. Cons: Does not recommend bringing children. more

Very small and brightly lit, but still elegant and sophisticated, the Scarlet Tea Room is a lovely backdrop for afternoon tea. Prices are reasonable and the tea service is very complete, if a bit heavy on the berries. Service is attentive and friendly. Pros: delicious tea and food, highly attentive service more