Rose Tree Cottage, Pasadena CA

An atmosphere of refinement, an oasis of calm, with perfect tea served elegantly. Freshly prepared British scones served by a true British gentleman. For those who thought Edmund was rude, he probably thought you were rude, and did not want to encourage you to return. Why should their home be disturbed at times they are closed? And why should their personal driveway be blocked? Those who expect a noisy, crash in anytime place should eat at MacDonald's.

This hidden treasure is a must see and do! The tea, the foods, the service, the merch, the patio, and hosts were all top-notch. No phones are allowed, so no pictures are taken. Definitely will come back again for a social hangout, a celebration, or even a date.

I was with my grandson visiting my sister at the Californian. He needed a break and saw an open sign so we decided to ring the door bell. We were very rudely told were unwelcomed and they were closed. Very disappointing experience, will never go back or recommend to anyone

I do not understand the good reviews. We came to pick up a few gifts for Mother's Day. We rang the doorbell and a man asked us what did we want. He was so rude. We told him we were there to shop for Mother's Day. We should have left at that point.
We finally go into the store and start shopping. It was so uncomfortable because we were being followed and watched.
Finally, we found gifts for our family. Out of the blue, an older lady asked us to move our car out of the parking lot because they were expecting a hundred people. Really?
I will never step foot in Rose Tree Cottage

I've driven past the Rose Tree Cottage countless times, and always wanted to go visit and have afternoon tea. As someone who partially grew up in Australia, I have loved strong tea with cream and sugar, and plain scones with strawberry jam and clotted cream, and am almost always disappointed with what Americans serve for afternoon tea. I came with friends and I was so delighted to see strong hot tea served with milk, and although the scones had sultanas, it was the the real deal!
We were seated in a very English Cottage dining room decorated with memorabilia that for sure had stories behind them, and looked obviously cared for. The linen, the dainty tables and chairs, the flowers, takes you to England, if for the duration of your tea experience.
We started with fresh ripe berries and a cordial that the Queen used to favor (name escapes at the moment) - it was so refreshing! Amazingly, more happiness came in the form of Yorkshire pudding cradling delicious Beef Wellington, sausages and other savory delights! And the sweets? Pretty and delicious! The service was superb! The cheerful and witty husband and wife duo makes you feel as if you're long time friends who've come for a visit! Cannot ask for a better, more authentic British Tea experience!
Will definitely visit again, and will have to pick up some British pantry (and freezer) staples - including Yorkshire pudding, scones, Cadbury's chocolates, Bisto gravy, Digestives, and of course, tea!

3 potato chips, half a strawberry, a scone and a savory petit four for $130 for two! I felt ripped off…And the premises are not very clean either.

Awful place with a bad selection of British goods, helmed by snobby, rude, delusional people. Not representative of the UK or England at all.

Los Angeles is a city of teleportation, and this delight of an establishment is no exception. Stepping inside saves you a flight to the English countryside, where places are not numbered, but named, such as it is at Rose Tree Cottage. Edmund and Mary make you feel both at home but also supremely pampered. Their grace and wit accompany the fullest of tea experiences. Your Welsh Rarebit, Toad in the Hole, and other favorite savories are all here. The freshly-baked scones have nary a crumble. And yes, the tea is delicious.

A very nice experience, albeit overpriced. Nice classic black tea and a good variety of snacks. Everyone was very nice and lots of fun stuff to look at. If it was twenty dollars cheaper i might go back, but as nice as it was out didn't justify the price tag.

I got a half-dozen of scones to go. I heated them at 350 for five minutes, as politely instructed, and that were absolutely amazing-as good as any I've had in Old Blighty.

Overall alright but I’m not sure it’s worth $65 per person for afternoon tea. Detailed review below.

I heard about this place from a family friend who had gone and recommended it to me. Something fell together Sunday afternoon and I called them up to see if they could squeeze me in the day before and they could, but usually require reservations a week ahead. I checked out the website, which severely needs an update and looks like it was made in 2010, and it did not have a menu or prices. I can find some menu items on Yelp, but it’s not super specific. When I called to make the reservation, he mentioned at least twice that they were ranked top 10 tea houses in the US, which now that I’ve been I seriously doubt and can’t find the article that says that.

First off they let you know they only take cash or check. A little inconvenient these days,  but whatever. We walked up to the house, which is on a slightly busy street, but cute. We were let in by Edmond, who let us know that they were going to let everyone in at the same time at 1 o’clock. I think they let us in personally at 1: 15, so we had time to look around the shop/waiting area. It’s a converted Victorian house that they’ve crammed every single British thing possibly imaginable in. Lots of things are dusty and the halls are very narrow so when you’re all waiting to get seated, it gets pretty crowded. On top of that another party had a person in a wheelchair that seemed to have a lot of difficulties maneuvering around everything. Also, when we were seated outside we were pretty close to the table next to us.

The menu is set, and we only knew a preview of the menu by talking to one of the attendance there while we are waiting. It consists of only English tea that they make in-house, 3 strawberries, some chips and grapes that are already at your table, 2 savory pies and 2 salmon and cucumber sandwiches, one scone per person with clotted cream and jelly, and an assortment of desserts with warm toffee pudding (not fresh, but frozen). The food was fine, but they sell a lot of it in the store and it’s clearly frozen pastry/dessert beforehand. For $65 a person, I expect to be outstanding and everything from scratch.

Other things to consider about the experience is that the atmosphere at least outside wasn’t super great. There’s fake grass everywhere and the couple seems to have sponsored a school in Kenya and the pictures are everywhere, literally on the table with your fine China and stuff.  You aren’t allowed to take pictures anywhere in the store or outside, and I went for a birthday and would’ve loved to just take a picture of her and I at tea but couldn’t. For birthdays they bring out an extra dessert that was the same as your assortment, and they stick a candle in it. You can blow it out, but no singing, which I kind of appreciate.

I don’t consider myself a tea expert, nor a British expert, but I have enjoyed tea houses before like the Chado tea room in Torrance, a Huntington teahouse just 15 minutes away, and I’ve been to English tea in Dublin. All of these options were way less than $65 per person and gave us more/better food and in my opinion was better quality experience. I feel like at every other teahouse that I’ve been to has put more effort into the atmosphere and really transforming the space rather than crowding a bunch of random stuff into an old house.

I feel a little bad that my experience was so-so, because obviously the couple that runs this place is very passionate about what they do and have a lot of knowledge about the house and the British royal family in general. The service was nice and the people treated as well and were talkative. I just feel like they should really lower the price for the experience you get.