Lobby Lounge at The Langham

It was okay. Which might have sufficed were this not the much touted afternoon tea at the Langham. I brought a friend here for a special birthday treat and specifically chose the Langham for its ambiance and supposedly amazing tea experience. It was not amazing. Like I said, it was okay. But for the amount of money you’re paying, it should be amazing. The food was mediocre. The sandwiches were tiny and trying too hard to be inventive without actually succeeding on either flavor or originality. The pastries were overly sweet and kind of all tasted the same. The service was extremely attentive, almost too much so in the beginning. What’s with the compulsive need to refill our teacups every time we take a sip? One server in particular was incredibly pushy, practically jabbing a finger into our sandwiches and pastries in her eagerness to explain the items. Then when we asked her to take our photo, she weirdly insisted on doing it from an awkward angle standing directly behind one of our chairs. Her insistence was super odd and frankly annoying. However, by the end, we had a hard time getting anyone’s attention to even bring us the bill.
The actual tea I will say was good. I got the silk road blend and it was smooth and aromatic. Still doesn’t compensate for everything else. The Langham may be a beautiful location with other restaurants and services going for it, but their tea experience falls short. Overpriced and overrated.

This place is really good for tea time. They do ask if there’s any dietary needs before serving so it made me think they have some preparation of the food before making it and serving it to you.
The sandwiches were good but some of the sweets were a little too sweet for my taste. I guess it’s good that it’s with the tea. The tea, they’ll come by often to refill it and each person can get their own tea.
Ambiance was nice. They had a piano player but all the people here made it seem like it was loud.
Definitely a great place with friends or Mother’s Day.

Took mama for our baby moon to Afternoon Tea.
what a great experience. i’m a coffee guy and had it not been for my desire to do something unexpected, i probably would’ve never thought of this. but, i’m an amazing husband, soooo… Tea it is!
very elegant setup they have here. wide open space with classic/​antique furniture abound. the tea setups were on fine porcelain ware and glowed with sophistication. service was spot on and quick. never had a need to look for someone to get help or ask questions.
for afternoon tea, you get the option of 2 Teas and a medley of finger foods. finger foods seems pretty beastly of a word considering how elegant everything is presented. on a 3 tiered serving tray, the bottom starts with scones, then up to tea sandwiches then at the top is the sweets selection. All were very enticing and delicious.
mama and i shared the English Tea and the Mint Tea. soothing and warm is the only way i can describe those flavors. i might just be trying out tea more frequently.
overall, i great experience. a bit pricey, but, the service is reflective of that price. i highly recommend for the experience alone.

I have dined in many tearooms in Los Angeles and Orange County and my afternoon tea with two friends here today was fantastic.
First of all, the ambiance is wonderful. The Langham is a gorgeous hotel property and they serve tea in their beautiful lounge area with views of the lawns. A soloist played piano interpretations of contemporary pop songs, which was a nice added touch. So before I even took a sip or bite of anything, I knew I was in for a treat.
Second, the food and tea selections were delicious. My favorites were the prosciutto and egg sandwich, the pesto shrimp sandwich, the crème brûlée tart, the strawberry cream puff, and the English Flower Blend tea. My only complaint is that I wished the scones were heated before they were served, like they are at several other tearooms.
Third, the service was top notch. I never felt like our party was neglected — the food was served promptly enough, and my tea cup and water glass were frequently refilled. Nor did I feel like our waiter hovered or was too intrusive. She was perfectly courteous and professional.
The price tag is higher than what other tearooms charge (about $ 50 with no alcoholic beverage and no gratuity included, and valet parking is $ 5 after validation) but I felt like I truly got my money’s worth. I highly recommend tea at the Langham for a special occasion.

I celebrated my sister’s bridal shower here with the Afternoon Tea. Aside from the lofty price I paid ($ 1300 for 24 guests), it’s overall a really cute experience if you’re looking for a true tea party! They bring you a variety of little tea treats on a 3 tier stand and let you create a customized menu with 3 tea choices. The scones were extremely yummy, as well as all the different desserts.
The downside about all of is that they make you sit in the back area of the lounge (closet to the outside courtyard) but far from the amazing glass windows and beautiful views. As a result, the area feels dark, slightly old and dingy– you don’t get any of that natural light you need for bright Pinterest worthy photos and cheerful party experience.
I booked the event at least a couple months in advance. While it was difficult to get them on the phone, my email communication with their event coordination team went pretty smooth. Though on he actual day of the event, It was strange that no one greeted me when I arrived to set up. The service could have been better…
So if you ever need to book an elegant event for a bridal shower, baby shower or birthday — it’s a great choice! But it’s pretty pricey and they don’t let you sit in the prettiest part of the venue. Just some things to keep in mind!

I am kind of surprised that the Tea here has such mediocre reviews.
Its beautiful! and the amount of food they bring you is enough to feed you for lunch, not just tea.
We came for my mom’s birthday and I remember only mentioning it once to the lady over the reservation line. They brought out a candle and a plate with truffles at the end of the tea, and I had even forgotten that they knew. Little touches like this made the whole day so much more special for her. Not to mention for me, because there was an extra place of truffles to share :).
While there are other reviews that highlight the ins and outs of the tea offerings, I will say, we were accommodated with a vegetarian sandwich assortment, and they were rather bland. This is the only real negative I have. The sweets they provided continued to impress, treat after treat, the small crème brulée tart being my favorite.
If you have a special someone (maybe a mom, grandma, or girlfriend… not sure about how dudes would react to tea… although some DO love it!) then this is special, sweet, experience to share with them.
Note: They do validate Valet down to $ 7.

I came here with some friends for their «Afternoon Chocolate Tea» (Sundays only) and was expecting chocolate-​infused tea so I was a little disappointed when I found out that it just meant all the desserts were chocolate… not that I was completely disappointed since I do love chocolate!
They had a great selection of teas — I liked the Palm Court (white tea with hibiscus) and the Vanilla Rooibos (with hints of orange). The small sandwiches included smoked salmon and shrimp cucumber. Not to mention, the chocolate desserts were unlimited and even featured a chocolate fountain.
It was a bit pricey ($ 60/​person) but the price included bottomless champagne, or sparkling strawberry cider if you don’t want alcohol. We had a very lovely afternoon and I would love to come back.

Environment: This place is absolutely beautiful and gorgeous. The flowers were blooming in March and it was just so beautiful everywhere.
Service: Inattentive for sure. I rarely saw my waitress (yes, 1 waitress). She was really nice though. :)
We went on the Monday and they don’t have the chocolate tea because that was a Sunday thing.
$ 46 per person, $ 15 for sharing if don’t order per person
The Savory:
Chicken Salad w/​Orange and Cranberry on White Bread (⁴⁄₅):
No much expectation but was impressed. It was good, but not THAT good
Watercress Pesto Marinated Caribbean Shrimp on Herb Garlic Bread w/​Cilantro & Lemon Zest (4.8÷5):
Definitely a very creative dish created for high tea! :) It was really good too. Shrimp was crisp and fresh
Smoked Salmon on Sourdough w/​Caramelized Shallot Caper Cream, Dill Sprig & Caviar (4.5÷5):
I love smoked salmon and this is a hit.
Ham & Egg, Prosciutto di Parma, Green Onion, Red Pepper on Potato Peppercorn Bread (⁴⁄₅):
Really yum. Not a fan of hard boiled egg but this is something I can tolerate :)
Pickled Saffron Radish, Watercress & Dill Cream on white bread (³⁄₅):
Creative. But weird.
Scones (³⁄₅):
Mediocre. Has a buttery aftertaste.
The Sweets: (There are less items than listed on the menu?)
Passion Apricot Cone (3.5÷5):
This was sour. Creative. But wish the flavor could be better
Crème Brûlée Tart (3.5÷5):
Room for improvement because the tart was soft. Was expecting something a little crisp. The crème brûlée was orange flavored… hmmm…
Dark Chocolate Macaron (4.3÷5):
Rich and yummy
Chocolate Praline Mousse Cup (⁴⁄₅):
It was really smooth. Rich in chocolate flavor
Guava Cream Cheese Gâteau (4.5÷5):
Loved the taste of guava! Creative use and combination of these two ingredients.
Cream Puff (⁴⁄₅):
Smooth cream. A little lack in flavor.

The Langham Hotel is a classy and extravagant business, located in the rich neighborhood of South Pasadena. With its grandiose décor, it can be said that the afternoon tea at the Lobby Lounge is just as beautiful.
I took my sister to get the full-​blown experience of afternoon tea, and I thought that this place would be great for it. I heard about this place from a friend who did afternoon tea for her birthday here. We both really enjoyed the elegance of the furniture of the room, accompanied with the classical music. It felt very authentic, as if we were set back decades and drinking tea with the queen. They also played some songs from Tchaikovsky’s «The Nutcracker,» which I was happy about because «The Nutcracker» is my favorite! Anyways, on with the food.
We did the traditional Tiffin tea time, which comes with a pot of tea per person (fills about 6 – 8 cups of tea), a selection of sandwiches, scones, and desserts. It is tiered as follows (top to bottom): desserts, sandwiches, then scones and bread.
Desserts — checkerboard cookie, passion apricot cone, crème brûlée tart, peach macaron, chocolate white café torte, strawberry pistachio gâteau, chocolate raspberry financier cupcake
Sandwiches — cucumber and watercress with mascarpone mousse and crispy shallots on squaw bread, asian pear with blue cheese mousse and toasted pistachios on potato bread (topped with a slice of raspberry), smoked salmon with caramelized shallot caper cream on a profiterole (topped with a dill sprig and caviar), egg and proscuitto de parma with green onion and red pepper on potato peppercorn bread, and watercress pesto marinated caribbean shrimp with cilantro and lemon zest on herb garlic bread
Scones & bread — orange cranberry tea bread, cranberry scone, raisin scone (served with lemon curd and devonshire cream)
Favorites: Both my sister and I enjoyed the smoked salmon sandwich and the pesto shrimp sandwich. Those were our top two. I enjoyed the cranberry scone, while my sister liked the raisin one. The passion apricot cone was our top favorite. I also liked the crème brûlée tart and the chocolate white café torte.
Not yummy: I was definitely not a fan of the Asian pear sandwich. It just didn’t sit right with me. The peach macaron was not that appealing to me as well. Although it had the right textures of the crunchy outside shell and chewy inside, the macaron had no peach flavor at all. It tasted like pure sugar.
The service was average. They were exceptionally attentive at the beginning; however, towards the end it took a while to just get someone to bring in the bill.
Although everything is aesthetically pleasing, I do not think it’s worth the price.

I went here with friends for my birthday, the place is beautiful :)
We all had the Traditional tea which is $ 39, the presentation is beautiful and the food is good but there’s not enough sandwiches I think, the sweet to savory ratio is high so you will end up eating way more sweets-​it was too much. I left here still a bit hungry.
The teas are nice, we all had Jasmine mist-​this is just Jasmine, so nothing really different here. Next was the Peacock blue-​nice and flavorful w/​a bit of citrus, last was the Silver needle-​interesting in a good way, it wasn’t too strong.
My advice is: eat a light lunch before coming here for tea unless you’re fine with filling up on sweets.
The ambiance was nice and the piano playing adds to the experience, the service was just ok, it wasn’t attentive and we felt ignored most of the time. I’m glad I went but I don’t know if I’ll come back, I’ve had much better experiences elsewhere.

i have tried tea at different CA locations, Shakespeare shop, the rose room, Grand del mar, The london at the west hollywood, i know afternoon tea people!
I loved everything about this visit to Pasadena.
Beautiful setting, exquisite food and service.
I wish i lived closer so i could go back, everyone we interacted with was nice and professional. The tea was delicious, Patty was awesome.
Valet is free but of course a tip is accepted, take a walk in the Japanese garden and check out the grounds.