Rose Tree Cottage

Beautiful, classy and authentic experience of English afternoon tea! We went there today for the celebration of Queen Elizabeth II’s 90^th birthday and for my sister’s fiancé’s birthday.
Butler Edmond Fry and his beautiful wife Mary warmly welcomed the guests, and made us feel at home. Very attentive to details, Edmond kindly noted and anticipated the needs of all his guests (ex. comfort of my sister’s fiancé’s seating due to height, etc.) And all the staff were superbly pleasant so you are in not just for a cullinary experience – mind you they have gourmet food! esp loved the roast beef Yorkshire pudding and currant scones – but for a rich British cultural experience of hospitality that touches a simple activity of life with grace and class, and leaving you wanting more.
Once you have experienced the wonderful afternoon tea here, everywhere else – and my sisters and I have been to very many tea rooms – is simply inferior and cannot begin to compare. Different class. Different plane. You will fall in love with this place, and the hosts, who make everything just, lovely. =)

The most HORRIBLE experiences in my life! I am a high-​tea lover and have been to many tea houses all over the world. Firstly, Racial Discrimination. If you are Asians or black people, the owner requires you to dress up in suit, even if you wear nice shirt and tie. I noticed there is one White guy in nearby group that only wear shirt and tie, he was not bothered by the owner to ask him to put up suit. Very arrogant and discriminating! Secondly, full of many bullshit rules. If you carry on handbag or bag pack, you are ordered to deposit it in reception desk. Also No any photo inside! Come on, High Tea Party is usually supposed to relax yourself leisurely with your friends or families, but this tea house makes you feel like entering the security gate in airport with all stupid inspections and warnings. Thirdly, the space inside is awfully narrow with full of commercial sales of clothes and souvenirs. You will never feel cozy or comfortable inside. Lastly, highly priced and over charged while only serve you small portion of pastries. Overall, the tea house seemingly more focuses on game-​acting and superficial showcasing the rituals of high tea rather than professionally provides the customers with true service and experience. Awful!

I came to Rose Tree Cottage for tea with my mom, sister, and a few of my bridesmaids after my wedding dress fitting. I loved it!
The space is incredibly charming, and the owners and staff are very friendly. Some might complain about this, but I really loved the no-​phones rule. As somebody who gets work busy and can easily stress out about email after email, my phone being off meant I could really focus on my company. (I’m not sure how they felt about that bit but suck it, friends, you’re stuck with me.)
The food was great, and I liked that they give you a portion for each person – I’ve been to other tea shops or high teas where they only give you like, one tiny cookie that you have to figure out how to split five ways. Luckily you can leave the protractors at home, because like I said: each person gets their own separate portion.
My only two complaints: I would’ve loved to have a selection of teas versus just ol’ English Breakfast (which I’m fine with… but I do love choices), and I found the TVs on the wall just a little distracting.
I’ll definitely be coming back.

Today we had afternoon tea at the Rose tree cottage. We were greeted by the most wonderful staff who sat us immediately and poured a delicious house blend of English afternoon tea for the six of us. Midway through our delicious finger sandwiches and scones we were greeted by the owner Edmond. He introduced himself to us and gave us the most wonderful background of their humble business and the history of the cottage. For my girlfriends birthday, they brought a lovely little cake with a candle on top of a porcelain angel.
The ambience was superb, the hospitality top notch, and the food impeccable. Oh, and if that’s not enough they have a game of croquet you can enjoy on the lawn after your tea. Edmond even played with us. They were so gracious and caring I would recommend this place to ANYONE looking for an escape from the regular hustle bustle of Los Angeles and an afternoon of traditional English delight. Such wonderful and caring owners and staff, will definitely be returning!

My first high tea experience and I doubt I would be going anywhere else! The staff and owners are very friendly and accomodating. There’s a personal touch on everything they do — they assist u when u sit down, fill ur tea cups right away and serve food that are home made. We went during mother’s day and they really made it very special. Oh, and Food was delicious too!

Went there for mothers day and it was so charming. The service is lovely and Edmund and Mary are fun loving happy people. I loved it. The food is so good. I brought home the scones and jam.

Lovely tea house, great staff and food, fun well stocked store. I give it 5 out of 5

It was my first time here with my mother and we loved it! Everyone was so nice and welcoming. I will definitely return and let my friends and family know about this gem.

Wonderful Mother’s Day! Great service and delicious food. Everyone was so nice and accomodating.

We had tea a few times at the Rose Cottage Tearoom, it was a big disappointment. We vastly prefered the Tudor House in SM when it was still in business, the King’s Head in Santa Monica has a charming tea room, there are many other places but our is the Huntington Museum and Botanical Gardens Tearoom where we go we an advance reservation a few times a year those places are delightful. Rose Cottage is pricy, and snotty attitude, and not very good food. We stopped going there many years ago as they 2 hosts/​2 owners were so rude and annoying. If I would try calling to make a reservation for my husband, myself and my elderly mother a week in advance to ensure we got a time that worked conveniently they’d refuse to do that, but if I called a few days before they were already booked. We didn’t like the food, we gave it a few tries, there are far better Tea places around, and without the attitude or the huge amount of annoying clutter, avoid this place, there are so many better tea places.

Just had the pleasure of indulging in some afternoon tea at this gem of a place in Pasadena. They have some rules like coat and tie and no photos inside we in all honesty it was quite refreshing. For once I could sit and enjoy conversation without rude and selfish people screaming, dressing like slobs, and taking photos every 3 seconds. The food was delish, scones were heavenly, staff was impeccably perfect. Top it off with it all being done for charity. Not sure about some of these other reviews, don’t believe the nonsense, they probably work for other tea rooms. You MUST try this place.

I will defiantly be coming back. This place is perfect for a birthday, girls day, or Mothers day!
First impression walking in, I was a little freaked out. The waiting room is small, cramped, overcrowded with too many knick nacks (hoarder vibe). I almost took off a star for this but the high tea experience made up for it! Don’t let this ruin your experience, because once you are escorted to the tea room everything is delightful!
Some people on here complained about the rules, but I actually find it quite charming. No cell phones, or photo taking but it actually helps you to have sincere conversation with the people around you. They also remind you where your fork/​knife should be but in a kind polite way. I actually enjoyed the instruction because it helps make it a learning experience. It keeps everyone civilized. Including a dress code. No worries though, if a man forgets a tie they have one and will give it to you upon entering. Every had a restaurant experience ruined by everyone take photos of their food, or having loud tables next to you? That would never happen here.
Rose Tree Cottage is owned by an older british couple. The husband is the «butler.» Honestly, the whole thing is adorable.
The food, particularly the scones & sticky toffee pudding, was amazing! The tea was wonderful.
Why are the reviews so skewed? You need to be open minded. If you are expecting high tea at a fancy hotel, go to Peninsula. If you want a charming intimate experience then go here! To top it off some of the proceeds go to charity.

Each experience at teatime in The Rose Tree Cottage leaves on me a unique and lasting impression. I never know who I’m going to meet or what I’m going to learn. I sometimes visit alone to do some thinking; sometimes with friends to celebrate; and sometimes to show a good friend what it’s like to pretend time travel back to a time when people shared their thoughts over tea instead of texting at a coffee shop.
There are also, however, predictable consistencies that I can look forward to with each visit — aromatic, delicious, piping hot tea in my cup, a fresh moist scone right out of the AGA, Yorkshire pudding, pickled cucumber sandwiches, and hot apple pie.
And while some of the disgruntled may have felt otherwise, and shared it in their reviews, I can say that for myself and my guests, the servers and hosts have been warm and affectionate. While you will see tradition followed, like the teapot kept warm in a cosy, you won’t find the host enforcing Orwell’s Eleven Rules. No finger, extended outward, or curled inward, will be judged superior than the rest.

Came for a birthday celebration for a dear friend and had the most incredible time. The food is divine, and the service is best in class! Will absolutely be returning, and would recommend this to anyone looking for a proper tea experience.

Okay, so maybe this is a tad unfair since I’ve been to actual tea rooms in London… But yikes, this place. I’ll start with the whole atmosphere — it really is homey (literally in an old cottage style home) and that is not necessarily a good thing in my book. It was cramped and creaky and the absolute worst part — there were cats galore! Like 30 or so cats. Not only am I not too fond of cat dander getting so close to my food, one of the ladies in my party was mildly allergic as well. Luckily, she was able to make it through the whole lunch, but not without discomfort. Overall, would not recommend this for anyone unless they want to smell cats in the air as they enjoy tea.

I love tea time and check out different places pretty often. This place though can probably be skipped on your list. So disappointing and such a waste of tea time… They dont allow photographs for some reason. I paid damn nearly $ 50 including tip and bought your overpriced souvenirs. why can’t I photograph my experience ?! Doesnt make sense in this day and age.
They have no selection for tea, its whatever the daily special house tea is. Fine. They have a strict set schedule so you have to chow down on your food and tea as quickly as possible. The owners, which is a couple, aren’t very friendly or warm, suuuuper creepy if you ask me, it doesn’t add to the experience. They just want you to purchase their souvenirs and be gone. The house has a very unusual odor. I think I read that its from the house pets? Ugh. Parking is terrible or non existent. I found some random neighborhood to park at. The gift shop is so cramped and overly priced. The only good is the beef Yorkshire pudding. Its to die for. But still, I’d go to another tea house.

This place was the perfect balance of formality and quirkiness. A good friend treated me here for my bday. She also brought her Mom (who was celebrating the big 7 – 0, bless her heart) as well as her 10 year old daughter.
I really enjoyed my experience here. I have been to many tea rooms (Chado, The Langham, Scarlet Tea Room in Pasadena when it was open) and each place has its own personality and uniqueness. I don’t think one is necessarily better than the other. I think there’s something to be appreciated and enjoyed at each one.
I am quirky and try to not take things super seriously and so if you are someone like me, you will probably enjoy it here.
Examples of the quirky things here include the waiting area, which consists of about 5 rooms jammed packed with knick knacks, sundries, hats, clothing, and food items. Some people may not appreciate this. I thought it was sort of charming. I see it as part of the experience – navigating one’s way through the various rooms while wearing a floral dress and heels – all while trying to be as ladylike as possible and not breaking anything in the process.
Another quirk: in the tea room, a looping b&w video of a waltzing Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers on the big screen tv on the wall… just awesome.
These details in no way overshadowed the frilliness I would expect in a traditional British tea room. There was plenty of crochet, lace, flowers, and paintings of the English countryside to set the mood.
Now for the formal side: Edmund, the host/​owner wears a tux and white gloves. He addresses you as Madam. He personally escorted me and the other birthday girl to the tea room, pulled out our chairs for us, and unfolded our white napkins and laid them carefully on our laps. Loved this! He also informed us that after one’s scone is halved. the jam is placed on the scone first, then the clotted cream next, and you don’t put the two halves of the scone back together. Some people may not like these «rules of the house» but I thought it really added to the charm of the whole experience.
Edmund was great. I saw him playfully joking with other patrons, who were obviously having the best time. Later we took photos with him out front and I found him to be absolutely delightful. He was formal when appropriate and funny when appropriate.
All of the servers were so warm and friendly. Whenever my teacup was half full, someone was right there asking me if I wanted more. I loved how they poured the tea and milk at the same time. It reminded me of how tea was presented at breakfast in Paris.
Favorite things to eat: the Yorkshire pudding with beef was to die for! The tea was really delicious. Tiny tomatoes fresh from the garden served in a silver cup were lovely. I loved the elder flower drink served at the start of tea time. It was unique, refreshing, and we were told, a favorite of the Queen.
Because we were celebrating birthdays, the staff brought out a tray with 2 cute figurines holding mini-​cakes shaped like a hat with a candle in each. Such a sweet touch and made me feel very special.
Some Unilocalers have complained about the no photo/​cell phone use policy here but I actually found it to be a refreshing change from the constant texting and selfie-​taking that people nowadays can’t seem to live without. I find such practices distracting and disrespectful, especially at fine venues such as this. It was a welcome change and forced everyone to appreciate and be in the moment.
I was relieved also to see that there were no cats roaming the premises. I like cats but am highly allergic, so when I had read previous posts that said cats were present during tea, I was a bit nervous about coming here. Perhaps the cats were in another area of the house, but I was so grateful I didn’t meet them during tea. I do think it would have seriously compromised my comfort and enjoyment.
Thank you to my dear friend for such
a lovely and memorable afternoon and to Edmund and his delightful staff!

This place is absolutely not worth the price. There are so many cute Tea Rooms around the city that this should not even be on your list… or at least at the very bottom of it. I came here a couple months ago with my husband’s mother, aunt, cousin and grandmother. We needed a handicap entrance for his grandmother and the only handicap entrance is in the back through their kitchen. I’m sorry but it is really weird walking by all the food and open containers. I just thought how other people have done the same thing, breathing all over my food. Unsanitary. Gross thought.
The location is a house. A very very very cramped house. There are far too many «souvenirs» in here, which are INSANELY overpriced. There were mugs, which I have and purchased from Target for $ 10, for $ 25 each! That is so dumb. They were just mugs with a letter on them. *side eye* A lot of the items are just items you can get anywhere, but… overpriced. I didn’t understand the point.
There is also a very strong smell in this place. I figured out what that was once I felt two different cats rub against my leg. Um. no. First off, I am a fan of ALL animals. I have a couple myself. But I do not need cat remnants involved with my tea time. The smell… if you didn’t understand what I was implying… is cat pee!!! This house smells like cat pee. For the love of God. Are you serious?!
Fast forward to our actual tea time. The actual room where you have your tea, sandwiches and scones is not that bad. It’s funky and pretty. I actually liked it. (Mind you, there is still smell of cat pee in the air.) I found out later you aren’t supposed to take pictures but I already did anyways so I attached one. The sandwiches were whatever. The only one I can really remember was the roast beef with Yorkshire pudding. Delicious! Unfortunately those are the ones they give you the smallest amount of. The desserts included shortbread, sticky toffee pudding and hot little apple pie. All of which were delicious. There were scones with all the fixins’ which was also delicious. The food was great. The teas were great. So for that, it gets any stars.
There were five of us and I’m pretty sure the bill was over $ 300, which we of course tipped on top of. Totally not worth it. Absolutely not. Like I said earlier, there are so many wonderful tea rooms in Los Angeles county. Do yourself a favor and make this your last try… if at all.

Have had tea here many times and at the old location. Always great service and really good food and tea, and we never leave hungry. The scones with clotted cream and jam are the best.

Well, let’s start this journey from the VERY beginning:
You have to catch the parking driveway early on the LEFT, or you may be lucky enough to find parking right there on the left side of the street (pulling back out will take 2 – 3 minutes due to a bad blind spot and cars taking that blind corner VERY FAST.
Okay, so we have parked… I proceed to walk up, (now keep in mind, I had no idea you need a WEEK IN ADVANCE RESERVATION), I was winging it this time…(OOOPSIE!)
You have to RING A DOORBELL to be let in, yes, it’s just like visiting Grammy’s house… just as cluttered with antiques and everything she collected since she was a child.
We were led to a corner table, cramped but we made do. I looked up to see Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire gliding along in black and white on the tele (I call it that regardless of being at a British Cottage or not)!
Straight away our Butler EDMUND comes up Elderberry juice with sparkling water– since I am European, I grew up with Elderberry and am quite familiar with it.
Next, our stoic penguin came back with tea– a robust but very delicious tea. We were told we may have to give up our table, since we broke the golden rule of reservations. I would have been fine with sitting in the front garden amidst the roses.
They brought us a small double tired tray, it was MEAT dishes! BOTH my friend and I are VEGETARIANS… do I DARE tell them and tick them off further… by golly, yes I had to! So I reluctantly told the lady, to which her response was «Well, did you tell them that when you made the reservation?!» (UGH, again with the reservation), I put down my head and said «no, I apologize, we didn’t make a reservation. She spun around with the tray and went back in the kitchen– I could only imagine all the names we were being called back there!
New tray 15 minutes or so later. Very delicious and flavorful. More filling than I expected between two hungry girls.
Next came the SCONES, which we were specifically instructed HOW TO EAT, I was tempted to eat it totally wrong! The JAM was WAY too sweet, so I loaded up clotted cream instead.
The finally treat was a plate of Caramel Toffee, and some little Meringues and one other thing, ALSO all too sweet for my taste (maybe I am getting old)!?
a WORD TO THE WISE:
1) MAKE RESERVATIONS A WEEK IN ADVANCE
2) CASH OR CHECK ONLY
3) DRESS UP
4) BE POLITE
5) BE POSH AND NOT LOUD
Final note: tea service with sandwiches etc for 2 = $ 80