Tea time and time travel at the Huntington
Steeped, and ready to pour
Tea service returns to the Huntington
by Bondo Wyszpolski
The historic Rose Garden Tea Room folded up its petals for the duration of the pandemic, but the closure also allowed for extensive renovations. Located in San Marino, on the grounds of the Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens, the public facility resumes service on May 24. The setting is both serene and scenic, and there are two key words we’ll be keeping in mind, presentation and ambience.

Eileen Oda in the Shakespeare Pavilion. Photo by Bondo Wyszpolski
The recent renovation, restorations and additions, were undertaken by the Architectural Resources Group at a cost of $11.2 million, paid for through philanthropic gifts. The inside and outside dining areas feel brand new while at the same time evoking the luster of decades past, a sense of nostalgia for an era that probably wasn’t quite as bucolic as we’d like to believe.

The lobby of the Rose Garden Tea Room, which used to be a bowling alley. Photo by Bondo Wyszpolski
I’m not sure if you’ll be allowed to request a specific area to sit when you make a reservation, and reservations may be hard to come by in the early weeks of the reopening, but if preferences are allowed you’ll want to take into consideration the time of day, the temperature, and the season. In other words, the ambience that best suits your mood or that of the occasion, e.g., are you celebrating a birthday, a wedding, or commemorating an untimely demise?

Eileen Oda in the original Rose Garden Tea Room. Photo by Bondo Wyszpolski
Surprisingly, all of the invited guests clustered in the Rose Garden Tea Room, maybe because that’s where the edibles were arrayed. It’s a bright, comfortable room, and it does face the rose garden, but it’s also a bit confined, so Eileen and I carefully balanced our plates and took them outdoors to the Shakespeare Pavilion on the east side of the building. This is actually a large, roofed, fan-shaped patio with a view of the Shakespeare Garden, the wafted aroma of a million roses, and a nearby fountain that provides a soothing murmur. Furthermore, the vista includes the Huntington Art Gallery, and I might add that taking in the 18th century Romneys, Reynolds, and Gainsboroughs before having tea might better enhance one’s mental disposition.

The Herb Room, somber and serious. Photo by Bondo Wyszpolski

Eileen Oda on the Banta Terrace, just outside the Herb Room. Photo by Bondo Wyszpolski
One can order the Traditional Tea for $62 or the Huntington Tea for $75. This, of course, is in addition to the entry fees, which can top out at $29 per adult on the weekend.

Items from the Tea Menu, left to right: cucumber sandwiches, tarragon chicken salad sandwiches, and strawberry and saba sandwiches. Photo by Bondo Wyszpolski

Theresa Lin in the Rose Garden Tea Room. Film director Ang Lee called her “The Julia Child of Taiwan.” Photo by Bondo Wyszpolski
In Old China, tea was called — and maybe it still is; just walk over to the Chinese Garden to find out — the “froth of liquid jade.” Eileen and I did try the Huntington signature blend and the Huntington rose blend, and if they’d been available we’d have enjoyed sampling the 14 other teas as well. This provides an excuse to quote from “The Three-Cornered World” by Japanese novelist Natsume Soseki: “Some complain that if they drink tea they cannot sleep, but to them I would say that it is better to go without sleep than without tea.”

Each one a work of art. Teapots on display in the lobby. Photo by Bondo Wyszpolski
The Rose Garden Tea Room opens to the public on May 24 and reservations can be made beginning May 10 through OpenTable. Seating capacity is 164. Hours, Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Saturday and Sunday from 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Closed Tuesday. The Huntington is located at 1151 Oxford Road, San Marino. For questions regarding public reservations and services email tearoom@huntington.org.
For general information, go to huntington.org. ER