Where: Beverly Hills, CA
Style: Luxurious living room
Tea Selection: 18 loose leaf teas
Teatimes: Monday to Thursday, 11 or 1:30; Friday to Sunday, 11, 1:30 or 4
Reservations: Reservations required, dress code – smart casual
Contact: Reserve here or 310-551-2888
Cost: $135 Traditional Tea (actually a royal tea) – $145/$190 for higher end champagnes
Destination Tea Tips: Come hungry and dress your best, this is the scene for it.
Prices and teatimes are subject to change. Please see our California Afternoon Tea Directory for the latest details.
Destination Tea Notes: We’ve just had our first California afternoon tea, bringing the count to 20 states in which we’ve reviewed the beloved tradition. Thankfully, we had a local expert to help us choose amongst the many options surrounding Los Angeles. A fellow afternoon tea enthusiast, Jean Brugger has been a major contributor to Destination Tea’s directories for years, kindly sending Southwest updates of openings and closings. It was a gift to finally get to know Jean in person over afternoon tea. She recommended The Peninsula Beverly Hills, which is celebrating its 35th anniversary with a special “Hope Deserves a Ritual” afternoon tea. To commemorate the occasion, each guest receives a coin to keep or to make a wish in the beautiful Flight to Infinity fountain.
Over the course of the year, thousands of wishes will pass through these rooms. Some will be fulfilled. Others will change with time. Together, they become part of the living memory of a place that has welcomed guests every day for thirty-five years—not only as they are, but as they hope to become.” – The Peninsula Beverly Hills
The two stars of afternoon tea at The Peninsula Beverly Hills are the picture-perfect Living Room where guests are seated, and the table service. To elaborate on our Afternoon Tea Scorecard, we say that this $135 price-point is somewhat of a good value, because the “traditional afternoon tea” is actually more: a royal celebration afternoon tea, including champagne, strawberries and cream starter course, and individual celebration cakes (see below). The staff attends to every detail here. A delicious menu is taken to another level with clever sandwich construction and lifelike miniatures. The harpist, Carol, played beautifully, switching to “California Dreamin'” as the tea cakes were served, Angela’s plate bearing the message, “Welcome to LA.”
We also gave full marks for tea selection and service because although flavor descriptions were not printed on the menu, and tea leaves were left steeping in the pots, our outstanding server Carlos was ready with knowledgable descriptions of all the teas, and happy to provide catch plates for our tea leaves. Carlos saw it as his duty to pour for us, which you know we find worrying because ne’er a teacup should go empty, and often do in this scenario. Not so with Carlos who repeatedly whisked by our table to keep our cups constantly teeming with hot tea, and also left us our pots should we like some independence. Carlos mentioned that The Peninsula group of luxury hotels has its flagship hotel in Hong Kong by way of explaining how serious they are about serving proper tea. The one exception was a private debate about the true nature of the hotel’s “Devonshire cream,” which didn’t seem thick enough to be an authentic clotted cream. Regardless, The Peninsula Beverly Hills would be the perfect place to spoil yourself or a loved one, knowing that this hotel provides the luxury and service one should expect at a high-end afternoon tea.
Tea Selection
Scones & Spreads, Savories and Sweets
Destination Tea’s Afternoon Tea Scorecard
