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John Hart   

User's reviews

  • Golden Tea Garden

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    'Life's not fair: let's open a tea room!' My wife and I had been loyal customers of Antioch's 'Something Treasured' tea room for several years. It set the bar by which we judged other rooms, and after it closed its doors (which was a sad day for Antioch since it was the only culture in that pathetic) little town) we never found any place that lived up to that standard. With the Golden Tea Garden we have finally found a place that measures up. Our hostess, Beneba, and the rest of the staff offer up much-needed smiles from the moment we arrived. In fact, Beneba has such a bubbly personality it's hard to believe she was once a litigator. Guess she decided the rat race just needed one less rat and that her way of making the world a better place was to open a tea room. It's a small, intimate place located in downtown Hayward -- not exactly the first place I would think of putting a tea room, but Beneba and company have done their finest to create an oasis in a cultural cesspool. From the soft music in the background, the large fountain in the center, the chandeliers hanging overhead, the hot towels offered to clean our hands, and the English garden mural on the wall she has certainly done her job well. As for the tea: too many to choose from (that's meant to be a good comment, not a bad one!) and brewed to near-perfection. The food is excellent, but I must caution you about the lemon cake on the dessert menu: I'm not fond of lemon, but I fell in love with it immediately. It's tartness is just perfect, and you'll find yourself ordering a second one.