Tricia
User's reviews
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Cobblestone Cottage
I've been to Cobblestone a number of times and it's just as charming as the first trip. The food is delightful (while not as fancy as some places, it is plentiful and tasty - which is infintely more important) and served in a beatiful manner (garnished with fresh flowers from their garden). The ladies who run the shoppe are delightful and the outside garden is the perfect place to enjoy an afternoon (unless it's one of those extremely hot summer days that Alpine is known for). Definitely worth the drive to Alpine! Dress up (or not) and enjoy an afternoon of beautiful scenery and lovely food. And the best part is, you get it all at a steal of a price (best value of any tea shoppe in southern California!)
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Tea Upon Chatsworth
I have been to Tea Upon Chatsworth 3 or 4 times now and have thoroughly enjoyed every visit. It is tied for #1 for my favorite tea room in San Diego (and I have tried nearly every one in the area). While the service does tend to be slow, afternoon tea is not an 'eat and run' experience. One should enjoy the leisurely time given to sip their tea and have conversation with their table companions. Additionally, I love the variety of food served. Joy changes her menu on a regular basis so you can be sure to try something new each time you come in. On my last visit to TUC, I brought a friend for her first tea experience and her young daughter (who is VERY picky). Joy could not accomdate the food requests, so she (Joy) allowed me to make some sandwiches for my friends daughter. Most restaurants won't allow you to do this and we certainly appreciated their desire to assist us. Additionally, the scones at TUC are among the best I've had. I can't wait for my next visit...next month!
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US Grant Hotel
I have to disagree with these other reviews. The US Grant has been one of my favorite places for tea in San Diego since my first experience there 10 years ago. However, this cannot be said since the renovation. I was eagerly awaiting the re-opening of this hotel in order to have tea again. The lobby WAS absolutely stunning, but the tea, highly disappointing. There were no scones...I can't get over these places that serve tea without scones. The sandwiches were okay, the desserts were lovely. However, we did indulge in a nice martini to begin with, but then after waiting more than an hour, had to ASK for the tea. Yes, tea bags (blech) in a tiny pot. We went through it and asked for more tea...We were brought more hot water (about 20 minutes later), but no new tea bags. And we had to hunt for our server multiple times. I wouldn't mind the expense if the experience was worth it, but $120 for two people was definitely not worth it. I will not be back and I am aorely disappointed. It has been replaced at the top of my favorites list by Tea Upon Chatsworth and the Aubrey Rose.
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Julian Tea
I have been to the Julian Tea and Cottage Arts 4 or 5 times now. I love their scones. However, teh sandwich offerings use some work (one was cheese on a water cracker-what???). The curried chicken salad is delicious! Dessert offerings are homestyle (a bowl of cobbler or something) and not my favorite. However, try this place during Christmas time for a completely different experience! The food is wonderful and the desserts, chocolates, and petit fours are a nice change. 1 months of the year this place gets a 3 star rating, but at Christmas, it is 5 stars all the way!
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Tea House on Los Rios
There is a group of three of us that has been going to tea for each birthday and Christmas for over 8 years now. Our goal is to always try a new place (although we do have a couple of favorites). We have been to every tea room in San Diego and a few in Orange County and even at the Palace in New York City. We were excited to take the train up to the Tea House on Los Rios. We felt it added to the 'Anne-ish' atmosphere (Anne of Green Gables). The location was lovely and quaint. Unfortunately, this is where the positive experience ended. We had a reservation, but when we came in to check in, the hostess walked by us numerous times without even acknowledging our presence. We waited about 20 minutes for a table. When we were served our food, the scone was dry and too big, there was no offering of lemon curd, and they rushed us. The sandwiches were triangles on wonder bread-boring. The soup was delightful, but for $32, it wasn't worth it. The service was slow, the tea pots weren't on warmers or in cozies, so the water got cold. We had to ask for milk for the tea-it wasn't brought to us. The waitress gave each of us the wrong tea, both times and they only gave us two strainers, though there were three of us. My friends and I definitely decided that we wouldn't be back to this one. This definitely ranks in the bottom of my tea experience list.