Garden Tea at The Getty Villa

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1. IH

   ImanH

   Exclusive

   3 reviews

   vip
   3.0

   3 reviews

   Dined on June 1, 2023

   overall3food4service4ambience1

   I was very disappointed with the location of the Garden Tea. The Getty Villa property is stunning and I assumed it would be located outside in a garden type setting, but it was indoors in a very sterile-feeling conference room. Otherwise, the tea/food and service were great.
   

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2. CR

   CarolineR

   Central Coast

   5 reviews

   5.0

   5 reviews

   Dined on May 25, 2023

   overall5food5service5ambience5

   Lovely all around experience. The chefs accommodated my gluten free request and made the most delicious gf scone I’ve ever had. Also, my friends almost wished they had ordered theirs gluten free even though they lived every bite of their sandwiches and pastries. The tea is fantastic!
   

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3. K

   Kathy

   Los Angeles

   7 reviews

   4.0

   7 reviews

   Dined on May 18, 2023

   overall4food4service4ambience2

   The service was good and the food was fine. The best things were the scones, banana bread, and carrot cake. While the Getty Villa is beautiful and the walk through the museum afterwards was nice, the tea room itself is underwhelming. It is a small banquet room, no view to speak of, and no flowers or decor like most pretty tea rooms. It would just take a little decorating to make this a lot nicer.
   

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4. L

   Lynda

   Los Angeles

   124 reviews

   vip
   5.0

   124 reviews

   Dined on May 4, 2023

   overall5food5service4ambience5

   We had a lovely anniversary tea at The Getty Villa. You need to make reservations far in advance as there are only 6 tables (placed so each has a view) and they only offer one seating at 1pm and only on Thursday and Saturdays. The food was very good. The first bread basket has a yummy right-out-of-oven scone and some nut bread. Both really good. But save room - the tower of sandwiches and sweets is still to come! Far more than we could eat at one sitting - but they had to-go boxes. They also presented us with a flourless chocolate cake slice for our anniversary. Luckily they have the menu/list of items on the table as we had a hard time understanding our server at times. The cost is $49 per person (excluding tax and 18% gratuity and any drinks other than tea.) It adds up, but wonderful for a special treat and it's special to be able to wander the gardens & museum either before and/or after.
   

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5. JK

   JerryK

   Los Angeles

   6 reviews

   5.0

   6 reviews

   Dined on April 29, 2023

   overall5food5service5ambience4

   Enjoyed very much. Outstanding service and great variety of food.
   

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6. BT

   BonniT

   Los Angeles

   1 review

   5.0

   1 review

   Dined on April 29, 2023

   overall5food5service5ambience4

   Wonderful experience! I would highly recommend it! Wonderful service, and great food. A Fabulous experience overall.
   

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7. KK

   KobK

   1 review

   5.0

   1 review

   Dined on April 29, 2023

   overall5food5service4ambience5

   This was a fantastic experience with engaging wait staff and delicious food. A wonderful selection of teas. A slightly fancy place that had a very relaxing energy. I would absolutely love to return.
   

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8. SM

   SarahM

   Richmond

   1 review

   5.0

   1 review

   Dined on April 29, 2023

   overall5food5service5ambience5

   Wonderful tea experience! We will enjoy again in the future.
   

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9. OT

   OpenTable Diner

   Los Angeles

   1 review

   5.0

   1 review

   Dined on April 22, 2023

   overall5food5service5ambience5

   Tea time, great spot to catch up and just relax, great drink menu. Over all 10/10
   

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10. OT

    OpenTable Diner

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on April 20, 2023

    overall5food5service4ambience5

    Must see experience. Cozy comfortable. Great view from any table. Come early to walk through exhibit. Welcoming staff. Attentive and prompt.
    

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11. c

    chateaulee

    New York Area

    18 reviews

    vip
    3.0

    18 reviews

    Dined on April 13, 2023

    overall3food3service5ambience5

    If you’ve been to a high tea at a big New York hotel or in London this food isn’t quite up to that level. The surroundings and the Villa are stunning tho
    

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12. VM

    VictorM

    Los Angeles

    11 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    11 reviews

    Dined on April 8, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience4

    Fabulous tea service with delicious tea sandwiches and desserts
    

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13. OT

    OpenTable Diner

    London

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on March 30, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience5

    Lovely service, beautiful view, love that they let you try more than one tea. Food was excellent.
    

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14. OT

    OpenTable Diner

    Los Angeles

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on March 30, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience5

    Just wonderful! Makes for a really lovely time. Great food and tea and the kindest staff.
    

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15. CC

    CindyC

    Los Angeles

    24 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    24 reviews

    Dined on March 25, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience5

    Lovely way to spend a Saturday afternoon -- I can't believe I lived in LA so long and never went to the Getty Villa, let alone this amazing afternoon tea. Highly recommend getting on the wait list and putting it on your calendar!
    

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16. OT

    OpenTable Diner

    Los Angeles

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on March 16, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience5

    Celebrating my birthday and enjoying spending quality time with my Mom.
    

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17. OT

    OpenTable Diner

    Central Coast

    9 reviews

    vip
    4.0

    9 reviews

    Dined on January 28, 2023

    overall4food3service4ambience3

    I liked the tea 🫖 selection, and the food was good. My favorite was the lemon 🍋 tea. We didn’t finish the desserts but did eat the sandwiches. I liked shrimp toast the prosciutto one had an interesting flavor with the added pear 🍐 jam. It wasn’t first come, first served. There was a line of people, and it was done by calling people’s names. The view and service were good. 👍🏼
    

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18. OT

    OpenTable Diner

    Los Angeles

    5 reviews

    5.0

    5 reviews

    Dined on January 28, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience4

    The service was OUTSTANDING! They went above an beyond to accommodate us.
    

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19. SC

    SuzanneC

    Portland

    14 reviews

    2.0

    14 reviews

    Dined on January 19, 2023

    overall2food2service3ambience1

    I was taken in by "Tea By The Sea" title. The Getty Villa is a re construction of an ancient Greek Villa filled with sculpture and other artifacts. You'd never know it from the boxy glass multipurpose room used for the tea service. No graceful welcome. No ambiance. No background music. A pitiful miniature succulent instead of flowers. The contemporary place settings could be any hotel, anywhere. The full size plate was inappropriate for tea. Delicious warm scones and banana walnut bread were on the table when we were seated (why?). No proper tea service. Tea took much longer if you didn't care for the pre-made house tea and then wasn't hot enough. Literally waving to get tea refills. 3 tier tray had 2 tiers of sandwiches with a nice assortment of fillings. However the bread overwhelmed the filling on a few. The bread was dry on some sandwiches. Oddly, the sweets were presented on the bottom tier. Tiny carrotcake cupcakes were either overbaked or stale.
    

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20. OT

    OpenTable Diner

    Los Angeles

    10 reviews

    vip
    4.0

    10 reviews

    Dined on December 29, 2022

    overall4food4service5ambience4

    Finally able to try this tea. Made my reservation in late august for 12/29. The Villa is a gorgeous location and the founders room had a nice view with floor to ceiling windows overlooking the grounds but still felt like we were in a banquet type room. Would have loved if the banana bread and scones hadn’t just been sitting on the tables upon arrival and were actually served fresh/warm. They were delicious though. The sandwiches/ desserts on the tiered trays were pretty good.. some hit or miss but those are most likely personal preferences. Some of the desserts were extremely sweet for our taste (ie chocolate cones) but enjoyed the variety. The servers were attentive and friendly however we did notice that some patrons were asked if they wanted to bring home extra scones or treats that were wrapped up to go while others (like us) were not. I don’t know if it’s because we said we were extremely full but it would’ve been nice to have the option as my daughters were hoping to have some for later. But we didn’t bother asking if we weren’t offered. This was a nice experience for my daughters (one was home from out of state college) and myself as it allowed us to also enjoy the villa which I hadn’t gone to in years. But this is likely a one time experience.
    

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21. J

    Jerry

    Los Angeles

    17 reviews

    4.0

    17 reviews

    Dined on December 29, 2022

    overall4food4service4ambience3

    Overall, a very nice experience with lovely views of the museum and grounds.
    

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22. LG

    LGoy

    Los Angeles

    4 reviews

    5.0

    4 reviews

    Dined on December 22, 2022

    overall5food4service5ambience5

    Jonathan our server is an absolute gem! This is my second time having him as a server and he is definitely part of what makes the Getty Tea experience so wonderful. Thanks Jonathan for everything!
    

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23. MB

    MichaelB

    Los Angeles

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on December 8, 2022

    overall5food5service5ambience5

    Over 10 types of hot tea from the house brew specially designed for Getty Villa to the traditional such as Earl Gray to Chamomile to the exotic such as Moroccan Mint. The finger foods make this an excellent tea indeed from cucumber sandwiches to smoked turkey sandwich to panini to hand made finger deserts. The wait staff are very friendly, knowledgeable and courteous. The view is about 180 degrees third floor of the surrounding villa. The only down side is there is no Tea Room (it was apparently decommissioned in 1997), a real shame. The atmosphere is cozy, only 5 tables. Great value to relax or even for a date. They even did a little cheesecake chocolate raspberry birthday plate for my mother. Best cheesecake ever! Made right there. Highly recommended.
    

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24. E

    Esolo

    Los Angeles

    6 reviews

    3.0

    6 reviews

    Dined on November 17, 2022

    overall3food3service4ambience1

    The idea is fabulous! But the execution leaves something to be desired. The director has the demeanor like we are having tea at Versailles castle. The tables are pre-assigned, which I did not like because we arrived early and wanted a specific table. When we requested that table, the director said he would try, yet within a minute he was seating someone at the table we wanted. We were perplexed and the waitress said "not gonna happen", like this is something that happens all the time and the director just finesses the customer with no intention of accommodating the request. We got over that part, the room is super boring for a museum/villa, the tea arrived cold at my cup every time. The finger foods were delicious and the staff was like any restaurant staff, not particularly trained for a tea room.
    

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25. j

    janes

    Los Angeles

    2 reviews

    5.0

    2 reviews

    Dined on November 12, 2022

    overall5food5service5ambience5

    Food and service, excellent! Highly recommend. I will be going back soon.
    

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26. OT

    OpenTable Diner

    Las Vegas

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on November 10, 2022

    overall5food5service5ambience5

    Wonderful!
    

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27. KM

    KateM

    Los Angeles

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on October 29, 2022

    overall5food5service5ambience5

    Fantastic all around. They were incredibly accommodating to our numerous dietary restrictions. The food was phenomenal and the service was top notch. Worth the three month reservation wait!
    

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28. RO

    ROYBOY

    Los Angeles

    33 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    33 reviews

    Dined on October 20, 2022

    overall5food5service5ambience5

    Wonderful high tea experience at a beautiful place
    

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29. J

    John

    Los Angeles

    2 reviews

    5.0

    2 reviews

    Dined on October 20, 2022

    overall5food5service5ambience5

    A lovely experience for a great price. Great food and a lovely view. Great staff too
    

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30. SR

    SarahR

    Los Angeles

    6 reviews

    5.0

    6 reviews

    Dined on October 20, 2022

    overall5food4service5ambience4

    Jonathan was our amazing host. Lovely food and ambience
    

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31. HB

    HoagBaby

    Los Angeles

    15 reviews

    5.0

    15 reviews

    Dined on October 15, 2022

    overall5food5service5ambience5

    Lovely setting. Perfect service. Delicious and plentiful food. If a fan of black tea, opt for the special Getty formulated tea -it is delicious! (You can have a cup of all the teas on offer-a true tea tasting.)
    

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32. MM

    MsMaris

    Los Angeles

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on October 13, 2022

    overall5food4service5ambience4

    The service was excellent. We expected a view of the ocean but it is of the museum and the grounds. The food was acceptable and plentiful.
    

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33. AD

    AnneD

    Los Angeles

    11 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    11 reviews

    Dined on October 8, 2022

    overall5food5service5ambience5

    This is our 3rd time doing “Tea By The Sea”… and had a wonderful experience as always. Food was delicious! We are pescatarians and they were able to accommodate us with flying colors. The view overlooking the villa was superb - so the ambience cannot be beat. And our server - who we enjoyed chatting about film and architecture with - was lovely and attentive. We can’t wait for our 4th time back! 🥰🥰🥰
    

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34. S

    Sheri

    Los Angeles

    1 review

    3.0

    1 review

    Dined on September 24, 2022

    overall3food5service5ambience3

    The tour of the garden is no longer included with the tea so if you plan to go on a garden tour you need to sign up separately.
    

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35. MM

    MariaM

    Orange County

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on September 10, 2022

    overall5food3service5ambience5

    This place has truly the best staff I’ve ever experienced. Thank you for such an amazing experience!
    

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36. MS

    MadelineS

    Portland

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on September 8, 2022

    overall5food5service5ambience5

    We had a wonderful time. Tea was very good. Food was very good. My grandma was absolutely delighted.
    

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37. GS

    GloriaS

    Los Angeles

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on September 3, 2022

    overall5food5service5ambience5

    I took a friend to the Garden Tea at The Getty Villa for her birthday. Upon arriving, we we’re seated right away. A delicious scone and banana bread were already on the table with some accompaniments of jelly and mascarpone cheese and other stuff. Everything from the food to the service was excellent. I would definitely come again and recommend the Garden Tea after a morning of seeing the exhibits at the museum.
    

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38. MR

    MayaR

    London

    1 review

    2.0

    1 review

    Dined on September 3, 2022

    overall2food2service5ambience1

    If you have never had afternoon tea in your life, you might enjoy the experience. However if you have experienced afternoon tea in London, you would soon know that the whole experience is rather bland compared to what it should be, and mostly overpriced. We were informed of a 25% increase in fees 3 days before our booking - which is unacceptable. We still decided to go ahead. The food was less than ordinary and not fresh, the tea was ok but for a 62$/person experience, the experience fell short to even compare with an average afternoon tea experience in London or anywhere really. The name “Afternoon Tea by the sea” can fool you big time since you won’t even have a glimpse of the ocean. I would recommend to save your money and enjoy a walk by the ocean instead.
    

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39. CL

    CLCK

    Los Angeles

    5 reviews

    1.0

    5 reviews

    Dined on August 27, 2022

    overall1food4service1ambience3

    With high anticipation of Tea by the Sea to be a glorious experience, it fell flat. Service was negligible. I never had a hot pot of tea. Waited over 40 min for food to arrive. Why? We all had the same tower of food! Tea that was poured was not refilled unless requested. But trying to find a person to ask for tea was nonexistent. So terribly disappointed.
    

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40. t

    terrid

    Los Angeles

    8 reviews

    5.0

    8 reviews

    Dined on August 25, 2022

    overall5food4service4ambience4

    Tea and answering were delicious. Not as much of a fan of the desserts. Will come back to see the museum. Thank you
    

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