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Garden Tea at The Getty Villa, Pacific Palisades, CA

Garden Tea at The Getty Villa

4.7
4.7
157 Reviews
$50 and over
Afternoon Tea
Our Tea Room is pretty busy, dates are released three months in advance of the date of the tea service.
Please e-mail us to inquire about available days

VillaTea@getty.edu

Enjoy Garden Tea, a special experience inspired by the herbs, vegetables, and fruits that grow in the Villa authentically re-created first-century Roman gardens.

Feast on a Mediterranean-inspired menu of tea sandwiches, house-made scones, tea bread and a varied selection of teas. Tea is served in the Founders Room, an elegant space featuring floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the Villa.

Make a reservation

2 people

7:00 PM


Booked 3 times today

Additional information

  • Dining style

    Casual Dining

  • Cuisines

    Afternoon Tea, Mediterranean

  • Hours of operation

    Afternoon Tea Thu, Sat 1:00 pm–3:00 pm

  • Phone number

    (800) 369-3059

  • Payment options

    AMEX, Discover, MasterCard, Visa

  • Dress code

    Casual Dress

  • Executive chef

    Fernando Cayanan

  • Private party facilities

    We do not host private events in the tea room. Do to the volume of business we do and the space we utilize for our Tea service, the largest party we can accommodate would be a party of 8 people we do not host baby showers, graduation parties, business luncheons, etc. Per Getty policy we are not allowed to make multiple reservations for one party or split parties into groups in our dining area. The Getty does have strict rules and regulations for group celebrations, we ask that all guests celebrating special occasions be mindful of others who are joining us for Tea and for security purposes, all wrapped packages are not permitted on museum grounds, also no special decorations are allowed on the tables.

  • Neighborhood

    Pacific Palisades

  • Parking details

    We will send the parking reservation before your visit, please provide us your e-mail address. The parking fee is not included in your Garden Tea reservation cost, each car or motorcycle will be charged $20.00 for parking. The museum opens at 10:00 am, no additional reservations are required, you can explore the museum before the tea service.

  • Additional

    High Tea, Non-Smoking, Private Room, View, Wheelchair Access

What 157 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant

4.7
4.7 based on recent ratings
  • 4.4Food
  • 4.7Service
  • 4.4Ambience
  • 4.4Value

NoiseModerate

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  1. OpenTable Diner

    London

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined 2 days ago

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    Lovely service, beautiful view, love that they let you try more than one tea. Food was excellent.
  2. OpenTable Diner

    Los Angeles

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined 2 days ago

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    Just wonderful! Makes for a really lovely time. Great food and tea and the kindest staff.
  3. CindyC

    Los Angeles

    23 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    23 reviews

    Dined 7 days ago

    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!
  4. 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.
  5. OpenTable Diner

    Central Coast

    6 reviews

    4.0

    6 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. 👍🏼
  6. OpenTable Diner

    Los Angeles

    4 reviews

    5.0

    4 reviews

    Dined on January 28, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience4
    The service was OUTSTANDING! They went above an beyond to accommodate us.
  7. SuzanneC

    Portland

    13 reviews

    2.0

    13 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.
  8. OpenTable Diner

    Los Angeles

    9 reviews

    vip
    4.0

    9 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.
  9. Jerry

    Los Angeles

    14 reviews

    4.0

    14 reviews

    Dined on December 29, 2022

    overall4food4service4ambience3
    Overall, a very nice experience with lovely views of the museum and grounds.
  10. LGoy

    Los Angeles

    3 reviews

    5.0

    3 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!
  11. MichaelB

    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.
  12. 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.
  13. janes

    Los Angeles

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on November 12, 2022

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    Food and service, excellent! Highly recommend. I will be going back soon.
  14. OpenTable Diner

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on November 10, 2022

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    Wonderful!
  15. KateM

    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!
  16. John

    Los Angeles

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on October 20, 2022

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    A lovely experience for a great price. Great food and a lovely view. Great staff too
  17. ROYBOY

    Los Angeles

    33 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    33 reviews

    Dined on October 20, 2022

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    Wonderful high tea experience at a beautiful place
  18. SarahR

    London

    5 reviews

    5.0

    5 reviews

    Dined on October 20, 2022

    overall5food4service5ambience4
    Jonathan was our amazing host. Lovely food and ambience
  19. 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.)
  20. 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.
  21. AnneD

    Los Angeles

    10 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    10 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! 🥰🥰🥰
  22. Sheri

    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.
  23. MariaM

    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!
  24. MadelineS

    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.
  25. 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.
  26. GloriaS

    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.
  27. CLCK

    Los Angeles

    4 reviews

    1.0

    4 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.
  28. 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
  29. Bananie

    Los Angeles

    161 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    161 reviews

    Dined on August 25, 2022

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    What a wonderful experience. The whole staff was very courteous and helpful and the tea and food were scrumptious. Thank you very much.
  30. LisaM

    Los Angeles

    5 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    5 reviews

    Dined on July 21, 2022

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    Exceptional! Everyone working the tea from managers to servers were wonderful. The food was delicious and our server, Jonathan, made our experience fantastic! His service was impeccable and his wonderful personality truly made our day. Loved this tea!
  31. 1gourmet

    Los Angeles

    35 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    35 reviews

    Dined on July 7, 2022

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    Waitress very good and attentive. Really enjoyed this event - excellent food, wonderful service.
  32. VictoriaA

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on June 16, 2022

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    We had a wonderful time. There was an excellent selection of teas, tasty sandwiches and pastries. Additionally, there was a nice offering of other beverages for an additional cost. We chose the Prosecco and it proved to be a delicious addition. The service was impeccable. I believe our server’s name was Narina and she was such a joy. We had a lovely window view as well. We were so happy that we made this part of our day and look forward to bringing other friends and family.
  33. MelissaG

    Los Angeles

    8 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    8 reviews

    Dined on May 7, 2022

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    The service really made our Mother’s Day tea particularly lovely.
  34. Luna

    1 review

    3.0

    1 review

    Dined on April 2, 2022

    overall3food2service2ambience4
    Very cute tea service. Food was not very good for the price. My best friend and I love going to all the afternoon tea services but this was our least favorite so far. The tea itself was good
  35. OpenTable Diner

    Los Angeles

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on March 31, 2022

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    Excellent service and plenty of tasty food. Tea selections were fabulous. I let them know it was my friend’s birthday and they gifted us with Prosecco to toast the occasion.
  36. OpenTable Diner

    Los Angeles

    1 review

    4.0

    1 review

    Dined on February 24, 2022

    overall4food4service5ambience5
    The bread for all of the tea sandwiches was dry for all three of us. Otherwise, it’s a lovely afternoon tea experience.
  37. OpenTable Diner

    Los Angeles

    15 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    15 reviews

    Dined on January 22, 2022

    overall5food4service5ambience2
    Great first time and reasonable for all party members.
  38. 167food

    Los Angeles

    37 reviews

    5.0

    37 reviews

    Dined on January 20, 2022

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    It was a lovely afternoon tea after walking around the museum and exploring the beautiful gardens. The servers were very polite and friendly. Each tea we had was delicious. We enjoyed the opportunity to try a few. Our favorites were the tea at the sea and the green mint. The variety of sandwiches was delightful. Our favorites we the roast beef and prosciutto and pear jam. Lovely scones to start with and small bites of sweets to finish.
  39. jean

    Seattle

    6 reviews

    vip
    4.0

    6 reviews

    Dined on January 15, 2022

    overall4food4service4ambience4
    Only complaint was that after seated you had tea and prosecco if you ordered it along with a couple of scones.... the actual tray of sandwiches did not come for 50 minutes.... I have never seen this for tea service.... we sat there waiting and waiting before the food arrived... once there it was good.... I just don't think they really know how the service should be. Also... no real champagne offered... only prosecco. People would be willing to pay more for better quality at a place like this.
  40. shawneec

    Los Angeles

    2 reviews

    3.0

    2 reviews

    Dined on January 8, 2022

    overall3food3service2ambience3
    Beautiful location. Tea is in a small conference room with large windows overlooking the Getty. 1 room, 5 tables, 2-3 staff, & incredibly slow service. We continually had to ask to have our tea cups refilled. The food is decent, but not remarkable. There is no music, all you hear is the other parties conversations. The acoustics in the room are remarkable, which makes everyone seem louder. The walls are bare, aside from a long table with tea & water. I’ve now been over 5 times in the last few years, as my family loves traditional English teas & the Getty, & it’s always the same :(. The only reason to go is if you are already at the Getty, it’s definitely not worth going out of your way… & not worth the price. Hoping they step up the quality of this experience in the future 🤞

Safety precautions

  • Physical distancing

    • Limited number of seated diners
  • Protective equipment

    • Waitstaff wear masks
  • Screening

    • Sick staff prohibited in the workplace
    • Staff is vaccinated

FAQs

Garden Tea at The Getty Villa is rated 4.7 stars by 157 OpenTable diners.

Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable.

Make a reservation

2 people

7:00 PM


Booked 3 times today
Google Map for Garden Tea at The Getty Villa

17985 Pacific Coast Hwy, Pacific Palisades, CA 90272

Additional information

  • Neighborhood

    Pacific Palisades

  • Hours of operation

    Afternoon Tea Thu, Sat 1:00 pm–3:00 pm

  • Cuisines

    Afternoon Tea, Mediterranean

  • Dining style

    Casual Dining

  • Dress code

    Casual Dress

  • Parking details

    We will send the parking reservation before your visit, please provide us your e-mail address. The parking fee is not included in your Garden Tea reservation cost, each car or motorcycle will be charged $20.00 for parking. The museum opens at 10:00 am, no additional reservations are required, you can explore the museum before the tea service.

  • Payment options

    AMEX, Discover, MasterCard, Visa

  • Executive chef

    Fernando Cayanan

  • Additional

    High Tea, Non-Smoking, Private Room, View, Wheelchair Access

  • Phone number

    (800) 369-3059

  • Private party facilities

    We do not host private events in the tea room. Do to the volume of business we do and the space we utilize for our Tea service, the largest party we can accommodate would be a party of 8 people we do not host baby showers, graduation parties, business luncheons, etc. Per Getty policy we are not allowed to make multiple reservations for one party or split parties into groups in our dining area. The Getty does have strict rules and regulations for group celebrations, we ask that all guests celebrating special occasions be mindful of others who are joining us for Tea and for security purposes, all wrapped packages are not permitted on museum grounds, also no special decorations are allowed on the tables.

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