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15 Cozy Spots for Afternoon Tea in the San Francisco Bay Area

Where to feast on finger sandwiches and petite sweets

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It’s not quite the glamour of London or Paris, but San Francisco — and the wider Bay Area — does have a few posh places to enjoy one of the most civilized of dining experiences: afternoon tea. Whether for a special occasion with family and friends or a much-needed shopping break, it’s a reinvigorating and relaxing tradition to sip from fine china and snack on sandwiches and sweets.

But whether you require a Champagne toast at a dazzling hotel or simply want a cozy cuppa in a neighborhood shop, here’s where to find a truly delightful afternoon tea.

Health experts consider dining out to be a high-risk activity for the unvaccinated; it may pose a risk for the vaccinated, especially in areas with substantial COVID transmission.

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Pardee Home Museum

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This historic mansion, built in 1868, offers tours and tea service for groups with advance reservation. It’s a proper spread of sandwiches, chicken salad in pastry puffs, scones, tarts, and more, all made by volunteers. Every party here is a private party, which means guests get the place entirely to themselves. The wait list is long, so be sure to book well in advance — many fans take spots several months out.

The historic Pardee Home museum on 11th Street photographed in Oakland,Calif. on Thursday January 1 ,2009. Photo By Lea Suzuki/The San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images

Laurel Court Restaurant & Bar at the Fairmont

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Befitting its location in what might be San Francisco’s highest-end hotel, the Fairmont’s Laurel Court does a pricey but fully loaded afternoon tea on Saturdays between 2 to 4 p.m., with tons of tea sandwiches, scones, tarts, chocolates, macarons, and petits fours. Reservations are recommended.

Afternoon tea at the Fairmont Fairmont Hotel

The Garden Court at the Palace

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This stunning, historic space serves one of the most expensive tea services on this list (a whopping $90 per person, which only rises higher if you decide to add Champagne and caviar to the mix), but it’s hard to beat the opulent, chandelier-decked space, which feels like a trip back in time. The signature tea service runs from noon to 2 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays only; there is also a special holiday-themed (and even more expensive) tea during the month of December, if you’re so inclined.

Guests walk by the Garden Court at the Palace Hotel in San Francisco, Calif., on Tuesday, August 15, 2017. Photo By Carlos Avila Gonzalez/The San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images

The Rotunda at Neiman Marcus

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Join those who lunch for a post-shopping afternoon tea at this swank department-store restaurant with stunning views of Union Square below. The tea service (Thursday to Sunday) comes with mini sandwiches, pastries, petits fours, and the famed popovers with strawberry butter. You can also add a glass of Champagne to the mix, of course.

Maison Danel

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Maison Danel, the sparkly patisserie and tea salon, had a rough opening during the pandemic, but it’s now fully open and serving afternoon tea under a big chandelier. Husband-and-husband team Danel and David de Betelu are also boxing up afternoon tea service for takeout, if you prefer to bring the tea experience home or to a park, and it includes petite croissant sandwiches, plus macarons, and other sweets.

The tea service at Maison Danel Emily Martin Events

Crown & Crumpet Tea Stop Café

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Enjoy afternoon tea at the Japantown outpost of this tea room, located inside the New People mall, or at its second location in Ross in Marin County. The affordable tea service is thankfully customizable to your party, such as adding on a crown craft project for kids, or requesting unicorn cakes or a macaron tower for special occasions (just give the shop at least 72 hours notice).

Son & Garden

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The latest restaurant from the Farmhouse Thai group became a viral sensation during the pandemic, thanks to this over-the-top afternoon tea party in a box. Now, the tea experience is available to experience in person at both the San Francisco and Menlo Park locations, and it’s a fabulous floral experience, packed with salmon, egg, and cucumber sandwiches, scones, cake, and sweets. The tea service has two seatings, Monday through Friday, except for holidays, with advance reservation required.

San Francisco Proper

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The Proper Hotel is maybe best known as a dining destination for brunch at Villon or rooftop cocktails at Charmaine’s, but the modern hotel would not want any guests to go hungry between meals. Afternoon tea is served on the weekends, and includes a selection of sandwiches, sweets, and scones, with the option to add on a glass of bubbles. For the holidays, they’re doing a Nutcracker theme, which seems particularly appropriate given the proximity to the Opera House.

Alina Tyulyu

Malaya Tea Room

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This tea room in Alameda takes the British afternoon tradition and infuses it with Malaysian flavors, spreading rendang curry and kaya jam on sandwiches, and folding pandan into chiffon cakes. It’s open for sit-down dining, with a special holiday tea for the month of December. There are also to-go tea boxes, with sandwiches, sweets, and yes, tea, all conveniently packed up (you will need to order ahead of time for the tea boxes, however, so be warned).

Japanese Tea Garden

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A historic fixture of Golden Gate Park, this exquisite garden also offers a small tea cafe, which has always been a largely outdoor experience. The green tea or matcha are accompanied by traditional Japanese snacks like dorayaki (red bean pancake), edamame, and arare (savory rice crackers), as well as afternoon tea staples like lemon bars and cookies. Every order comes with a fortune cookie, which was introduced to the U.S. right here (way back in the 1890s).

Fall foliage in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park Photo by Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

Sip Tea Room

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A relative newcomer to San Francisco’s afternoon tea scene, Sip Tea Room replaces Secret Garden Tea House with a more modern setting. The tea service itself leans traditional though, arriving on a three-tier stand with sandwiches, scones, clotted cream, strawberry preserves, lemon curd, and sweets. The full afternoon tea experience has two seatings, and runs Thursday through Sunday; reservations are required.

Stonemill Matcha

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While it doesn’t offer afternoon tea in the traditional sense, the sleek Stonemill Matcha is a prime place to assemble your own green-tinted version. Meticulously prepared stone-ground matcha tea — served hand-whisked, cold brewed, or even sparkling — can be paired with Japanese and Japanese-inspired treats, such as matcha cream pie, black sesame cream puffs, and pork katsu sandwiches.

Lovejoy's Tea Room

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This shabby-chic tea room feels like the best version of a grandmother's attic, with mismatched china, hodgepodge furniture, and even hats you can borrow for the full effect. Bottomless tea can be accompanied by two simple scones, jam, and clotted cream all the way up to an all-out Queen's Tea with sandwiches, crumpets, salad, fruit, and petit fours. There’s a parklet on Church, if that’s preferred, and if there are some hungry folks in your party, there ‘s also “pub fare” such as shepherd’s pie (although it should be mentioned these items do not come with tea).

Lovey's Tea Shoppe

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From the same owners at Lovejoy’s in San Francisco, baby sister Lovey’s in Pacifica also offers tea, scones, sandwiches, and mismatched doilies, but with much easier parking just off Highway One. Afternoon tea is offered on certain days, with reservations required, but as the website notes, there is a “more casual walk-up menu” available for an afternoon pick-me-up.

Tray of tea sandwiches Lovey’s Tea Shoppe Pacifica

If you’re looking for something a bit different than cucumber sandwiches and you’re in the Santa Clara area, iChina is offering its version of afternoon tea — but with dim sum. You can order a selection of dim sum a la carte, or as part of a set of steamed or crispy dim sum. There is also a “signature pastry collection” option, featuring a selection of sweet bites, such as raspberry lychee mousse, jasmine peach macaron, and a sable with pineapple jam and calamansi curd.

iChina

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Pardee Home Museum

This historic mansion, built in 1868, offers tours and tea service for groups with advance reservation. It’s a proper spread of sandwiches, chicken salad in pastry puffs, scones, tarts, and more, all made by volunteers. Every party here is a private party, which means guests get the place entirely to themselves. The wait list is long, so be sure to book well in advance — many fans take spots several months out.

The historic Pardee Home museum on 11th Street photographed in Oakland,Calif. on Thursday January 1 ,2009. Photo By Lea Suzuki/The San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images

Laurel Court Restaurant & Bar at the Fairmont

Befitting its location in what might be San Francisco’s highest-end hotel, the Fairmont’s Laurel Court does a pricey but fully loaded afternoon tea on Saturdays between 2 to 4 p.m., with tons of tea sandwiches, scones, tarts, chocolates, macarons, and petits fours. Reservations are recommended.

Afternoon tea at the Fairmont Fairmont Hotel

The Garden Court at the Palace

This stunning, historic space serves one of the most expensive tea services on this list (a whopping $90 per person, which only rises higher if you decide to add Champagne and caviar to the mix), but it’s hard to beat the opulent, chandelier-decked space, which feels like a trip back in time. The signature tea service runs from noon to 2 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays only; there is also a special holiday-themed (and even more expensive) tea during the month of December, if you’re so inclined.

Guests walk by the Garden Court at the Palace Hotel in San Francisco, Calif., on Tuesday, August 15, 2017. Photo By Carlos Avila Gonzalez/The San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images

The Rotunda at Neiman Marcus

Join those who lunch for a post-shopping afternoon tea at this swank department-store restaurant with stunning views of Union Square below. The tea service (Thursday to Sunday) comes with mini sandwiches, pastries, petits fours, and the famed popovers with strawberry butter. You can also add a glass of Champagne to the mix, of course.

Maison Danel

Maison Danel, the sparkly patisserie and tea salon, had a rough opening during the pandemic, but it’s now fully open and serving afternoon tea under a big chandelier. Husband-and-husband team Danel and David de Betelu are also boxing up afternoon tea service for takeout, if you prefer to bring the tea experience home or to a park, and it includes petite croissant sandwiches, plus macarons, and other sweets.

The tea service at Maison Danel Emily Martin Events

Crown & Crumpet Tea Stop Café

Enjoy afternoon tea at the Japantown outpost of this tea room, located inside the New People mall, or at its second location in Ross in Marin County. The affordable tea service is thankfully customizable to your party, such as adding on a crown craft project for kids, or requesting unicorn cakes or a macaron tower for special occasions (just give the shop at least 72 hours notice).

Son & Garden

The latest restaurant from the Farmhouse Thai group became a viral sensation during the pandemic, thanks to this over-the-top afternoon tea party in a box. Now, the tea experience is available to experience in person at both the San Francisco and Menlo Park locations, and it’s a fabulous floral experience, packed with salmon, egg, and cucumber sandwiches, scones, cake, and sweets. The tea service has two seatings, Monday through Friday, except for holidays, with advance reservation required.

San Francisco Proper

The Proper Hotel is maybe best known as a dining destination for brunch at Villon or rooftop cocktails at Charmaine’s, but the modern hotel would not want any guests to go hungry between meals. Afternoon tea is served on the weekends, and includes a selection of sandwiches, sweets, and scones, with the option to add on a glass of bubbles. For the holidays, they’re doing a Nutcracker theme, which seems particularly appropriate given the proximity to the Opera House.

Alina Tyulyu

Malaya Tea Room

This tea room in Alameda takes the British afternoon tradition and infuses it with Malaysian flavors, spreading rendang curry and kaya jam on sandwiches, and folding pandan into chiffon cakes. It’s open for sit-down dining, with a special holiday tea for the month of December. There are also to-go tea boxes, with sandwiches, sweets, and yes, tea, all conveniently packed up (you will need to order ahead of time for the tea boxes, however, so be warned).

Japanese Tea Garden

A historic fixture of Golden Gate Park, this exquisite garden also offers a small tea cafe, which has always been a largely outdoor experience. The green tea or matcha are accompanied by traditional Japanese snacks like dorayaki (red bean pancake), edamame, and arare (savory rice crackers), as well as afternoon tea staples like lemon bars and cookies. Every order comes with a fortune cookie, which was introduced to the U.S. right here (way back in the 1890s).

Fall foliage in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park Photo by Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

Sip Tea Room

A relative newcomer to San Francisco’s afternoon tea scene, Sip Tea Room replaces Secret Garden Tea House with a more modern setting. The tea service itself leans traditional though, arriving on a three-tier stand with sandwiches, scones, clotted cream, strawberry preserves, lemon curd, and sweets. The full afternoon tea experience has two seatings, and runs Thursday through Sunday; reservations are required.

Stonemill Matcha

While it doesn’t offer afternoon tea in the traditional sense, the sleek Stonemill Matcha is a prime place to assemble your own green-tinted version. Meticulously prepared stone-ground matcha tea — served hand-whisked, cold brewed, or even sparkling — can be paired with Japanese and Japanese-inspired treats, such as matcha cream pie, black sesame cream puffs, and pork katsu sandwiches.

Lovejoy's Tea Room

This shabby-chic tea room feels like the best version of a grandmother's attic, with mismatched china, hodgepodge furniture, and even hats you can borrow for the full effect. Bottomless tea can be accompanied by two simple scones, jam, and clotted cream all the way up to an all-out Queen's Tea with sandwiches, crumpets, salad, fruit, and petit fours. There’s a parklet on Church, if that’s preferred, and if there are some hungry folks in your party, there ‘s also “pub fare” such as shepherd’s pie (although it should be mentioned these items do not come with tea).

Lovey's Tea Shoppe

From the same owners at Lovejoy’s in San Francisco, baby sister Lovey’s in Pacifica also offers tea, scones, sandwiches, and mismatched doilies, but with much easier parking just off Highway One. Afternoon tea is offered on certain days, with reservations required, but as the website notes, there is a “more casual walk-up menu” available for an afternoon pick-me-up.

Tray of tea sandwiches Lovey’s Tea Shoppe Pacifica

iCHiNA

If you’re looking for something a bit different than cucumber sandwiches and you’re in the Santa Clara area, iChina is offering its version of afternoon tea — but with dim sum. You can order a selection of dim sum a la carte, or as part of a set of steamed or crispy dim sum. There is also a “signature pastry collection” option, featuring a selection of sweet bites, such as raspberry lychee mousse, jasmine peach macaron, and a sable with pineapple jam and calamansi curd.

iChina

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