I was lucky enough to get a spot at the recent Pardee Home OTT Tea! I was really excited it was before my trip so that I could attend. Spots usually fill up quickly for this tea place so I was really happy I finally got a spot at an event 💖
Pardee Home is located in Oakland which is a bit of a drive for me, there was also only street parking available which was nerve-wracking for me. Most really close street parking is 2 hour limit so I did have to move my car once which ended up fine but was a little stressful trying to figure out when to actually go vs when the food was arriving! BART is really close though, a few people arrived on BART and it's only a few blocks away. Reservations are for 6+ only so it's really meant for a group setting.
Ease of access (location, hours, ease of making reservation, dietary menu options): 7/10
Pardee Home is actually a museum that also happens to do afternoon tea so the house itself is filled with lovely items from the late 1800's and early 1900's which is reflected in the décor. Unfortunately it was a little bit drizzly this day so we weren't going to be able to have our tea in the garden as planned- We were in the parlor which was also lovely! The place settings were like many tea places cutely mismatched. The staff were really attentive to refilling our tea, milk, and sugar.
Atmosphere (décor, place settings, staff): 9/10
Price per person is $45 per person for a garden tea and there was a lot of food! It also comes with a tour of the museum!
Price (value for money): 10/10
Unfortunately there was only one tea available and it was English Breakfast. Happy for me cuse I do like English Breakfast but there was no green or non-caffeine option available.
Tea: 5/10
The scones were kind of small though they did come out warm. They were soft and not really flakey? They had a good flavor though and there was enough jam and cream for everyone!
Scones (and/or crumpets): 6/10
The savories were the real star of this tea I think. There were a good variety and mix of traditional flavors and creative use of bread! The cucumber sandwich and egg salad were both open face, the smoked salmon was in a wrap style, and the chicken salad used puff pastry! The cracker thing was a parmesan flavor and I'm not entirely sure what the flaky thing with the bell peppers was but it was tasty! The only thing I didn't like was the mushroom cup but that's a me not liking mushrooms thing.
Savories: 10/10
The sweets were light but a lot of different kinds! I didn't like this nut based jam cookie thing but everything else was really tasty!. There was a mini cupcake, raspberry jam bar, a lemon tartelette and I think a sugar cookie. I think this was a good variety and pretty balanced with all the savories from earlier.
Sweets: 8.5/10
Total average rating: 7.9/10
I think this tea place is definitely worth it if you can get a big enough group together to meet the minimum 6+ person requirement for either parlor or garden tea service! The savories and atmosphere are definitely the stars here. The included tour put on by museum volunteers is pretty fun- some local Bay Area history! Next time I'd probably carpool and search beforehand for more than 2 hour parking even if it was a little further away.
Blouse, Socks, Shoes: Baby the Stars Shine Bright
Lariat: Alice and the Pirates
Halo: A. Gato Designs
Necklace: Haenuli
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