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highlights of the experience:
FRESHLY BAKED SCONES WITH JAM!!
with a pot of CHOCOLATE COVERED STRAWBERRIES TEA
CUTE Parisian house decor.
The tea actually TASTED like chocolate covered strawberries! no colorful sugar/cream needed =]
The scones are the best I have ever tried!! the texture and taste was just amazing. you just have to try it!
the soup and salad were okay. qiche was decent. a little too cheesy though. the little desserts at the end were disgusting. apple cobbler with ice cream was ehh. finger sandwiches were even more ehh.
come for tea and scones =] and be sure to check out the bathroom!! it's so adorable...that's what the 4 stars are for! Don't go astray and try the other stuff and you'll be a happy high-tea'er
MAKE RESERVATIONS!!! they don't take you if you missed your reservation!! they're VERy annoyingly strict about that. and it doesn't matter if there's a bunch of empty tables.
price is decent for a tearoom. the spikes come off the porcupine waitress once you're actually seated. there's a split charge but she suggested that we just add a soup or salad (not an option on the menu) and it'll get rid of that necessity.
good place for a unique experience with the girlfriends or moms.
People thought this was:
My review is based strictly on parking. There was none, so I couldn't even eat there. If people had parked straight I might have gotten in. I was very sad. Maybe another time, which might help their review go up.
I can't say enough good things about this place!
A lot of reviewers had problems with their reservations, but I didn't run into that at all. In fact we had a reservation for 4 on Sunday, but ended up having 5 people. No problem, they just added a chair.
The lady with the glasses was SUPER sweet and so was the waitress. They no longer serve brunch on Sundays, which is what we went for, but whatever, they had a "tea menu" that was excellent!!! We each got 2 delicious scones, a WONDERFUL spinach salad with cranberries and HUGE hunks of bleu cheese, an excellent cream of cauliflower soup, an array of finger sandwiches and little desserts. The food was superb and so was the service. And the place is really cute, none of the plates or cups match, which is very fun. :)
Side note: some older ladies came in and sat at the table next to us. They were SO angry that they could not get brunch that they yelled at the waitress and stormed out. I doubt people like that read reviews on Yelp, but if any of you are reading this, you missed out. Also, you're rude. Oh and also? If you get that mad over something that small, you have problems.
People thought this was:
I went here for Mother's day and took my mother and my mother in law. To my surprise, we actually received good service and the staff were actually smiling. The food and tea were good as always. I would have given them four stars but I'm still a little troubled by my prior experience.
People thought this was:
Tea: great selection, very good.
Sandwiches: Okay. Could be better.
Salad and soup: Great!
Service:…
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I was at Sweet Divas for tea time last Sunday and had a pretty good time, but that's probably because I hadreally good company. The price was pretty reasonable and the place was really cute. I can't say that I'm a fan of the tea that they served or the sandwiches. I have better tea at my house and the sandwiches were just...cute. I really do like the scones that they served. I could eat it all day long. It's moist and just the right amount of sweetness. It definitely is not one of those dry starchy stuff you get at Starbucks. I haven't had a chance to try any of the desserts but from my experience with red velvet cupcakes, the minis never taste very good.
Honestly, this place is not guy friendly. If I wasn't with my girlfriends I would probably never pick this place for lunch or anything. Just imagine being in a room full of giddy women. It's really really noisy. The parking sucks.
This is my absolute FAVORITE place for tea. The scones are amazing. The chef, Adrianna, is outstanding and highly creative, and the menus are outstanding. The service is outstanding and they go to great lengths to make sure you are well taken care of. They even remembered me after only a couple of visits!
If you go for anything, go for the scones. They are to die for!
I wonder why I am writing a review on a tea house then I realize I am pretty secure. So here is it. I went to this tea house for a female friend's birthday which was put on by another female friend. Therefore I really don't have a say in it. The place is right off of Imperial Hwy in Brea, CA. There is very limited parking behind the bistro but parking can be found around the corner in the residential area. The outside seemed a little dirty (slightly unkept) but inside was clean and had a warm but crowded atmosphere. The food and teas were very good. The service was good and friendly. All in all a nice experience.
Girls: If you are in the area, this may be a nice outing.
Guys: If you need something interesting for Mother's Day, Mom, Wife, GF B-day; then this would shock them pleasantly.
People thought this was:
Hosted my friend's bridal shower here.
Pros: Salad and sandwiches were tasty. I liked how every girl got to choose their own pot of tea instead of sharing. The scones and spread were to die for!! The setup was nice....we didn't really need to decorate. Also, I thought their sugar was soo cute! It's colorful sugar sprinkles!
Cons: Parking sucks (a little lot in the back). Inside is pretty cramped so I wouldn't recommend a huge bridal shower here unless you rent the entire place out. The desserts were so-so...they looked presentable but not so fab/tasty. Also, since we had a bridal shower there, we had to pick a prearranged menu....and I wish they would give us more than one scone per person when we're paying an arm and leg!!! I say....overpriced.
Would I go here again...probably. It's a cute, quaint little place to have lunch. I liked this tea house more than others that I've been to.
See pictures.
Came here with a girlfriend of mine who also loves tea. I tried to make reservations through the website, but it wouldn't let me. Grrr. I called and was only able to make one for 10:30 am. Ok.
On first impression, this place seems a little on the shabby side, inside and out. The tables were all set. They had really cute napkin rings and colored sugar. Cute.
We both got the friendship tea with a pot of English Breakfast. The colored sugar that looked so cute in the bowl turned my tea a funny color. That was not cute. Also the tea itself was ok. I didn't have the desire to drink pots and pots of it like I normally do at tea. Since the tea is kinda the main thing in afternoon tea, this was a let down.
The vanilla scones were very good. More like biscuits than scones, but still tasty. The spinach salad was eh. I'm not a big fan of spinach so it wasn't really my thing. My friend enjoyed it. The Cream of Broccoli soup was yummy. The tea sandwiches we were served were chicken, cucumber, and egg. There was only one of each which didn't really seem like enough to me, but they were all tasty. The fondue that came was a mixture of milk and dark chocolate. It came with strawberries, bananas, and cream puffs. The pieces of fruit were cut too big and kept falling off my little fork thingy. Annoying.
Overall, this place was good, but I think I would go to Teahouse on Los Rios which has a little bit for charm or Tea and Sympathy which is a little bit more casual.
People thought this was:
I made reservations for afternoon tea to celebrate my friend's birthday. There were only 2 tables filled, but it still It took a while to be seated. When we were seated, the hostess took us to the back corner. She never came to take our order, even after noticing that we were ready. I didn't want to seem rude, but I asked my friend to let them know we were ready to order. The waitress/hostess snapped back and said she would go to our table. I couldn't understand why she wasn't taking our order. The two other tables had been served already. We got up to leave, and she never apologized. Wouldn't that be the first response? Any type of acknowledgement would have been nice, like "I'm so sorry," or "Please just have a seat, I apologize." Nope - nothing. Just a "bye."
I couldn't tell you about the food, because I never made it that far. I love trying new restaurants, and I'm very fair with my reviews. However, Sweet Diva's was such a huge disappointment.
I strongly believe that all restaurants should treat each customer with respect, regardless of age, sex, race, etc. While I don't know the reason for the poor service, it seemed apparent that they did not want my friend or me dining there. Whatever the reason, I do know that I would not recommend Sweet Diva's to anyone.
I hope they realize that every customer is important, and that first impressions mean a lot in this business.
People thought this was:
The chicken salad sandwiches were very tasty. However, the portions are tiny.
The scones came in a basket w/ super heavy creme and jam- Mmmm mm!
There's a long list of teas that one could choose from. The fruit teas: de-lish.
In all, a cute tea room but in need of better air conditioning for a place that serves hot tea on warm summer days. Also, must agree to the other Yelpers- a bit on the shabby side. Don't know where they could start on the up-keep...
Short and sweet - the food is awesome. I haven't had anything bad there yet and the scones are to die for! The service on the other hand is slow as being in line at the DMV.
They frown upon people who bring children.
Warning to all - DO NOT GO THERE ON ANY HOLIDAYS!!! We were there on Mother's Day and literally spent 3 hours (the eating part only took us about 30 minutes and the waiting was the other 2.5 hours). We all left in a foul mood with me apologizing to my family for making them endure such a experience. It sucks when you have 2 kids under the age of 4.
I went to Sweet Divas this weekend. It was not worth the near 2hr drive (L.A. traffic, blah). I will say that the scones and the cream were heavenly. Some of the best scones and richest, thickest, tastiest cream I have had to date. But a woman cannot live on scones and cream alone. The sandwiches were just OK the fondue, blah. I wanted some real dessert with my tea (sorry). We must have gone on a good day, because the service was cool to me.
I don't think it is likely that I will return to Sweet Divas. It's just too far to drive for something that is only OK as a whole.
This nice little cottage on a random, and busy, highway near Downtown Brea is pleasant. Parking is limited and reservations are recommended, although of the many times I have been here it seemed unnecessary, but to be safe, make reservations.
I've indulged in the Afternoon Tea, complete with warm scones, desserts, a pot of tea, and sandwiches. With the Afternoon Tea you also have the option of soup or salad. I've had both and I recommend either one, although you'll get your butternut squash soup warm or hot. the salad is full of greens, spinach and other greens, with a light vinaigrette.
Admittedly, yes, the service here is slow and a part of you might even think that your host is a new hire. But among this quaint cottage of small tables, ceramic and porcelain plates and cups, and all these other vintage like kitchen-ware, you will find that the selection of teas is quite pleasant.
If you plan on going be prepared to bring someone you can have random and small banter with, because, as I mentioned, the service is not fastest - and it's never overwhelmingly crowded. NEVER.
It's a great place to try, and depending on the impression this place has made on you, you may want to return.
It's quite romantic too, so if you want to approach that vibe, consider a late afternoon tea and then head on over to Downtown Brea for a movie.
People thought this was:
We made reservations a week in advance, but somehow they screwed up the rsvp. Service was a bit slow and lacking. The food was unique and good. They had a great tea selection and the scones were great. Sandwiches were average. Atmosphere and decor were cute. Maybe they were having an OFF day.
THIS IS NOT THE OLD GARDEN COTTAGE...EXPECT THAT MUCH!
My family used to frequent the Garden Cottage and Tea Room for a LONG time. We were friends of Christine (the old owner) who swore she'd never sell. Well....I don't know if times got rough or they just got going but she sold it....to a wonderful CHEF with a GOD AWFUL ATTITUDE.
This lady and her "husband" are so pretentious. I really must say the two stars (and I WILL return be it once a year to satisfy my craving for cream on a VANILLA, not lemon, scone) are for their culinary skills ONLY. While some of the old favorites died with the sale of the cottage (Gma's peach cobbler dessert, the most amazing jam EVER and cucumber tea sandwiches) some new things (butternut squash soup...when they have it) are spot on.
I just can't stand the attitude. Thus.....two stars. There are NO warm smiles, to say the service itself is lacking is a complete understatement, the greetings are missing completely....it's just a mess.
Make reservations BY CALLING, not thru their internet site, since she's so snobby about it and eat some scones with your rose tea. Then leave and forget about it for another year.
HARDLY ANY PARKING...
People thought this was:
I went for their Mother's Day brunch. I've had much better, but it wasn't bad.
Tea: Good selection
Scones: Warm-fresh out of the oven! But, no other pastries.
Food: Passion fruit essence (what is passion fruit essence? like.. juice?) enhanced fresh fruit was good. The crab cakes weren't quite crisp on the outside, but okay. Mom's french toast looked too rich, but she liked them. Stuffed w/ strawberries and some cream and coated w/ rolled oats. Dad's zucchini gratinee seemed good.
Service: Slow, but it was packed bc it was Mother's Day.
The Scene: Sigh. When we pulled up into the parking lot, I realized I had been here before w/ my 11th grade English class while reading Pride & Prejudice--for an English tea experience. It's next to a Maytag store. Yeah... and it's kind of run down looking from the outside. Sweet Diva's would do well to invest in some serious renovations. Inside was okay though... typical kitschy / cozy feel.
Overall: If in SF, 1-2 stars. Because we were in Orange County (a.k.a. land of TGIF's and Denny's)...3 stars.
I came here for brunch for the first time and this place is adorable. Definitely a "girl" place, scones were wonderful and the food was great. I'm going to come here again with my little niece for sure there is much more on their menu that I would love to try.
Edit: 9/7
I wanted to mention what we ate for brunch, I totally should have.
- Salads - good appetizer, portion size was perfect. Had the one with spinach & strawberries, always my favorite.
- Crabcakes - they offer 3 crabcakes with a salad. Definitely filling if you've had a couple biscuits and the appetizer.
- Friend had the risotto and took the rest home.
The service is indeed on the slow side but the host was cute and totally fit right into the place, reminded me of the girl from Waitress.
This was my 3rd visit to Sweet Divas. I went here for the first time for a friend's bridal shower. This place is a really cute, ultra-feminine tea house. So far on all of my visits service has been very good and attentive. The scones-vanilla sugar flavor-are super yummy and they have a really good selection of teas. The last 2 times I visited my friends and I got the Friendship Tea which is $19.95 each. You get scones, tea of your choice, salad, soup, finger sandwiches & fondue! It's a lot of food but if you take your time and stay for a while you don't feel like you need to waddle out.
Sweet Divas is located off of a really busy street and the parking is limited. Good tea spot to check out with girlfriends if you're in the area!
Met my friend and her kids for tea, and to check out their cake selection (upcoming wedding). Needless to say, it was not great. The outside, umm well the shop is right on a busy street, the cottage itself was old and had that old musty smell. Germ-o-phobe me noticed the hair in the colored sugar sprinkle jar, then when we asked for another sugar cup, the server put the hair-in-sugar-cup on another table gross. Scones were not great, but I've never really taken to scones, sandwiches were ok, the kids did not like theirs, the chocolate dipped strawberries were the highlight of our tea.
People thought this was:
Wow I have never EVER experienced worse customer service. The waitress (the girl with the funky glasses that a few other reviewers mentioned) had a major chip on her shoulder and acted like we were annoying freeloaders crashing at her house rather than paying customers patronizing their business! My friend arrived 3 minutes early before our reservation and walked inside only to be rudely told without even a greeting, "Look at the clock, we're not open yet." It went downhill from there. The waitress was unfriendly and looked grumpy the whole time. When she set down the sandwich tray we asked her what kind of sandwiches they were. Her response was, "Wait until I set down all of the trays and then I'll tell you." We reserved our table until 5 p.m. but the waitress started hovering and clearing the table well before 4:30 p.m. When we complained about the rude service, the same waitress was very sarcastic and kept repeating that "you don't know what goes into running a business," which was very presumptuous of her since
some of us actually do! While we were complaining, the owner just stood there and let the waitress talk over her and give us major attitude. The waitress ended the conversation by saying,"It's now 5 p.m., please leave the premises." She even slammed the door in our face and pointed
at us through the glass, saying "It's people like you!" (I wasn't sure if she was referring to the fact we were Asian or if she meant people who speak up when they get crappy service). Believe me I could not make this up if I tried. I am amazed at how this place manages to stay in business! It's clear to me now why we were pretty much the only customers there the whole afternoon. The food wasn't bad but it definitely wasn't great enough to justify such abysmal customer service.
Plus, parking sucked.
People thought this was:
I thought I'd take the girls out here for lunch.Try something new. This place was a bit shabby, and not shabby chic. The scones were nice and hot, so that was good, the salads were ok, but the service was pretty slow. I don't think I'd come back to this place. The ambiance was just not there.
People thought this was:
We held my friend's bridal shower here and although the food, tea, and coffee were relatively good (that's what added the third star), I found the whole experience quite pretentious. We were limited to two hours for our party and in the midst of it all, I saw them turn away potential patrons who didn't have reservations like it was a crime that they didn't call a day or two in advanced to eat brunch on a Sunday afternoon, even if half the place was vacant. What's the deal?
People thought this was:
This was my fourth visit to the Cottage - this time for a wedding shower. Warning: Reservations are required for Sunday Brunch - they don't take walk-ins. They have the best scones, which come in little baskets and two flavors (lemon & vanilla), and devonshire cream. Service was slower than usual, but the woman explained to us later that she was the only one working that day bc the waitress had an emergency. Hence, she was doing all the cooking and waitressing, along with the help of her bf who normally doesn't work there. She apologized profusely for the delay, which we didn't mind since we were there to celebrate anyways. I also always order the strawberry french toast, which comes padded with granola and filled with devonshire cream and strawberries - YUM. I'm not a big fan of tea in generaly but they have a nice selection, including Chocolate Dipped Strawberry, which was a hit at our table. The location is a little difficult to find - for some reason, both Google Maps and Mapquest gave some people really out-of-the-way directions from LA. Just look for the Maytag sign and it's right next door.
Updated 12/4/07: Now that I've been to three other tea places, I have to say this one is still my favorite, so I've changed my rating from 1 to 5 stars. I like that you can get an unlimited amount of scones (they even let my friend take some back with her at her shower) and that everyone gets to choose their own tea, which is served in individual pots (so you end up with a bunch of teapots on the table).
People thought this was:
I had the wonderful pleasure having lunch here recently. I had made reservations for 1 pm but we ended showing a few minutes early, but they wouldn't seat us early. A bit strange since the dining room only had two other tables that were seated. Before long though, we were seated in the little alcove in the back of the dining room. My friend and I both ordered the chicken sandwich with the spinach salad. All lunches come with a pot of tea, two scones, and a selection of desserts. First, the scones came out, the cream was delightful with our strawberry patch tea (I love the the colorful sugar crystals). The sandwich and the salad were perfect, moist chicken and the spinach salad had delicious crumbled blue cheese. Then for dessert, it was a delightful bite-sized pieces of brownies, red velvet cupcake, anda chocolate covered strawberries. A great place for ladies that love to have lunch and tea.
People thought this was:
HORRIBLE HORRIBLE SERVICE!!! my friend actually had made reservations (we were meeting up for someone's bday), but when we arrived, the hostess said our name was not placed. they told us that a table would be "available" in an hour (mind you, there were only 2 tables taken...the rest of the place was completely empty). about 10 minutes before the hour was up, we asked the hostess if we could be seated then. she snapped at us saying that it wasn't time yet, and walked away!
i have never experienced such humiliating service in my life! ... my friends and i couldn't help but to think perhaps it was because we were of color??? this is 2008!!! (the 2 tables taken were seated by people who were not of color) -- in any case, this place doesn't even deserve one star.
they were almost on the borderline of discriminating...
i'm usually very gracious when it comes to dining experiences - my family owns a restaurant business...so i know how tough it can be.
but this place was HORRIBLE! i don't care how great the food might be... the experience alone made such an impact on me that i will tell all my friends NOT to come here.
UNBELIEVABLY RUDE & DEGRADING!
People thought this was:
Would never go back to this place again! The service was horriable. BEWARE before you book a reservation at this place make sure to ask about their policies. Once you book -- you can NOT change your reservation. I had one friend who was unable to attend and I tried to call and change the reservation a couple days before and they refused!! So we were charged for her meal even though she wasnt present. The place is very shabby and it overlooks Imperial Highway which is loud and dirty. Parking is also a challenge. Also they lock the doors so you have to stand out side and listen to the traffic until your reservatation time. (I've never heard of a resturant doing this!!) The food was ok, but the service was incrediably slow, I felt like the servers were snobby and rude. There are soo many other lovely tea places in the area such as: Tea and Sympathy in Costa Mesa, Victorian Manor Tea Room in Orange, Tea and Teacups in Yorba Linda or my favorite Tea House on Los Rios in San Juan Capistrano.
People thought this was:
After reading all the reviews posted I felt I had to write my own, as you all did. Recently, I visited Sweet Divas to celebrate a birthday with a friend. This was the first time we visited and we are VERY impressed by their tea and food selection, and I'll tell you why. This place has charm. It feels cozy and not stiff or snotty, like other places I've seen. I will admit, the service is a bit slow, but that may be their way of giving you time to truly savor your tea. Yes, they are located in Brea on a busy street. Yes, they aren't as fancy schmancy as the Ritz-Carlton. Oh and yes, their china does not match. BUT... that does not take away from the QUALITY they offer. I have seen other fine establishments serve crap on a plate. What I had at Sweet Divas was divine. Their tea was perfect. Their scones are truly amazing - hot, fluffy, with just a hint of sweetness to tingle your taste buds. I can't believe anyone would say their scones were not amazing. Say what you want about their bright red paint, their taste in decor or their limited hours. Sweet Divas is worth your so-called sacrifice. I can bet money on that.
People thought this was:
Been going here for the past three years for brunch. Service is very friendly and the owner is really nice. She is usually busy in the kitchen but sometimes has time to come out to chat with the patrons. Be warned, plan to stay for a while. With the good food and nice selection of teas, you and your company will have a nice time. They can get crowded on the weekends, reservations are usually required. Crab cakes and the french toast are my favorites.
People thought this was:
My mother and I like to try tea places for her birthday, and this one is her favorite. The food is great here. Warning, the place can get loud though when it is busy. Sweet Divas should expand for that reason alone-and to not make the place so echo-y.
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