Anniversary Afternoon Tea at The Langham Pasadena

Every year, The Langham Hotels around the world celebrate their anniversary with a ridiculously priced afternoon tea. The price is what the original Langham in London used to charge back in 1865: 1 shilling and six pence. That, dear readers, amounted to $0.15 this year. Fifteen cents!

Before this, I have not had the chance to try the Langham afternoon tea, and what better time to do it than when it was only 15 cents as opposed to the usual $39?

The afternoon tea is held at The Lobby Lounge of the Langham. We got a nice table by the window overlooking the green expanse of the hotel.

For this event, the servers also dressed up as if it was 1865. Our server had on a mustard suit and a cute blue ribbon while the female server was wearing a blue dress of that era.

The Langham offers a pretty nice selection of classic and scented teas. I ordered the Orchid Oolong, described as being "highlighted by a touch of coconut to offer the tranquility of a fragrant bouquet of fruit and floral notes in a rich, soothing infusion." Rich, indeed.

Scones and lemon poppyseed tea bread

The scones were of course served with lemon curd and Devonshire cream.

The sandwiches here are certainly a step up than the less expensive tea houses. Among them were Caribbean Sweet Shrimp with Watercress Pesto on Herb Bread, Smoked Salmon Profiterole with Carmelized Shallot Caper Cream, Dill Sprig and Lemon Zest, and Herbed Garlic Egg White Mousse on Peppercorn Potato Bread with Egg Yolk, Chive & American Caviar.

The tart spread was equally impressive with Almond Financier, Crème Brulee Tart, Milk Chocolate Citrus Torte, Pain Turk Cookie, and more, all of them very well made. I liked the Crème Brulee Tart and the macaron in particular.

The service was impeccable as well. Halfway through, our server asked if we would like them to brew us fresh pots of tea, since our tea has gotten lukewarm. I have not had any other place offer me that before.


That wasn't all we got for 15 cents. The Langham Hotels had apparently partnered with O. P. I. to create a nail polish based on their signature color, The Langham Pink. They gave each of us a bottle of this nail polish. Score!

When their anniversary comes around next year, I urge you to call them immediately. It was not only the best value afternoon tea (don't forget to tip based on the original $39 price) and perhaps the best service I've had for any tea, it was such a pleasant way to spend the afternoon with a friend.

The Lobby Lounge at The Langham Pasadena
1401 South Oak Knoll Avenue
Pasadena, CA 91106
(626) 585-6218