Afternoon Tea In Los Angeles; The Historic Millennium Biltmore Hotel
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Having afternoon tea in Los Angeles at the Biltmore Hotel is like a taste of England meeting old Hollywood. Afternoon Tea is in the sumptuous Rendezvous Court, with its beautiful marble floors, sweeping grand staircase, and baby grand piano, it’s everything an afternoon tea experience should be; quiet elegance and delicious food.
I’ve been going to the Millennium Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles for over 20 years for various events and every time I enter the lobby, I’m struck by how beautiful it is. Christina from Christina’s Cucina and I have met at the Biltmore for afternoon tea in Los Angeles a couple of times before, and we tried it again to taste the updated menu.
Disclosure: The Millennium Biltmore hotel in downtown Los Angeles hosted me for afternoon tea. As always, all my opinions are my own. This post was updated April 8th, 2025
Afternoon tea in the Rendezvous Court
Tea in the Rendezvous Court is the perfect way to spend a Saturday or Sunday afternoon with friends, or as part of a romantic day with your sweetie on Valentine’s Day, or for a fun girl’s outing.
The Biltmore’s gorgeous building is designed in an “E” shape, to give as many guests as possible, views of Pershing Square Park. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences founded its annual awards banquet, which we now refer to as the Oscars, in the Crystal Ballroom.
Before or after tea, stroll through the lobby and look at the beautiful architecture and elegant decor. Down one corridor, you’ll find a fantastic black and white photograph taken during one of the Oscar shows, where you can test your knowledge of old Hollywood movie stars and try to guess “who’s who”. There’s a key with the names next to it if you need it!
Tea at the Biltmore is like stepping back into the Golden Age of elegance. The service is impeccable with attention to even the smallest details. Our waiter refreshed our tea cups before we even realized they were empty.
Tea is not meant to be eaten when one is hungry, the delicate sandwiches and sweets are meant to be eaten slowly. Indeed, we never felt rushed, even though we sat and sipped tea and chatted for two hours.
Afternoon tea menu at the Biltmore
The savory bites
We started with a glass of champagne followed by a delicious selection of savory bites and sandwiches. We started with the classic cucumber, with boursin cheese, followed by coronation chicken salad tartlet. There was also egg salad, smoked salmon on pumpernickel, and a ham and cheese gougère nibbles. With five savory bites we were ready for the sweet tier!
Sweet bites
For the sweet bites we had a beautiful blush macaron and passion fruit tart with meringue. There was also a lovely pistachio cake and chocolate cake.
Tea selections
Of course what’s afternoon tea without tea! The Biltmore offers a selection of three teas in addition to traditional black tea. The Angelus, a black tea with smoke and chocolate undertones and a hint of rose hips and orange. Their version of Earl Grey has a touch of lavender. There’s also a decaf citrus and hibiscus herbal tea. I would like to see a greater variety of teas especially a Darjeeling!
Want to have an Afternoon Tea Party at home?
Here are some menu suggestions that are easy to replicate at home.
How to Make the Perfect Cup of Tea from Christina’s Cucina.
Assorted Tea Sandwiches including cucumber, chicken salad with apricot and ham and cheese.
Traditional Shortbread makes a nice addition to any tea tray. I have a variety of shortbread recipes from Rose, Lavender and Orange Pistachio to Brown Sugar Walnut. If you’d like a savory shortbread, try Cheddar and Rosemary!
I didn’t realize that the Biltmore was built like an E for that reason, Cynthia! Love to learn things like that! It was truly a lovely and relaxing experience and I’d be happy to join you again, anytime!
I had such a great time with you both — maybe we need to do an encore for Mother’s Day 🙂 I can’t wait to try your lavender shortbread, that sounds amazing and I have lavender bushes growing in my yard!
Indeed Sue! That was such a relaxing experience! i think we need a do-over!
What a lovely way to spend an afternoon and you had such wonderful company. I have never done high tea and definitely want to experience it one day.
Andi, there are so many nice places to have tea in San Francisco too! I believe the Fairmont used to have a nice tea!?
Years ago, there was a tea room in OKC at the French Market Mall, which has now been turned into an obscene Burlington Coat Factory. =) I went there a couple times. There was also a tea room near the military base where I worked in public affairs. It was the Briar Rose. My friends and I went there every Friday for lunch. Sweet memories. I love tea and tea rooms. They were so popular here in the 1990s, but have also all disappeared. Anyway, they were much more quaint than the Biltmore. Beautiful post. Maybe Downton Abbey will heighten the importance of tea time in America!
i agree Jen, tea is such a civilized way to spend the afternoon! I’ll bet Downtown Abbey has helped bring the art of tea back!