Just learned this place closed and I wish I would have left this review earlier. Service, food, and ambience was wonderful. Please let us know if you open elsewhere. As one of the few African American women businesses in downtown Hayward, we were looking forward to coming back more often. This is one of the few places I loved dressing up to have tea with my friends.
Katherine W.
THIS LOCATION IS NOW CLOSED. I am so sad that the building manager and the owner couldn't come to an agreement. We will miss you! Please let us know if you open up anywhere else in the future.
Mimi H.
Very nice place to have afternoon tea. The atmosphere, tea, and food were very nice. The ladies that work there were friendly. The only thing I would mention is when the room started to fill up and get crowded, it seemed to take longer to be served. The crowd also made the room hot and people had to open the door from time to time to let fresh air in. There was a large party sitting next to us and it seemed like the staff was getting overwhelmed with the packed room which could have resulted in the slower service. Maybe employ more people during days they know will be really busy and get some kind of fan.
Wanda Kurtcu
This is an absolutely lovely tea house. The selections of tea is fantastic. I had 7 Fairies Tea, which was a flower that unfolded when in HOT water.
Amy K.
The place is truly a 2.5 stars. I wasn't impressed at all. We went on a Saturday, very very very slow service. 25 mins to get waters on the table and about an hour and 15 to get our trays. Which wouldn't have been so bad if the food was good. It wasn't. It really wasn't. It's very mediocre. Nothing stood out. Oh and the servers are very meh. Nothing wrong with them. They're not rude. They're just not friendly. A little on the strange side honestly. Not a place I'd ever want to return to. I didn't enjoy anything and to be honest I was a little uncomfortable with the whole situation lol. Oh and as previous Yelpers have mentioned don't ask what's the most popular/ what do you recommend type of questions, you won't get an answer except 'they're all great.'
Debbie H.
No, no, and no. I've been frequenting tea rooms for many years and this is by far THE worst tea place I've ever been to. I would give it a -1 star if I could. 1. The owner, Beniba, has a horrible orientation to customer service. They don't do anything online and she almost scolded me for calling when she was closed. I told her she had an off-putting phone manner, but booked anyway because we couldn't get into my favorite tea room. 2. She insisted that, if I make reservations, I was required to get "High Tea" for a group of our size. Mind you, there were 5 of us and the High Tea is the more expensive service, but OK. I asked if we could just walk-in, but she insisted that it was likely that we would not be able to get in. Guess what...we were the ONLY people in there for the 3 p.m. seating. 3. The decor is too cheesy. There is a giant fountain in the middle of the room that spits drops on anyone that is near it, that was me on the day of our visit. Fake flowers abound and the chairs haven't been cleaned in who knows when. 4. We arrived at 2:55 p.m. for a 3 p.m. seating. After waiting for about 15 or so minutes, I asked about our seating. The owner said, "Do you have a reservation?" and "there's a table over there." So I waited for her to see us to our table...15 more minutes...nothing. When I approached her again, she said, "Oh, you must not have heard me. I said the table was over there." WHAT??!! I was too "done" but had brought 3 young girls with me, in the rain, and we were hungry and restless. Besides, I couldn't get my $100 deposit back. 5. We were there a total of 2.5 hours because the food and tea took soo long. 2.5 hours and she had the nerve to get snarky when my daughter requested another glass of water. 6. When we asked about the ingredients of one of the desserts, she said, "I don't have the package anymore, so I don't know what is in it." It is a restauranteers job to know what is in the food being served. 7. Honestly, the food and tea weren't bad, but the service left us with such a bad taste in our mouths, it was hard to enjoy it. Beniba really needs to hire staff to work with her. She's selling tickets, serving drinks, and landing the plane. I'm sure some young people in a culinary program would appreciate the opportunity to work in such a place. I really don't know how this place stays open. She also needs a marketing consultant to help her overhaul the look of the place and update the website to accommodate online reservations. EEK. Never again!!
Siarra D.
Didn't even make it IN the tea house. My sister and I decided last minute to try it for the first time upon seeing it driving by a few weeks prior. Yelp/website says that it opens at 12, so we showed up around 12:45. The owner arrives at 1 pm. My sister and I walk in to sign the guest book as the owner rushes to open up the restaurant to set up menus and outside decor. There are open seats everywhere. My sister asks "Are you guys busy today?" and the owner says, without even looking our way "well Im expecting a party of 10in 15 minutes, so it'll probably be an hour if you want to wait" very rudely and doesn't even apologize for showing up an hour late. Yes it was our bad for not making a reservation ahead of time, but nowhere on the website did it say that reservations were absolutely necessary. The attitude/lack of acknowledgement to a potential customer was simply uncalled for. We will not be returning.
Jerie Fletcher
This is a Phenomenal hidden gem in Hayward!! Loved everything about it!!!
Susana R.
I chose 1 star because yelp makes you and couldn't leave it at none. I was looking forward to my special day and supporting a small local business woman. The owner Beneba advertises hosting private parties so I decided to host my 40th birthday/ baby shower on Saturday Sept 21st. I paid a little over $1400 for 36 adults and 2 toddlers high tea service and wee tea service. My reservation was from 1-4. She was extremely unaccomodating in allowing me to bring a cake, but I accepted her regulation of no outside food. She wouldn't even let 1 of my guests bring in her own snacks because she is Vegan and Beneba had nothing vegan. One of my problems is she refused to bring my guests including myself any water the whole time and said to 1 of my guests if I bring you water, then I have to bring everyone water. And no one got water. Also she worked the whole event alone and had a lot of us waiting over an hour just for tea and scones. It was 4 o'clock and she had only brought the food out to 7 people and still had not brought me anything being that I was the host and 7 1/2 months pregnant; I should have been fed 1st. My guests were hungry and hot and frustrated and noticed this horrible service and 4 of my guests went to help her prepare the tiers of food and serve, instead of enjoying themselves. 4 of my guests left without any service and took sandwiches to go that I had to ask for. Also at the end about 6pm she never apologized and told me I owe you 5 dollars but all I have is a 10 and can't break that. And never gave me any change nor an offer for at least a refund of any kind. This lady should not be running a business if this is how she treats good paying customers. Thank you. And I hope to help you avoid the stress this has caused me personally. P.S Once my guests started to help she told them yea you take the food out so you get the dirty looks instead of me. Rude all around.
Athena Diaz
Beautiful tea settings, delish bites of high tea sandwiches and desserts, and perfect ambiance.
I'm giving this place 1 star, simply for the decor and ambience. I came here for a private event on a Saturday from 1-4 pm. I sat down at a table, and the owner asked me what kind of tea I wanted and I told her I wanted peach tea. She then came back to the table with mango tea 30 minutes later, and I said forget it, that's fine. My sister then asked her if she could have some water, and she literally told my sister, " well if I give you water, I have to give everyone else water in here." How rude can this owner be?!! Mind you, the owner was paid a pretty penny to run this event and you couldn't even provide my sister with water, rude!! I can't believe she did not have anyone helping her. Even though I felt for her, she was totally unapologetic, and didn't seem to care about customer service. People starting helping the lady, and they couldn't enjoy themselves and just sit back and relax, and enjoy our cousin's baby shower/ birthday party. I think this woman should seek help and not carry this on herself! So beware coming here, poor customer service, and unapologetic owner. Lastly, be prepared to wait for a long time for tea and food.
Garcia G.
I attended a private event here and was impressed at how cute it was. 2 stars because the timeliness of service was AWFUL. We had the event from 1-4p on a Saturday. There was literally one person who worked the entire event. It was so bad that our guests helped the server prepare the food in the kitchen. The tea and sandwiches were tasty, but I do not recommend this place for private events.
Fei M.
Happy to support a black woman owned business, especially one where the owner is working both in the kitchen and in the front!
Alita Henderson
Enjoyed our High Tea experience yesterday. Our party of 6 selected six different teas...they were all good. The tiered plates of sandwiches and other dainty treats were delicious. Must visit the Golden Tea Garden again!
Marissa Gholston-Edwards
The decor is fabulous...I'm in a garden--a water fountain, flowers, crawling vines, an occasional chirping of a bird; oh wait, I'm inside a tea shop. Great tea selections and food (displayed on a 3-tiered plate). The teapots & cups are lovely and vintage elegance. The service was wonderful and welcoming.
Just learned this place closed and I wish I would have left this review earlier. Service, food, and ambience was wonderful. Please let us know if you open elsewhere. As one of the few African American women businesses in downtown Hayward, we were looking forward to coming back more often. This is one of the few places I loved dressing up to have tea with my friends.
THIS LOCATION IS NOW CLOSED. I am so sad that the building manager and the owner couldn't come to an agreement. We will miss you! Please let us know if you open up anywhere else in the future.
Very nice place to have afternoon tea. The atmosphere, tea, and food were very nice. The ladies that work there were friendly. The only thing I would mention is when the room started to fill up and get crowded, it seemed to take longer to be served. The crowd also made the room hot and people had to open the door from time to time to let fresh air in. There was a large party sitting next to us and it seemed like the staff was getting overwhelmed with the packed room which could have resulted in the slower service. Maybe employ more people during days they know will be really busy and get some kind of fan.
This is an absolutely lovely tea house. The selections of tea is fantastic. I had 7 Fairies Tea, which was a flower that unfolded when in HOT water.
The place is truly a 2.5 stars. I wasn't impressed at all. We went on a Saturday, very very very slow service. 25 mins to get waters on the table and about an hour and 15 to get our trays. Which wouldn't have been so bad if the food was good. It wasn't. It really wasn't. It's very mediocre. Nothing stood out. Oh and the servers are very meh. Nothing wrong with them. They're not rude. They're just not friendly. A little on the strange side honestly. Not a place I'd ever want to return to. I didn't enjoy anything and to be honest I was a little uncomfortable with the whole situation lol. Oh and as previous Yelpers have mentioned don't ask what's the most popular/ what do you recommend type of questions, you won't get an answer except 'they're all great.'
No, no, and no. I've been frequenting tea rooms for many years and this is by far THE worst tea place I've ever been to. I would give it a -1 star if I could. 1. The owner, Beniba, has a horrible orientation to customer service. They don't do anything online and she almost scolded me for calling when she was closed. I told her she had an off-putting phone manner, but booked anyway because we couldn't get into my favorite tea room. 2. She insisted that, if I make reservations, I was required to get "High Tea" for a group of our size. Mind you, there were 5 of us and the High Tea is the more expensive service, but OK. I asked if we could just walk-in, but she insisted that it was likely that we would not be able to get in. Guess what...we were the ONLY people in there for the 3 p.m. seating. 3. The decor is too cheesy. There is a giant fountain in the middle of the room that spits drops on anyone that is near it, that was me on the day of our visit. Fake flowers abound and the chairs haven't been cleaned in who knows when. 4. We arrived at 2:55 p.m. for a 3 p.m. seating. After waiting for about 15 or so minutes, I asked about our seating. The owner said, "Do you have a reservation?" and "there's a table over there." So I waited for her to see us to our table...15 more minutes...nothing. When I approached her again, she said, "Oh, you must not have heard me. I said the table was over there." WHAT??!! I was too "done" but had brought 3 young girls with me, in the rain, and we were hungry and restless. Besides, I couldn't get my $100 deposit back. 5. We were there a total of 2.5 hours because the food and tea took soo long. 2.5 hours and she had the nerve to get snarky when my daughter requested another glass of water. 6. When we asked about the ingredients of one of the desserts, she said, "I don't have the package anymore, so I don't know what is in it." It is a restauranteers job to know what is in the food being served. 7. Honestly, the food and tea weren't bad, but the service left us with such a bad taste in our mouths, it was hard to enjoy it. Beniba really needs to hire staff to work with her. She's selling tickets, serving drinks, and landing the plane. I'm sure some young people in a culinary program would appreciate the opportunity to work in such a place. I really don't know how this place stays open. She also needs a marketing consultant to help her overhaul the look of the place and update the website to accommodate online reservations. EEK. Never again!!
Didn't even make it IN the tea house. My sister and I decided last minute to try it for the first time upon seeing it driving by a few weeks prior. Yelp/website says that it opens at 12, so we showed up around 12:45. The owner arrives at 1 pm. My sister and I walk in to sign the guest book as the owner rushes to open up the restaurant to set up menus and outside decor. There are open seats everywhere. My sister asks "Are you guys busy today?" and the owner says, without even looking our way "well Im expecting a party of 10in 15 minutes, so it'll probably be an hour if you want to wait" very rudely and doesn't even apologize for showing up an hour late. Yes it was our bad for not making a reservation ahead of time, but nowhere on the website did it say that reservations were absolutely necessary. The attitude/lack of acknowledgement to a potential customer was simply uncalled for. We will not be returning.
This is a Phenomenal hidden gem in Hayward!! Loved everything about it!!!
I chose 1 star because yelp makes you and couldn't leave it at none. I was looking forward to my special day and supporting a small local business woman. The owner Beneba advertises hosting private parties so I decided to host my 40th birthday/ baby shower on Saturday Sept 21st. I paid a little over $1400 for 36 adults and 2 toddlers high tea service and wee tea service. My reservation was from 1-4. She was extremely unaccomodating in allowing me to bring a cake, but I accepted her regulation of no outside food. She wouldn't even let 1 of my guests bring in her own snacks because she is Vegan and Beneba had nothing vegan. One of my problems is she refused to bring my guests including myself any water the whole time and said to 1 of my guests if I bring you water, then I have to bring everyone water. And no one got water. Also she worked the whole event alone and had a lot of us waiting over an hour just for tea and scones. It was 4 o'clock and she had only brought the food out to 7 people and still had not brought me anything being that I was the host and 7 1/2 months pregnant; I should have been fed 1st. My guests were hungry and hot and frustrated and noticed this horrible service and 4 of my guests went to help her prepare the tiers of food and serve, instead of enjoying themselves. 4 of my guests left without any service and took sandwiches to go that I had to ask for. Also at the end about 6pm she never apologized and told me I owe you 5 dollars but all I have is a 10 and can't break that. And never gave me any change nor an offer for at least a refund of any kind. This lady should not be running a business if this is how she treats good paying customers. Thank you. And I hope to help you avoid the stress this has caused me personally. P.S Once my guests started to help she told them yea you take the food out so you get the dirty looks instead of me. Rude all around.
Beautiful tea settings, delish bites of high tea sandwiches and desserts, and perfect ambiance.
Restaurantji Recommends
I'm giving this place 1 star, simply for the decor and ambience. I came here for a private event on a Saturday from 1-4 pm. I sat down at a table, and the owner asked me what kind of tea I wanted and I told her I wanted peach tea. She then came back to the table with mango tea 30 minutes later, and I said forget it, that's fine. My sister then asked her if she could have some water, and she literally told my sister, " well if I give you water, I have to give everyone else water in here." How rude can this owner be?!! Mind you, the owner was paid a pretty penny to run this event and you couldn't even provide my sister with water, rude!! I can't believe she did not have anyone helping her. Even though I felt for her, she was totally unapologetic, and didn't seem to care about customer service. People starting helping the lady, and they couldn't enjoy themselves and just sit back and relax, and enjoy our cousin's baby shower/ birthday party. I think this woman should seek help and not carry this on herself! So beware coming here, poor customer service, and unapologetic owner. Lastly, be prepared to wait for a long time for tea and food.
I attended a private event here and was impressed at how cute it was. 2 stars because the timeliness of service was AWFUL. We had the event from 1-4p on a Saturday. There was literally one person who worked the entire event. It was so bad that our guests helped the server prepare the food in the kitchen. The tea and sandwiches were tasty, but I do not recommend this place for private events.
Happy to support a black woman owned business, especially one where the owner is working both in the kitchen and in the front!
Enjoyed our High Tea experience yesterday. Our party of 6 selected six different teas...they were all good. The tiered plates of sandwiches and other dainty treats were delicious. Must visit the Golden Tea Garden again!
The decor is fabulous...I'm in a garden--a water fountain, flowers, crawling vines, an occasional chirping of a bird; oh wait, I'm inside a tea shop. Great tea selections and food (displayed on a 3-tiered plate). The teapots & cups are lovely and vintage elegance. The service was wonderful and welcoming.