Tea Pavilion

Iced Teas were extremely disappointing. We ordered the Thai Iced Tea and Matcha Iced Tea. Both were $7 plus tax and the 5% additional fee. I didn’t see until after I ordered that they were using premixed tea powders. They could not adjust sweetness either because the sugar was premixed into these powders. The matcha was EXTREMELY sweet to the point we could not finish it, and the Thai Tea tasted like water. I saw the Chai Tea was also made the same way with premixed powder.
For such a high price, you think a place called the TEA Pavilion would actually whisk their own matcha and brew their own Thai tea and Chai. Even if speed of service is an issue, you could at least prep brewed tea concentrates to mix into it. I’m sure Japanese tourists are horrified at the matcha served here. For a tea house, please do better.

Teriyaki rice bowl was not good

Not great, overpriced and the food is really not great. Used to go a few years ago and had no complaints. Went again today. Had udon salad with tofu. Won't be going back again.

We loved ot! We enjoyed the green friendship salad, the curry chicken sandwich, and the iced matcha and thai drinks. Would definitely come back!

The staff is always welcoming and the food is fresh. Get the tuna salad as a wrap and a green iced tea.

Stopped in during our visit to Balboa Park - ordered a chicken rice bowl and a chicken curry sandwich ($38 total).

Rice bowl flavor was good - chicken had a little too much of a bite to it for my liking. Chicken curry sandwich was also good - served cold.

Service was very friendly and helpful! Clean areas, plenty of shaded tables to sit and eat + overlook Japanese Gardens.

Overall, nice light options for the area but probably would try a different spot on our next visit.

Would not recommend unless you have no other options. The chicken teriyaki tasted like supermarket microwaved frozen chicken with rice and off the shelf teriyaki sauce.

Very nice place to drink a tea or eat something Japanese a was walking throw balboa park and found it

A great stop on a hot day! We had a delicious salmon bowl and peach tea. Loved not having to leave the park to get something healthy while exploring all the museums.

Worst matcha I have ever had. Tastes like a fruit roll up and leaves a horrible after taste. I told the employees about it and they just shrugged and said nothing. There is no warning about the matcha being sweetened.

Food is tasty, but the crowds make it hard to enjoy. The ordering space is very tight and crowded. Our drink order was forgotten about amidst the other orders, so we were standing there for a long time while other people who ordered after us got their drinks. The iced matcha latte is made with sweetener and it becomes lukewarm very quickly. They had kombucha on tap which was really good. We ordered the Japanese potato salad and the soba noodle chicken salad. Both were refreshing but they put takoyaki sauce on the potato salad and I wasn’t sure why. Be prepared with a back-up order in case they run out of what you have in mind. People filter in and out of the outdoor seating frequently, but you might have to take your food to another area if it’s too crowded. Prices are pretty high too. I recommend visiting this place on a weekday or at a non-busy time to avoid the crowd.

Came to the park on a Sunday to walk around and see some of the museums. Wanted some coffee and found out thankfullythis little place. I asked what they had on the sweeter side and they suggested a tres leches late. It was VERY good and I will be back to have another next time we come for a chill day.

Thai tea was not good, I would not recommend it. Cute, convenient spot though.

Food looks reasonably good, outdoor dining overlooking the garden.

Price wise is slightly more than other cafes.

Compared to other eateries/cafe in the garden, there’s no pigeons here fighting over your food, which is a very nice and calm touch while you’re eating.

Bring a hat as the sun sometimes gets in your eye depending where you’re facing.

For some reason, they started removing the sun parasols 45 minutes before closing time. When I politely asked that they leave them until we’d finished our drink, I was ignored. Abysmal customer service.

Atmosphere: 1

Food: 2

Service: 1