Buena Vida Tea Bar & Garden

Really special place for tea and pastry. Staff is so welcoming and the tea selection is excellent. The pastry and tea sandwiches are so fresh and delicious-you can tell they are prepared daily and made with love. Outside patio in back is great-weather permitting. Try Buena Vida-you won't regret it!

nice quiet spot

Buena Vida Tea Bar & Garden is my favorite place to enjoy good quality tea in Santa Monica. When you walk inside every staff treat you like they are happy to see you regardless if it's your first time or you visit everyday. I always feel welcomed. They have an amazing vegan empanada that pairs well with some tea. Today I had the Rosa Palmer! 🌹

Intentional. Amazing tea and overall vibe. Mayra and the staff are kind, knowledgeable and so helpful. We got the guava cake, spinach empanada, Lavendar rosemary baked good.
Persian specialty tea = warming and savory.
Apple oolong = incredible
Jasmine 😍

Treat yourself. So lovely. Covered patio too.

Great service!

This is a review of their Too Good To Go (TGTG) Bag. However, I have stopped in before for a boba milk tea and empanada. And I do plan on coming in for the full afternoon tea experience.
I’ve purchased their TGTG Tea Box twice now, and each time has been stellar! So nice I had to leave a review!
If you haven’t heard of TGTG, you can download the app to purchase food, drinks, and goods leftover at closing from various cafes, bakeries, restaurants, and stores at a discounted price. This alleviates food waste and introduces you to many local businesses and cuisines.

In our box we received two cucumber tea sandwiches, two small cookies, two warm scones, an empanada, an iced cinnamony boba tea as well as jam and housemade clotted cream! It was so good and fresh, that I bet the Queen of Afternoon Tea on TikTok would approve. If you’re wondering whether you should stop in, this is your sign! Check out their website for the full menu; you can stop by to get a drink to go or sit down and enjoy their treats in their lovely garden patio. Either way you choose to enjoy Buena Vida, you'll have a good time.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Assorted Cookies, Jams & Clotted Cream, Empanadas, Scones

Service - unheard of
Food and tea - top notch
Whoever is reading this, do not hesitate. Just try it out

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Very beautiful back patio, exceptional service, and lovely tea. The price for afternoon was a bit high, but definitely worth it for the experience.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

The reason for 3 stars is the cost to portion ratio. $65 per person for not much food

The sandwiches are very thin and made on cheap wonder bread. You get 3 tiny ones which make up a total of 1.5 sandwiches

The empanada is good but you only get one

The scones are good but you only get one

The tea is good

The entire dessert course is pretty inedible from being so dry

Staff is really nice and the back patio is cute

But until they lower the price to $40 per person, I won’t be returning

Recommended dishes: Empanadas, Scones

Wonderful people and wonderful vibe, amazing nature patio in the back, great owner.

$3.50 for a short bread cookie that’s a square inch big? Macaroons and handmade crafted truffles cost less. And an average matcha for $9.50.

Overpriced. Barista was nice. Cashier seemed fake nice.

Lovely lovely place. Owner is the best very kind and friendly. It is cozy and so pretty here. The teas are refreshing (especially iced). The scones are AMAZING; so buttery on the outside and soft on the inside. First place outside of UK where I like the scones.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Scones

Absolutely the sweetest, cutest spot on Montana! I am not a coffee drinker. I much prefer tea and I am gluten free, so Buena Vida checks so many boxes for me. They have many gluten free options for sweet treats to go along with your tea. In particular the Portuguese Walnut Cake! The garden on the back is so precious! It is a wonderful spot to grab a tea with a friend or bring your laptop to get some work done or even just bring a book and grab a cup of tea and relax. The staff is really friendly too. It really is a magical little shop! Can't recommend Buena Vida enough!

Dietary restrictions: Some great gluten free options

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

I hosted my baby shower here on 3/23/24.I wanted a tea party with family & close friends and Mayra and her team went above and beyond!The tea service so delicious!!! And friends & family couldn’t stop complimenting how unique and beautiful of an experience it was.Definitely bringing my baby here for tea parties with her!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Tea Sandwiches, Scones

I got the vegan high tea and I loved it!The service was fabulous. The setting is great. The patio gets nice and warm, so even when it's cold outside, you'll be free to shed a few layers.A recommendation for any budget-friendly vegans out there: get the items a la carte. I paid a total of 55 for the high tea (not including tip), and here is what I got:3 cucumber cream cheese sandwiches1 rice krispie treat3 Biscoff cookies1 empanada1 tea steeper of tea (good for refills, but the 2nd refill wasn't very flavorful which)By themselves, the sandwiches cost around 10, the rice krispie around 6, the cookies around 6, the empanada around 7, and the tea around 14. I asked the owner about the incentive to get a high tea vs. ordering items separately, and she said it's about the presentation and talked about all the fees of running a business. Which is fair! But going back, I'd just grab 1 tea, 3 sammies, 1 empanada, and the biscoffs for a total of 30ish. It would've been just as filling, just as delicious, and at half the price.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Empanadas