Lady Effie's Tea Parlor

Recommends

Eudoo

Joined 3 years ago

Lovely Tea House. I recently recommended Lady Effie's to a local friend who had been in search of a unique tea house. While, I admit it has been a while (maybe two years) since I've been there, recommending Lady Effie's reminded me of several pleasurable experiences I had there over the years. I was first introduced to this unique parlor, when a friend held a birthday tea on the ground floor. This was a party of 12 during the early summer of 2004. It was fun to dress up and where hats and enjoy great music while sipping a variety of teas and noshing finger sandwiches. I so enjoyed the experience that I returned shortly thereafter with my Mom. This visit was even more personal, as we were treated to a mini tour by the owner and enjoyed a lovely afternoon sitting in one of the smaller rooms upstairs. Over the next few years, I returned to Lady Effie's, always initiating a friend or relative to this hidden gem. While, I do admit, the prices were a bit inflated, I also recognized that such a unique place could not survive without charging a little more than the average tea parlor. Also, the limited staff meant exercising patience with regards to the speed of service. However, I do recall being checked on regularly and having lovely conversations with the staff upon each visit. One last thing, don't go there starving. It's not a place to fill up on food. It truly is a tea parlor with the emphasis on tea and finger sandwiches.

Overall, if you are looking for a truly unique LA experience, you can afford to ignore your watch, relax and enjoy the atmosphere, this is a place to check out.

Recommends

jazzgasm

Joined 4 years ago

great belated valentine's day celebration. My fiance took me to Lady Effie's as a surprise belated Valentine's Day celebration last year, and it still sits in my mind as one of my favorite dates we've had! The service (in our experience) was really wonderful - not only were they helpful and conversational, but they brought us a whole bag of the tea we'd ordered at the end of the day! We were really touched and loved every minute of it. The selection of food and teas is really great too. My favorite part was that we were able to sit for 2+ hours and talk in a sweet, quiet environment. :)

Doesn't Recommend

prettyyoungthang

Joined 6 years ago

To Opine or Not to Opine. My fellow book club members have a bit more tact in responding to onslaughts however I do not. For those of you who've decided to comment on our experience with Lady Effie and her tea parlor I say that this was a matter of perception and since YOU were not personally a part of OUR group do us all a favor and comment on only what you know. To say that we were rude and disruptive is completely without merit.

Our book club attended the parlor that day to celebrate our anniversary and although we are normally a group of boisterous women, we made it a point to maintain a normal conversation level and be respectful of the setting we were in. We attempted to engage our server by asking her questions about the history of the house and how the parlor came to be. We were very respectful and understanding of the fact that she was the only person servicing multiple parties. So much so that a few club members offered to HELP her with getting our pitchers of water. Now, 14 people in an upstairs room the size of a large closet in 90+ degree weather with one pitcher of water does not make much sense to me and in essence that was all it was about WATER or lack thereof. And to say that we are rude, disruptive, "slicksters", and bullies, because we simply asked to be kept hydrated is completely unreasonable. We never even got to the tea. After serving lunch she claimed she would be back to take our order and never returned. Bottom line this forum is to post YOUR experience with this particular establishment, NOT to criticize others. This was what we experienced and we have the right to post it as we saw it. We do not make it a habit of telling "untruths". I must also add that perhaps no prior posting mentioned the professional status of our members because it does not matter. Whether we were a group of marine biologists and engineers or a gathering of nurse's aids and maintenance personnel it does not negate the fact that we were treated poorly and disrespected.

Doesn't Recommend

vwaku

Joined 6 years ago

LARGE GROUPS BEWARE. Our book club chose to patronize Lady Effie's Tea Parlor to celebrate our 4th anniversary.

The parlor has a no children policy and a dress code; business casual, no denim, and reservations must be made in advance for large parties. From a consumer perspective these requirements would give you the impression that the establishment is seeking to attract a certain type of customer and seeks to maintain a certain atmosphere within the establishment. Moreover, a consumer would presuppose that a high level of customer care and service is inevitable when patronizing an establishment with such standards.

It was more than 90 degrees outside, and we did not anticipate that the parlor would not be air conditioned especially since we were all dressed in business casual attire, and some of us had on sun hats. We also did not anticipate that there would only be a mother-daughter duo, (cook and server). We had a large party and there were several small parties downstairs.

When we arrived, no water was set up so we requested water and that is when the trouble started, the server only brought one small pitcher of water that only filled a few glasses, so when we requested more water she was visibly annoyed but she kept bringing one pitcher at a time. When the food came, we asked the server if we could change our tea order to iced tea, and she informed us that iced tea had to be pre-ordered. Fair enough, we decided we would not have tea and that we would leave.

We went to settle the bill and the server said she would adjust the bill but instead her mother came out of the kitchen and immediately started insulting us, calling us ?slickters? that comment prompted one of us to state that we had doctors & lawyers in our party simply to indicate that we are a group of professional women definitely in a position to pay the entire bill & give a tip, had the service been adequate. I suggest that the owners get more help, & become a bit more accommodating on hot days.

Doesn't Recommend

tgabrielle

Joined 6 years ago

Having Tea Elsewhere. I was a part of the disappointed and frustrated group of women who patronized Lady Effie?s in September 2007. I must say, it was an unusually hot day. Temperatures were in the high 90s. As most people know heat rises and so on a scorching LA day, the heat was rather unbearable while sitting in an old but quaint home on the second floor. Also, we had two pregnant women in our party and we were all rather concerned about their health. It was beyond important that we have a continuous supply of water for those who were pregnant in our group. In order to make sure those women were taken care of we did make several trips downstairs to ask for more water. On such a hot day, one pitcher of water every 20 minutes was not going to be sufficient for a large group. This was a day of celebration for our group and I can?t say enough how disappointed we were to have it ruined by such poor service. I?m glad to know the other customers enjoyed themselves, however we did not have the same enjoyable experience. Possibly Lady Effie?s is the tea place for some, but I will be looking elsewhere to have tea.

Doesn't Recommend

peppur

Joined 6 years ago

Service, Service, Service.. I was a part of the "heat"(ed) group from Sept 2007. This Citysearch forum is not the place to defend ourselves, but it is the place to talk about service and experience. So for the general reader looking for information on Lady Effie's Tea Parlor, I simply offer this:

The bottom line is that service was not sufficiently accommodating on a day where the heat caused an unbearable circumstance.

When an establishment is not able to cope with conditions that adversely affect its customer, then there is a problem.

I personally would be willing to try the parlor again because I'm into charm and nostalgia and tea; however, my willingness to try is lessened by the memory of how we were treated as a group. If the customer is always right, we were treated as though we were definitely wrong, and we reacted as such and that did not make for an overall enjoyable experience.

Recommends

delanamcfarland

Joined 6 years ago

Beautiful and Unique Tea Parlor in Historical East Adams. I have been very busy traveling for my business and just had the opportunity to post my comments regarding my visit to Lady Effie's Tea Parlor. I was horrified to read the reviews posted on 9/06 and 9/07. I happened to be at the Tea Parlor the same day of their visit. I had the joy of being in 'Mable's Room' that day. I must say, that the group upstairs, made the day miserable for the Owner, the Server and uncomfortable for the rest of the customers. Their behavior was such, that, one of the ladies in my group, told them -- as they were leaving -- that they should be ashamed of themselves! They were upstairs and all of the customers downstairs found them to be extremely rude and disruptive. The Server did her best to work around their 'bully attitude'. On at least three occasions, the Server found her path blocked by a trio of women, as she was trying to serve tea and our trays of food. Unfortunately, we couldn't help but overhear the conversation as they were leaving. The group was arguing about the price and refused to pay all of the money. The ladies in my group was remarking about the comments the three women kept saying to the Owner, "We are Doctors and Lawyers..." Interesting that distinction wasn't mentioned in the postings.

Aside from those unpleasant people, the visit was wonderful! The food was delicious as always! I continue to frequent Lady Effie's Tea Parlor because of the peaceful ambiance and warm feeling that surrounds the interior of this Historical house. The Owner is very gracious and friendly; always ready with a story about a time long gone...

I would reccomend Lady Effie's for one person or a group of 20+. When you make your reservation, don't be in a hurry. As the message on the phone states, "Don't be in a hurry. Sip long and drink tea!"

Regardless of the untruthful postings, my friends and I will be returning to Lady Effie's! I will tell others who have been to the Tea Parlor, to post their experiences.

Doesn't Recommend

chidreamer

Joined 6 years ago

Unladylike Tea Parlor. My first experience at a tea parlor unfortunately was ruined at an establishment called Lady Effie's tea parlor. There was nothing "ladylike" in the service or the treatment. The historical paraphernalia, antique furnishings, and vast array of heirlooms was intriguing; however could easily be enjoyed at your local city museum. From mediocre food to rationed water; no customer should be exposed to said conditions while simultaneously suffering from a severe heat wave. The torturous afternoon was concluded by having to patiently wait for the lady of the house to allow patrons to exit the premises. Sadly, I am still desperate in an attempt to finding what I initially considered an ideal concept.

Doesn't Recommend

lagralane

Joined 6 years ago

First and worst tea house experience!!!. My experience began with driving the into 'hood and then walking into a delightlful house with old world charm. This was my first experience in a teahouse and I was looking forward to spending it with my girlfriends as we celebrated our 4th year anniversary of our organization. Quickly, the charm disappeared. First and worst teahouse I have ever been to. The room was extremely HOT with only one ceiling fan and no water when we arrived to our selected hot room. As our party of 10 grew, we required lots of water. 10 minutes after arriving, we were served a tea biscuit and one strawberry. 20 minutes after arriving, 6 glasses and one pitcher of water arrives for 8 people. This apparently was a problem for the staff of TWO, including a Passive Aggressive server who was not smart enough to bring us atleast 10 glasses and 2 pitchers of ice water at a time. Mind you, we have 2 pregnant women. Why is there no one to take care of us?!!! One hour later, the Passive Aggressive server brings water and announces she will bring the food before offering tea (which is not the order of tea service, but I figure she knows she is running late). 30 minutes after the P/A server said the food was ready, it arrives. By this time, one pregnant friend can't take it anymore and leaves, and I have to step out to get fresh air. 20 minutes after the food arrived, the P/A server never came to take our tea order. We ate the rest of the decent food, paid our bill, and left but not before P/A server ( the daughter) and the Aggressive chef (the mother) called us "slicksters" and a derogatory urban term that this site will not allow me to write (but it starts with a 'g' and ends with an 'o'). Why did we stay for all of this you ask? We wanted to enjoy each other's company, celebrate, and give this establishment a chance, but apparently, this teahouse could have cared less about decent service and to have found new patrons.

Doesn't Recommend

rutherfordgirl

Joined 6 years ago

Worst Tea Parlor In Los Angeles!. AWFUL, SIMPLY AWFUL. There was NO airconditioning. The service was ridiculously slow. There was only one server, and she was RUDE..and SLOW. Her mother (who apparently is also the cheff and the owner) was just as rude. If you plan on coming here, make sure you have had plenty of water before hand because they are tight on their water supply and will give you attitude if you ask them to refill your glass. Nothing about this place was convenient. In order to enter or leave the premises, you have to wait a long time for one of the two employees to come and press a special button to let you in or out. The food was average. I'm not sure how the tea was becasue we never received it! I can go on and on about how awful this experience was, but I'm not going to waste anymore typing time. Bottom line, you can't pay me to step foot in that place ever again. The idea of Lady Effies Tea Parlor is GREAT, its just run by the WRONG people.