The Christmas Menu at Chado Tea Room.
Chado Tea Room, tucked just off Raymond Avenue, is one of those rare Old Pasadena refuges where December seems contractually obligated to behave itself. The pace softens the moment you step inside. Shoppers shake off the cold, bells and garlands settle down, and even the holiday soundtrack outside keeps a respectful distance. It’s an agreeable place to be reminded that refinement—real refinement—still exists, especially during the season most determined to forget it.
We arrived for their Christmas menu on a recent Friday, a week after our first attempt. That first visit, we were a little overeager; the holiday menu was not quite available yet, and Sam—the gracious manager who seems to float rather than walk—kindly assured us it would be worth coming back. He was right.
This time, we began with a mango-papaya iced tea, bright and tropical, the color of good cheer poured over ice. At Chado, even iced tea feels ceremonial. Sam delivered it with his characteristic calm, a kind of hospitality that’s both formal and friendly, free of fuss but attentive down to the tilt of a teaspoon.
The Christmas Lunch itself arrived in that soft, orderly parade that makes tea service feel like theater. First, a hot bowl of carrot and ginger soup that was soothing and savory.
Then came the cranberry and orange scone, still warm, served with Chado and lemon curd. “Try the scone first,” Sam advised quietly. “It’s fresh out of the oven.” It was magical—tender, crumbly, fragrant, the sort of scone that justifies entire establishments. The Chado cream and jam waited patiently but did not wait long.
Then came the half-sandwiches—Roasted turkey with cranberry relish on a brioche, smoked salmon with lemon-dill cream cheese on rye, Cucumber and herbed cream cheese on white bread, a smoked chicken salad topped with apricot chutney, black forest ham with swiss cheese on sourdough, and a roasted vegetable and goat cheese—lined up neatly as though auditioning for a Victorian luncheon. Each one delivered its own small surprise: smoky, delicate, spiced, or cool.
A French pistachio and raspberry macaron, some tiramisu, and gingerbread cookies topped with fresh strawberries, rounded out the finale, light and sweet, accompanied by a steaming pot of tea that seemed to refill our spirits as much as our cups. Even dining alone, we never felt solitary. Tea rooms have a way of keeping you company.
By the time we left—restored, re-steeped, and ready for the holiday shopping wars again—Old Pasadena seemed just a bit more manageable. Chado does that: it opens a small, civilized pocket in the middle of the season’s frenzy and invites you to sit for a moment longer than you meant to.
Chado Tea Room, Old Pasadena, is at 79 N. Raymond Avenue, Pasadena, CA 91103. (626) 431-2832. chado.com. Monday–Friday: 11 a.m.–6 p.m. Saturday–Sunday: 10 a.m.–6 p.m. Reservations recommended during the holidays.
