Now Sipping: American Tea Room Debuts in the Arts District

ust when Downtown LA is almost overflowing with high-test cold brews and house-roasted espresso, a sleek, calming tea room debuts. The American Tea Room, which has a mostly retail location in Beverly Hills, opened in the Arts District right across from Stumptown Coffee and in earshot of the Bestia and Petty Cash crowds. CEO David Barenholtz is on the verge of taking ATR bigger — there are locations slated for Orange County later this year and another for New York in 2016 — and it begins here, with quite a large space. In addition to a retail area for picking up Barenholtz’s sustainably sourced teas and tea accessories for home, there’s a “tasting arena” for finding just the right brew, a swank little lounge and a garden patio for sipping hot and cold tea concoctions and nibbling pastries and snacks prepared by Valerie Gordon of Valerie Confections fame.

Not sure what kind of tea you like? Visit the “tea zone,” where you can select teas by mood, flavor, region, color or price, and then see, smell and sample any of the more than 200 teas. In addition to regular pots of tea, there are also beverages like Hong Kong-style milk tea, Bangali masala chai, Himalayan butter tea, organic matchas and even tea-infused cocktails. Should you need a spot of java instead, there’s Verve coffee (sorry, Stumptown). For now, Gordon’s menu features seasonal galettesand muffins, zucchini bread, vegan banana chocolate bread with peanut crumble, salted caramel croissants, brownies and scones. Come October, the menu will include salads and sandwiches, often utilizing tea as an ingredient, and Barenholtz will put together an American tea service. The American Tea Room is open Monday through Saturday, 9 AM-5 PM.

909 S. Santa Fe Ave.; 310-271-7922

Source: Zagat