Tea Pavilion Reviews

This little tea house offers a selection of wonderful tea, pastries and snacks. No visit to Balboa Park is complete without a stop here - it is one of the delightful rituals practiced by any regular visitor.

Again this is a place I love to visit and stroll through. The recent upgrading of the "canyon" is a lovely addition. The cherry blossom season is an especially popular time. (Check the website to see the dates of the blossoms.) Any time of the year it is great for Japanese lunch in the outdoor cafe.

I had a chicken and rice bowl and it was very good. I was very disappointed in the service. I stood in line for over twenty minutes. There were maybe only four people in front of me. The food took another twenty minutes to make, and it took me another five minutes just to ask for a lid to have my food to go. For what was supposed to be a fast take out meal, the wait was incredibly long.

I was hoping the garden would be about 5 times the size it is. They are expanding but it is pretty small. That said it is a cool little place that gives you the sense you could be in japan.

Great little restaurant next to the Japanese Friendship Garden in Balboa Park. Great soup. Nice outdoor seating overlooking gardens.

Removed the sun parasols outside the shop a full 45 minutes before due to close at 4pm. Strong hint that guests and customers not welcome. While we were sitting at the table!!! Avoid.

On a recent visit to Balboa Park, we had lunch at the Tea Pavillion. It's a tiny little cafe, but they have a good menu. A fair amount to choose from with salads and delicious rice bowls. Definitely a good stop for lunch if you're looking for something on the lighter side.

If you are walking around Balboa Park, and need a little lunch...here's the place to go. Lovely rice bowls with salmon, chicken, tofu, etc...yummy. Serene environment...a nice little stop along the way to relax and enjoy the splendors of Balboa Park,

It's pretty good but you can get better quality Japanese food nearby for 2/3 the price. Paying for convenience

The Prado offers delicious food--I love their salads in a beautiful artistic and nature-filled setting. It's particularly romantic at night, under the patio lights. I highly recommend the Prado for lunch or dinner.

The food is great. The only issue with this place is that it is only open until 3 pm. Otherwise, plenty of options for the whole family

We decided to eat here after visiting Balboa park and we were happy to find out that they had healthy menu items. They had noodle bowls, rice bowls, soups, sandwiches, and tea. We had gotten the salmon bowl and the Blood Orange tea. It was a delicious meal for a decent price. We would certainly return.

My family and I had lunch there during our visit to Balboa Park. The line was not bad, neither was the variety on the menu. However, when we got our food (mostly noodles), it was okay. The chicken tasted as if it was thawed out then microwaved. Other than the food, the drinks were great. My family and I definitely enjoyed the tea.

Stopped by the Tea Pavilion for lunch and a tea while visiting Balboa Park. I appreciated their proximity to the Japanese Garden. The food selection was nice. Unfortunately I selected something that was not to my personal taste. But I Loved the tea, White Coconut Creme. The prices are pretty reasonable and you can't beat the view when the cherry blossoms are blooming in the garden below. Their seating is all outside under umbrellas.

The only reason I went through here was because it was included in the Balboa Park passport. I don't think I would have paid the standard admission price for what it is. The walk was short but nice enough if you can ignore the construction. I guess this is listed as a restaurant because there is a cafe by the front entrance, but you can't actually bring food into the garden.

They are expanding the garden. It was still very nice to walk thru and very peaceful, The gardens are very pretty and nice little bit of history inside the first house.

It is very easy to spend much of a day in Balboa Park visiting museums, the Gardens, and just hanging out people watching. However this raises the issue of where to eat. The possibilities are quite limited and the Tea Pavilion, near the Japanese Garden, has only a limited selection of soups, rice and noodle bowls and little else. The food is only average, and this eating option is not really a good one.

There is a limited menu, and the service can be quite slow, but it's a great place to take a break from a day of museum hopping. And in the spring the Japanese garden is gorgeous.

I've visited many times before. Now that I'm visiting here on business (vs having been a resident of this town) I wanted to survey the progress of the new portion of the park. The older portion is still exquisite. The new portion is, sad to say, a mess. Bigger is not better. Too much space, too unruly.

Ordered sandwiches. Quality is reasonable. Costs are however high compared to what you get €15 for two slices. Nice background musique

There is this small Japanese restaurant at the entrance to the friendship Japanese garden where we got a chicken rice bowl prior to going into the park. The place is quite small but the food was surprisingly good for a small very busy place. There were several places to sit at tables outside.

When my granddaughters were 2 and 6, we shared a soba noodle salad or a kitsune udon soup. Now that they're 10 and 14, we each have our own and they are still as delicious as ever. They also enjoy the Thai iced tea, and the Japanese cookies and candy.

This is a nice place to go in the middle off a big city to escape and enjoy nature with a special cultural history. Also recommend a much smaller Japanese friendship experience on the southwest end of Shelter Island.

This garden is very beautiful! The sights are amazing. It's a hidden gem in Balboa park. Highly recommended.

This little cafe outside the Japanese Friendship Garden is simply wonderful. There is plenty to choose from on the menus and the service is friendly and efficient. The portion sizes are quite large so you get your money's worth. Lovely atmosphere when sat outside in the sun.

We were wondering around the San Diego Park and stopped in the Tea Pavilion for lunch. We had delicious salads, curries and of course Edamame. YUM!!!!

We had a great tuna sandwich at the Tea Pavillon Restaurant. It's wonderful to eat outside so close to the Japanese Friendship Garden. The only drawback was the extremely slow service.

It's a shame that the Garden Society feels justified in charging admission for a garden which is full of heavy machinery, dust, noise, and debris. In fact, I feel it should be closed down until all the renovations are finished. There is really nothing to see.

What a nice way to end a Japanese Garden walk in Balboa Park, San Diego. It was a warm and sunny day and we ended our day with a cool iced herbal tea. Enjoyed the ice tea and the view from the Tea Pavilion which overlooks the gardens.

This restaurant is provides tasty dishes, salads and sandwiches and so on, for a more reasonable price then the rest of the park restaurants. The service is slow: they built up a beautiful dish but it takes some time. Fortunately, you can sit outside and enjoy the view of the Japanese garden.

Such a gorgeous, calming space. I love coming here just to think. My son loved it as well. Beautiful!

The food we got was very tasty, but they were out of so many things - no soups and few teas in stock. It was not as good as I was hoping it would be....

Right near the entrance to the Japanese Friendship Garden, this is a nice place for lunch, tea or a snack. It does not have table service, but you order at the counter and find a spot in the shaded outdoor table area.

We love this little restaurant in Balboa Park, as San Diegans we go to the park often and tend to eat lunch at the Tea Pavillion often and dinner at The Prado restaurant. They have a really good lunch menu and if you like an asian/japanese flare to your meals, you will enjoy it too. It is very casual with self outdoor seating the food is great.

This was a great place for a quick lunch and a hot cup of tea while at Balboa Park. They have over 30 types of tea, grab snacks and sit down food.

Beautiful, peaceful walk for very cheap compared to the prices of the other attractions at Balboa park. Worth it!

We enjoyed the shear beauty of the Asian culture. There is a bit too much walking for seniors on the lower deck but enjoyed the upper area very much. The koi pond was so beautifu las well as the gold koi. The museaum on the upper level was very interesting.

Japanese Frienship garden has expanded this past year and has a beautiful pavilion, and a winding trail down to the bottom of the canyon. Especially beautiful when the cherry blossoms are in bloom. It is a wonderful tribute to the bond between Japan and America, but even on a smaller scale a joining of the Japanese community to there beginnings in San Diego.

The food is okay, but more like a fast-food Japanese restaurant than a real restaurant (which is fine.) Not a lot of choices, food-wise -- especially for picky kids. Tea is great, staff is very friendly, but I just don't care for the food that much, and the prices are a bit high for what you get.

Given the many gardens I visit around the country, I feel that this is a lovely garden but rather over-priced.

I regret having to give my first poor review, but we had a sub-par experience here. We arrived to this very small restaurant very hungry, so for it to taste poorly says a lot. We had four dining, and none of us liked our meals. All the meats were chewy, but the large cubes of beef in the bowls were so tough that we could not eat them. I would have demanded a refund, but the line was long and slow. Save your money -- go elsewhere.

They offer a good alternative to low end hotdogs and high end restaurants. Especially appropriate for vegetarians. Nice outdoor eating area for people watching

Japanese American quick cuisine. Veggies, sushi, ice cream, sweets, teas, and other beverages. Limited hours.

Too much walking for not enough garden. On-going construction detracted from the serenity that is what brings one to a Japanese Garden. Nice bonsai collection.

One of our favorite places to get a light lunch and try some unique varieties of tea right in the middle of Balboa Park. The blood orange iced tea on a hot day is an excellent thirst quencher. The noodle bowls are quite delicious and there are many interesting imported Japanese snack foods as well. Take a seat outside and enjoy the beautiful scenery and parade of park goers.

Very disappointed. Lovely setting for terrible lunch. Waiting on line and then again for our food was not fun. My ciabatta roll tuna fish sandwich was a disappointment. The roll was not fresh my wife had the wheat bread and that was a bit better. The exotic tea was tasteless. This lunch would not be good at any price. We will not go back.

Providing you can snag a shaded table, this is a cool place to eat, people watch and chat with a friend for hours. Food choices is limited, but the ones we ordered were delicious- my friend got a teriyaki rice bowl and i got the curry. Plenty of different teas to choose from (made to order) but there were also lots of cold bottled drinks available in a refrigerator by the doorway. This tea place is right by the entrance of japanese friendship garden and tons of people passes by this location. We even saw a full wedding entourage go by. It is a bit of a walk from the multiple parking sites around balboa park but it will be pleasant as there are likely other things you may see. Weekends may make it hard to find parking but any time in balboa park is a good time

I felt like I had been there before as I viewed the gravel garden with the boulder islands. It was not as clean as in Japan however with leaves on the gravel. It is a pleasant walk along the hillside and will fantastic when the pavilion and child park are completed in the next 2 years. Best time of the year to visit is March, April and May, not November or December. Great bonsai examples I have seen in quite a while.

The Friendship Gardens are ever expanding in Balboa Park. Beautiful Japanese plantings, shade pavilions, fountains, streams, and rock gardens create a peaceful and tranquil break for busy tourist. Great spots for photos and soaking up nature. Stop by at the Tea Pavilion for Tea and cakes.

Walking through the Japanese Garden is beautiful and gives you a feel of relaxation and tranquility. They have added an entire new area of landscaping and water ponds.

This is not fancy and not the place if you want a genuine tea ceremony. However, if you are tired from walking Balboa Park and its many museums and outdoor venues, then this is the spot for a large variety of teas (hot an cold) and lunch items. My favorite is the curry chicken salad sandwich; and I have enviously eyed the udon noodles which I plan to try next visit. I often come here just to have the tea and read. It is outdoor seating only and not very fancy but usually quiet and comfortable. You can also view parts of the Japanese gardens from several of the outdoor tables. They also have a variety of packaged snacks from Japan.

On a weekend afternoon in Balboa Park, you expect to wait a little while to get food anywhere, but this place sets new records for inefficiency and bad service. The whole setup is designed to fail, which I suppose you have to blame on management. The same two workers who take orders and collect payment also prepare drinks, so no one is there to take orders much of the time. As a result, even when there are only half a dozen people in line, it can take a half hour to place your order. Once you order, the wait for food is considerable, which suggests the kitchen also is understaffed. And then, to pick up your order, you have to get to a counter which is across the line of people waiting to order. The food is ok, but definitely not worth the hassle. There are far better options nearby, e.g., Panama 66 and the Mingei Cafe.

Unfortunately my TMobile phone had no internet service in Balboa Park so I couldn't read Trip Advisor's reviews. I agree with the December 2012 review, the beef in the beef bowl was like leather. You definitely get what you pay for. The bowls here are approximately $8.00 for rice, vegetables, and meat. I had Teriyaki Salmon. The teriyaki sauce was flavorful and not too salty. The Salmon was dark in color and slightly fishy, so it wasn't top notch Salmon. My daughter had the Teriyaki Beef Bowl. Again the sauce was flavorful but the meat could barely be chewed. Think stew meat that hasn't been tenderized or cooked long enough to break down the meat. My husband had Chicken Teriyaki. The chicken is thinly sliced and bland---thank heavens for the teriyaki sauce which jazzes it up. This was actually the best dish as the fishiness of the salmon tainted the flavor of the teriyaki sauce, whereas the chicken absorbed the flavor of the teriyaki. Our exchange student had the Salmon Curry Bowl. She is from Thailand and she stated the sauce was "ok." We ordered two sodas to split and the bill was over $40. Definitely an expensive Beef Bowl! We did enjoy the pleasant surroundings. It was a 73 degree winter day, with beautiful blue skies. There are approximately 10 tables outside the small cafe, which has no indoor seating, so skip this cafe if the weather is bad. They had music coming from the cafe, which was mellow, and there was someone on the nearby sidewalk playing their guitar. It was actually very relaxing. There is a view of the canyon, and there are not a lot of people in the area as it is next to the Japanese Gardens. The chairs are wrought iron and as such you can only last about an hour sitting on the chairs before your bottom gets tired. If we return, I probably wouldn't order a meal, but I'd order something to drink and relax on the patio.

They do offer more substantial food, but what really makes the restaurant is the selection of coffees and teas. The Thai iced tea was really good. Expect to pay attraction food prices here, but what makes it worth it is snagging a table outside the Pavilion to people watch.

Convenient after visiting the Japanese Friendship Gardens. There is no indoor seating but plenty outside seating with umbrellas. We opted not to eat as the wait time was 40 minutes. We had ice tea and the berry flavour was delicious. Wasn’t keen on the Jasmine ice tea. Prices are reasonable.

Very good food and a variety of snacks and drinks and much more. Food was very good,the beef was very tasty and very tender in the beef bowl. They give you plenty, and sitting outside with lunch was very relaxing.

My wife and I stopped in for tea and a noodle bowl only to find out they were out of noodles. Must be a supply chain thing, but the tea was good.

We had the Teriyaki Rice Bowls and miso soup. The food was good and it’s a good destination while in Balboa Park.

I ordered the Friendship Green Salad and added chicken for extra protein. I'm on a low-carb diet. Huge portion of greens, sliced cucumbers, juicy tomato slices and the works. Nice vinaigrette dressing on the side. Chai tea to wash it down. Damn squirrels tried to jump up on the table several times until we shooed them away with the serving tray. Go here. You won't be disappointed.

Balboa Park is lacking in moderately priced restaurants. There are a few kiosks with hot dogs etc, and The Prado is lovely, upscale and pricey. But we were looking for a quick decent lunch while exploring museums and the park. I knew that Cohn Family restaurants were good and discovered that this place is one of theirs. The Tea Pavilion is located at the entrance to the Japanese Gardens (near the Organ Pavilion) and was perfect for our foursome this week. I had a California Krab sandwich on fresh whole wheat with avocados and cucumbers - yummy. My husband enjoyed his chicken curry sandwich, and our friends gave their rice bowls thumbs-up. Smallish menu but we were happy with it. We ate at outside tables - not sure if there is dining space inside if weather happens to be bad. This is my new favorite quick-lunch spot in Balboa Park.

It's okay but nothing special to write home about. Tea selection fair. Food minimal. Service indifferent. Prices high.

My husband and I first saw this place at the start of our day at Balboa Park, while we were walking from the parking lot to begin our museum visits. We had just finished breakfast, and the restaurant wasn't open yet, but we thought it would be good to try later. After a lot of walking and touring, we were ready for a late lunch. We had noticed other eating areas in some of the other museums, but none as inviting as the Tea Pavilion, so we made our way back to this restauarant by the Japanese Friendship Garden. We liked the pleasant shaded outdoor seating area, and it was a perfect setting to enjoy our lunch of a vegetable and tofu bowl and a salmon teriyaki rice bowl. The food tasted good, and we even bought a little mochi to enjoy for dessert. The price for my teriyaki rice bowl with vegetable and tofu was less than $8, which wasn't bad. The portion size was just right, and it left me satisfied. We happened to be sitting next to a table of unusually loud, animated people, but, if it weren't for that, this place would have been very relaxing. I'd come back here again to enjoy the food and the courtyard setting.

As someone who lives in SD and pays taxes, i resent that such a large chunk of the walking paths in automobile heavy Balboa Park has been taken over by this place that you would then have to pay a lot of money over the course of a year to enter. Moreover they ruined a large portion of natural walk behind the musuems with a giant ugly black fence on an area where people used to sit and read under the native California Oaks that they, unbelievably, cut down. Compared to the Japanese garden in SF, its just not impressive. Its not bad, but nothing special.

Quaint little restaurant located near the friendship garden in Balboa Park. A decent food menu that's caters for most with some vegetarian options as well. However you will be blown away with the tea selection. They offer about 50 different teas from everywhere for everyone. The food is good and the atmosphere is nice.

My wife and I stopped here for lunch during our visit to Balboa Park. We both ordered the beef teriyaki rice bowl, which came in generous portions. Next time, I’d love to try the Udon Noodle Soup. They also offer patio seating, which was a nice option.

We visited the Japanese Friendship Garden recently and had lunch here. I had the vegetable and tofu curry (yummy) and one of the green teas. I was pleased with my lunch, I thought it was a good value. I would definitely eat here again, and would love to try more of their teas.

This can be quite tranquil and beautiful. The display right now shows Japanese art owned by local people in SD. The gardens are under construction and so there's a small part where you can't go but you can watch them working. The one piece you should know is that you need to get there before 3:30. There's also a little place where you can eat right outside of the gardens.

After much gawking and wandering around Balboa Park, our stomachs were growling.... it's lunchtime.... we already spied the Tea Pavilion at the Japanese Friendship Garden when we arrived and so headed there. The Tea Pavilion has an open-air seating area overlooking the serenely beautiful japanese garden. The menu included Salmon Poke (which we found it's breathing fiery hot!), cold soba salad, tempura shrimp udon, varieties of Japanese snacks, tea an other drinks. It was a lovely spot for a lovely lunch, albeit a tad too crowded. Too bad it was not Sakura blossoms time.

This is a lovely site with gardens and paths, but not for those in wheelchair or those who have trouble walking. It's a nice way to decompress from the hustle and bustle of the zoo.

The Gardens are quite beautiful, but had been limite until the expansion. the koi pond is small but beautiful. I was a member for a year and look forward to the opening of the expanded grounds.

We spent part of the morning visiting the Museum of Man and some gardens in the Balboa park and ended up at the entrance to the Japanese Garden ready for some lunch. For three of us, my wife and I and our 16 year old daughter, we had a curry chicken salad sandwich (very good), and two vegetarian sandwiches (mainly with a slice of grilled eggplant , but also very good). You order at the counter inside and they buzz you when it is ready. There are several picnic tables outside to sit and enjoy the overlook of the Japanese garden while eating. With a couple iced teas and tip the total bill was under $30.

Nice spot for a quick lunch away from the bustle of Prado near the organ pavilion. It's cafeteria style and the food is primarily Japanese. You order inside and they call your name. Food comes in a picnic box. I had the "krab" salad sandwich which was flavorful but had a lot of white bread. There are lots of outside tables, but you may have to wait for one to free up if it is crowded.

We started our visit to Balboa Park with lunch at the Tea Pavilion. They have a variety of hot and cold teas/coffees, salads and sandwiches with a Japanese cast. My chicken curry sandwich was lively without any hot spice. It pays to grab a table in the shade rather than the full sun. We had a great and relaxed time of it.

We had a great time eating at this place! My son loved the sushi and we enjoyed the curry bowls. They had an enormous selection of drinks that were tasty and beautiful grounds.

I enjoyed my teryaki chicken bowl and my iced latte matcha green tea. Nice place to relax in this beautiful park.

I thought curry Udon was expensive. ($8.57 inc. tax) Because there were only a little portion of Udon noodles in the soup. This was like soup dish. Disappointed. I did tick on no tip when I paid by credit card because I was going to tip in cash. But after that the server changed her attitude completely and she didn't say thanks to me. I tipped in cash nonetheless.

A little lunch spot near the Japanese garden specialising in sushi and other Japanese dishes like Teriyaki Chicken and rice bowl. We had both and the were very tasty and reasonably priced. Think they do some sandwiches too but it's mainly a Japanese offering.

The lower level was being worked on, but reasonable fee to get in. Great place for taking pics, but long way from the bottom to the top. Only partially finished.

Right in the heart of Balboa Park. Outdoor seating with views of the organ pavilion, the Japanese Garden, statues, 100 year-old park buildings, lush green grass and flowers, towering Eucalyptus trees. Try the curried chicken salad sandwich. The potato salad is delicious too. Time it right and you can hear a free organ concert.

We ate here today and yesterday. We arrived too late yesterday to visit the Japanese Friendship Garden before they closed, but decided to stay for the evening summer concert at 6:15p.m. Since we didn't have time to leave the park and come back, we decided to try this place. My husband is allergic to bread products of all kinds, so sandwiches and most fast foods other than salads are out for him, but the rice bowls looked perfect. We each had the chicken teriyaki ($7.95). We were given generous portions of rice, thick slices of real chicken, covered with a delicious teriyaki sauce with veggie garnishes, and ordered a side of edamame also. We had way more food than we expected for the price and it was delicious! We went back today after visiting the friendship garden. He still had a rice bowl, but the veggie teriyaki one ($7.50), with vegetables on skewers (onion, peppers, tofu, eggplant,etc. and shredded carrots in the rice.) I opted for the vegetable sandwich ($6.50). I had thick slices of grilled eggplant, lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers on wheat bread spread with pesto. It included Japanese potato salad with my meal. It was outstanding! We each had waters to drink so cannot speak for the teas, but we had great, healthful meals on 2 different days in a shaded eating area that was peaceful. The young men who took our orders both days were pleasant and patient, and service was pretty fast. We'll be going back again when we come back to San Diego, no doubt about it!

How Beautiful! The friendship Garden in La Joila brings me back to some of the gardens and tea houses that I visited while in Japan! A place to meditate and feel serene!

I got the teriyaki rice bowl because the veggie and tofu was sold out..was NOT disappointed at all! Great food and loved the courtyard. Friendly staff as well also got strawberry daifuku - this was interesting flavor...would get it all again!

Overlooking the newly expanded and gorgeous Japanese Friendship Garden. Very inspiring! Love the Salmon Bowl and edema me.

Having visited the famous Prado Restaurant the previous day, we were looking for a less upscale and faster alternative in Balboa Park. The Tea Pavilion was a perfect choice for us. Service was fairly quick considering that the line was fairly long. Many different food items to choose from, some pre-packaged and some prepared to order. Our order was to be prepared so we were given a pager and took our drinks outside. In just a few minutes our rice bowl and tuna sandwich were ready. My wife had the salmon rice bowl and tea. The rice bowl was good size, well prepared, hot and tasty. I had the tuna sandwich and a Snapple. The tuna sandwich was huge. Prices were reasonable. Good value for the money. We also visited again the following day for a mid-afternoon snack. Again well pleased.

An extensive menu of teas and tasty/interesting sandwiches and lite fare. Outdoor seating only. A good rest while you explore Balboa Park. Don't miss the Japanese Friendship Garden next to the Tea Pavilion.

Stopped in there with a friend. A pretty long line for food/drinks but it went pretty quickly and the food came out quickly as well. Tables outside had enough shade, so it was nice to sit out and watch the tourists walk by. I'd go back.

Just loved this place. Such a serene spot ,in the midst of crowds.The pond, the waterfall, the golden Koi. Was very happy to have visited and would definetly go again.

It was a typical warm day in San Diego, and I wanted an iced tea. This place will not serve any of their brewed to order teas cold. They had 3 flavors of iced teas pre selected and if you want iced, those are your choices, or, the fridge has bottled ones. I didn't understand why they couldn't sell me a brewed one (I will gladly pay!) and then give me a stinking cup of ice. They did't want to give me a large cup of ice, but a tiny dixie cup. I opted for a bottle of green tea (unsweetened) and a bag of shrimp chip snacks, and sat outside at a dirty table. Not once did the staff come out to clean the tables, or wipe down the tables. Its an average place, with sub average service.

The Japanese Gardens have changed quite a bit since I saw them last a few years ago. Will be interesting when the canyon section is fully developed. My favorite place is the koi pond and thought about having our vows renewal here ... but the place was a bit small for the number of guests we planned to host. A bit expensive.

If you're looking for casual outdoor dining, this is the spot for you. Adjacent to the entry to the Japanese Friendship Garden, you can stop for a cup of tea or a bowl of noodles. There is a wide selection of teas and coffees as well as a listening spot for organ recitals during the week or just people watching from under an umbrella that shades all of these patio tables.

We were hoping to order some tea but it was so god dam hot we decided on the Sapporo beer instead. It was nice & cold but bloody expensive! Upon checking everything else on the menu it appeared everything is overpriced. Also, you had to fight for some shade on the grubby bench seats tables outside.

If this is the one in Balboa Park, it was just 'okay'. Nothing really special. Very pricey for what you get.

We spent the day at Balboa Park and after visiting the Japanese Garden we stopped at the Tea Pavilion. We shared the generously sized chicken curry salad sandwich. Delicious!

Stroll through beautifully planted Japanese style gardens featuring a koi pond, tea house, dry stream, waterfall and wet stream, azalea garden, cherry orchard and much more. Recently expanded and nearly complete transformation of a neglected canyon in Balboa Park.

Solid lunch option in Balboa Park if you can't get a reservation at the main Mexican restaurant. The line was pretty long, but we seemed to order and get our food at a pretty reasonable rate. We were also able to find a spot to sit at one of the tables with an umbrella. The chicken teriyaki bowl was a nice portion size. The sauce was a tad too salty for my taste, but it got the job done. My family was fueled up again to continue exploring the park :)

If you need to rest your feet and get a drink or light food, this place will fill the bill. Soups,salads and rice bowls make up the food menu and there is a broad selection of drinks. There are several tables available outside where you can sit. On a Saturday, we were able to get a table for 4