Tal-Y-Tara Tea & Polo Shoppe

I went for afternoon tea at this pretty tea house. I don’t like the food at all. Very badly made cold scones that were inedible, the dough in scones was flaky and broke easily instead of being correctly baked and crunchy, the green tea was weak and was steeped at very high temperatures, the motor leaf sandwiches were bland and the bread was stale. If you want to admire the décor, it’s lovely. The food is awful. Don’t go here.

Went for the first time on a Saturday. Excellent! Very British feel. It is not a frilly tea. We had the queens tea and it was a bit much… had to roll us out the door. Only down side is you only get one pot of tea for two people. I would have liked to have my own flavor and my partner another. Definitely will visit again.

BEST SCONES IN TOWN…
I love this small cute place. I suggest you make reservations. Love the teas, sandwiches and people who own this place. BUT, scones are thing. Baked right there, made fresh daily… YUM!

This is truly one of the best places to have afternoon tea. It’s family owned, a little cluttered, but it’s not messy cluttered. The parking was pretty decent, and this place less commercialized and homey. They have a lot of Polo items for horseback riders to buy. It’s an original shop where they have good items who are professionals for horseback riders. The food is amazing! Most of the food was homemade, down to the bread for the sandwiches! The scones are to die for! I just had my bridal shower today there and they closed it off all for me for a private party! We had a small party, and it was wonderfully intimate and cozy. Would definitely recommend a party and/​or anytime! Will definitely come again!

It had been over a year since my last visit to talytara, and it still is as quaint and cute as I remember. From the vintage English tea set, to the cozy couch and tiny tasty delights– this remains a Richmond district favorite.
Positives– Groupons are available if you’re weary to try the tea shoppe. Great prices and quantity-​we were absolutely stuffed on the motorloaf (tea sandwiches), scones and cookies!
–Close to Geary if you’re bussing and parking is available if you’re driving!
–Amazing selection of teas– I didn’t know so many existed! The vanilla black tea was the perfect choice for our group of coffee drinkers!
–Free Wifi
–Good for families and elderly (totally taking my mother-​in-​law here)
–Cute horse-​filled décor (the 9 year old in me wants to pull out my Lisa Frank trapper keeper and doodle «me+ponies 4ever!»)
Negatives– you can no longer sip tea outside on the patio, as the neighbors apparently have complained about the noise.
–Also, I loved the fact that on my previous visits, our server was either an English or British lady. It’s cool to now have a SF local as our sever (she was very nice) but I was still kind of hoping for the Irish-​or-​Mrs-​Doubtfire type. Oh well! Still a delightful trip!

This place isn’t like other tea shops. You’re not surrounded by girly pink, but instead you’re surrounded by clutter. The shop portion of the place looks disorganized, and if people really buy things here, it just doesn’t look very welcoming. We originally came here with a Groupon for the Prince William /​Lady Katherine tea, but apparently it had expired, so we paid full price with the paid Groupon price deducted.
For the tea we chose Ginger Peachy Keen. It came smelling really great, and there was a ginger aftertaste. However, the longer it was steeped, the more bitter it became. The variety of sandwiches in the Motorloaf was delicious, the bread was sweet, and it was so filling. We also had scones, and while they were good (especially the jam), my friend felt it wasn’t cooked thoroughly.
I probably won’t be coming back again. It’s not the most comfortable place to sit, eat, and chat for a few hours.

Um, where have I been all these years growing up in the Outer Richmond of SF, never knew this place existed? Oh, this was pre-​Yelp and Groupon days — that’s right! I only went to middle school right up the street and high school across the street OMG!
The ambiance here is totally different than all the afternoon high tea places I’ve been in the city, it’s more macho due to the equestrian shop. The other dainty little tea houses have a much more different vibe. I bought a Groupon deal (Prince Harry tea for two), originally scheduled as Mother-​Daughter tea, but my son wanted to come along. The three of us had a whimsical afternoon surrounded by antique furniture. As sipping tea wasn’t his cup of tea, I had to order a la carte for him, and he enjoyed the Ghirardelli hot chocolate. We ordered an extra motorloaf plate to fill him up. I also treated myself to their English trifle, which was divine.
The Prince Harry tea included a pot of tea for two, Scottish shortbread cookies, classic motorloaf sandwiches, and choice of two homemade scones with devonshire cream & jam. We went with the savory & Ghirardelli scones — heavenly!
I would definitely come back to this tea room; service was great. Keep calm & drink tea!

I really like this place — it’s unexpected to have a high tea place in a rather suburban street. It’s also great that they have a Groupon.
I’ve been to a few high tea places around SF (Leland’s, Lovejoy’s) and I do think that the food here is the best — there is a lot of it, particularly if you get the Queen’s tea — and there are a lot of options for types of scones, salads, teas. I love the motorloaf and the scones are very authentic. One point down as they always seem to run out of something we order — whether it’s a scone or nondairy milk, and also for the setting — it’s half an equestrian store, and think they should be just high tea as I don’t really see anyone shop there. Then they could decorate it all out better.

I was really excited about this place and wish I could write a better review. The place felt crowded and cluttered. There was also a screaming child near us. Unfortunately, it was a terrible experience and I left with a headache. The place is really unique and intriguing. The décor and quirky items were fun additions. We were seated towards the back near the open kitchen where I heard every word of the staff’s conversations, about half of which was complaining about customers not picking up orders (which is understandable) and stressed and strained conversations with each other as they seemed to struggle with handling the six tables (it was a full house). They seemed understaffed and ran around a lot like they were stressed out. It honestly made me stressed out and hard o enjoy my tea time.
The tea was okay, blueberry scone was good but not amazing, black currant scone was pretty bad, cookies were delicious but very small. The motor loaf sandwich was very interesting and generally good, the sandwiches weren’t amazing and lacked some flavors (like mustard or other flavors). The cucumber sandwich wasn’t great. The salmon and egg sandwiches were good. There was nice fruit arranged nicely on the place. The jam and Devonshire cream was taken out from jars in the back; I’m particularly disappointed that they don’t make their own Devonshire cream in house as other places usually do. The «cream» was really hard and crumbly. The English trifle was also not very good. The salad was good but simple.
There was also some miscommunication about the groupon where they originally said the groupon still «applies» even though it’s expired which I thought meant that the deal still applies. When I got the bill, the groupon credit was «applied» but I was charged the full price. I was pretty frustrated and they were unapologetic and insisted that did communicate clearly and they consider «applied» to mean just the credit but that wasn’t clear at all.

I’d give it 0 stars if I could.
Where to begin?! I had a 1:30pm appointment and arrived 15 minutes early. I walked in and the store was a complete mess. Everything was so disorganized and messy. All the tables were full, and I was ignored for 20 minutes until I finally flagged down the waitress. The owner looked like he tried to do too many things all at once, and was not getting a single thing done.
So cut to the chase, I waited a total of TWO HOURS for my food. I didn’t complain. When I went to go pay and didn’t leave a tip (would you if you waited 2 hours for your food?!) the waitress rudely asked «WHAT, you’re not going to leave a tip!!!» um — with that attitude? No way.
The food was gross, there are so many other places to have afternoon tea. Will definitely not be back.

I luv afternoon tea and looked forward to tea here, after getting the Groupon for the Prince Harry tea for two. Decided to bring an ex colleague to catch up on a Wednesday afternoon. When we arrived there were only one table of ladies. So it was nice and quiet. Here are my thoughts.
–interesting interior, with lots of equestrian items for sale, as well as tea items nicely displayed on tables, walls and shelves
— the girl who served us was very friendly and attentive
— teapot for two came in a cute tea cozy which were also for sale around $ 30
— our Prince Harry tea for 2 would normally cost $ 40 plus tax & tip. With the Groupon I paid $ 30 plus tax and tip. Kinda pricey considering you only get 3 mini sandwiches, a scone, teeny lemon shortbread and tea each.
— the motor loaf was interesting and came with 6 mini sandwiches, egg, salmon, ham n cucumber etc. but i did not like the bread. Felt a little dry for me.
— Preferred the plain English scones. Instead they had choices of chocolate, raisins or a lemon scones which were a bit hard. They were served with clotted cream and home made preserves in a teeny paper cup. However, I am sure they would give you more if you requested it.
Overall, I enjoyed catching up with my ex colleague and trying out this tea place after passing it many times. I think once is good enough for me, just for the experience.

Very casual and relaxing environment. It’s not like the fancy high tea shops, but the food is by far better than any other tea I’ve experienced. The fresh baked motor coach bread is outstanding, as are the freshly baked to order scones. I’ve been here twice and do look forward to coming again.
In response to the request for vegetarian, I did request no ham or turkey when I made my reservation and somehow the server said it was not noted. However, she did accommodate me with an extra of either vegetarian option.
I hope this place sticks around for a long time. I hope to enjoy many afternoons with friends over tea and lovely treats!

I’d actually like to give this place 3.5 stars if I could. On a Thursday afternoon, this place is quite vacant and because of this, there was such a calming ambience. The interior is decorated cutely and has a real English feel to it. Also the fact that they sell equestrian clothing adds a bit of uniqueness to the place, as opposed to other tea shops.
My mother and I had a groupon for this place and received the Prince Harry Tea for Two. The selection of sandwiches were served in a little loaf of bread, referred to as the motorloaf. They were tastey but all could use a little more filling. For tea, we had the Dragonwell – a green tea. The tea was on the lighter side and was good. I normally prefer a more floral tea, but unfortunately there was no more of the one we wanted.
Throughout our meal, the waiter (possibly the owner) was attentive and polite. The reason I’m giving only 3.5 stars is because they ran out of a few varieties of scones and teas, limiting our selection. I figured coming on a Thursday would mean they’ve stocked up for the weekend rush, but I guess I’ll just have to come back on a Friday or Saturday to ensure I have the opportunity to try the tea I want, as well as different scones.

I love afternoon tea and it is my quest to try one in each city I visit and definitely try all of them in the SF Bay Area. I only know about Tal Y Tara from a Groupon I purchased. I called to make a reservation and requested vegetarian sandwiches and the man said it would be no problem.
When we arrived we were seated at what I have determined was the least pleasant table — in the back near the kitchen with two iron chairs that are best suited for patio furniture and highly uncomfortable. The waitress said we couldn’t have all vegetarian but 3 of the 6 sandwiches would be vegetarian. So right off I had to speak with the manager/​owner who claimed his father took the call. Our order would take longer since the motorheads (bread loaf) were prepared ahead of time. You know… what’s the point to calling for a reservation (to get the worst table) requesting your dietary need in advance (to wait longer)?
The motorhead was new for me and tasty but the insides were scant and barely discernible. There was nice fruit sprinkled about the platter with very small offerings of jam and cream cheese. The scones came out much later than I anticipated with additional jam which I would have preferred earlier to have with the motorhead.
Another chintzy aspect to the experience was sharing one pot of tea. Every other tea place I’ve been to allows for two tea choices.
I can’t say I was charmed by the «polo» part of the store. It just seemed weird in a not very artful manner. I haven’t been to the UK yet but I doubt this captured the ambiance.

Groupon Deal: The Queen’s Tea for two $ 45 (normally $ 68)
What I got:
–Tea
–Short bread cookie
–Classic Motorloaf sandwich
–Tal-​y Tara wedge salad
–Blueberry scones
–Strawberry shortcake trifle
Overall: short bread cookie was DELICIOUS BUT SMALL :(Interesting experience. Will come back!
Note: you have to pay tax and tip of course

Tal y Tara — a celebration of two of Britain’s most beloved pastimes — tea parties and polo matches — is tucked away in the foggy recesses of my quiet neighborhood, the mid/​outer Richmond District. Nestled on an unassuming block, this hybrid haven of anglophilia is easy to spot; after all, a life size horse mannequin is posted by the door.
Upon setting foot in the cozy little tea shop, one is transported to another time and place. Victorian splendor and gilded age charm oozes from every doily draped arm chair, toile tabletop and bloom bedecked cushion.
Piping hot tea served in resplendently girly style is just the beginning. Scrumptious scones, decadent creams and jams & lemon curds, motor loafs, finger sandwiches and myriad other delights tempt the palate. Aside from the reassuring aromas of baked goods, a handsome tinge of leather scents the toasty air — saddles, riding boots and other Polo gear is on display in the retail area of the shop.
Tal y Tara is a beautiful place to celebrate with girlfriends.

Came in to use my Groupon because I completely forgot I had it. This is around Clement Street, so give yourself plenty of time to park or else you’ll miss your reservation. This is another fine example of a place that’s overpriced, not expensive, simply because the experience wasn’t worth the price.
I’m kind of disappointed with this place. With all the great reviews, I think I may have come in with high hopes. This was initially going to be a 2-​star review, but I gave it an extra star because the scones are pretty good. EDIT: After much deliberation, I really, really, really wouldn’t want to come back. It just doesn’t make sense to, especially after finding out one scone is $ 6. They’re good, but not $ 6 good.
The service was really, really lacking. I’m not sure if it was because it was a 4:30pm on a Saturday, but it was one of the least comfortable tea lounge experiences I’ve had. They were hardly attentive, I felt like I couldn’t ask them for a glass of water, and almost all of them were sitting and messing with their cell phones and gossiping. They were very quick about cleaning up our plates, though. Kind of made me feel like we had to leave ASAP. How is it possible that a place that small requires five people to work? What was even more puzzling was that they didn’t know anything about the teas. Sure, they had favorites, but they didn’t know the difference between the green teas or what was in them. They had to keep calling the manager. Maybe she was new… I don’t know.
It was also extremely bizarre to me that they had bloody PG Tips as part of their selection! Don’t get me wrong, I love me some PG Tips for when I’m at home and too lazy to brew some loose leaf, but there is no way I am going to pay $ 50-​$ 60 for a tea service and get PG Tips as my tea. You can pick that up at Target, no problem. Loose leaf PG Tips aren’t that much different from the bagged stuff. Needless to say, I didn’t order that. I picked up the Vanilla Bean Crème tea, which was okay. It wasn’t very strong, nor was it special, but it was tea.
We were started with shortbread cookies, which were two tiny ice-​cube-​shaped things that were similar to Filipino polvoron. It was okay, but like the tea, nothing special.
The motorloaf was interesting. It comes in a bunch of different flavors and they don’t tell you which is which. It should be clear, but I couldn’t tell what some of them were because they weren’t on the menu. (That, and as I mentioned, they weren’t really easy to flag down because they were busy chatting and texting.) It was a good mix of flavors, but it is a very, very, heavy bread. If you plan on getting the desserts afterward, don’t fill up on this, because it’s going to sit in your stomach like a rock.
We weren’t aware that things came in one by one. When I finally got someone’s attention for some water, that’s when it was explained to me that they don’t come all at once like the places that have the three-​tier tea service plates. Ah well.
The scones were pretty excellent, in that they were scones. I’m no scone expert, though. They came in warm and with Devonshire cream, which was lovely.
All in all, I wouldn’t go back. It was an interesting experience, glad I used a Groupon on it, but it’s too far of a drive that isn’t worth it to me when there are other tea rooms that know what they’re doing, have a greater menu selection, and are actually friendly throughout your entire service, not just when they have to clean up your table.

Stopped in for a spot of tea at the request of a friend for a ladies’ day out. I love tea and had never been to this spot and happily said «yes ma’am».
My friend made the reservation. We were a few minutes late, but they had no problem seating us. The tea list is pretty extensive and the staff is more than willing to answer any questions. Be sure to ask them if you need to make any modifications. Their staple bread contains nuts, and I’m allergic to them. I asked them if they had another option and they happily helped me find a solution to make it easy for our party to enjoy our tea.
The food is fresh and the fruit that accompanies the sandwiches are delightful. I had the cucumber and cream cheese, turkey with watercress, and egg salad with capers. The egg salad was my least favorite. Like another review stated, it seemed like the capers kind of threw the taste off.
We split our bill three ways, and were reminded that we could only tip in cash.
Parking can be difficult so be sure to give yourself time if you have a reservation.

Used the Groupon– Queen’s tea for 2.
You pick your tea, salad and scone.
We ordered the Scottish breakast. Tea was dark, had good flavor, and the water was hot.
Next time, I will try the Crack tea. I heard it’s a mixture of Scottish breakfast, English breakfast, and some other strong black teas.
Salads came out first. The wedge had a lot of dressing. Next time I’ll order it on the side. Fruit salad was fresh.
My least favorite was the motorloaf. I don’t like the bread. It’s too crumbly for me. However, the sandwich fillings were really good.
TIP:Don’t fill yourself up with the loaf the next 2 items deserve equal amount of stomach space.
English trifle was a great surprise. It’s like a strawberry shortcake.
The scones were last. They were very delicious and served warm!!!
This is no place to go if you are in a hurry. They girls that work there are sweet, and are in no rush to kick you out.
Bathroom is unisex.

I love this place, in all it’s quirky glory.
We drop in often for tea in the afternoon or for lunch, and always get the Prince Harry tea for 2 and snack on motorloaf sandwiches, scones, and fruit.
I’ve owned horses and used to do eventing myself, so I like browsing through all the equestrian wear and riding accessories, but it may not be everyone’s cup of tea.
The actual tea though, is always great; there’s a huge variety on the menu.
Be aware though that it’s not the fanciest, nor the most proper tea, this is a small operation that feels like you’re being seated in someone’s home. The seats are worn, there are sometimes crumbs on the tablecloth, and you can tell that a lot of people have had a great time there. I personally enjoy this about Tal-​Y-​Tara, but if that quirky San Francisco residential tea-​and-​equestrian shop for locals isn’t your thing, you’d be much better served somewhere else. But for me, I’ll always keep coming back here.