I love tea houses and have been to a fair share of them, so when a video of Callisto Tea House came up on my TikTok feed, I bookmarked it immediately. What caught my attention was the Asian-flavored snacks such as the black sesame toast. Anything black sesame, I'm sold. The outside of this place was a bit deceiving. What looks like a boring medical strip mall with a small parking lot in the back, they transformed the interior of this tea house into a cozy and well-designed space. Their menu offered about 8-10 options for tea and some snacks, albeit smaller than what I've seen at other tea houses. I was a bit disappointed that 2 of the 4 mini toast flavors weren't available, so we had to settle on the black sesame toast and cucumber (2 mini toasts for $6). Once you place your order for tea, they have a wall of tea cups you can select, which is a cute touch. They have some other desserts available such as scones, cookies, and brownies, but we'd just come from lunch so preferred to get something light. We tried a few different green tea blends and the mini toast and enjoyed everything. However, the biggest bummer was that they did not offer refills. At other tea houses I'd been to, there were loose tea leaves in the pot that we could continue to refill with hot water. read more

In a love affair with Callisto was dangerous but this story ends happily in a lemniscate loop. Impeccable service along with a chill vibe made this experience unforgettable. Starting off with the Gung Fu service that came with my choice of white longevity tea and a couple of extras. This service comes with toast and I went with the avocado, black sesame, muhammara and tea time. They were all flavorful and paired well with my tea and other teas I tried out. Besides what I mentioned I also went with the Ube blonde with a sprinkle of salted caramel. This was an O to the M to the G moment! Definitely Mouthgasm certified and something I'm still thinking about. Besides my first tea that I mentioned I also had their glowing embers and Peles glow. I mean I enjoy tea but this made me love it now! I'm not going to describe all of them but I can honestly say they were all amazing. And that's where the awesome customer service comes in the mix. He explained how to bring out the flavor of the tea along with using an hourglass. He also poured a little hot water onto a cat which turned a different color when done so. Instead of thinking about this tea spot I highly recommend you actually going. And that's my take on this epic tea journey. Peace out... read more

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For experienced tea drinkers or a novice like myself, you have found THE spot. With a great variety of delectable snacks and a beautiful assortment of teas, you just can't go wrong. Food: Ube blondie, savory scone, ordered all 4 toasts, all were tasty, my particular favorite was the Muhammara mini toast Our group did a tea tasting where we got to choose 4 teas from the menu and were provided a background and how to properly prepare each of them: * Setting Sun (my favroite) * Candy Apple * Pele's Glow * Water fairy The purveyors were super sweet and knowledgeable. Plenty of room inside to study or even hang out with a few friends. read more

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This tea shop is so pleasant and a great place to catch up with friends or study by yourself. The tea hosts were super knowledgeable and had great recommendations/pairings. They love to do off the menu teas and I love that! I recommend trying their baked goods (most of them are made by them in house) and ask about the different pairings. Definitely a go-to spot for tea ceremonies! read more

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I've been keeping this gem of a place a secret and almost didn't want to share my yelp review... I've visited Callisto Tea House a handful of times and this cute tea house never disappoints. I'm a total tea newbie and the owners always go above and beyond to educate me on my teas. Do order the Gong Fu Cha style tea tasting (it's a must) and the delicious toasts. I'm always filled with a huge wave of calmness whenever I stop by and visit this place. They offer tons of neat events throughout the month too (tea tastings, meditations, art shows and more). Bring your friends, significant others, parents, aunties and uncles to this place! 10/10 recommend! read more

I'm not sure what I was expecting, but this place was certainly unique. Its version of afternoon tea is catered to vegans and vegetarians with a variety of toasts, scones and teas to choose from but none of the traditional finger sandwiches or petite desserts. The scones and tea were great; the toasts I could've done without. read more

Callisto Tea House - Tea Rooms Near Me - Pasadena, California

A different and cute experience! This was my first time ever doing an afternoon tea and it gave my girlfriends and I a fun excuse to get out of the house and do something different. It's a tad bit pricey in my opinion for what you get, but they have a wide array of tea selections to choose from and the tasting includes various breads/spreads, biscuits, and a dessert of your choosing. Free parking on the side lot was easy. read more

Callisto Tea House - Tea Rooms Near Me - Pasadena, California

This place is so adorable! Nestled in north Pasadena with a view of the San Gabriel mountains. The owners are so sweet and helpful! On the daily, they have toasts, pastries, sweets to match with your teas. Just grab a friend and enjoy! The store also sells all the essentials to make tea. From the tea pot set, to the many packages of teas, so many to choose from! Saw them post a tea tasting on Facebook/SGV Eats. I have a friend that loves tea and the art of tea. So we booked a tea tasting. Our tea tasting on Nov 19 was called "Roasted: How roasting changed a tea." I was the novice of the group. I didn't even know there are different kind of tea pots for each kind of tea "family". Let alone different temperatures for different teas! The tea tray was a surprise! Not your ordinary tray. The different brewing methods just intrigued me more! After sitting in on this tea tasting, it made me want to know more about teas! I'm interested in this...Gong fu service- tea preparation methods. I also started going on their website, callistoteahouse.com. So many stories and interesting facts! We'll be looking for more tea tastings! read more

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My first time at this tea shop was absolutely lovely. I was lucky enough to secure their last available table, especially on mother's day weekend. I asked about it and it sounds like on the weekends they book up fast so they highly recommend reservations for the busier times. I ordered the Snow Mountain pu-er tea was gongfu tea service with a scone and ube Blondie, plus a pandan mango cookie (to go). This was my second puer ever and it was a really nice flavor. The gongfu set was really beautiful and it was nice to sit on the patio and enjoy the tea for multiple steepings. The scone and blondie went really well with tea in general. I'd definitely come back to enjoy some more of the selections here. I got to meet Wendy, one of the owners, and she was absolutely lovely to talk to. All of the staff were great and very knowledgeable about the teas and helpful in recommending some. Highly recommend anyone who likes tea to come check this place out! read more

Callisto Tea House - Gongfu Tea (Snow Mountain Pu-Er) with the pastries to-go (pandan mango cookie and ube blondie) - Tea Rooms Near Me - Pasadena, California

Finally able to stop by here while in the area! Shop is decorated minimally and has a very calming effect. Service was attentive and very quick. Appreciate they came by to check midway if we had questions and to see if we liked our teas and snacks. Assam Hojicha: what an interesting concept with this! Indian grown Japanese style tea. Flavor was robust and colorful! Really enjoyed this. Hawaiian tea (forgot the name): very very lightly flavored tea not as good as the other tea. It had a delicate taste and is good if you don't love the strong tea taste. GF friendly snacks: very light and all went well with the teas. Appreciate the owners have really taken the time to provide snacks that are not only nostalgic but allergy friendly! Toast: we got the tangerine jam, very delicious and definitely recommend if you want a little bit of a larger snack! I got an oolong tea leaves to go for home use. They have very clear instructions on the bag. Always appreciate clear guidance on temp and time for brewing. Had a wonderful experience and will return for a tea flight class soon! read more

Callisto Tea House - Toast, GF friendly snacks, Hawaiian tea, and assam hojicha. - Tea Rooms Near Me - Pasadena, California

Great service and food! It was a pre-birthday for my 17 yr old daughter and we loved it! Cute venue with great service and food- what more can we ask for?! read more

My boyfriend and I had a wonderful experience at Callisto Tea House. Our server was very friendly, welcoming & knowledgeable about the teas we sampled that day. I placed a reservation for the Gong Fu Tea Service via email and I received a promptly response. Reservations highly recommended given the intimacy of this tea house. Tea service is limited to 2 hrs. Hope to visit Callisto sometime soon. read more

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I made reservations to have Christmas Eve afternoon tea at 10am when they opened. They already had my table set up when I arrived and even offered my daughter sturdier cups so she can enjoy the tea. The staff was extremely friendly and accommodating. They also had a tiny library full of books which was amazing. The tea house was really cute and adorable. The tea was great, I got a herbal tea but we also did gong fu cha. The owner showed us and taught us about the tea ceremony. The tea sandwiches were very unique and tasty! read more

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This place is seriously so cute!! Had no idea such a cute tea shop existed in the LA area and I am thrilled about it! The worker at the front was really kind and helpful to my partner and I, especially as first-time customers. There's a display of various tea cups and from that selection you're allowed to pick which cup you want to drink from, which reminded me a lot of my experiences at matcha tea shops in Japan. Afterwards, the tea is served to you at your seat and the first cup is poured for you by one of the workers. We enjoyed our sea salt chocolate chip cookies and I loved my 'yellow brick road' tea, which is black tea and osmanthus! They have wifi here as welll and I think this is a wonderful spot for trying new tea (especially with the weather now getting colder) or spending quality time with a loved one, like catching up with a friend. I look forward to coming back! read more

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We came here for Tea this morning to celebrate our friends birthday. The tea sandwiches, scones and pastries were absolutely delicious. The service is top-notch. We had a good time. I highly recommend Callisto Tea House. read more

It's a hidden gem, which makes me hesitant to post this review, since I could easily see this place becoming very popular. You pay at the counter and order a pot of tea for the table. Since you share a pot, the tea itself becomes much cheaper than getting boba. My favorite part: They have a few shelves of unique antique cups and saucers, which you can each select. I usually go for a black tea with their pandan cookie and ube blondie-- all must tries. The overall ambiance and interior design is so beautiful and a great place to take aesthetic photos. They have a little library of books you can read while you're there. It's a great place to have a long chat with friends or to read a book in peace. It has an easy, free parking lot right next to it. Service is always great and they'll let you smell the tea leaves if you're being indecisive. Could not recommend Callisto more! read more

Callisto Tea House - Tea Rooms Near Me - Pasadena, California

Such a cute tea shop! The owner is very knowledgeable and helpful, and was so patient and detailed when explaining the menu. I tried the sundrops tea (green tea with yuzu) and the avacado, black sesame, tangerine, and cucumber mini toasts - all were high quality and for a great price! Our entire order (pictured below) was barely over $20 and provided a wide array of flavors to sample. The decor inside was also very cute, and it is quiet enough to do work or just chat over tea inside. I thoroughly enjoyed my experience at Callisto and will be back in the future! read more

Callisto Tea House - Mini toasts and Sundrops tea - Tea Rooms Near Me - Pasadena, California

Had an amazing afternoon tea service at Callisto! I made a reservation via email after seeing Wendy's post on a FB page and am so glad I did. I've only done high tea twice before but this was truly an amazing experience at a great price. We each got a pot of tea - I really enjoyed my sundrop (yuzu + green tea), and came with some finger foods. Our whole party agreed that the tea time mini toast was our favorite, tasted like a moscow mule but in sustenance form imo. The runner up was definitely the lemon ginger scone. Wendy was extremely nice from reservation to walking out the door. I don't give five stars a lot but this place definitely deserves it! read more

Callisto Tea House - Menu - Tea Rooms Near Me - Pasadena, California

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This was my first time at a high tea place. It was one of the best! We walked in and there's a menu on our plates. The owner explained the whole process to us and because she's Chinese American she was doing it in her authentic way. We ordered a tea that was very good and the snacks were amazing. She showed us how to prepare the tea and it was the best! read more

This is such an adorable place. It's far for me but definitely worth the visit. First, the mountain views outside were beautiful. Second, the inside decor is so cute, full of tea sets, loose leaf teas, desserts, plants and some merch. As a British girl, I'm an avid tea drinker and a frequent goer to afternoon tea service. What set this place apart from other afternoon tea in LA is their gong fu tea set. I've never seen any other tea house that have this. It's a little tea ceremony that the owner performs in front of you and then once you know the drill, you can then do it yourself. You can get endless refills and you can keep pouring tea at different times which changes the taste of the tea. The owner was also very lovely and sweet. I definitely want to go back there again to try their tea tasting during the weekends. read more

What an incredible experience! A friend and I dressed in our finest artsy tea wear and had tea service for two just a few weeks ago. It was so worth the money and I'd absolutely come here again. Their vegan options for tea cakes, pastries and toasts were so good. I've been vegan for 15 years and hadn't ever had a pumpkin scone that reminded me of classic ones I had before I was all plant based. The ambiance of the space is also wonderful and cozy, done up in shades of pink and green. The tea was flavorful, diverse and well worth stopping in for. read more

We celebrated my mom's birthday at Callisto with a private party and Wendy and her team were phenomenal! All the guests loved the food, service, and atmosphere! It was truly a lovely celebration and they were so accommodating and helpful. Highly recommend! read more

The vibe at Callisto is so relaxing and calming. It's a cozy and comfortable place to catch up with friends, enjoy a cup of good quality tea and a light snack, and just wind down. Highly recommend coming here if you're ever in the SGV. There's also parking at the back which is great. We ordered the avocado, black sesame, and muhammara mini toasts - so delicious! As for the teas, we got the Hummingbird and the Cookie Cha. Love love Callisto! read more

This restaurant offers a quaint, charming and innovative approach to a tea house. Recently went on Mother's Day with a special menu. The food tray was carefully curated. The hostess recommended what we should eat first to experience a savory balance of the palate. The dishes offered were fresh, savory and sweet- delicious sandwiches, sweet scones and delicate desserts! A visit to this place is always a treat. Will come back for certain! read more

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Absolutely love this tea shop! There's a wide variety of loose leaf teas to choose from. There's even a menu of teas not listed to provide a detailed description of the other options. The owner is so sweet and attentive. When you walk in, you're immediately greeted with a cozy vibe perfect for brunch or studying. Once you're inside, you choose from a variety of vintage style tea cups. This tea shop is one of my favorites. Definitely coming back here to pick up one of the tea sampler sets! read more

Callisto Tea House - Jasmine tea - Tea Rooms Near Me - Pasadena, California

Nice new addition to Altadena! We finally have our own tea house! Nice cozy space filled with plants and tea paraphernalia with a great view of the mountains. Seating and tables are well spaced and the service is prompt and pleasant. We ordered cold brewed Rose Hibiscus and Assam Hoji teas to drink and loose leaf teas for home. They are open until 9 on Fridays and Saturdays! This will be a nice summer evening reading spot! read more

Callisto Tea House - Cold brew Assam Hojicha and Rose Habiscus teas. - Tea Rooms Near Me - Pasadena, California

We enjoyed a wonderful experience at Callisto Tea House today! We tried the afternoon tea service with the Gong Fu style of tea brewing. The staff are very friendly and the vegan toasts and pastries were delicious. Really appreciate the vegan options and the ginger lemon scone was amazing! Looking forward to coming back soon and tasting more of their teas. Such a great escape....recommend putting down your phones and sitting back as your tea is brewing and soak it all in. read more

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Our tea group selected Callisto Tea House for a recent gathering and all of us were very impressed! The hand-crafted toasts made in-house from einkorn, an ancient grain, and the creative toppings were absolutely delicious, a different nod to the traditional tea sandwiches. The scones were delicious, enough moisture to give it stability, and both of the choices were an equally good and flavorful! Both dessert choices were creatively different and generously portioned. The cupcake and blondie made a nice finale. It was difficult to select just one tea from a vast selection. My selection was exactly what I had hoped. The owners were attentive and thoughtfully engaged with our group. We all voted to definitely return there! read more

I found my new favorite tea house! It is very hard and somehow rare to find a tea house where you brew Gong Fu Cha style. So, I'm really happy I found this place! The owners are really nice and you can see their passion and love for tea when you talk to them. The establishment is clean, minimalistic, and calming. I find the atmosphere very inviting and grounding at the same time. I came here on a Monday, and ordered the Diamond Cutter Yellow Tea Gong Fu Cha style for $25. I also ordered 2 mini toasts-- Muhammara and Avaocado-- for $6. It wasn't too busy but there was a great number of customers in the tea house, but not too overwhelming. I spent 2 1/2 hours, enjoying my time here, journaling, reading a book, and also talking to the owners about tea. 10/10 will come back for more Gong Fu Cha sessions and to purchase loose leaf tea in the future! read more

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This place is such a hidden gem. I was driving aimlessly and eventually we decided that we want tea. I swear that's how people find the best things. Anyway, this place. GORGEOUS. It's calming and aesthetically beautiful. The service is amazing 5/5!! and it's not everyday you get your tea served in a tea cup. There's ample parking in the lot next door. November rain 5/5: I personally like this the most, I think the flavor was subtle and not too strong. If you prefer something more concentrated maybe opt for something else. But I think it's pretty balanced. Gong Fu Service (Snow Mountain) 5+/5: it's a whole thing. I don't really know how to put it to words, but if you're here it's a must. Try any of the teas for the gong fu service, because I'm confident they're good. Ube Blondie 5/5: it's sweet, but so good. I think it pairs well with the tea. I definitely would share this, its a bit decadent. Pandan Cookie 5/5: super gooey and flavorful!! I recommend taking small bites to really appreciate the flavor. It's a bit sweet and if you eat too much, the sweetness can take over. But OMG I had to get another one before they closed. Overall amazing! Can't believe we got so lucky. They're new as well and have been in business for about three months. Go check this place out, you won't regret it. read more

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Came here on a whim on New years and I just fell in love with the place! The service is top tier, everyone here is so helpful and so informative about the tea they serve. I came on a busy day and they were able to accommodate me by rearranging the seating and tables. As it was my first time here, they explained the menu to me and even allowed me to smell the tea, it smelled so good! I was recommended the Indonesian oolong tea and was not disappointed with the quality, it was delicious! They even allow you to pick your own tea cup and i picked a cute pink one that looks like a pumpkin haha it's my favorite I can't wait to come back and try more of their teas! Definitely think about making reservations if coming with a big group or coming on a busy day. read more

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Cute tea house just unopened about 3 months ago. Parking is available in a lot on the side of the building and they have both indoor and outdoor seating. Great selection of tea. In addition to the seasonal selections on the board when you enter there is a menu book with plenty of choices. Pots are a single pot (no refills of water), the gong fu service comes with a carafe of hot water which they'll refill. The mini toasts were delicious and the Asian treat plate was very tasty. read more

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We loved our experience, service, and quality of teas and food here. It was such a relaxing and educational time as we celebrated a friend's birthday here. Very neat to try the different flavors and smells of the tea through the many steepings. The owner and servers helped us pick teas with expert-level advice. It is clear she has an amazing knowledge of and experience with tea. The food was paired perfectly with the teas and we were given time and space to savor the experience. The leaves we took home afterwards are amazing (Woodland Spring Green Tea), too. We will be back :) read more

The perfect addition to Pasadena! The avocados are fresh with hot spices on top. The avocado toast and the tangerine marmalade are excellent. The tangerine marmalade is not bitter, only sweet, with a fresh mint leaf on top to bring home the flavor profile. The tea I tried was the Havdalah Spice. It was evocative of a Morrocan Jewish Tea ceremony. Totally in love! read more

Callisto Tea House - Tea Rooms Near Me - Pasadena, California

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I have been coming to callisto regularly for a while now and they have always provided a wonderful experience. the staff are all very knowledgeable and friendly, the atmosphere is peaceful and welcoming, and the tea is great. I can always trust that they have excellent selections in every category of tea they offer and that everything served will be brewed optimally. They also sell great gifts! And they come up with great names for their teas, especially if you are a mythology buff! I've got many of their loose leaf teas in my cabinet right now, so I'll have to wrap up this review and make myself some :) peace out, and visit callisto when you can! read more

Tea - authentic to your supermarket tea bags The 10 dollar treat yourself snacks - authentic ranch99 99 cents Asian snacks (not to mention the size of each snack is as small as one's fingernails) Service - authentic passive aggressive/impolite service. The male server asked to collect the menus twice after I specifically asked to keep one menu in case we want to order more (I returned the menu after the second time he asked) The female server/owner attempted to kick us out after us sitting in the store for less than 30mins. To be clear, we were quiet and distant from the only other group of guest at the time so I don't see any reason why they would be so eager to turn the table. We still left tip for the horrible service regardless. She was also friendly to the other non-Asian guests shopping/chatting at the front desk so my only guess is we were discriminated by our own kind. Price - cost effective if you have never been to any Asian supermarket or purchased any snacks through any Asian e-commerce platforms and never had any friends that gave you Chinese/Japanese/Korean/British tea as a gift. Never left a single bad review in my life to any places on any platforms and this is the first and hopefully last time. Do not recommend and will not come again. If you really want to enjoy your time in a tea room, I highly recommend Chado in old town Pasadena where you will be able to get great afternoon tea set and be treated like a respected customer. read more

A most exquisite east-west tea experience. Excellent Valentine's special menu. Thank you Wendy!

This place is amazing. The hosts are so knowledgeable and so passionate about tea! I recommend getting the tea cakes and listening to their walkthrough on the types of teas and history. LGBTQ+ friendly and such a safe space to just hangout and read a book. read more

Callisto Tea House - Gong Fu Service with a little Fox Tea Pet! - Tea Rooms Near Me - Pasadena, California

For our friends birthday celebration we visited the ultra charming Callisto Tea House to enjoy a private tea tasting with the owners Nathan & Wendy and we were all enthralled with the different teas. Nathan shared 4 teas from around the world with us and they were each unique and delicious! It was fascinating to learn about the teas and how best to steep them, enjoy them, pair them, and of course, how they are made. We also enjoyed a delicious lemon ginger scone and a pandan cookie after the tasting. This was an incredible experience and one I highly recommend! Only $25/per person and an hour of great fun! read more

Callisto Tea House - Enjoying a delightful tea tasting at Callisto Tea House! - Tea Rooms Near Me - Pasadena, California

Once you walk in, you'll appreciate the care and consideration put into decorating this space. It's a really peaceful spot to take a moment out of your day to experience the teleportation into another time period based on your tea selection. Each tea item on the menu describes the origin and the various notes that you'll taste with each pour. If you have the time for some respite, I recommend the Gong Fu service. My friend and I tried the Diamond Cutter. It is a ceremonial grade experience where they teach you how to wash the tea, steep and warm the pot during 30 sec intervals, and serve. You do this several times in order to taste all the different top and base notes during the tea extraction process. We thoroughly enjoyed coming here and I look forward to bringing more friends and family here. Who knows, I might learn to be a sommelier, but for teas by frequenting this amazing spot! I highly recommend the location, the service, and the quality of teas! Oh and btw, the pandan cookie we had was moist and delicious. It paired perfectly with our tea read more

Callisto Tea House - pandan cookie!!! - Tea Rooms Near Me - Pasadena, California

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