Where to toast Harry and Meghan in the Bay Area
TV viewing parties, elaborate hats, scones and many cups of tea
You kept checking the mail for an engraved invitation from Buckingham Palace inviting you to the nuptials of the year. Alas, yours must have gotten lost in the long trip across the pond.
But that shouldn’t keep you from celebrating Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s big day. Here’s what Bay Area tea rooms, pubs and hotels have dreamed up for Saturday, May 19:
Wedding Viewing Party at the Brit: Set your alarm clocks if you want to mark the occasion in proper fashion. Starting at 4 a.m., Anglophiles will gather at the Britannia Arms in San Jose (Almaden Expressway location) to watch the royal nuptials live, enjoy a full British breakfast and compete in the hat contest. The buffet of bangers, bacon, beans, mushrooms and apple cider toast will be served at 5 a.m., followed by wedding cake. Guests will receive a Queen Elizabeth mug or a replica of the Diana engagement ring — plus a Union Jack to wave around. “And yes,” since the party starts in the wee hours, “pajamas are allowed,” co-owner Michael North says.
Details: Tickets, $25, at www. britanniaarms.com or eventbrite; 408-266-0550.
Wedding cake, tea and classes: In Pacific Grove, caterer-chef Karen Anne Murray of Eddison & Melrose Tea Cottage and Katie Reneker of the Carmel Berry Co. will bake a version of Harry and Meghan’s Lemon Elderflower Cake and give out samples of that a week before the wedding, Saturday, May 12, from 10 a.m. to noon. Murray has developed two new royal teas, one called the 19th of May and the other the Prince Louis in honor of the new royal baby.
Details: Find tea times, shop hours and class offerings at www. eddisonandmelrose.com.
Royal Wedding Teas: The Crown & Crumpet at San Francisco’s Sir Francis Drake Hotel will present a May 19 tea party featuring wedding tea from Fortnum & Mason’s, a champagne cocktail called “The Markle Sparkle,” the classic assortment of tea sandwiches, sweets and scones with clotted cream — and highlights
from that morning’s wedding. Games, raffle, photo booth also planned.
Details: Three seatings (10 a.m., noon, 3 p.m); tickets, $125, at www.crownandcrumpet.com. No tickets will be sold at the door.
At the Claremont hotel in Berkeley, the afternoon tea service on May 19 will feature special touches in honor of the royal wedding. The menu will include a mix of British and modern fare, the champagne of the royal family will be poured (Bollinger) and a flutist will perform classical music. Guests are encouraged to wear their finest fascinators (aka headpieces and hats). Reservations: 510-843-3000; www.fairmont.com.
Penthouse Package: For
the month of May, the Fairmont San Francisco is offering a one-night, $50,000 “Prince and Princess Penthouse Package” that includes a royal portrait session, butler service, afternoon tea for 14 guests, royal-themed amenities and $20,000 in shopping credits. If you’re a mere commoner, you might instead book afternoon tea in the Laurel Court. www.fairmont.com.
Afternoon teas: You can also toast Harry and Meghan on May 19 at the many tea rooms that serve Saturday afternoon teas year-round. Reservations are mandatory; guests are asked to make them the civilized way, by phone. Tearoom prospects include:
Lisa’s Tea Treasures, Los Altos; 650-209-5010; www. lisastealosaltos.com.
Tipping Teapot by Satori Tea, Saratoga. This tearoom will be able to take parties
until 12:30 p.m. that day, then will close for a private event.
Friday/Sunday reservations are available. 408867-3606; www.satoriteausa.com.
Ritz-Carlton, San Francisco. The “royal tea” here includes a glass of Veuve Clicquot Brut and strawberries with cream. 415-7736168; www.ritzcarlton.com.
Palace Hotel, San Francisco. 415-546-5089; www. sfpalace.com.
St. Regis, San Francisco. This hotel’s “Art of Tea” is a more modern take on tea service. 415-284-4188; www. stregissanfrancisco.com.
Neiman Marcus, the Rotunda, San Francisco. NM’s “royal tea” includes a glass of Etoile Brut Rosé. 415-2492720; www.neimanmarcus. com.