Tea by the Sea: Enjoy Tea Time and Mediterranean Eats at the Getty Villa

Emily Manthei

Spending an afternoon at Malibu’s Romanesque Getty Villa transports visitors both in time and space. The Villa itself, styled after an ancient Roman country house buried under the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in A.D. 79, is a monument to the history and splendor of the Roman Empire. I’s details were carefully considered by architects who worked closely with J. Paul Getty himself, whose maddening obsession with ancient Rome created one of the city’s most wonderful treasures. The surrounding details, from the herb gardens to the landscaping, have been carefully crafted to replicate the peculiar climate and geographical features of the ancient Mediterranean.

But it’s not only the history and geography of ancient Italy that make their way into the Getty Villa; the space was, after all, developed by an early 20th-century oil mogul in Los Angeles who, like many American industrialists of the day, enjoyed some quaint, seemingly upper-class British lifestyle choices, like high tea. Many visitors to the Villa remember the early days of the museum when a mighty tea room was a favorite dining spot on-campus; it was replaced by an outdoor amphitheatre during renovations in the late ‘90s. Tea by the Sea at the Villa brings back the spirit of a high tea, using a menu inspired by the bounty of the Mediterranean and the landscaping of the Villa itself.

Tea times are Thursdays and Saturdays at 1 p.m. and feature a menu of scones, pastries, bread, cheeses and tea sandwiches with a variety of teas. Herbs used at the luncheons are from the Villa’s own Mediterranean gardens and change seasonally. The menu finishes off with a carrot cake following the recipe of Mrs. Garrett, the wife of the museum’s first docent whose deserts were famous at the original Getty Villa tea room.

After finishing the tea, stick around for a docent-led tour of the Roman gardens and explore the rest of the Villa’s treasures. The art found within. J. Paul Getty’s collection of artifacts from the Roman world reveals a dramatic obsession for which Angelenos should be exceedingly grateful. Getty’s “other museum” may seem more contemporary and prolific, but it’s here at the Villa that time and space seem to fade away and a trip into the past provides a peaceful respite from ordinary life.

Reserve your place for Tea by the Sea on a Thursday or Saturday at 1 p.m.