Crown & Crumpet, San Francisco

When Amy and Christopher Dean—a native San Franciscan and native Londoner respectively—met at a London dinner party in 1994, they had plenty to discuss. The couple spent the evening bonding over their shared passions for antiques, travel, and, most importantly, tea. It was this last passion that led them to incorporate a lavish afternoon tea-party ceremony into their wedding day. When the Deans moved back to Amy's Northern California home, they continued to embrace their deep British ties, first by opening an Anglo-French antique store and then by founding an English-style tea room: Crown & Crumpet.

Crown & Crumpet presents a classic English tea service, albeit with a modern aesthetic and a dose of humor that banishes any stereotypes of stuffiness or pretension. Traditionalists, however, will appreciate the afternoon tea service, which presents each patron with 38 loose-leaf options ranging from a delicate Chinese white tea with natural peach oils to Crown & Crumpet's private blend—a full-bodied black tea with malty notes. Small finger sandwiches, toasted crumpets with butter, scones, and other British treats fill the pauses in conversations. Wandering trolly dollys might also tempt visitors with extra slices of cake, French macarons, or convincing replicas of the Crown Jewels.