Royal/T | Los Angeles

With waitresses in cutesy french-maid costumes, a plethora of hello kitty and pocky, and bubbly contemporary art all around, it wasn't so hard to imagine that as I opened the door to Royal/T, I had somehow been transported back to Shibuya just for a moment. Royal/T, located in Culver City, doesn't have many neighbors to write home or boast about, but the cafe/art space/shop is a destination that makes going a little off the path well worth the time. With promises of tea and cutesy Japanese toys, my sister agreed to join me for an afternoon adventure.

Once you open the doors, the space at Royal/T is expansive and impressive - with larger than life artwork and installations throughout the space. There were contemporary art pieces from some of the biggest names in pop art (ahem, Takashi Murakami), with an exhibition curated by Kaws called "I Can't Feel My Face." I'll be honest, I don't know that the artwork was that trippy to justify the title, but it was all a lot of fun to look at.

Of course, as is typical fashion in my family, the focus of our trip was on the afternoon tea. I chose to have their standard afternoon tea setting, filled with modern spins on traditional tea sandwiches along with a mini-burger and delicious petit fours, including a really outrageously delicious red-velvet cake truffle. For tea, I chose the Royal/T signature blend, a black tea with rose petals, vanilla, and fruit brewed through hot soymilk. The tea was so delicious that I purchased a packet of their dry leaves to take home.

One of my absolute favorite discoveries at Royal/T, though, were the pieces from Cast of Vices available at their shop. The gemstone flies coupled with pill bottles and metal cigarettes and pills were just kind of genius. It lead me to discover more of their work on their website, which I highly recommend checking out. I just really love jewelry and fashion that has a sense of humor behind it, and Cast of Vices certainly does.

Since the exhibits at Royal/T are rotating, I'm definitely going to return and see what new work they have in their space next time I'm in Los Angeles!

Royal/T
8910 Washington Blvd., Culver City, CA 90232 | 310.559.6300