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19 reviews for Afternoon Tea
19 reviews in English
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Review from Lin M.
4/2/2012 Seated via OpenTable
Every girl loves tea time! I've been practicing for this place with my very own tea set since childhood! Definitely a must do experience in Victoria. The men of my family did seem a bit awkward, but they enjoyed themselves as well. They had a great variety of sandwiches and pastries and a great selection of teas. I felt like a princess in the grand tea room. Yes, the price is steep, but think of it as a special occasion luxury. They even give take out boxes if you can't finish. I made reservations through Open Table two days before we were in Victoria and had no problems getting a table for 5. A truly royal experience!
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Review from annie t.
3/20/2012
I became obsessed with Afternoon Tea after trying it for the first time at the Mandarin Oriental in Vegas. After reading yelp and deciding to the Empress, I was thoroughly disappointed.
Perhaps I should've known when walking into the large lobby and seeing at least 30 pre-made 3-tier trays of the food. Or over 50 pre-cut fruit cups sitting out on a table. Food left out like that just means that they are not made to order and having it sit out in the open will make them go bad and stale.
After being seated, I found out that they simply just use teabags for the teas, not very high quality at all. The fruit was no fresh and was mushy. It was mostly just cantaloupe and honeydew, cheap fruits. When the trays came out, the sandwich bread was drying and stale, while the scones were hard and cold. The dessert was overly sweet. All this for $47 a person... during down season. I felt completely ripped off for such poor presentation of food and low quality teas.
My search for great afternoon teas continue, so far nobody has lived up to Mandarin Oriental's quality and view. -
Review from Katie O.
10/23/2011
This is no place for boys! Afternoon Tea at the Empress made me feel utterly feminine and refined, which I love.
My friend and I made a reservation after deciding to go back and change before taking tea. We returned in dresses and heels, which seemed a little over-dressed in comparison with some of the other patrons. Oh well.
Our server was great, and noted our attire by telling us that she appreciated seeing "such cultured young ladies". Yay! Changing clothes was worth it! :o)
We both went with the Empress blend, which went perfectly with a bit of cream and about 2 lumps of sugar. The food was delicious, and we were so stuffed that we couldn't even finish the top tray.
The decor is a bit simple yet elegant, and the view of the harbor adds to the charm.
If all this were not enough, they also send you home with a box of the Empress blend tea since you can only obtain it at this particular location.
Sigh. I must go again! -
Review from Jacqueline T.
8/9/2011
Afternoon High-Tea at the Empress is an experience worthwhile having while visiting the beautiful Victoria city in Vancouver Island. It sits grandly at the front of the Fairmont hotel, and has undisturbed views of the flower filled streets, and watered harbour.
Interior deco is like all other fairmont restaurants. Grand, Glamourous Victorian style. With mis matched seats and couches.
Ok lets get to the good part :) :) :) The yummy delicious treats!
The Savory Sandwiches: You get about 5 different tasty sandwiches to start out with. What is nice about it.. is they are all different. From a fresh salmon roll, to a cucumber horseradish (not overpowering horseradish taste), to a curry slice. Definitely explores all the different flavor profiles.
Scones: You always test a high-tea place, on how well they do their scones.. and by gosh darnit.. Empress does their scones right! I'm just disappointed that they only give one per person. At $66 + tax, they should should atleast have two ;P Cream and jam are delicious as well.
Sweets: Mmm by now you should be pretty full, so nibble on all the sweets. They too are all different.. sweet, fruity, chocolatey and a nice end to your very nice, and very expensive meal!
Tea: Done well! They serve in metal pots, so the tea can be kept nice and hot for you for every cup throughout your entire high-tea experience.
Too bad Vancouver Fairmont doesn't do High-Tea as well as the Empress :( :( :(
It was such a pleasant experience, and I was able to enjoy it on such a beautiful sunny day! I raised my pinky as high as I could, while I sipped away delightfully XD
PS: I don't know why the other reviews says that they provide free wi-fi.. as they don't. You need to pay for it. -
Review from Letie W.
7/7/2011
For as long as I can remember, I've always wanted to have afternoon tea at the Fairmont Empress. I had visited Victoria a few times in the past, but never been able to make it to afternoon tea for a couple of reasons, time constraints and cost. I made it a priority this time that this is exactly what I would do on my visit this time. While I've had afternoon tea in many different places in the past, this one is a bit out of reach since I cannot just jump in my car and drive to it.
It is a bit expensive, but then again, it's the Fairmont...what do you expect? The goodies were wonderful and were more than enough. I wasn't sure I could eat all of it and my husband had to help out.
The tea I had was the Empress Blend. Delicious! A box of tea accompanies your meal for you to take home. That was the best part as it saved me a trip to the gift shop.
Check out my food pics.
http://what2eatz.blogs...
And Yosif, if you are reading this, thank you for your wonderful service! -
Review from Keith H.
7/19/2011
When you go to Hawaii you take in a luau. When you go to Victoria, you take afternoon tea at the Empress. Both experiences are marketed as quintessential to the tourist experience, but I can probably say that the tea lives up to the promise. (Something that I can't always say for luaus at home.)
They started off with a small bowl of strawberries and cream, then take your tea order. I went with the Empress blend (the same kind that they give you with your check at the end). I enjoyed it enough to take at least three or four cups worth - with and without milk and sugar. Fortunately, while the food looks small, the tea never runs dry.
Then comes the rest of the food on a three-tier plate. There was a cucumber-horseradish sandwich, egg salad on croissant, pork pate on crostini, curried chicken sandwich, and a smoked salmon sandwich in a pinwheel shape. One level up was a raisin scone with strawberry jam and heavy cream, and finally there were five small pastries on the top level.
Yes, those sandwiches look dainty, but all five of them, plus the scone, plus five small pastries (and the fruit you had earlier), and you'll be full by the time you're done.
Tip: Eat them slowly and immerse your tastebuds in the sensation. This is not food that you shovel into your mouth. Also see if you can get a later afternoon time, and have it be your "lunch." You really do want to go in with an empty stomach.
My only regret is that I didn't do this the last time I was in Victoria ten years ago, when 60-70 U.S. cents bought a loonie. Now you need US$1.05 to CAD$1.00. Big hit to the wallet as a result, but still, an culinary experience not soon forgotten. -
Review from Todd S.
11/23/2011
Great view, great service, great tea and food! A bit price but well worth it.
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Review from Winnie C.
7/19/2011
I guess my expectations were too high when people told me that this is a must try when you visit Victoria, BC. I was a bit disappointed with the food quality and the ambiance. It was very touristry, it even had a group of at least 50 Japanese students with school uniforms walked by the whole area while we were supposed to be enjoying our afternoon tea at a high end hotel.
The food was nothing special, and desserts were below average, I didn't even want to finish it at the end. Prices were riducously high $80 per person after tax and tips. I had excellent afternoon tea at 5 stars hotel for just half of the price.
Overall, it's too pricey but it's kind of one of the must do tourist attractions when you visit the area. -
Review from Mark B.
8/20/2011
We have two boys (12 and 9) so this was our last chance to "make" them do something like this. We were in town on vacation and we dressed in our finest shoes, SHORTS, shirts. We fit right in . . . it's not too stuffy but definitely glamorous.
The tea and the sweets/snacks were wonderful. The staff was super nice. I recommend this to anyone visiting Victoria. -
Review from Tristan S.
7/2/2011
We were visiting Victoria for the weekend so we did one of the main touristy things and went to afternoon tea at the Empress. The experience was nice, but not one I would repeat. The furniture and decor were elegant and very appropriate for the Empress and the food and tea was good. They even accommodated our diet (pescetarian) with no advance notice. And the service was certainly very good. However, in retrospect it was definitely not worth $60 per person. I like expensive meals, but not meals that cost more than they merit, and for $60 I expect to be treated as the Empress Victoria herself. The experience definitely fell short of that. With so many tourists in the tea room coming and going, there was a constant clatter of dishes on tables, and the live piano advertised on their website was conspicuously absent. It felt like almost as much a diner as a tea room.
Luckily though I wasn't thinking of the cost at all while I was there so I still had a good time. -
Review from vena v.
7/27/2011
Don't bother having afternoon tea at the Empress. The tea is bagged, the food is only OK, the service so-not-special and the cost is absurd. Have afternoon tea at Butchart gardens. It is better food (their scones are fresh and delicious), loose leaf tea and, although expensive, not as absurdly expensive.
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Review from mimi m.
2/22/2011
Unfortunately, they didn't quite meet the high expectations I had for this special occasion. The service was ok, nothing special, the tea and the snacks were just ok. I guess I expected too much. Oh well, at least now I can say I've done it.
Cons: Very expensive. -
Review from Timothy H.
10/27/2011
Never experienced high tea before... It was amazing...
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Review from Sarah D.
7/13/2011
I was initially thinking that once I had gone to tea at the Empress, I could cross that off my bucket list. I was so wrong. Now I am craving more tea and the egg salad croissants. Heck, I am not even an egg person and I am craving. The tea room is beautiful, the service amazing and the food and tea delicious. After tax and tip it ran us about $75 each for tea. It's pricey, but so special and fun. It just makes me wish I had tons of money so I could do afternoon tea every day. Also, don't be fooled by the size of the morsels in pictures. You will be mega stuffed, so go on an empty stomach...
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Review from Anita E.
5/2/2011 3 photos
The only thing stopping me from rating The Fairmont Empress' afternoon tea as Outstanding is the price. The charge for just me was $64 Canadian for a pot of tea and a small tray of tiny finger sandwiches and bite-size pastries (their site says $$44 - $55 , but menu is set and you don't have a choice). They must think very highly of themselves to charge such a huge fee for such a small amount of food/beverage! Saying that, it is the must-do thing when visiting Victoria. Just be aware of the price or you will faint when they bring the bill!
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Review from Li R.
Salt Spring Island, BC
9/21/2011
Looking for that real pause that refreshes? Well, it's afternoon tea time, of course! The benchmark version of English High Tea is alive & well at the Fairmont Empress Hotel, down by the Inner Harbour, in Victoria. This Edwardian building offers the right ambiance for a little time tunnel traveling...a room to inspire (think Gosford Park, the movie), and with a view that offers ferry and floatplane drama in the Inner Harbour, the delectable tea is just one more stellar aspect to the experience. It has it all...scones and cream, jams and honey, finger sandwiches, delectable "sweeties", and your choice of tea. When you leave, you get a gift of the Empress Blend in tea bag form, to enjoy at home...I call that good marketing! Sometimes, it's fun to savour some champagne to start, too. 2 to 5 p.m., the traditional tea time. Give yourself a treat, take 5, and live a more gentle time for a few beats.
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Review from Mélanie C.
Victoria, BC
2/22/2011
This was a great treat for my 12th birthday, I had great memories of the occasion and wanted to go again when I moved back. I ended up going back twice, and though I enjoyed the food, I realized that it was the same food on every tier. This is great for a one-off visit, but loses in repetition.
The bottom tier of the tray has finger sandwiches, the middle has scones with cream and jam, and the top level has the desserts. You have your choice of teas or coffee (and they give you a sample of the signature "Tea at the Empress" blend to take home with you in a lovely box, regardless of what you drink).
The service is quite polite, though not very consistent. Though reservations must be made, one of the times we went, we had to wait some time to be seated, and even served, neither the hostess nor our server were very friendly or apologetic. The other time, everything went smoothly and our server was quite forthcoming.
Part of the experience has nothing whatsoever to do with the food & drink, but with the history of the surroundings. The room, as with the rest of the property, are quite opulent and offer a glimpse into the past. The Tea Room itself overlooks Inner Harbour and has a delightful view (on a clear day).
Seeing as the price has greatly increased since I was a child, the best way to afford the treat was during the "Be a Tourist in your own Home Town". They used to offer a 50% discount, but I don't think the deal has been as good in recent years. There are also deals in the off-season (winter). Summer is busy with the regular flow of tourists, especially when a cruise ship is in harbour.
Though a dress code is mentioned, even when you make reservations, there are always people (generally tourists) who show up in casual wear (jeans and trainers), which does take a little away from the experience. -
Review from noell b.
7/8/2011
the empress is well known for the amazing afternoon tea they serve. we sat for over three hours, drinking freshened tea from silver tea pots, into our bone china cups. (i am absolutely in love with the fairmont hotel's china pattern, made exclusively for them by royal doulton.)we floated milk and stirred in rock sugar, and sipped while lazily staring out the window, watching people outside attend to the thousand little details of their lives. we enjoyed our tea with a glass of port, while snacking on a variety of sandwiches, cucumber and curried carrot, as well as delectable rasin scones with jam and clotted creme. we dived into a pile of pastries, chocolate cakes, and fruit tarts. the food and tea were delicious--a unique, "old world" experience that we can't often replicate in the states.
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Review from Randy H.
6/7/2011
My wife and I came here for a Sunday afternoon tea undaunted by the Empress website-listed price (51 CAD pre-tax) considering it a special occasion. We made reservations and had no difficulty being seated. Opulent surroundings in the grand lounge, and the way the chairs and tables were oriented allows you to feel quite distinct from other patrons' tables. There was a gorgeous harbor view from our table and we were enjoying our leisurely afternoon tea. An hour after starting with some fresh strawberries and cream, we were both extremely full from all the delicious and rich sweets and savories. The golden-raisin scones with cream and jam were extraordinary, the tea sandwiches were very tasty (especially the smoked salmon), and the desserts were mostly good (though easily the most underwhelming component). So why only 3 stars? To be honest, the price was the main thing that kept us from completely enjoying ourselves or from giving this a higher recommendation. The cost for each of us turned out to be 58 CAD before tax (65 CAD after tax, *before* tip). No matter how delightful the surroundings, it's hard not to imagine with each bite and each sip, is it worth all this? Sadly, no. It was a great experience to have ONCE, and if you also want the experience, the surroundings, etc., go for it. But considering the vast cost compared with what you actually get, I would recommend trying one of the other afternoon teas in the area first.
