afternoon tea - the fairmont empress hotel

so a few friends and i sat down for high tea at the empress hotel. at first glance at the menu you kind of jump back in shock at the price, but it is worth every price. the tea was wonderful and the sandwiches, desserts and pastries were quite delicious. best to go on an empty stomach because you will be quite full!!! it's a great way to relax!! service is great!!

overpriced and really not that elegant. i went to the empress for afternoon tea with my husband last week while we were on our babymoon vacation. we had been to the butchart gardens for afternoon tea the previous day and had been thoroughly impressed. i was still really looking forward to the empress experience, and for $60pp (twice what we paid at butchart) i thought that the tea service would be even more amazing...but it wasn't. first of all, the service was rushed - it seemed like customers are churned out of there, factory style. our server barely had time to explain anything to us. the table setting and ambiance were also far less elegant what we had at butchart gardens for half of the price. at butchart we got to sit outside and overlook the beautiful garden, and we had lovely table linens and proper silverware - none of that at the empress, just a noisy dingy dining room. the tea itself was poorly prepared with far too much water and not enough tea leaves, producing a very watery tasting tea. the food was ok, not as good as butchart gardens, but edible. it's a shame because with some love and attention this place could be magnificent, and maybe it once was. for now it is just hyped up to be a lot better than it actually is.

tea is pretty good and the setting is very fancy. the view was pleasant with the harbour outside. the food is a set menu and comes as a nice 3 tiered plating. 1 is desert, 1 is bread and 1 is mini sandwiches. flavors and taste would be a 4.5 and atmosphere a 4 but the price is steep so that's why the rating is 3.5. the price 75 per person. nice 1.time experience

wonderful first time tea experience at the empress. some may call it a tourist thing but it's something that should be done at least once. i've also had tea at the fairmont yvr but it's not the same feel as dining at the empress. our server yousif was attentive without being intrusive while we were taking our time. he even cracked some jokes and took our photo for us. i look forward to coming back with my sister and mom.

absolutely wonderful afternoon tea! sure it might be expensive, but it was worth every penny to do it! service was outstanding and there was so much food i wasn't sure i could finish it all. the food was super delicious and so was the tea.

absolute exquisite pastries and desserts. i had a wonderful experience celebrating mother's day with my mom and aunt. especially since we had to wake up very early to catch the ferry from vancouver to victoria, but it was totally worth it! the service is exceptional just like the food. make sure to reserve in advance!! if you are looking for fancy high tea this one definitely hits high on the charts!

paying equal amounts for the historical experience as for the actual tea.. i went for afternoon tea with my wife on wednesday, 1 april, 2015.

the afternoon tea at the fairmont empress is an icon. what victoria experience would be complete without it? we were seated at a nice corner table by a window, the view of the harbor only marred by the bobcat with a jackhammer front hammering loudly directly outside the window. i suppose the 3 emails sent before my arrival and the 2 letters given me upon check in were ample warning...still was unfortunate.

the server asked us our tea selection and returned promptly with our chosen teas (empress blend and darjeeling), then pouring the tea for us both ( minor infraction, she poured the cream first into my wife's cup. not that i particularly care, but in victorian tea culture, the milk/cream always goes in after.

the strawberries were fresh and not the giant strawberries often found at the grocer, but nice small ripe ones. the cream was lightly sweetened and whipped to perfection.

the three tiered tray came out with the sandwiches, scone, and small deserts.

cucumber & ginger mascarpone on butter brioche - ok, white bread wasn't that great, but a small hint of sweetness from the mascarpone helped add interest.

free range egg salad croissant - i certainly make a more flavorful egg salad at home, it could use a little spice (maybe some paprika). the croissant it was on was quite nice. all this said, i suppose victorian high tea isn't really about strong flavors, is it?

smoked salmon pinwheel with dill cream cheese - fine enough, though again, a little on the bland side, could use a little more dill cream cheese. couldn't actually taste the dill at all.

moroccan spiced coronation chicken on marble rye - probably the best sandwich of the lot. good flavor, and nice moisture. much better bread.

roasted bone-in ham with tarragon dijonnaise - quite nice. well balanced.

in addition, they provided vegetarian options for my wife.

shredded carrot ginger - the sweetness of the carrot and spicy of the ginger were nicely balanced.

roasted red pepper and artichoke - fairly simple in the end, not very complex, but nice

curried eggplant on marble rye - basically the same as the chicken. the best of the bunch.

freshly baked raisin scone with strawberry jam & empress cream - this was easily the best item of the afternoon. the scone was wonderful, lots of flavor and not too dry. the strawberry jam and empress cream were a perfect topping.

the deserts (grande marnier white chocolate cake, chocolate tea cup with matcha cream, vanilla bean shortbread, salted caramel coffee delice, lemon curd tartlet) were all enjoyable, but nothing truly special.

overall you really are paying equal amounts for the historical experience and the food and that's really how they advertise it anyway. that said, there's stains on some of the chairs, little details here and there that could use some attention. it's clear that afternoon tea at the empress is still riding on it's own historical coat tails rather than looking to improve. it was worth going, but would maybe be a once in 4 or 5 year thing...at most.

high tea @ the empress hotel. when we made our reservations, the first thing the lady said was to come "empty", as the faire was plentiful, and also, if there was something we enjoyed specifically, we could request more. our waitress was pleasant when she approached the table. she asked us for our choice of tea, and after several minutes returned to pour for us. we tried to engage her in conversation and she was having nothing to do with chit chat. we wanted to validate what we were told and she said "she would ask us about additional items, after we were done, as most people find it enough", and then dismissed herself. the way she said it was embarrassing. after all, the gal who made our reservation and another gal in the gift shop said there was plenty, but if not we could make additional request. i guess it was how our waitress worded it, and her coldness towards us. what was received were tea sandwiches for 3 of us on the first plate (4 varieties), 3 scones with jam, and 4 bite size desserts for each of us on the top plate. the presentation was nice, the tea excellent, and the ambience special. the tidbits were not plentiful and our waitress was not very engaging. i watched as she went from table to table pouring additional tea for other patrons, but only came to our table twice, otherwise we poured our own. it was like she was avoiding us. on her second time to the table, we asked for 2 additional egg salad, 2 cucumber, and one salmon pinwheel. she said she would see if there was any left. ugh! totally embarrassing, however for $49.95 per person we felt the request was in line. i realize it was "the experience" that we were paying for, so i've come to some resolve knowing that. i do believe the waitress made our adventure uncomfortable and soured us in wanting to rave about the experience.

love the empress. went for afternoon tea on friday december 19. i must say i thoroughly enjoyed myself. wife and mil also had a good time. i love the empress...such a lovely old building, elegant and regal. our tea, sandwiches, scones and desserts we all very good. especially liked the fresh whip cream!! very yummy. if you sign up for a free friends of the empress membership you get 20% off your bill. not bad at all. would recommend the afternoon tea at the empress!!!

would not recommend. i would like to start off by saying that the fairmont empress is a beautiful, historical landmark that is worth visiting. however, the afternoon tea was a major disappointment. although our server was kind and attentive, the food was definitely not up to par. to begin with, the metal teapots were old and stained. it ruined the atmosphere and did not fit well with the other floral china pieces we had. it would be nice if they invested in new teapots since they charge a good $60 per person before tax and gratuity. secondly, about a few dozen tea sets were already sitting in a long table in the middle of the tea room waiting to be served. it looked like it had been sitting there for a while and did not look appetizing. next, too much water was poured into the huge metal tea pot so our tea tasted like mud water when the milk was added in. it was so diluted that it had no flavour whatsoever.

in my opinion, the savoury items were better executed than the desserts. the bite size sandwiches were generally flavourful, with the moroccan chicken on marble rye tasting the best. the bread was soft and had a good texture and the chicken was served with green grapes to bring acidity to the spiciness. in comparison, the desserts were mediocre. the pistachio dacquoise was bland, while the tropical fruit lamington was too dry in the centre and overly sour. i had to spit it out and no one in our party finished theirs. the earl grey mascarpone served in a chocolate tea cup was my favourite. the mascarpone had a rich, creamy texture and the tea flavour really shone through.

i would not revisit this tea room as i did not have a pleasant experience. this is all based on my amateur opinion.

very casual dining experience.the server we had was very friendly and always made sure our teacups were full.ive had afternoon tea at yvr fairmont and its just night and day.i had a way better experience at the empress, worth going once haha, very pricey at $59.99 a person. we had 2 boxes of organic tea to take home(complimentary), we loved everything served on the platter, and dont be shy to ask more from your server.we had extra sandwiches coz i was still a wee bit hungry haha cheers!

fantastic service today. wait staff made experience especially fun for our children. excellent food, lovely way to spend an afternoon

to be honest, it is actually really overrated. i'be been to a couple other afternoon teas and it's way better and less cheaper. just because it's at the empress, people think it's good. though one thing i must admit was the service is not bad but the foods are quite average. empress tea is best, others average.

...we decided to visit victoria’s iconic empress hotel for their famed afternoon tea (the same afternoon tea that serves these scones). it had been years since either of us had been there, and i think the last time we’d been there together was lynette’s eighteenth birthday – over a decade ago! (gah!) even so, this was not a decision we made lightly, because in july at the height of tourist season is also when the price goes up. way up. but more on that later. (at this point, i’d like to apologize for the photos – i forgot my real camera so these were all taken

finally, we settled in at the empress hotel for a nice luxurious afternoon tea, which we actually ate as lunch.