Empress Lounge at the Mandarin Oriental - DC

Empress Lounge at the Mandarin Oriental - DC reviews from people who’ve dined at this restaurant. Based on recent rating.

1. MM

   MissMary VIP

   Philadelphia214 reviews

   4.0

   Dined on February 29, 2020

   1. Overall 4
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 4
   4. Ambience 5

   Of many places to have High Tea in the area, this was the most reasonably priced for the best selection! The room is airy and spacious with a bright view, and we had very comfortable chairs and seating arrangement. Sometimes parking can be difficult and expensive in the area, but the hotel itself has a valet, and validated parking for only $12; this helped in my positive experience, so I didn't have to worry about timed street parking meters, and could simply enjoy the time with my friend! The service during our meal was good overall, but I think could be a pinch more polished.
   

   Is this helpful?

2. P

   Pauser

   Philadelphia102 reviews

   5.0

   Dined on February 23, 2020

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   Enjoyed afternoon tea wonderful service. Lovely atmosphere, although direct sun thru wall of windows made the room uncomfortably warm. Overall a great afternoon. Would happily return.
   

   Is this helpful?

3. JL

   JoeL

   Washington DC7 reviews

   2.0

   Dined on February 23, 2020

   1. Overall 2
   2. Food 1
   3. Service 3
   4. Ambience 2

   Don't waste the money. For a 5-star hotel, this was atrocious. The food was prepared well in advance, probably that morning. Immediately after our tea was brought, the 3-tier tray was delivered. Too fast. The egg salad sandwich bread was stale, the cucumber sandwich bread hard on the ends, the salmon was room temperature and dry. We complained to the waitress, and the manager brought a "fresh" tray., which was only slightly better. The wait staff were nice, but understaffed such that service was slow when you needed something. There were very few Savory and too many sweets. (They did give us a discount, but that doesn't make up for a poor experience on my wife's birthday.) On leaving, I peeked into the Garden Room next door, expecting to see a banquet room with a view of the Garden. What I saw was trays of the food sitting there ready to serve, at room temperature. No wonder everything was stale!
   

   • 

   Is this helpful?

4. LG

   LGA9 VIP

   Washington DC3 reviews

   3.0

   Dined on February 15, 2020

   1. Overall 3
   2. Food 3
   3. Service 4
   4. Ambience 3

   There are better tea services in the area around a similar price or less. It's worth going just for the curiosity but I probably wouldn't be back. The lounge is not really a lounge but more like the reception area of the hotel since it's not a separate area. It feels outdated, the seats are low and deep therefore uncomfortable. The service is good but understaffed when we went so at times we had to wait a little to get their attention. Once they got there they were very friendly and professional. The tea is a small selection but very good. I liked the Assam. The food tray had good savory sandwiches but too few and too many sweet dessert options on the top two tiers. It should be the other way around and the sweets should be kept as a finishing top dessert tray with fewer more select options.
   

   1 person found this helpful

5. s

   sncg

   Washington DC8 reviews

   2.0

   Dined on January 18, 2020

   1. Overall 2
   2. Food 2
   3. Service 2
   4. Ambience 3

   A few recommendations for the Mandarin Oriental to consider for their Afternoon Tea: 1. Use something to keep the tea hot (teapots went cold quickly) 2. Don't use a sticky sweet dollop to keep the sandwiches adhered to the tray (sweetness interferes with savory-ness of the sandwiches) 3. Prepare the sandwiches immediately before serving (bread on egg salad sandwich was dry, likely from being cut too far in advance) 4. Improve the cucumber sandwich (bland) 5. Add more waitstaff. Service, while friendly, was not very attentive and was slow when attention was needed (i.e. when we asked for more hot water for the teapots, or to process our bill)
   

   1 person found this helpful

6. AC

   AnnC VIP

   Washington DC7 reviews

   4.0

   Dined on January 17, 2020

   1. Overall 4
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 4
   4. Ambience 3

   Wanted to take my two college-aged girls out for a special treat and settled on high tea at the Mandarin Oriental! High tea takes place in the hotel lobby (the Empress Lounge): we were greeted after arriving at the top of the stairs, and seated at a glass coffee table by the windows. It was extremely sunny and the glare was considerable, so we opted not to take any pictures of us together (sad for mom). About 15 mins in after starting to drink our tea, it was borderline uncomfortably toasty. Tea choices were quite nice but be forewarned, you only get to pick one. Tea tray was beautifully presented - scones on top, desserts in the middle, savory sandwiches on the bottom: gorgeous presentation! We each had our favorites and wherever someone wasn’t a fan of something, we traded portions (eg one daughter isn’t a fan of salmon, so swapped the cucumber for her salmon). Service was polite and friendly but sometimes took a while. There were a few WOW’s (the salmon sandwich, the green apple choux, and the scones: one girl loved the hazelnut feuille) but the rest was tasty but not great. All of us thought the cucumber & dill (a high tea staple!) was bland. The ratio of savory to sweet was a bit off (there was a LOT of sugar) and we were a bit sad when we asked to take the leftovers home, one of the desserts (which admittedly came in a small glass cup) wasn’t given to us. Price is quite steep so be prepared: $45/pp plus tip. Happy we tried it out, probably won’t return.
   

   Is this helpful?

7. SC

   StarC

   Washington DC1 review

   5.0

   Dined on December 29, 2019

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   Absolutely amazing! I loved it. I will be going back really soon. Excellent service !
   

   Is this helpful?

8. I

   Ivs2

   Portland3 reviews

   4.0

   Dined on December 28, 2019

   1. Overall 4
   2. Food 3
   3. Service 3
   4. Ambience 2

   The tea room was in the lounge, which had a bar with a television tuned to football games. This killed the ambiance for me. The service was adequate, but not great. The food was imaginative, but not outstanding. Two of the four scones were flat and unappetizing . The Clotted cream was not really authentic. The cream and the strawberry jam were inadequate for four scones. The sweets were all too sweet. I would not recommend it for a proper afternoon tea experience.
   

   Is this helpful?

9. AB

   AlisonB

   Las Vegas7 reviews

   3.0

   Dined on December 21, 2019

   1. Overall 3
   2. Food 3
   3. Service 3
   4. Ambience 3

   Went for afternoon tea; was just okay. Staff were polite and professional, but delivery of food and ordering subsequent glasses of champagne took longer than expected. Some of the tea sandwiches didn’t look as fresh as you’d expect from the Mandarin.
   

   Is this helpful?

10. L

    Lynn VIP

    Fort Lauderdale120 reviews

    4.0

    Dined on December 6, 2019

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 4

    We enjoyed afternoon tea and the tea. food, and service were all excellent!
    

    Is this helpful?