Pavilion - The Langham, Chicago

My sister and I took my 85 year old mom to tea for her birthday and it could not have gone better. The service was outstanding, the food was beautiful and delicious, there was a large choice of tea so that everyone was able to get what they wanted. We spent two leisure hours relaxing and enjoying the experience. I would recommend this to anyone and we will definitely be back!

Fantastic afternoon tea with my daughter on her 21st birthday. They couldn’t have made the day any more special for us—even a special plate with her name on it! Highly recommended—and I will definitely go back.

Wonderful experience with mom and grandmother for holiday tea! Ambiance, food, service were all perfection.

The afternoon tea is significantly overpriced for the quality and quantity of the food. One and done for us. We will venture back to The Peninsula or Drake.

Having tea at The Langham is a memorable experience in many ways. The service is beautiful; making guests feel welcomed. The food was beyond what I had expected; but the American style scones were my favorites on the menu. For a special treat, do this

Went for High Tea. Overall wonderful time, great food and lovely atmosphere. Only criticism goes towards the service. Had to ask for the bubbly wine which was included in the Holiday tea as they forgot to serve it and I asked several times to get more hot water for my tea but never happened. For the price I expected better service! Especially as the service gratitude is automatically added to the bill.

Went for tea with my sister and had an incredible time! Best we’ve had in the city so far. Food was great, service was wonderful and loved the tea selection. The room was so cute and loved the piano player! Can’t wait to go again!

I have been to nicer teas for less money. Anyplace that offers top quality teas should have a way to time the tea steeping and have someplace to put the tea bag after that time. Also, having the server pour tea all over the table and then not wiping it all up was definitely not first class. Two of the savories were good: the chicken salad cone and the butternut squash tart. The cucumber sandwich was overwhelmed with too many ingredients including peppers. The lamb served in a small canning jar (not classy) was too rich for a tea. The scones were good. The desserts were very pretty and tasty though the cream with the cookie was too rich. When Russian Tea Time opens again we will return there for afternoon tea.

The ambiance is great, but for what you pay the food is not worth it. You get one plate of tiny savory finger bites and then a bunch of sweets. My family does not eat many sweets so we asked for more of the savory options, but weren’t able to get additional like we usually do at other high tea places. At the end of the day, we paid $100 a person to have a few tiny bites and tea.

Every year my friend and I do holiday tea at The Peninsula usually but this year wanted to try something new, booked it on open table, wrote down it was for a birthday. I always call in advance and leave my card information so they don’t drop the bill, I called I gave them all the information they needed even reminded again it was a birthday, they told me they would bring something out for her. The entire experience was great accept for at the end, the bill was dropped and nothing was ever brought out for my friend. Even at the start of our tea our server asked if we were celebrating anything and I again for the third time reminded them it was a birthday. Just not comfortable when you try to make sure something is done and even double triple remind and it’s not.

My aunt and I celebrated Christmas Eve with the Holiday tea at The Langham in Chicago. When we went to check in there was some confusion. We were asked to wait in the lobby, which we did. When we can't back at 5pm we were told that they didn't have a reservation for us. I hadn't realized that the Pavilion had its own check in area. We sorted that out with some assistance from the staff.
Once we were settled, the magic began. The savoury and sweet treats were imaginative and the flavours well matched. The tea was good but not great. The water for the tea was not hot enough and the tea was in bags rather than loose. That eliminated the need for a strainer but was a little disappointing for an event that focused on tea.
The service was generally excellent and the first server was knowledgeable about the tea and the savoury treats. The second server mentioned that the Christmas jam was "life-changing" and she was not wrong!
We were not rushed to finish though we were the last table of the evening. We thoroughly enjoyed the experience and would happily recommend it.

Our family of 5 went for the Holiday Tea on Christmas Eve. I spent a lot of time researching Chicago's Holiday Tea options as this a yearly tradition for our family, regardless of which city we spend Christmas in. I was confident in my choice of the Langham, based on past reviews and photos. The room was festively decorated; however, the furniture configuration was altered, I suppose, to accommodate larger parties. We sat at a beat-up laminated rectangle table with very dated white laminate chairs. The seat covers looked as though someone quickly staple-gunned some cheezy fabric on them. I found this detail most distracting (if not infuriating) from the ambiance and experience of a hotel of this reputation. There was also no harpist, which I was expecting.

Our waiter promptly came to the table to explain the process, but after that, the service was non-existent. Our tea was not hot and nothing special. Once cold, no one ever came to bring fresh hot water or replace the cups. We had empty champagne flutes, and no one picked them up, nor asked to see if we wanted another. We waited a long time in between our savory course and the scones. The savory items were good. Prepared ahead and nothing memorable. The scones, on the other hand, were out of this world. Most disappointing were the petite fours — festive for sure, but perhaps too festive. The lemon tart with the piped chestnut filling was a hideous green. Good in flavor, however, very unappetizing in color. The chocolate mint cookie had a clashing dark green fondant. The chocolate-cherry roulade was too sour and covered red fondant. The pot de creme was mousse rather than custard. I appreciate the desire to look festive, but perhaps this was a bit overboard. Looking at past years' desserts (which lead me to make my reservation at the Langham), they were simple and more tastefully festive.

High tea is about the experience, rather than the value in the food; the Langham failed to deliver.

We had a beautiful holiday tea at The Langham this year - it’s the best tea in Chicago. Great selection of tea, excellent food and they’re great at accommodating food allergies and dietary restrictions! Highly recommended!!

I went to Tea last year around Christmas time and I thought it was better. I felt there were way too many really sweet things to the point where we left a lot and didn't even eat them nor did we have a desire to take them home. Sometimes in an effort to show their versatility some chefs go over board.

Hands-down one of the best places for afternoon tea in Chicago. I wish there were some bolder black teas on the menu, but can't really complain. The vanilla rooibos was delicious. The savory first course was AMAZING. Scones and desserts were also delicious. They are very accommodating of any allergies. Room was decorated beautifully for the holidays. Highly recommend!

Another wonderful celebration. Thank you Langham, for an extraordinary experience of taste

Ok experience overall. Service was just ok. Our hot water for tea was not refilled.

My friends and I loved it again—we also had Christmas Tea at the Langham in 2018. We had the same server, Thomas, and he was great.

We had a special time enjoying high tea . What a wonderful way to celebrate the holidays

My sister and I get together every holiday season for tea. This was our first time at Pavilion, and it did not disappoint. The atmosphere was upscale and elegant yet still very relaxed and comfortable. The service was attentive but not overbearing. The food was inspired and much better than than the standard tea sandwiches.

My husband and I took our 6 year old daughter to the Christmas Tea last Sunday afternoon. This was a first time for all. We loved it. The food, tea, service and ambiance was exceptional. We plan to make this a new holiday tradition. There is a room off of the dining are which is decorated as Santa’s Workshop. You can have your child meet with him and to take pictures. The hotel lobby and tea room area are decorated in tasteful colors of silver, greys, pinks etc., While we were there, there were a few young children and middle-school age but you would not have been bothered.

What a great experience. The food, tea, & staff were amazing. I can’t wait to return.

Picked this spot for annual ladies tea. Had been in 2014 and cost was $65pp, most expensive we had ever paid in Chicago. Price now up to $85pp included a glass of champagne/wine. Not sure if just holiday related price? Give people a pricing option without alcohol for $70. Savories were good, not traditional by any means, pastries and sweets were fantastic. However, walking out for $100 with tip, I think customers should be asked if they want 2nds of ANYTHING. Asked for some extra scones towards end of meal and got "will have to check with the kitchen". At a place of this 5 star level, the answer should be "yes, how many would you like." Service attentive. Beautiful setting but definitely more tables packed in restaurant style than prior visits when there were couches with coffee tables and lower height seating. Preferred that over current.

The Christmas tea is delightful. The service was exceptional. Very nicely presented foods. The ambiance was beautiful. We will surely return next year. One note; Live music is only done on the weekends.

Tea service was lovely

Such a wonderful experience! The night I was there coincided with the lightning tree ceremony and it was so nice to hear the carollers. The menu was specifically made for Christmas with Christmas flavors, colors and shapes. Amazing! The food was delicious and the value was far better compared with the Afternoon Tea at The Lobby at the Peninsula Hotel! I would definitely recommend this experience!

Excellent tea service!!! Food, service, experience...all were amazing!!! Ambience is beautiful, especially during the holiday season.

Beautiful setting, modern decor, lovely prepared food, impeccable service, delightful piano playing in the background. I should preface....my very first high tea experience was in Ireland, and the Europeans really know how to do it right. Aside from that, Langham delivered exceptionally well. I should also mention that I asked the chef for a low carb menu option, since most of my party was on a keto diet. Obviously high tea is full of little sandwiches and sweets, however the chef really came through. Our savory plates were very keto friendly. We had such a special afternoon!

This was a truly amazing high tea experience. Our main host and the rest of the wait staff were beyond incredible. They made this a once in a lifetime experience - but we will return!!!

Group of friends were here for tea. Food and ambience were excellent. We were disappointed in the service. It was not busy, but the server disappeared once the tea and food was served. She did not return to check on us and we had to go looking for her to get our check. This is unusual for the Langham as the service is usually excellent.

Awesome service from Paul and the staff. Incredible food and teas. Highly recommended!

Wonderful service, beautiful atmosphere and the food was delicious! Will definitely be back!

Thomas the server was perfect.

This was excellent, even though I support Pink for October, and donations of the hotel, all pink desserts was a bit much, it needed a balance of something else. The jar dessert was the best. The sandwiches and scones were the highlight.

Afternoon tea needs to get just two things right: the tea and the food. At The Langham the tea comes in large bags and was in no way premium or special. The tea sandwiches had been prepared well in advance of being served to us, and the bread seemed to have been refrigerated. The scones crumbled too much. The Devonshire cream for the scones was too hard and cold having been removed from the refrigerator just prior to being served to us. The sweets were not memorable, except for the macaron which was gummy. The harpist played beautifully, and our service was very good (except for mixing up our teas because the server didn't know which was which). This was our first afternoon tea at The Langham. We'll return to the Peninsula in the future where the teas are of higher quality and the tea foods are fresher and tastier. Tables and chairs at the Peninsula are also more comfortable than at The Langham where metal cross bars interfered with any movement of our legs and feet and the angle of the chair back and seat depth led us too much toward reclining and to far away from our tea cups and food. While the parking validation stamp made it appear that valet parking is complimentary for four hours, we were told by the valet that it covered reduced parking, a rate of $14.00 for ninety minutes. At a total cost of $235, we concluded this experience was a poor value.

My first ever Tea experience it was perfection, very special! The service was amazing, the ambiance even better. Thank you for the personal touch of Birthday Cake for my special girlfriend! Would love to know how to get some of those beautiful pink glasses. Could you provide the name of the make? Hope to repeat the experience some day.
Thank You!

Good. Loved the harp playing

Best afternoon tea in Chicago. I've been there several times. It's very good as usually. My favorite tea is imperial earl grey.

We visited Chicago on the weekend of October 12 abs enjoyed the most amazing tea at your hotel. The servers were knowledgeable, kind and so helpful. The food was divine and tea was fantastic!!! What a fabulous treat!!

When we first arrived for our reservation, I was initially kind of irritated that we were near the back windows and didn't have a view of the river. We were also seated next to a 2-table party of cackling baby shower attendees, which didn't thrill me. The service was outstanding, and by the time the first course arrived, I was no longer irritated at all! The first course was sensational, and the Chai tea scone in the second course was one of the best scones I've ever had. The selection of clotted cream, cranberry apple preserves, and the rum butter spread all made me want to lick the plate. They were unexpected, and so delicious. By the time we got to sweets, we were so full, we only attacked the panna cotta, which was ridiculously good, and we packed up the rest to take home. Even days later, the remaining sweets were divine and we devoured every bite. It was one of the finest tea experiences I've had, and I have experienced dozens of different afternoon teas. It was wonderful and I would definitely recommend it to a friend and return at my next opportunity.