Afternoon Tea -- Where to Go?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here, reporting back. Had tea at the Willard today, and it was so nice! Thanks everyone, and a big thank you to the PP who mentioned getting Christmas-time reservations. I'm looking forward to going back and seeing decorations and having seasonal treats!

Ooo, PP, tell us what was served at the tea!

You get tea sandwiches, scones, and dessert pastries served on one of those three-tiered serving plates. From what I can remember ... Sandwiches: chicken salad on brioche, cucumber on white bread, a basil/cheese/tomato tart thing, duck and onion marmalade, and maybe a couple I'm forgetting. Scones: vanilla, and an apricot rosemary, served with generous amounts of clotted cream, lemon curd, raspberry jam, and apricot jam. Dessert pastries: (these are hard to describe): banana chocolate cup thing, cherry puff with cream filling, spongy mango coconut thing, apricot basil cookie, blueberry lemon mousse on a cookie, and I'm probably forgetting a couple more. You choose your tea from an extensive menu, we ordered the Willard's signature black tea -- it was okay, not great. They also offer champagne but I'm not big on day drinking (it knocks me out) so I didn't have any.

[Anonymous]

I can’t tell if the Willard is fully booked thru the new year or not talking reservations yet. I was looking Dec 26 - Jan 1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I can’t tell if the Willard is fully booked thru the new year or not talking reservations yet. I was looking Dec 26 - Jan 1

I just got a reservation for (4) 30 min ago for 12/29, but I couldn’t find any other availability.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I can’t tell if the Willard is fully booked thru the new year or not talking reservations yet. I was looking Dec 26 - Jan 1

When I made a reservation a few days ago I was able to get a reservation on the 29th, but I think all of the dates the week before that were booked and some of the dates the 26th through 1 were fully booked. They were definitely taking reservations for that week, since I got one.

[Anonymous]

There's a lovely place in Annapolis if you are interested in driving that far. I like it because it is more casual than the fancy hotel teas.

Reynolds Tavern
https://reynoldstavern.org/afternoon-tea-lunch-menu

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There's a lovely place in Annapolis if you are interested in driving that far. I like it because it is more casual than the fancy hotel teas.

Reynolds Tavern
https://reynoldstavern.org/afternoon-tea-lunch-menu

Love this place. It’s definitely a casual experience but the selection of teas is great and the regular entrees were good too.

[Anonymous]

+1 to Lady Camellia as one of the few home-grown, local tea places in the DC area

I also like afternoon tea at the Four Seasons at Tysons. There are other locations as well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I can’t tell if the Willard is fully booked thru the new year or not talking reservations yet. I was looking Dec 26 - Jan 1

I just got a reservation for (4) 30 min ago for 12/29, but I couldn’t find any other availability.

Yes, very little availability for the holiday tea now. Glad I came across this thread! I just booked for 12/15--I think it runs through December.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The Peacock Alley at the Willard.

Went there recently and it was terrible. Do not recommend!

Really? I'm the OP who was there today. We enjoyed it a lot.

I do admit service wasn't great (they didn't bring cream for the tea and it took me forever to flag someone down to ask for it, and when I asked for it the waiter snottily told me that cream doesn't go with the tea I ordered and I had to show him I'd ordered black tea and then he said "Oh, yes, you can have it with that kind" and went and got it, so yeah, that was super weird and annoying--I think I know whether or not I want cream in my tea). And I was thirsty and drank my water pretty much right after sitting down and they didn't refill it until I was about to leave. So I wasn't crazy about the service, but it certainly wasn't terrible. The scones were fantastic, the clotted cream/jams/lemon curd were excellent, the tea sandwiches fine (nothing to write home about) and the dessert pastries fine (again nothing to write home about).

Tea.with cream is blasphemy. But of course I'm an anglo lifelong tea drinker.

[Anonymous]

Laduree

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The Peacock Alley at the Willard.

Went there recently and it was terrible. Do not recommend!

Really? I'm the OP who was there today. We enjoyed it a lot.

I do admit service wasn't great (they didn't bring cream for the tea and it took me forever to flag someone down to ask for it, and when I asked for it the waiter snottily told me that cream doesn't go with the tea I ordered and I had to show him I'd ordered black tea and then he said "Oh, yes, you can have it with that kind" and went and got it, so yeah, that was super weird and annoying--I think I know whether or not I want cream in my tea). And I was thirsty and drank my water pretty much right after sitting down and they didn't refill it until I was about to leave. So I wasn't crazy about the service, but it certainly wasn't terrible. The scones were fantastic, the clotted cream/jams/lemon curd were excellent, the tea sandwiches fine (nothing to write home about) and the dessert pastries fine (again nothing to write home about).

Have they completed their renovations yet? I took my DD for a birthday earlier this year, and they moved the tea to a side location in the lobby. It was underwhelming and busy and crowded. Food and music was ok.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The Peacock Alley at the Willard.

Went there recently and it was terrible. Do not recommend!

Really? I'm the OP who was there today. We enjoyed it a lot.

I do admit service wasn't great (they didn't bring cream for the tea and it took me forever to flag someone down to ask for it, and when I asked for it the waiter snottily told me that cream doesn't go with the tea I ordered and I had to show him I'd ordered black tea and then he said "Oh, yes, you can have it with that kind" and went and got it, so yeah, that was super weird and annoying--I think I know whether or not I want cream in my tea). And I was thirsty and drank my water pretty much right after sitting down and they didn't refill it until I was about to leave. So I wasn't crazy about the service, but it certainly wasn't terrible. The scones were fantastic, the clotted cream/jams/lemon curd were excellent, the tea sandwiches fine (nothing to write home about) and the dessert pastries fine (again nothing to write home about).

Tea.with cream is blasphemy. But of course I'm an anglo lifelong tea drinker.

NP. Then why is it consistently served with cream and sugar?

Also, you’re pretty uppity for someone who can’t manage a single sentence without a punctuation error.

[Anonymous]

We used to go to the Ritz at Tysons, not sure if they still do it, but it was lovely

Has anyone tried Elden Tea in Herndon? Not sure what the experience is like there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The Peacock Alley at the Willard.

Went there recently and it was terrible. Do not recommend!

Really? I'm the OP who was there today. We enjoyed it a lot.

I do admit service wasn't great (they didn't bring cream for the tea and it took me forever to flag someone down to ask for it, and when I asked for it the waiter snottily told me that cream doesn't go with the tea I ordered and I had to show him I'd ordered black tea and then he said "Oh, yes, you can have it with that kind" and went and got it, so yeah, that was super weird and annoying--I think I know whether or not I want cream in my tea). And I was thirsty and drank my water pretty much right after sitting down and they didn't refill it until I was about to leave. So I wasn't crazy about the service, but it certainly wasn't terrible. The scones were fantastic, the clotted cream/jams/lemon curd were excellent, the tea sandwiches fine (nothing to write home about) and the dessert pastries fine (again nothing to write home about).

Tea.with cream is blasphemy. But of course I'm an anglo lifelong tea drinker.

NP. Then why is it consistently served with cream and sugar?

Also, you’re pretty uppity for someone who can’t manage a single sentence without a punctuation error.

+1

Pretty normal thing to put cream in black tea -- even for Anglo lifelong tea drinkers, lol.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The Peacock Alley at the Willard.

Went there recently and it was terrible. Do not recommend!

Really? I'm the OP who was there today. We enjoyed it a lot.

I do admit service wasn't great (they didn't bring cream for the tea and it took me forever to flag someone down to ask for it, and when I asked for it the waiter snottily told me that cream doesn't go with the tea I ordered and I had to show him I'd ordered black tea and then he said "Oh, yes, you can have it with that kind" and went and got it, so yeah, that was super weird and annoying--I think I know whether or not I want cream in my tea). And I was thirsty and drank my water pretty much right after sitting down and they didn't refill it until I was about to leave. So I wasn't crazy about the service, but it certainly wasn't terrible. The scones were fantastic, the clotted cream/jams/lemon curd were excellent, the tea sandwiches fine (nothing to write home about) and the dessert pastries fine (again nothing to write home about).

Have they completed their renovations yet? I took my DD for a birthday earlier this year, and they moved the tea to a side location in the lobby. It was underwhelming and busy and crowded. Food and music was ok.

Yes, they must have -- we were in "Peacock Alley." But it is really just the hallway between the front door and the back entrance, so not sure you missed all that much being in part of the lobby?