Empress

I took my friend here as a late Christmas gift. Prior to our reservation date, the host reached out to us and was very communicative. They checked about dietary restrictions and confirmed the reservation. Unfortunately, the good service ended there. After my friend and I were seated we weren't helped. We had to ask the host to place an order for our tea after 20 minutes because no waiter had come over. The host was surprised and helpful but it took another 20 minutes for our tea to come out. We didn't receive our tea towers for an hour after that. When we were finished and our allotted time was coming to an end, we had to ask the host for our check because, once again, no one came to check on us. Of course, we received an apology but it was still quite disappointing and odd. Regardless, my friend and I made the best of it and enjoyed our tea date.

My fiance and I and my family went for afternoon tea. Paid upfront with our reservation. We were able to choose a glass of sparkling wine or a cocktail, a tea (they would refill and you could pick another tea if you wanted to try multiple). They brought out two of each thing. The plate of desserts were on top and the savory bites were in the middle. Biscuits on the bottom. All of it was delicious. We were all surprised how full we got with all these tiny bites, we didn't even have dinner! The service was fantastic, attentive and helpful and kind.

Minimal selection, ridiculously overpriced and barely edible. My experience here was very disappointing to say the least. Some factors may be due to COVID and NYE but its hard to chalk it up to that entirely. - The menu had an odd selection of uninteresting options with no theme ranging from steak frites to caesar salad to miso soup and fried rice. - It took 2 hours to get our food - The staff seemed new and untrained. No one had any idea what was going on. - The meal cost over $300 for 4 people. Half it went to waste. It wasn't very good even though we were all starving.

Was recently here for a Sunday afternoon tea. Staff were very attentive and checked on us regularly. Several varieties of tea were offered, including black, green, and white teas. An assortment of sandwiches were presented along with scones and desserts. Everything was aesthetically pleasing and elegant. We were offered a refill on tea. The only thing I would love to see is being offered additional scones or sandwiches. But overall I would return for afternoon tea.

very nice cheese plate very good lattes dated feel tho clean bathrooms.

I was expecting afternoon tea to be amazing, but it was subpar. The Mandarin is a beautiful space and the ambiance is nice. The service is eh. I wouldn’t go again.

Everything are within our expectations, the environment, service, tea, and the food. Waiter explained the food well, tea are fine tasting. The seats are comfortable at their lobby lounge. Portions are just right, not too much, not too less. 3 layers with savoy on top, sweet in the middle and scones at the end, just as the British standard. An artist was playing harp while we enjoy our tea which goes very well to the relaxing afternoon.

First, the Mandarin Oriental is just a beautiful old hotel and has the feel of a hundred glamourous stories waiting to be told. That said, I was heartbroken to find that Afternoon Tea in the Empress was well, terrible. To be fair, the atmosphere was beautiful, and the harpist was excellent, but the food was barely edible. It was rubbery, cold, stale, and not just "not fresh, but tasteless. The recipes were odd and everything on the plates kind of smelled of egg or fish (even the sweets). I could barely get a single bite down. There were 3 teas that were "currently" unavailable and the sparkling wine was just ok. I left hungry but had just plunked down $85 (per person folks), before the tip. I hope this can be fixed.