Kubbeli Saloon Tea Lounge

The Kubbeli Lounge at the Pera Palace is a room of chandeliers, domes, stained glass and red velvet – Vallaury’s vision of Franco-Ottoman grandeur for Orient Express passengers. Afternoon tea once drew the city’s elite, now it’s mainly tourists. The platters are lavish, heavy on sweets and patisserie, though oddly missing the sandwiches that define an English tea. Service stumbled with hauteur, leaving the desserts and the setting to do the work. A pianist plays between 15:00–18:00, softening the edges and lending a little magic to a hotel whose grandeur feels more remembered than lived.

We didn't stay at the hotel, but drank at their bar a the Kubbeli Saloon. It was great and has some great tasting healthy snacks. The staff were not very friendly and stop us from takeing photo even though many others who eat and drink at the lounge have taken photos.

I think the afternoon tea experience is worth it if you are going to do it at least once. Here is everything you need to know: 1. The ambiance gets all the points here as everything is beautifully presented. The saloon itself is ornate. The afternoon tea is accompanied by live piano music, which makes for an extremely peaceful atmosphere. 2. The pastries are also worth a mention. There is a wide variety including scones, cucumber sandwiches, canapés. 3. The tea itself is nothing special, you can choose between English breakfast, earl grey, milk oolong, and herbal teas like pomegranate infusion. 4. The service is quite slow, it was unclear whether it's included in the price to refill the tea when you finish it or not. Overall, you get a very small teapot that fills about 1 small porcelain cup and that's it. 5. At the time of writing, this experience costs around 50 euros per person. Summary: it was a nice experience, notable mostly for its decor and the peaceful atmosphere.

Breathtaking interior and atmosphere with live piano music! I was here for the afternoon tea, small food and dessert delicious. The only thing is that they put forks and spoons for main dishes here, which is not really comfortable…

I would like to extend my sincere thanks to the General Manager of this hotel. On the last day of my father’s dream trip to Istanbul, we chose to enjoy the ‘Afternoon Tea Set’ here as our final activity. Even though we visited around 2 PM without a reservation, the staff greeted us warmly and kindly offered to store our luggage, even though we weren’t staying at the hotel. Thanks to the staff’s warm hospitality, we were able to spend a comfortable and cozy time. I learned that the ‘Afternoon Tea Set’ here is of such high quality that it has even been featured in the Michelin Guide. The quality and taste far exceeded our expectations. Additionally, before the course began, we had the opportunity to take pictures with the chefs who prepared the desserts, making it a truly special experience for me. The wonderful music that filled the space, especially the piano performance, was truly the highlight. The soft melodies that filled the room were deeply moving. This hotel, with over 130 years of history, is a masterpiece and a museum in itself. If I ever return to Istanbul, I will definitely stay at this hotel.

What a lounge! The interior is breathtaking. This is the best place to truly enjoy this legendary hotel. There is a solid variety of food and beverages, and the service is of a very high standard. An amazing place!

Excellent luxurious interior of old world charm! The display for the high tea was beautiful! However the food was disappointingly average for such a 5-star ambience. The cakes and tarts were much too sweet (we didn't finish eating it) & the mini sandwiches were dry. The scones however, were moist and warm, but unfortunately it did not come with clotted cream as I had hoped, but with whipped cream. The very small selection of hot savories was decent. The service staff was friendly and smiling, but the maitre d' was stern and militant, albeit not impolite. Not quite what I'd expect to be the first person to encounter in an elegant place like this. Overall, the experience was wonderful just sitting in this beautiful tea lounge and absorbing the historical and elaborate interior and benjoying the excellent pianist, playing a creative selection of classical pieces, to an excellently skilled boogie-woogie version of Tico Tico!!

The tea lounge at the Pera Palace Hotel is simply lovely. It is a voyage to the turn of the 20th century with a very well maintained and luxurious building and lounge. The service was great. The food was above expectations. Truly a lovely experience. Well worth a visit.