The Tavern at The Henley Park

This review reflects our experience from March 31, 2024. Despite nearly canceling due to the torrential rain, we’re glad we didn’t. Celebrating Easter with an afternoon tea on a rainy day turned out to be a cozy and relaxing experience. The selection of cute, beautifully crafted pastries was delightful. Just be cautious when ordering tea, as some varieties can be quite strong—the server will provide guidance. The service was great. There is enough space between tables and I find my private space not violated. The low reviews don’t reflect the wonderful afternoon tea we enjoyed, and I’m pleased to share this positive experience for your benefit.

Wonderful afternoon tea experience. I've been to many teas around the world and know what makes a great afternoon tea. The top things were: the variety of sandwiches, the star was the lobster salad cup, not many places offer two full size moist scones with lemon curd and cream!, in my opinion a must, also the pastries were not a disappointment, we all loved the berry mousse tartlet. The service was just right too, thank you Binod for making this a lovely afternoon.

I picked this because it was rated as one of the best high teas in DC and I was so disappointed. There were only two parties (one being myself) and I got out in the side room in a corner with absolutely nothing to look at but the amazon music pod and cracking plaster (not the beautiful atrium that was advertised). The food was lack luster and bordering on inedible. It honestly tasted as if it has sat out for days and was over seasoned/salted to try to mask it. I am willing to pay a nice amount to eat good food in beautiful places but this missed the mark and still cost me a fortune.For reference I could have gotten a ribeye at one of the better steakhouses for the same cost and felt way less gypped. Honestly, I thought I was going to get food poisoning from the shrimp and clotted cream. Think twice about booking or go to the Waldorf (which was not open for tea when I went).

One of my favorite spots in the city, especially for their elegant afternoon tea available every day of the week. The selection of delectable bites—ranging from delicious finger savories to delightful scones and pastries—is always impressive and beautifully presented. It's a perfect place to unwind, whether I’m with my niece, friends or even business clients. A big part of what makes the experience so special is the team. Mr. Binod always goes above and beyond with his creative and beautiful mocktails; they’re not only tasty but also add a fun twist to the tea service. His warm, friendly demeanor makes every visit feel personal and welcoming. Usha and Maggie are equally fantastic, always providing attentive and friendly service that makes you feel right at home. They explain the tea menu and service fully and graciously accommodate dietary restrictions. I highly recommend the Tavern at Henley Park to anyone looking for a charming and enjoyable afternoon tea experience. It’s a place I go back to time and again for good reason!

I almost canceled my reservation after reading the reviews. I am so glad that I didn’t. Everything was delicious. The service was great. The food was fresh and yummy. Yes, it is true that the tea is served from teabags, but it was still well worth it for the price point. I would definitely go back.

Visited this restaurant for their Summer Garden Tea experience and left disappointed. From the beginning (restaurant was not open at the time of our arrival when we had a reservation) to the food (bland, generic) and the tea (not even drinkable) the entire experience was overwhelmingly mediocre. This isn’t the most expensive high tea experience, so we weren’t expecting the same caliber as much higher end hotels, but for the iced tea to taste like artificial flavors, and for the desserts to seem most likely store bought and plated, we were shocked and disappointed. Genuinely, I think some of the desserts were purchased from Costco and simply placed on a platter. If they were made in house, they were most certainly not fresh. While not the most expensive, still not worth the price or time with so so many great options available.

Afternoon tea: For $60, I can see where this is a good value afternoon tea, is it my favorite? No, but it's also not $135 + champagne. As much as I ADORE st. Regis - the scones and clotted cream ARE better here! SERIOUSLY. Delicate, crumbly, melt in your mouth, and as warm as the service from Usha and the doorman. The earl grey with lemon and Jasmine tea are absolutely lovely. I do agree that the venue needs soft music. But if you think about the time it takes to prepare these treats daily -which they do (try it at home if you want to see the WORK it takes) the $60 is well worth it. ❤️ It was actually a really nice way to wait out the rain.

The Henley Park hotel is a beautiful, historic hotel in downtown DC. After years of visiting tea venues in the Capitol Region, it was the only hotel left in DC where my friends and I had not yet enjoyed afternoon tea. We were all very excited for this experience. Making the reservation for the tea was challenging because Henley Park was offering a special Valentine's tea according to their website, but the person I spoke with on the phone did not know what I was talking about and referred me to the manager. I left a message, and 3 days later I received a response from the manager that we could do the Valentine's tea and that she was sorry for the reservation confusion. These reservations were made a few weeks in advance, and the day prior I received confirmation for the reservation and that we would be having the Valentine's tea. When we arrived, however, no one was aware we were there for a Valentine's tea and the waitress expressed concern about not having items ready, which I think is where the ensuing problems originated. The waitress eventually relocated us to their front parlor where they do afternoon tea. This is a very nice space and a true afternoon tea setting, which is surprisingly unusual to find. We received our individual pots of tea, but when the food arrived the sandwiches looked like they'd been sitting out for at least a day based on how the moisture in them had soaked through the bread. The sandwiches also had a stale flavor, and the scones where incredibly dry. The Devonshire creme was good, but one of the jars of preserves served to us which should have been sealed had been previously opened. The sweets were also tasty, but we did not initially receive some of the items listed on the menu and had to ask for them. Overall, the food looked and tasted as if it was left over from at least the day before, and it was certainly not freshly made. Again, I believe this was due to their reservation confusion and then scrambling to accomodate. One of the people in my group said she wished the hotel had told us up front they'd made a mistake and could not serve us rather than serve the stale items we received. For her part, the waitress did her very best through the experience and always remained friendly and helpful. At the end, another person in our group asked to speak to the manager because the experience was so disappointing. Ultimately the hotel refunded half our cost. I hope this was an isolated event, but I do not think I would want to attempt trying tea here again.

It is a historic hotel. The ambiance is very nice and quiet with brick walls and glass ceiling. The server was very friendly. Not many people were dinning here when we came on a weekend night. We tried Cesar salad with shrimp, hamburger, and crispy calamari. I would have to say crispy calamari was the winner of three. It was hot and crispy. The Cesar salad was disappointing which was bland and watery.

Beautiful small I tomate restaurant in historic hotel that serves afternoon tea during specified hours. Service is impeccable. Menu good quality with somewhat limited options however they do have some gluten free bread. We really enjoyed it.

We went there for the holiday tea offered during November to December so I can't speak to their tea experience for the rest of the year. We were seated and the menu was brought out. They were nice to sub out a prosciutto savory sandwich since we do not eat pork, so I got an extra salmon sandwich while my bf got the curried egg salad. Some minuses first. The little plate for eating off of, mine was still dirty (they replaced that ASAP they noticed me noticing it) but my bf did not even get a plate. They did not bring him one, not sure if they noticed it. He just ate off his tea plate since he didn't want to make it a thing. The sandwiches were not really sandwiches. They were tiny slices of bread with toppings. I've never seen that at a high tea before. Give me my finger sandwiches. Pros were the scones. Really yummy. Flaky and buttery, and the clotted cream, lemon curd and jams were the top thing I ate. Neither here nor there? The little dessert plate on the top tier was ok. Might have been a little too sweet for my taste but I liked the mini bundt cakes of the offerings. The teas in the little pots had teabags yes but I didn't care about that. Tea tasted fine for me though my bf wasn't a fan of his holiday tea flavor. Food can definitely be improved. It's not the most expensive tea sure but it's still 65 dollars per person.

The wise Kimi S. told me that afternoon tea is the new happy hour. Sadly, the service at The Tavern left me thinking the 'did our waiter hate me' thoughts for a while after. While I did enjoy the pace and overall vibes, I would need to try afternoon tea elsewhere before ditching my happy hour ways for more afternoon tea moments. A group of 12 of us made a reservation in advance and decided we'd be partaking in the high tea service. This included a pot of tea per person and a tower of sandwiches and scones to share, for $45 per person. Personally, I would not spend that for what we got but I was not the one picking up the tab! One of us started to ask our server for a tea recommendation, based on her taste preferences, but he quickly cut her off after she could just barely get out "Do you have any teas that..." by telling her that "We have what's on the menu". Okay then! We did look at the menu and noticed that there were three types of sandwiches coming our way. When they were brought to the table, we made the mistake of asking our server if he could explain which sandwich was which (try reading that out loud...). Once again, we were hit with the "it's on the menu" and he left. This was a huge flag for me, I don't eat shrimp. I was able to identify one sandwich that was clearly the goat cheese and strawberry option, tried that and did not like it. Now I will say, the scones were delightful. The cream was perfection, and the jam selection was awesome. When it comes to the tea, I think I made the wrong selection. While I can't remember the name, I chose the one that was described as "floral and fruity". It tasted like the smell of a honeysuckle, but mostly just like warm water. Friends chose the Paris tea, and when I tried some of theirs I knew that I had made a mistake in my selection. Would I return? Well, I'm not local to D.C. but I do visit often. I think that since my visits are limited, this is a spot that I'd skip in the future.

EDIT - Had the sh*ts today. This food was the only thing I ate yesterday. So I'm changing it from 2 to 1 star. -- Don't go for lunch unless you want pure grease with minimal favour. Quality of food is what I'd expect from a hole-in-the-wall place where you get a plate of pasta for ten bucks cash. The food experience reminded me of Kitchen Nightmares. The service was also not great but I don't care as much about service bc I'm there for the food. I've worked enough server jobs in my undergrad days to have empathy for the servers who are not responsible for the food. Tavern salad - DRENCHED in some undistinguishable oil, like I could not find a single piece that wasn't slimy. Tastes like what i made in undergrad. Not fresh, no real seasoning, walnuts were stale, just overall not even worth $12. But a bad appetizer isn't going to make a restaurant 2 stars. The Gnocchi -- how do you fuck up Gnocchi??? It was beyond greasy and oily. I tried to eat some pieces by wiping off the grease but it had sunken in. I was very very hungry so I also added the Salmon which had a crispy top but again, bland and greasy since from the Gnocchi sauce. Let me put it this way: I want in VERY hungry and couldn't even finish half of the main course. My stomach just say no. Maybe it's me and having lived a healthy lifestyle. Maybe Canadians are just less greasy. I usually eat a lot of meals at the hotel I stay at for work so this is very disappointing. Talked to the server afterwards. He was nice, I think he might have felt bad that it was super gross. Showed him a picture of the grease in the dish and asked him if he thought it looked good. He shook his head. Nice man. Too bad other staff seemed clueless? Ding went off on the salad and the young women just stood there; nobody asked me how it was (101 server stuff..) It's not 1-star because it wasn't poisonous and I reserve 1 stars for when you pay to get sick (famous last words??) Place was empty at 1230pm Saturday afternoon in a VERY foot-heavy area. If you go, skip lunch. Call Ramsey.

It is a great hotel with good food and drinks. Very old school atmosphere. Gives you a speak easy vibe

Came here for high tea service and was super impressed! I've only done high tea once or twice before but this was much more impressive than my other experiences. I would like a wider selection of tea but generally the options have a good variety between more caffeinated and decaf. I opted for the peppermint tea which came in its own little teapot just for me. The English tea service comes with a trio of savory finger sandwiches - - shrimp salad, strawberry balsamic and goat cheese, and Hawaiian chicken salad - - as well as dried fruit scones served with preserves and Devonshire cream. The sandwiches were great I really liked the Hawaiian chicken salad and the strawberry goat cheese (the shrimp salad I could do without). Also all of the sandwiches were served together so if you have a shellfish allergy I would make that very clear ahead of time because there's likely a lot of cross pollination. The scones were definitely the star of the show. Paired with the Devonshire cream I felt transported back to London. They also offer a royal tea service that's all of the English tea offerings plus seasonal tartlets, chocolate truffles, Bundtinis, and fresh berries for $10 more person. The afternoon tea service is available every day of the week but the hours vary Dash Monday through Friday it's from 3 to 5 PM and Friday through Sunday it's from 12 PM to four. Reservations are required you can give them a call or reserve on OpenTable. They also offer to Cocktail options: a kir Royale and Mimosa, which you can get by the glass or pay an up charge for unlimited. The service was a little bit brusque, but I would say the food and the luxuriousness of afternoon tea make it worth it.

First, let's start by saying that the pictures are very deceiving. The tea experience was not what we expected. Not commenting on the tea cups and plates used that were very cheap, but the food...that wasn't good at all. It tasted old and of bad quality. The waiter was very inattentive not trying to please us any moment. The price was $60 per person, and we were 4 so when we asked for the check, we paid and the waiter run to see the bill and ran after us because we decided that for the experience and food, $263 was more than enough and did not give him a tip. He started complaining and we explained that the experience and service were not good, so he decided to raise his voice and open his arms around my wife and son making them leave the place. We replied to him saying that the food and the service were not good at all. Definitely, that is not the way a waiter should do. If you did not get a tip means that something was very, very wrong. A typical case of poor management! I will give a tip for everybody: stay away from this place!

Royal Tea for one. Delicious. Relaxing. Attentive staff. I'll be back on my next visit.

This review is for the Blue Bar inside the Henley Park Hotel. They have the Tavern, a restaurant, next door. This is such a tastefully decorated "bar" which is more like a lounge, with excellent service. The doorman would open the door for you, and once inside, you get to admire the beautiful classical decor. Walking up a few steps and you find yourself in the Blue Bar. They have a baby grand piano that plays itself and it's pretty awesome, not just for music but for the splendor it adds to the space. The don't have non-alcoholic drinks, but the bar man was creative and can concoct something out of nothing. The seating is very comfortable, though the air con is either too cold (if you let it run) or too hot (if you turn it off it becomes stuffy).

Pretty good high tea - Excellent scones and cream. The shrimp and curry finger sandwiches stood out. All of the teas we tried were very good. Meh service - Our server was attentive and polite, but the guy at the desk was very off putting. They take reservations up to 6 pm, yet somehow the tea kitchen closes by 4 pm. Quiet, charming atmosphere - Very nice venue and quiet enough to talk easily.

This place is a hidden gem. We went on a week night and sat at the bar. The bartender was very personable. We enjoyed the food and drinks. I was fascinated by all the antique decor.

This was truly the strangest experience I'd ever had for afternoon tea. I was apart of a group of 5 girlfriends who were getting together &our experience was chaotic from start to finish. First, we sit down, & share with our server that one of the attendees is GF. Before we can even finish, the server cuts us off & proclaims "you have to call ahead for that. You can't be accommodated same day." To which I respond "I did, I called yesterday. It's under our reservation." The server goes back, checks our reservation, returns & says "okay, you're fine." This was a strange exchange but we roll with it. Next, another friend relays "I have several allergies that I recognize would be a lot to accommodate, so I can I just order a cup of tea?" The server looks at her blankly and says she has to check with a manager, but they usually don't let people just order tea. We all stare at one another, highly confused. The server, goes back, asks the manager and then returns and confirms that no, you cannot have a cup of tea unless you pay for the full afternoon tea. The afternoon tea starts at $45. So this restaurants policy is that unless she pays for the literally 3 tiers of food she cannot eat, she cannot have a cup of tea. We are all flabbergasted by this. There is no mention anywhere on the menu that tea cannot he ordered a la cart. So this friend orders a mimosa & we move on. The rest of us order our various teas & they are delivered shortly there after. Since they give you a pot of tea, one of the girls pours some out for our friend so she's not just sitting there waiting on her mimosa. This prompts a visit from the manager, who has been flagged down by the server to come to our table. The manager announces that "if you plan on enjoying the tea, then you need to pay for everything." More confusion. "She can't share her pot of tea?" "No. She has to pay for it." This is the tea we already bought. So we pour the tea back in the pot & move on. Meanwhile, the GF Friend has completely different sandwiches than anywhere listed on the menu. No mention of what's in them, of why they are different etc. Her scones also arrive with no clotted cream. Just dry scones. Perplexing. The tea also arrived with no cream or milk. Just sugar. So we flag down the server and ask for Milk for the tea and clotted cream for our GF friend. We make our way through the rest of the meal and the manager is watching us like a hawk, I'm assuming to prevent anyone from sharing with the friend who has a mimosa. It was bizarre. When we come to the end of the meal we ask for separate checks. Again there are 5 of us. The server states they can only run three cards. I understand rejecting this for large parties or if it's busy but the entire time we are in this restaurant there are only two other groups of people. A bridal shower in a separate room and a single couple. This is also confusing because there's nothing on the menu or website articulating anything about check limits or larger parties. Zero directions. At this point we are simply laughing because the entire afternoon was a comedy of errors. We settled the check and left wildly dissatisfied and still deeply confused. Would not recommend unless you've read the apparent handbook it takes to eat here successfully.

Perfect place to have afternoon tea. They set us up in the parlor on a cozy loveseat. We enjoyed the English tea which included tea sandwiches, a few sweets (tart, truffle and cakes) and scones Devonshire cream with choice of jam. I personally loved the scones they were the perfect amount of sweetness and topped with the cream and BlackBerry jam I was in heaven. The staff was great and we enjoyed a nice relaxing pot of tea and the cozy atmosphere. I recommend making a reservation to ensure they can accommodate you and your party. They also lunch and dinner in other rooms of the hotel. It is also a easy walk from the metro.

We had Christmas dinner here. Service was spit in and the food was fantastic. This was our first time here. We had crab and oyster bisque, duck confit in a scone, rack of lamb, prime rib, and lobster ravioli. Desert consisted of Buch Noel, Tres Leches, and Chocolate Mouse. The portions were very generous. Rack of Lamb was perfect the the deserts which we all shared was won out by the Tres Leches. Buch Noel was a close second.

5 star staff but 3 star experience/tea tasting. I was very excited to come here and have tea. We ordered the most expensive tea service. Service and staff was lovely but the actual tea was lacking. The snacks were just ok. Only snack worth mentioning was the scones. They were fabulous and the cream that came with them was amazing. Everything else left us wanting more. Most other tea services I've been to refill your tea and keep the hot cups coming with a variety of teas offered. Here you can only order one tea and they give you a pot with a tea bag in it. Not what I was expecting and really the very bare minimum when it comes to tea. It doesn't take that much to offer multiple teas throughout service and to keep a nice cup of tea hot and filled. Additionally, the pretty room you see online is only for breakfast and not for tea. Overall I had a good time because of the company I was with and not due to the tea or snacks. Won't be back unfortunately and off to try other tea services. Staff is really quite lovely however and for their sake I hope the hotel changes their tea!

The food was good, relatively moderately priced for DC, and the service was fast. We had a big party but they did a good job taking care of us.

The space is quite pretty at The Tavern. I went for high tea recently and had a nice time. The menu selection is a little dull...but the tea is Harney and Sons which is my favorite, so I was pleased. The service is extremely slow. The place was not busy, but it was a constant struggle to get anyone to come attend to our party. There is a great bottomless drink special, but again due to the slow service you will be lucky to get 2 by the time you are finished. The price was reasonable and quality of food was good. Great place to take guests visiting the DMV.

My girlfriends wanted afternoon tea and places were booked for Mother's Day weekend, so we decided to check out Henley Park Hotel. They say old hotels have a charm to them. Sadly, this one didn't quite leave that impression. The afternoon tea experience itself was at best average for me. The dedicated tea room was spacious and proper. We were enjoying tea time and towards the end, classical music started playing. We didn't even realize there was no music until it came on. It would have been nice if the music played from the beginning. All four of us picked the English Tea option for $25 per person and we each received two butter house-made scones with preserves, two sets of three different finger tea sandwiches, one handmade petit fours, one chocolate truffle, one fruit tart, and one choice of Harney & Teas tea. The scones and the chocolate truffle were quite tasty. I thought $25 was a bit pricey for what we each received until I came home and glanced at the menu again. They advertise "homemade petit fours & tartlets, chocolate truffles" when we each received one of each kind. They advertise "three finger sandwiches of ..." when we each received two finger sandwiches of each kind. The English Tea option also listed "fresh seasonal berries with whipped cream" which we did not receive. Not to be nitpicky or a grammar police, but this is very important for customers. I am disappointed and probably will not be returning.

The fiancé and I were in the mood for tea so we checked out one of those listicles about great places for tea in DC; Henley Park hotel was on the list and we chose it since they had tea on Friday's and were able to provide us a reservation the same day. Their afternoon tea time is a little later than I'm used to: 4-6pm...close to dinner time. We were seated immediately when we came for our reservation (the table had a little "reserved" sign). The team room is near the entrance of the hotel. Our server was very friendly and attentive without being too overbearing. We decided to go with the English tea (which was reasonably priced at $25/person...for the $5 more you can try the Kir Royal but as I'd just had a gin and tonic, I felt like another drink would be too much). The fiancé thought it was a little overpriced though. There were egg salad (pretty good), cucumber (ok) and salmon (very good) sandwiches. My favorite were the scones, very flaky and buttery on the outside and soft like a hug on the inside. The way a scone should be...also, clearly I was taking a break from my diet with all these carbs. The little desserts on the top tier were also cute and good (key lime pie, a what I think was vanilla cake with a tad too much icing, a fruit/cheesecake and dark chocolate covered in cocoa powder). I had the Japanese senchu tea while he had the pomegranate oolong, both great choices but I sorta wish I had gotten the pomegranate myself. I also loved that you got your own teapot (I've read at other places that you literally only get a single cup of tea). The bathrooms are pretty far away, down the stairs (I think you can also take the elevator). Lots of mirrors and good lighting if you're the type to take bathroom selfies. All in all, I enjoyed my afternoon here and we may bring our mothers next time.

I made a reservation over the phone for 4pm for tea. We sat down and at 4:10 the server was rudely pressuring me to order soon because "the kitchen was closing." It didn't make sense to me -- why would they accept a reservation for tea for 4pm if they knew they couldn't accommodate it in time? The tea itself was underwhelming, especially for the astronomical price. Scones were good. Sandwiches left something to be desired. Desserts tasted like they came from a grocery store.

What a delightful little place. I came here with my special one for our anniversary, and we absolutely loved it. The ambiance is very intimate and romantic. Service was impeccable - a shout out to Marius who was perfect. The food was fantastic and we were really treated well. Excellent wine list and affordable. Seriously. If in DC and want a romantic and intimate experience with your special one, come here.

My friend made a reservation for five of us two weeks ago for their "holiday tea." Unfortunately, the tea experience was the worst I have had in DC. Our tea was never kept hot, the food was poorly displayed and downright awful. The bread was stale and it was very lazy how the staff prepared it. The egg salad lacked flavor and was just a mushed hard boiled egg with some sort of veggie, a slice of salmon layed on top of bread, and the last tea sandwich was mixed goat cheese and cranberry... I could have made at home. Luckily the desserts were the best course, but obviously not prepared at the hotel. We were extremely disappointed because we wanted it to be a special event for the holidays and high tea is not cheap!!! We will not be dining at the Henley Park Hotel again. Pictures speak for itself.

We did a lot of searching for an afternoon tea service that worked for our schedules--many only offer weekend service. We were pleasantly surprised by our time at Henley Park. The atmosphere is very charming. We were placed in a lovely alcove all to ourselves. It was quiet and private. We were pleased with all of the food. Everyone working there was nice and helpful. It made me want to also schedule a stay at this little hotel.

Pretty decent afternoon tea place in DC. My boyfriend and I have been here twice, both times for tea. They are normally very quiet during tea time (only 2-3 tables). However, this allows for a more intimate experience. Their teas, sandwiches, and scones are acceptable. Not the best, but will fulfill any afternoon tea cravings you might have. Also very reasonably priced compared to afternoon tea at other hotels in the area. Service can be improved. Servers were very nice but they were quite hard to flag down as they rarely checked on the tables.

Stopped here for afternoon tea. We each ordered the English tea service. The scones were fantastic, but the rest of the food was not very good. The tea sandwiches were bland and thin and the pastries were obviously bought elsewhere (the eclair was sweating from being in the fridge and the berry tarts were not even close to fresh). The tea came in a sealed bag and I had to open it and put it into the pot to brew. Shouldn't the tea be the best part and the focus of the service? We should have just ordered tea and scones. I'd have given it three stars if that was all we had.

Great spot for a Mother's Day brunch or any special occasion brunch! Service was slow and not terribly attentive or helpful. 3 course brunch was very festive and relaxing. Loved the soft jazz music that was played in the background. Price was a little much for the food and experience--but not too too bad. Ambiance was very relaxing and intimate. Lobby of the hotel was gorgeous. Very private and had a very nice British feel! Great spot for an upscale crowd looking for a decadent meal. All in all would recommend.

Good food portion yet worst service ever!!! Can't believe we waited for over 30 mins and not a single server stopped by Can you imagine when you finished all of your tea and with some very dry scones left but no one helped you to refill your tea pot.... Sorry @henleyparkhotel , consider all the food quality and service, I can only give you a star out of 5 ‍

A hope...a mere glimmer of procuring a tea reservation at the hight of the cherry blossom festival but alas this tea experience was a disgrace to all tea houses everywhere. How this place gets away with claiming that they serve a "classic afternoon tea" is beyond me. I don't want to mention the store brand tea bags they brought out to me...but oh I will. STORE BRAND! I might as well take my arse back to my hotel and use the complimentary tea bags in my room. THEN as I am sipping my lukewarm dirt water they bring out a tray of the saddest fruit cups I have seen. Did they even wash these berries...one can not be so sure. Even the tea room reaked of dust and failure. The only redeeming thing to come of this afternoon poorly spent was the scone was not too bad. Let me make this clear...it was not bad compared to everything else I experienced so by and far it was a scone that did not completely disgust me. I left hungry, under caffeinated, and much poorer. It was massively overpriced.

The Henley Park hotel is a beautiful, historic hotel in downtown DC. After years of visiting tea venues in the Capitol Region, it was the only hotel left in DC where my friends and I had not yet enjoyed afternoon tea. We were all very excited for this experience. Making the reservation for the tea was challenging because Henley Park was offering a special Valentine's tea according to their website, but the person I spoke with on the phone did not know what I was talking about and referred me to the manager. I left a message, and 3 days later I received a response from the manager that we could do the Valentine's tea and that she was sorry for the reservation confusion. These reservations were made a few weeks in advance, and the day prior I received confirmation for the reservation and that we would be having the Valentine's tea. When we arrived, however, no one was aware we were there for a Valentine's tea and the waitress expressed concern about not having items ready, which I think is where the ensuing problems originated. The waitress eventually relocated us to their front parlor where they do afternoon tea. This is a very nice space and a true afternoon tea setting, which is surprisingly unusual to find. We received our individual pots of tea, but when the food arrived the sandwiches looked like they'd been sitting out for at least a day based on how the moisture in them had soaked through the bread. The sandwiches also had a stale flavor, and the scones where incredibly dry. The Devonshire creme was good, but one of the jars of preserves served to us which should have been sealed had been previously opened. The sweets were also tasty, but we did not initially receive some of the items listed on the menu and had to ask for them. Overall, the food looked and tasted as if it was left over from at least the day before, and it was certainly not freshly made. Again, I believe this was due to their reservation confusion and then scrambling to accomodate. One of the people in my group said she wished the hotel had told us up front they'd made a mistake and could not serve us rather than serve the stale items we received. For her part, the waitress did her very best through the experience and always remained friendly and helpful. At the end, another person in our group asked to speak to the manager because the experience was so disappointing. Ultimately the hotel refunded half our cost. I hope this was an isolated event, but I do not think I would want to attempt trying tea here again.

This is a review for the afternoon tea service. To sum up: the tea itself and the atmosphere are pleasant, but the service is terrible. I came to the Tavern at Henley Park with my sister for afternoon tea on Easter Saturday. We were seated in the parlor area, which was lovely -- it has a fireplace, lovely windows, comfortable sofas, and a traditional atmosphere. The tea was good (Harney & Sons), and the sandwiches and pastries were fresh and quite tasty, though the scones were a little dry. The reason I can't recommend the Tavern is the service, which was slow and later impolite. After we were seated, we waited at least fifteen minutes for the waiter to take our order, and then we didn't see him again for another half an hour, so there was no chance to ask for more hot water or a new type of tea. After we were done eating, a different waiter finally came to clear our plates and asked how the tea was. When I (politely) said that the tea had been delicious but we were disappointed with the service, he insisted that I get up and accompany him to the other room to see how busy the restaurant was, even when I twice said that I really didn't want to get up, thanks. So instead of receiving an apology for a sub-par experience, I felt like I was expected to apologize for complaining in the first place. When my sister mentioned the poor service while paying the cheque, the same waiter came rushing over, interrupted her conversation, and gave the same excuses for how busy it was. I understand that restaurants get busy, especially at holiday weekends. But if a (somewhat pricey) restaurant doesn't have enough waiters to check on all their guests, then perhaps they should hire more staff or book fewer tables. Customers certainly shouldn't get blamed for complaining! There are plenty of places in DC to get a delicious afternoon tea; I wouldn't recommend the Tavern at Henley Park.

Was looking for something to eat close to my hotel that wasn't overly expensive.b this place hit the spot. I got a decent draft beer and a burger and fries for under thirty dollars.

I took my daughter and 7 year old granddaughter to the Christmas High Tea today. It was so bad it was laughable. The only redeeming part was our server Binod was very friendly, so I am giving one star because of him. I have never left a review, and I especially dislike saying negative things, but others should be warned before they spend $65 per person - $250 with tax and tip) for this! I should have left when I saw that we were the only diners at noon, and we had to play our own Christmas music on our phones to fill the silence. Unfortunately the food was worse than the atmosphere. The hot chocolate my granddaughter got was a watery cup of Swiss Miss powder. No cream or honey for my one tea bag. There were three kinds of thin triangles sandwiches per guest that you could make better at home. None of us ate them after tasting them. The two scones per person were mediocre and served with whipped butter - not clotted cream. "Dessert" was iced cookies, little fruit tarts that looked store bought, and three teenie tiny cakes. A Lunchable would have been better. We left there after 20 minutes and were so hungry we went to Tatte to eat.

This is a pretty neat place. It's inside the Henley Park hotel. It's an historic building and a small, quaint hotel. The restaurant is small and feels very fancy. The bar has great happy hour deals and is small and intimate. Their beer list is above average. They also have a lot of cocktails and wine. The small bites we ordered were nicely prepared and yum. All in all, this is a hidden little gem that's worth a stop.

I was staying at this hotel while on business. It was raining outside, so i stepped downstairs for lunch. I was a Saturday and the place was dead. I asked if i could sit at the bar because i was dining alone, the hostess reluctantly agreed. Very small selection. I ended up going with french onion soup because everything else was outrageously priced for lunch. The soup took 20 mins. And i ended up spending $20 on a small cup of soup and a beer. No thanks.

Great atmosphere Best service Executive Chef Sonia is great delicious food we had great waiters who work with passion and smile

This review is for the afternoon tea. Service was terrible, our waiter never checked on us and looked annoyed when we mentioned that our tea was so cold, the water wasn't even changing color. The food was very mediocre for the price. We had to ask another waitress for our check since our waiter was impossible to find. Not worth the price.

4 stars for food quality. Ate here for breakfast and lunch during our recent stay. Everything was delicious. I had the chicken and eggplant salad for lunch and it was excellent. Breakfast quesadilla was tasty, but I wished it would have been served with salsa and sour cream. The bar was good, but closed earlier than we would have preferred at 11pm. This place doesn't get 5 stars due to the service. When we visited for lunch, it seemed like the server was trying to be terrible. She was abrasive and generally unpleasant. However, we were pleased with the bartender - very friendly and the drinks were handcrafted. We watched her cut the lime for the caipirinha we ordered.

One of my favorite teas in the DC area. Have been coming here with my family for years. This is the tea spot if you don't want/need champagne, don't want to spend upwards of $60, and just want to relax and gossip with your people while munching on delicious snacks. If you're an actual tea aficionado, I would skip; they don't use loose-leaf and have a limited selection. Their scones and cream are delicious (crispy, yet somehow still soft, and the perfect amount of sweetness)- I could eat 12! Sandwiches are your standard tea ones - cucumber and avocado, roasted red pepper, salmon, etc. It's usually uncrowded, which means you can fully enjoy your conversation and not have to worry about how loud you are with your friends. Henley also has charming ambience, so you tea in style. Couldn't recommend enough!

Afternoon Tea Experience - Big Disappointment We reserved with days in advance an afternoon tea experience at the Henley Park Hotel for a group of 19 women. Unfortunately our experience was disappointing and I do not recommend this venue. Before posting this review I did my research looking for the manager's email to share my experience directly (versus publicly), my effort did not provide any results or ways to connect with the manager directly. Our group was scheduled for 2:00 pm, our group arrived together at 2:10 pm and we where placed in a small room, our tables were separated by a big column. The tables were not fully set, chairs were missing and some of our participants had to remain standing until chairs where brought in, we had to wait. Afternoon tea menus where missing until we asked for them, we still had to share menus. Also utensils where missing in the tables. At any point our group was offered glasses of water, the porcelain tea pots we were expecting to enjoy never arrived. Every time we wanted more of the teas we ordered, we had to wait for the waiter to serve tea from a stainless pot. Finally, the food was mediocre, the petit fours were not fresh, the tartlets did not have a tender crust. We were looking for a enjoyable and unique afternoon tea experience and unfortunately it was a disappointment. Beatriz W.

This is a great spot for a breakfast that is not a brunch buffet (amazingly hard to find in DC!). Took some out of town guests here. I tried the croissant sandwich which was served with a nice bowl of freshly cut fruit and an individual French pot of coffee - all for $10. The quality of the food was very good and the price was pretty reasonable by DC standards. We were seated in the skylight atrium, which has a glass ceiling inside a courtyard area. Very charming! I also love the beautiful brick walls of this historic building. I'd like to return sometime for high tea. Apparently, it's offered every afternoon and they have a nicely appointed and comfy-looking front lounge that looks perfect for it!

I usually do not write reviews, but my experience at this establishment was just truly wrong. We had a reservation for 1pm on Easter Sunday and had to wait until 1:10 while the restaurant was not crowded. We were seated in a deserted area - with close to zero attention from our waiter. After another 10 minutes worth of wait our server (Jamel) graced us with his presence. Our little one is subject to various allergies. My spouse started to explain the nature of the allergies and while he was not confirming his understanding, my spouse started to repeat her set of instructions and he rudely interrupted with "I heard you the first time". That should have been our second red flag there... Service was extremely slow and the food less than average - but I guess, DC standards, this must be equivalent to 4.9 out of 5 according to the reviews posted. The host from the front was checking on us more frequently than our waiter. Had to order drinks and the check from the bust boy instead of our waiter. What drove it home for me regarding this review is the fact that a 20% gratuity was included on our check (party of 4). Must have been the easiest 20% ever earned. I will not recommend this place to anyone and felt this was the worse $205 spent on a brunch.

Excellent salads, very fresh. Kind of pricy. Quaint atmosphere & personal service. Has an old world, unhurried charm.

My girlfriends and I had afternoon tea at the Henley Park. We were celebrating a birthday. We were not impressed with sandwiches, the tea was cold, and the service was terrible. However the scones were good. Would not recommend.

Great food; great service. however, proprietor allowed one couple to use there phones continuously & on speaker for their entire meal. one was even speaking to some ambassador. i don't care what your bank account or political affiliations are, it does not give you a license to act like a teenager w/a phone at a restaurant that charges $45/bottle. #takeitoutside #respectothersinthespace

Came to tea here with my daughter who had a 5 star experience here previously. Perhaps it was because of the timing (the week between Christmas and New Years), but our experience was as bad as her first visit was exceptional. Arriving at our reservation time, we had to wait ten minutes (after we were acknowledged) to be seated. Our waiter finally seated us in the cozy front reception room, but only after shooing another guest off the couch at which he wanted to seat us! He did give us a deal on the price of the Holiday Tea ($40) when we asked for a discount for the elimination of the included champagne cocktail. But... no sugar no cream no jam served with the tea. No refills of hot water. We had to ask for basics and then had to search again for the bill and to go box. The food was fairly tasty and nominally fresh. Cute cookies and petit fours, but otherwise underwhelming.

I really dig this place. It's off the beaten path and the building itself is a gem. Originally built as an apartment building in the 1920's in what I can best describe as faux Tudor-Gothic, it is packed full of architectural detail (Check out some of the gargoyles on the exterior of the building). The lobby and bar/restaurant area have arches and stone doorways that give the impression of being in a church or a castle of some sort; that and the hunt prints definitely contribute to an English sort of feel going on here. Although I prefer the chrome plated bar, I have eaten in the restaurant a couple of times with its glass enclosed courtyard and exposed brick walls; it makes a romantic get away. I particularly recommend the lamb chops. But back to the bar, officially known as the "Blue Bar Cocktail Lounge". It's got character, something lacking in most hotel bars. There's a piano in one corner and it makes a great happy hour choice. The list of 16 bottled beers isn't going to win any awards (Red Hook, Sierra Nevada, Stella, etc), but they do mix a fine martini here, and the atmosphere makes up for the shortfalls. PS They also serve afternoon tea, for those of you into that kind of thing.

Visiting DC this week and I'm staying at their hotel. After a day out with storm, wind and thunder, I came down for dinner. Quite empty but tasteful decor. Was served complimentary warm bread rolls and butter. I ordered their grilled salmon entree, $24. It was very good, tender and moist inside, the char of the grill outside and some parts crunchy, and no stinky fishy scent. The fat of the salmon paired well with the salsa. I wish there was more lighting. It was a little too dark for me.

Hidden gem ! The building and restaurant looks old ,and the service was good . We looked to see where to eat close by , stumble upon this restaurant . We decided to try it out . we order the scallop appetizer it was amazing ! My husband order his N.Y.strip steak medium rare ! Cooked perfectly , my meatloaf meal was excellent green bean cook perfectly ! Definitely would be back for Dinner again .