Tea at The Empress: Exquisite High Tea Experience in Victoria, BC

Ready for the royal treatment? Afternoon Tea at The Fairmont Empress absolutely delivers. The Lobby Lounge is stunning, bright, elegant, and full of that timeless charm the hotel is known for. It perfectly balances turn-of-the-century grace with modern refinement. The tea service itself was perfection. Every tier was beautifully presented: flaky scones with house-made strawberry jam, delicate pastries, honey straight from the hotel's own beehives, and perfectly crafted finger sandwiches. You can taste the care that goes into everything. A special shout-out to Malou, who made the experience unforgettable. She treated us like royalty, helping us choose the perfect teas, explaining the traditions behind the service, and even taking photos for us. It's rare to see that level of warmth and professionalism blended so naturally. If you're visiting Victoria, this is an experience you simply can't miss. Afternoon Tea at The Empress isn't just a meal, it's a tradition, and one worth savoring.

We absolutely loved our afternoon tea experience at the Fairmont Empress in Victoria. It was my first time, and sharing it with my mom made it especially meaningful. We enjoyed the Christmas menu, and everything was beautifully done, festive, elegant, and truly felt like a treat from start to finish. Raymond was the one helping us, and he was absolutely wonderful. His warmth and attentiveness added so much to the experience. A particularly delightful touch was receiving a small sampler box of teas as a gift before we left, which was such a thoughtful surprise. This experience truly helped make our weekend unforgettable, and it was the perfect introduction to afternoon tea at the Empress. We can’t wait to return.

Absolutely lovely afternoon tea at the Empress! I want to give a special shout out to Maddie who had a wonderfully warm and fun personality! Maddie took such great care of us, offered suggestions, and made light conversation. Wishing us a happy anniversary as we were seated, and asked us how long we’ve been together and just made us feel special. I’ve been to Afternoon Tea at the Empress before, and I have to say Maddie left me with an even better experience than I’ve ever had before (and my other experiences were positive too). People and their personalities are the cherry on top to an incredible experience! Thank you, Maddie! Thank You, Fairmont! :)

This was such a unique and memorable experience, and I will always cherish as part of my very first visit to Victoria. A friend had recommended afternoon tea at the Empress, and after seeing photos of the delectable pastries and scones, we knew we had to go. When we arrived, we were a bit lost and asked a kind gentleman named Brad for directions. To our surprise, he turned out to be the Chief Engineering Officer of the Empress and generously treated us to complimentary wine. It was such an unexpected and thoughtful gesture, and we would like to thank him again here. Our server was a lovely woman in her 50s who made us feel comfortable. She was experienced and gave us wonderful recommendations for the tea. Based on her suggestion, I chose the Darjeeling tea, which was excellent. The scones and other pastries, though I don’t remember all their names, were delicious. If I visit Victoria again, this will definitely be a place I return to, and I would highly recommend it to everyone. Thank you!

Raymond! What a wonderful server - kind, patient, knowledgeable, great service! I’ve been to high tea before, but Empress high tea is the highest! During the holidays, they have a unique holiday themed preset sandwich/dessert menu. My favorite was the smoked salmon, muah Each patron gets to choose from a list of 20 teas for their own pot. I got the creamy earl grey and it was the best earl grey I’ve ever had. They can also accommodate dietary restrictions! My husband received a unique set of tiers of vegetarian bites!

This was my first time having afternoon tea at the Empress. It’s something I’ve wanted to do for a long time and I was fortunate enough to have a friend treat me to high tea as an early birthday gift when I was visiting the city for a few days. The service was outstanding and all of the staff we met were super friendly, professional and attentive. The atmosphere and the live music really added to the whole experience. It was an experience fit for a queen. We loved all of the tea selections and found everything super delicious! We tried the jasmine tea and the Empress blend and enjoyed both. Although it is definitely an indulgence and not something that everyone will be able to do, if you have an opportunity to try afternoon tea, would highly recommend!

We enjoyed the most wonderful afternoon tea at the Empress to celebrate my mom’s birthday. The setting was lovely with live piano music throughout creating a lot of ambience. The teas themselves were delicious - our server Raymond (who was incredible!) brought us complimentary premium teas as a treat for the birthday girl, and each was unique and offered something different throughout the meal. The food was absolutely delicious and excellently executed. We all agreed the scones and cucumber sandwiches were perfect, though each item was delicious! What really put our experience over the top was the service. Everyone wished my mom happy birthday, and Raymond brought her a complimentary glass of NA prosecco which was such a sweet touch. At the end he also gifted her a box of tea which made her day! I highly recommend this experience if you are in Victoria - a true delight!

I wanted to take my daughter to her first high tea because it is fun but also because it was something I had always wanted to do. I spent my teenage years and early 20s in Victoria but have lived in the UK for the last 14 years. The high tea did not disappoint and it was surprisingly wiggly toddler-friendly. I got the Earl Grey tea and it was the best Earl Grey tea I have ever had in my entire life. It was amazing. The service was also very good. The food was good. I particularly liked the lemon custard which was served with the strawberry jam and clotted cream. The other small savouries were good. The sweet foods were very nice but I could have done without the chocolate raspberry thing. One area of improvement could be there ratio of savouries to sweet, I found it a little too heavy on the sweet. It was the overall experience that made it special. I will definitely take my daughter back every time we get the chance when visiting Victoria.