AFTERNOON TEA

This was the worst high tea experience I’ve ever had, and the worst dining experience I’ve had in Calgary.There is a single star for the tea, which was nice.Everything else was awful. It had the ambience of a bar, which is what it was. (Don’t be fooled by some of the photos; if you’re looking at ostentatious marble pillars, know that is NOT the area the tea is served. It’s in the bar area BEHIND that.) Music choice certainly did not suit high tea at all (I have nothing against pop music but it just does not fit.)The service was atrocious. Perhaps we were just unlucky, but they were inattentive and likely inexperienced. In most restaraunts, off-setting the tea lid is a universal sign that the tea should be refilled. Or, barring that, someone would stop by frequently enough that you could ask. Waiting 30 minutes to have more hot water for tea, at high tea, is a little ridiculous. Thats’ just one example, but it would be poor service in a cheap diner, much less for a high tea experience.And the food was bad. Absolutely none of it was fresh. The pastries were clearly stale, and the puff pastry was topped with a freeze dried strawberry. The flavors were just… not good. If any single piece of pastry was ordered anywhere else, I’d be disappointed, and most tasted as if the pastries had been frozen thawed, and filled with things. The ingredients were clearly of low quality, from bits of crust sticking out in the middle of cucumber sandwiches to smoke salmon that you could get higher quality versions of for $6 a pack.I would not pay $30 a head for the experience. $80 is ridiculous.If you want to sell luxury, you have to actually provide it. That means trained staff who knows what they’re doing, and high quality ingredients.I’m utterly baffled by the positive reviews. It seems so unlikely that my experience was a fluke, and yet plenty of people seemed to like it.Instead of going here, I recommend anywhere else, or, if that’s not an option, grabbing something form Cobbs and throwing together your own high tea. It will likely be a more pleasant experience, and certainly be higher quality food.

Service was awesome, food delicious. Quite a long walk from parking garage to get to restaurant, however. We have been to several tea houses, and found this to be a little pricey compared to others. I am assuming it was because of hotel reputation, but over $80.00 per person was not warranted

Came here with my daughter to celebrate her birthday. I did notify them that she has sensory issues so they accommodated us by placing us in a quiet area next to the fireplace. The service was absolutely fantastic. They have a selection of teas that are custom curated only for the Fairmont. My daughter really enjoyed the princess Diana Rose tea. I enjoyed the Earl Gray cream tea. The sandwiches were really good, the portions were very large, and we were allowed to take home our leftovers. The food was very high quality!Overall this was an excellent experience, that my daughter really wanted to repeat very soon. Well done Fairmont!!!

This was so fun!!! Loved the mini sandwiches! A fun way to spend an afternoon and the cocktails were fabulous too!

We've tried the afternoon tea at the Fairmont Chateau & Banff Springs and finally got to try it at the Pallisar in their newly renovated Hawthorn Dining Room!I think I like the food at the Banff Springs the most but this is still really good. I loved the scones, smoked salmon/ham sandwiches, and the raspberry macaron.The atmosphere and service was great! It had a more modern feel to it than the other Fairmonts. Our server explained all the teas and food to us and even switched the tea for us when we didn't like the first one we chose.The highlight was the chocolate ball with the sparkler and chocolate cake inside that they gave us as a surprise since we came as a birthday celebration.It is $70.00 per person which is more expensive than the other Fairmonts but it is more convenient to come here than to drive to Banff.

I've had a lot of high teas in my life, as well as at the Fairmont in Lake Louise. Scones were nice, desserts were decent, tea was nice, service was friendly. Sandwiches - not great at all, some were very plain, egg was very salty.

I'm not sure if arriving at 2:15 meant things sit around for hours. Being expensive is one thing, but the food was compost quality. Sandwiches and desserts were old and dry, tea just ok - I wouldn't pay $10 for it but it cost $180 for the two of us with tip and parking. Service was good.

My friends treated me to the weekend high tea and it was great - nice selection of teas, really yummy food accompaniments, and great ambiance. The best part was that the pastry chefs were able to put together a gender reveal dessert for me that was both delicious and beautiful. Excellent service!

I love afternoon tea here. Absolutely delicious. The staff are amazing. Highly recommend.