Empress Lounge at the Mandarin Oriental - DC

4.2

98 Reviews

$31 to $50

Afternoon Tea

Good for special occasions
Romantic
Innovative

An inviting escape from the rigors of the city, Empress Lounge is a relaxing venue for cocktails, light fare and of course afternoon tea. With house made pastries and signature tea sandwiches afternoon tea at Empress Lounge is truly a destination for all.

What to know before you go:

Tables for up to 4 guests will be
guaranteed for 2 hours, tables for up to 9
guests for 2.5 hours and tables for 10
guests and above for 3 hours. We may
require your table back after this time.

We will contact you nearer the time to
reconfirm your reservation and very
much look forward to welcoming you to
the Empress Lounge.

Not available on OpenTable

Unfortunately, this restaurant is not on the OpenTable booking network. To check availability, please contact them directly.

Is this your restaurant?

Claim this listing

There’s more to explore

Discover countless more restaurants like this one with our app.

Scan the QR code to discover countless more restaurants like this one with our app.

Open app

Additional information

Dining style
Casual Dining
Price
$31 to $50
Cuisines
Afternoon Tea, Contemporary American, Contemporary Asian
Hours of Operation
Daily 12:00 pm–12:00 am Afternoon Tea Fri–Sun 1:30 pm–4:00 pm
Phone number
(202) 787-6140
Website
http://www.mandarinoriental.com/washington/fine-dining/empress-lounge/
Payment Options
AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
Dress code
Casual Dress
Executive Chef
Stefan Kauth

Location
1330 Maryland Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20024
Area
Washington
Cross Street
12th St SW and Maryland Ave SW
Parking details
$11 per car with validation
Public transit
Walking distance to: L'Enfant Metro Station (Yellow, Green)Walking distance to: Smithsonian Metro Station (Blue, Orange)
Additional
Bar Dining, Bar/Lounge, Beer, Counter Seating, Entertainment, Full Bar, Gluten-free Options, Happy Hour, High Tea, Late Night, Outdoor Smoking Area, Patio/Outdoor Dining, View, Weekend Brunch, Wheelchair Access, Wine

What 98 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

4.2

4.2 based on all time ratings

4Food
4.1Service
4.1Ambience
3.1Value

Noise • Moderate

98 Reviews

MM
MissMary
VIP
Philadelphia
211 reviews
4.0
211 reviews
Dined on 29 February 2020
1. Overall 4
2. Food 5
3. Service 4
4. Ambience 5
Of many places to have High Tea in the area, this was the most reasonably priced for the best selection! The room is airy and spacious with a bright view, and we had very comfortable chairs and seating arrangement. Sometimes parking can be difficult and expensive in the area, but the hotel itself has a valet, and validated parking for only $12; this helped in my positive experience, so I didn't have to worry about timed street parking meters, and could simply enjoy the time with my friend! The service during our meal was good overall, but I think could be a pinch more polished.
Is this helpful?
P
Pauser
VIP
Philadelphia
102 reviews
5.0
102 reviews
Dined on 23 February 2020
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Enjoyed afternoon tea wonderful service. Lovely atmosphere, although direct sun thru wall of windows made the room uncomfortably warm. Overall a great afternoon. Would happily return.
Is this helpful?
JL
JoeL
Washington DC
7 reviews
2.0
7 reviews
Dined on 23 February 2020
1. Overall 2
2. Food 1
3. Service 3
4. Ambience 2
Don't waste the money. For a 5-star hotel, this was atrocious. The food was prepared well in advance, probably that morning. Immediately after our tea was brought, the 3-tier tray was delivered. Too fast. The egg salad sandwich bread was stale, the cucumber sandwich bread hard on the ends, the salmon was room temperature and dry. We complained to the waitress, and the manager brought a "fresh" tray., which was only slightly better. The wait staff were nice, but understaffed such that service was slow when you needed something. There were very few Savory and too many sweets. (They did give us a discount, but that doesn't make up for a poor experience on my wife's birthday.) On leaving, I peeked into the Garden Room next door, expecting to see a banquet room with a view of the Garden. What I saw was trays of the food sitting there ready to serve, at room temperature. No wonder everything was stale!
Is this helpful?
LG
LGA9
VIP
Washington DC
3 reviews
3.0
3 reviews
Dined on 15 February 2020
1. Overall 3
2. Food 3
3. Service 4
4. Ambience 3
There are better tea services in the area around a similar price or less. It's worth going just for the curiosity but I probably wouldn't be back. The lounge is not really a lounge but more like the reception area of the hotel since it's not a separate area. It feels outdated, the seats are low and deep therefore uncomfortable. The service is good but understaffed when we went so at times we had to wait a little to get their attention. Once they got there they were very friendly and professional. The tea is a small selection but very good. I liked the Assam. The food tray had good savory sandwiches but too few and too many sweet dessert options on the top two tiers. It should be the other way around and the sweets should be kept as a finishing top dessert tray with fewer more select options.
1 person found this helpful
s
sncg
Washington DC
8 reviews
2.0
8 reviews
Dined on 18 January 2020
1. Overall 2
2. Food 2
3. Service 2
4. Ambience 3
A few recommendations for the Mandarin Oriental to consider for their Afternoon Tea: 1. Use something to keep the tea hot (teapots went cold quickly) 2. Don't use a sticky sweet dollop to keep the sandwiches adhered to the tray (sweetness interferes with savory-ness of the sandwiches) 3. Prepare the sandwiches immediately before serving (bread on egg salad sandwich was dry, likely from being cut too far in advance) 4. Improve the cucumber sandwich (bland) 5. Add more waitstaff. Service, while friendly, was not very attentive and was slow when attention was needed (i.e. when we asked for more hot water for the teapots, or to process our bill)
1 person found this helpful
AC
AnnC
VIP
Washington DC
7 reviews
4.0
7 reviews
Dined on 17 January 2020
1. Overall 4
2. Food 5
3. Service 4
4. Ambience 3
Wanted to take my two college-aged girls out for a special treat and settled on high tea at the Mandarin Oriental! High tea takes place in the hotel lobby (the Empress Lounge): we were greeted after arriving at the top of the stairs, and seated at a glass coffee table by the windows. It was extremely sunny and the glare was considerable, so we opted not to take any pictures of us together (sad for mom). About 15 mins in after starting to drink our tea, it was borderline uncomfortably toasty. Tea choices were quite nice but be forewarned, you only get to pick one. Tea tray was beautifully presented - scones on top, desserts in the middle, savory sandwiches on the bottom: gorgeous presentation! We each had our favorites and wherever someone wasn’t a fan of something, we traded portions (eg one daughter isn’t a fan of salmon, so swapped the cucumber for her salmon). Service was polite and friendly but sometimes took a while. There were a few WOW’s (the salmon sandwich, the green apple choux, and the scones: one girl loved the hazelnut feuille) but the rest was tasty but not great. All of us thought the cucumber & dill (a high tea staple!) was bland. The ratio of savory to sweet was a bit off (there was a LOT of sugar) and we were a bit sad when we asked to take the leftovers home, one of the desserts (which admittedly came in a small glass cup) wasn’t given to us. Price is quite steep so be prepared: $45/pp plus tip. Happy we tried it out, probably won’t return.
Is this helpful?
SC
StarC
Washington DC
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on 29 December 2019
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Absolutely amazing! I loved it. I will be going back really soon. Excellent service !
Is this helpful?
I
Ivs2
Portland
3 reviews
4.0
3 reviews
Dined on 28 December 2019
1. Overall 4
2. Food 3
3. Service 3
4. Ambience 2
The tea room was in the lounge, which had a bar with a television tuned to football games. This killed the ambiance for me. The service was adequate, but not great. The food was imaginative, but not outstanding. Two of the four scones were flat and unappetizing . The Clotted cream was not really authentic. The cream and the strawberry jam were inadequate for four scones. The sweets were all too sweet. I would not recommend it for a proper afternoon tea experience.
Is this helpful?
AB
AlisonB
Las Vegas
7 reviews
3.0
7 reviews
Dined on 21 December 2019
1. Overall 3
2. Food 3
3. Service 3
4. Ambience 3
Went for afternoon tea; was just okay. Staff were polite and professional, but delivery of food and ordering subsequent glasses of champagne took longer than expected. Some of the tea sandwiches didn’t look as fresh as you’d expect from the Mandarin.
Is this helpful?
L
Lynn
VIP
Fort Lauderdale
117 reviews
4.0
117 reviews
Dined on 6 December 2019
1. Overall 4
2. Food 4
3. Service 4
4. Ambience 4
We enjoyed afternoon tea and the tea. food, and service were all excellent!
Is this helpful?

FAQs

Empress Lounge at the Mandarin Oriental - DC is rated 4.2 stars by 98 OpenTable diners.

Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable.

Not available on OpenTable

Unfortunately, this restaurant is not on the OpenTable booking network. To check availability, please contact them directly.

Is this your restaurant?

Claim this listing

Google Map for Empress Lounge at the Mandarin Oriental - DC

1330 Maryland Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20024

Additional information

Cross Street
12th St SW and Maryland Ave SW
Area
Washington
Hours of Operation
Daily 12:00 pm–12:00 am Afternoon Tea Fri–Sun 1:30 pm–4:00 pm
Price
$31 to $50
Cuisines
Afternoon Tea, Contemporary American, Contemporary Asian
Dining style
Casual Dining
Dress code
Casual Dress
Parking details
$11 per car with validation
Public transit
Walking distance to: L'Enfant Metro Station (Yellow, Green)Walking distance to: Smithsonian Metro Station (Blue, Orange)
Payment Options
AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
Executive Chef
Stefan Kauth
Additional
Bar Dining, Bar/Lounge, Beer, Counter Seating, Entertainment, Full Bar, Gluten-free Options, Happy Hour, High Tea, Late Night, Outdoor Smoking Area, Patio/Outdoor Dining, View, Weekend Brunch, Wheelchair Access, Wine

Website
http://www.mandarinoriental.com/washington/fine-dining/empress-lounge/
Phone number
(202) 787-6140

Empress Lounge at the Mandarin Oriental - DC

Not available on OpenTable

There’s more to explore

Additional information

Menu

Petit Fours

Roasted Asian Pear and Salted Caramel Panna Cotta

Pumpkin and Cream Roll

Chocolate Sacher Fleur de Sel

Gingerbread Choux

Linzer Tart

Savory

Multi Grain Bread

Butternut Squash White Cheddar

Farmhouse Bread & Egg Salad

Radish Boursin

Scones and Jam

Plain and Raisin Scone

Roasted Apple Compote

Tea Tray Selection

Black Tea

Assam Breakfast

Darjeeling Second Flush

Earl Grey

Green Tea

Jade Sword

Flowering Osmanthus

White Tea

Jasmine Silver Needle

What 98 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

FAQs

How is Empress Lounge at the Mandarin Oriental - DC restaurant rated?

Is Empress Lounge at the Mandarin Oriental - DC currently accepting bookings?

Not available on OpenTable

Additional information