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Tea at The Empress, Victoria, BC

Tea at The Empress

4.6
4.6
4539 Reviews
CAN$30 and under
Unspecified
721 Government Street, Victoria, BC V8W 1W5

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2 people
MonTueWedThuFriSatSun
7:00 pm
Booked 92 times today
Experiences are available.

About this restaurant

  • Good for special occasions
  • Charming
  • Fancy
Afternoon Tea at Fairmont Empress is a cherished tradition in Victoria, delighting guests for over a century. The menu features freshly baked scones, delicate finger sandwiches, and decadent pastries, all paired with premium teas sourced from the world’s top 10% tea producers. Ideal for celebrations or a sophisticated afternoon outing, this world-renowned tea service is a must-try experience. Reservations are highly recommended.

Additional information

  • Dining style
    Elegant Dining
  • Price
    CAN$30 and under
  • Cuisines
    Unspecified
  • Hours of Operation
    Daily 07:30–11:30
  • Phone number
  • Payment Options
    AMEX, Diners Club, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Dress code
    Casual Dress
  • Executive Chef
    Isabel Chung
  • Area
    Victoria
  • Cross Street
    Government & Douglas Streets
  • Parking details
    Self parking is available
  • Additional
    Entertainment, Gluten-free Options, High Tea, Indoor Fireplace, Non-Smoking, Takeaway, Vegan, Wheelchair Access, Wine

Experiences

  • Sunset Sips - An Evening Cocktail Experience

    4 Apr 2025 - 28 Sept 2025
    As the sun sets over Victoria’s stunning Inner Harbour, Fairmont Empress transforms its renowned Lobby Lounge into a lively evening escape. Sunset Sips offers an elevated nightlife experience, blending the elegance of Afternoon Tea with a playful, Prohibition-era twist. Indulge in exquisitely crafted cocktails and spirit-free libations, served in glass teapots, a nod to the hotel’s legendary tea service. Complementing the handcrafted cocktails is a three-tiered selection of elevated small bites. This unique evening tea lounge is available Thursday through Sunday. Perfect for date nights, special celebrations, or an unforgettable night out in Victoria, BC.
    Sunset Sips - An Evening Cocktail Experience photo

What 4,539 people are saying

Tea at The Empress reviews from people who’ve dined at this restaurant. Based on recent rating.

Overall ratings and reviews

Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant

4.6
4.6 based on recent ratings
  • 4.5Food
  • 4.7Service
  • 4.7Ambience
  • 3.8Value

NoiseModerate

Loved For

  • Vancouver / British Columbia

    Most Booked

  • Victoria

    Great for brunch

  • Victoria

    Most Booked

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews
Tea at The Empress offers a "wonderful experience of old-fashioned elegance" with "great food and friendly staff." Raymond, a standout server, has been praised for "making the experience even more memorable." While some find it "a little pricey," the "amazing variety of teas" and "memorable atmosphere" make it worth it for special occasions.
4,539 Reviews
  1. Margaret

    Vancouver1 review

    4.0

    Dined 2 days ago

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 3
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 3
    I have waited for 40 years to have "Tea at the Empress" and finally decided to go for it. I did very much enjoy the experience except for the exorbitant cost. This will definitely only be an experience for once in my life!

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  2. Kriti

    Vancouver1 review

    5.0

    Dined 5 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 3
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Lovely experience! Good collection of tea, food could be better but the chicken sandwich was really good

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  3. Louisa

    Hawaii11 reviews

    3.0

    Dined 5 days ago

    1. Overall 3
    2. Food 3
    3. Service 3
    4. Ambience 4
    Disappointing. Not what I was expecting. Bread was hard on sandwiches. Tasted mass produced. More expensive than advertised

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  4. Madisyn

    San Francisco1 review

    5.0

    Dined 6 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    This was truly magical. My fiancée and I (wlw) felt like princesses the whole time. The tea was AMAZING! I got the Blue Suede Shoes and she got the … number 11, she doesn’t remember what it was called. It was green tea, white tea, and strawberry. Mine was a beautiful blue color and had vanilla flavor. The treats were good, too!! 12/10 recommend

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  5. peter

    Vancouver1 review

    5.0

    Dined 7 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 4
    Lorne the waiter was fantastic! Both pianist were lovely and entertaining

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  6. Catharine

    Vancouver1 review

    2.0

    Dined on 17 April 2025

    1. Overall 2
    2. Food 2
    3. Service 2
    4. Ambience 2
    Service was slow & not attentive. Food was limited selections. Price point was way too high for what you received. Earlier in the week I had the tea at Butchard Gardens and it was far superior to the Empress and definitely more reasonable in price. I would not come back to the Empress for tea in the future.

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  7. Susan

    Ottawa4 reviews

    2.0

    Dined on 17 April 2025

    1. Overall 2
    2. Food 2
    3. Service 2
    4. Ambience 3
    I had 3 guests with me who were experienced high tea connoisseurs and I have to say that we were disappointed with the quality of the high tea. (The scones at the Fairmount at Vancouver International Airport are the best that we have encountered.) The scone occupied the bottom plate, which was empty of anything else and thus visually sparse. It was one medium sized round scone per person. The savory sandwiches were average: egg salad was served inside a choux, not a brioche pastry, and the flavour of it was bland and below average in flavour profile--needed salt, a touch of pepper and a sweeter pickle to be interesting; the chicken salad sandwich was tasty but could have been more generous in the filling as the chicken was all minced up and not discernable (though the flavour was good) the bread was rather dry on the edges as if it had sat around a bit too long; the turkey with cranberry and the traditional cucumber sandwiches were unremarkable. The smoked salmon mouse and the shrimp tartlet were tasty morsels. On a positive note, the dessert selection was well put together visually and texturally. The hazelnut tart and the chocolate raspberry tart had excellent contrast in textures and were very subtly flavourful. The lilac macaron was attractively dusted with gold dust and the chocolate ganache was an attractive finger of chocolate with piped cream on top. The tea service was about average and though The Empress was not very busy, the server (Manon) only checked on us once after which we had difficulty drawing her attention and Mel read from a script. I was disappointed in that they were out of both the English Breakfast and the Chai teas which I think speaks to a bit of poor supply chain planning, given the expensiveness of the high tea. The atmosphere is elegant as was the china and Manon did warm my cup when requested so my tea didn't cool too quickly, but overall, I would not recommend this high tea as one can get much better ones for less money.

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  8. Carron

    Melbourne4 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on 16 April 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    A must do thing in Victoria. Not cheap but ultimately worth it. Good fun. Great food and friendly staff.

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  9. Jennifer

    San Francisco1 review

    5.0

    Dined on 16 April 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Tea at the Empress is a must-do for anyone traveling to Victoria! The experience is unforgettable, the staff members cater to your every need, and the food and wide variety of teas are amazing!

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  10. Paul

    Unspecified1 review

    5.0

    Dined on 15 April 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 5
    Day 1 new Tea Menu. Outstanding. Creative, rich, mouthwatering and a masterpiece of culinary excellence. The egg eclair was out of this world Can’t wait to come back! Paul Vancouver

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FAQs

Tea at The Empress offers takeout which you can order by calling the restaurant at (250) 384-8111.

Tea at The Empress is rated 4.6 stars by 4539 OpenTable diners.

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

  1. Home
  2. Canada
  3. Vancouver / British Columbia
  4. Victoria
  5. Victoria

Make a booking


Booked 92 times today
Experiences are available.
Google Map for Tea at The Empress

721 Government Street, Victoria, BC V8W 1W5

Additional information

  • Cross Street
    Government & Douglas Streets
  • Area
    Victoria
  • Hours of Operation
    Daily 07:30–11:30
  • Price
    CAN$30 and under
  • Cuisines
    Unspecified
  • Dining style
    Elegant Dining
  • Dress code
    Casual Dress
  • Parking details
    Self parking is available
  • Payment Options
    AMEX, Diners Club, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Executive Chef
    Isabel Chung
  • Additional
    Entertainment, Gluten-free Options, High Tea, Indoor Fireplace, Non-Smoking, Takeaway, Vegan, Wheelchair Access, Wine
  • Privacy policy
  • Terms of Use
  • Cookies and Interest-Based Ads
  • Cookie Preferences
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