Willard Peacock Alley Tea

Review summary

1. S

   Stephanie

   Western NC

   1 review

   5.0

   1 review

   Dined 1 day ago

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 4
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   I had a very lovely afternoon tea experience. I would rate all of the food five stars except for the savory bites. They were all a little on the dry side and could’ve been more flavorful. The scones and the sweets were perfect. 
   

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2. N

   N

   VIP

   Washington DC

   38 reviews

   3.0

   38 reviews

   Dined 1 day ago

   1. Overall 3
   2. Food 3
   3. Service 2
   4. Ambience 5

   Peacock Alley is beautiful. The hosts are mildly friendly. The servers seem disorganized and really focused on pushing you out for the next seating. It is done without finesse. The tea is nothing special. They skimp on the tea so adding cream to the black teas does not create an authentic UK taste. It tastes watery because the tea is so weak. Adding more water to not enough tea makes it worse. They charge for apple cider. Really? If I had known that I wold have gotten the champagne which was only a few dollars more. Overall the tea sandwiches were tiny and just okay. The scones and accompaniments were good. The sweets were flavorful. Simply put it is overprices for what you get when you compare to the Ritz in London or Raffles in Singapore. The atmosphere is great though.
   

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3. OT

   OpenTable Diner

   Chicago

   1 review

   4.0

   1 review

   Dined 6 days ago

   1. Overall 4
   2. Food 4
   3. Service 4
   4. Ambience 5

   Overall, we had a lovely experience. We did get off to a rocky start when no servers came to us for a good 10 minutes while everyone else already had snacks and drinks. The harpist was very sweet and actually noticed. She got up to find us a server. The situation was handled with grace, and we were also comped a round of drinks for the delay. Tea and food was delicious! Would recommend.
   

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4. S

   Shannon

   Washington DC

   2 reviews

   5.0

   2 reviews

   Dined 6 days ago

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   Everyone should enjoy this exquisite experience at least once! Be sure to take time after the tea to walk through the gallery that highlights the interesting historical people and events hosted by the Willard over the years! I had no idea that such important speeches and songs were written at the hotel!
   

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5. V

   Vusala

   Washington DC

   1 review

   4.0

   1 review

   Dined 6 days ago

   1. Overall 4
   2. Food 4
   3. Service 4
   4. Ambience 5

   Service was not excellent for that price tag and the food was overpriced. It’s still worth the experience, ambiance is amazing! The harp player was fabulous.
   

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6. M

   Maggie

   Washington DC

   9 reviews

   5.0

   9 reviews

   Dined 7 days ago

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   We had a vegan, a vegetarian, and two standard menus at our table. So nice to have everyone enjoy their own treats. My one recommendation would be to also make a curd and cream available for the vegan menu as well. Both very simple to make vegan. Other than that there wasn't a huge disparity in the menus. Each bite was delicious. We loved the beautiful decorations and the harpist playing background music. Despite the hefty price tag, I will return again to enjoy this delectable, special experience.
   

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7. V

   Vonetta

   Washington DC

   1 review

   5.0

   1 review

   Dined on 3 January 2025

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   Lovely experience! They don’t do “seconds” as some other hotels do for tea, but I couldn’t have asked for a better experience. A great way to start the new year!
   

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8. K

   Kristy

   Washington DC

   2 reviews

   2.0

   2 reviews

   Dined on 29 December 2024

   1. Overall 2
   2. Food 2
   3. Service 2
   4. Ambience 3

   Waited 50 min for children’s plates and an hour for the vegetarian option which was prearranged. Then the plates came out with missing components
   

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9. C

   Claire

   New York City

   5 reviews

   3.0

   5 reviews

   Dined on 29 December 2024

   1. Overall 3
   2. Food 2
   3. Service 3
   4. Ambience 5

   Christmas tea at the Willard has been a tradition in our family for years. This year was the first time we were disappointed. The savory bites were all very dry - like they had been sitting out all afternoon - and some seemed like they would have benefitted from an additional ingredient to add moisture. The dry lobster bite was almost inedible as was the roast beef on the pretzel spoon. The sweets were better and the scones were delicious. We have a family member with a food allergy and they usually do a very creative job with the substitutions but this year it was very sub-par. For the 4 of the 5 sweets she was given 2 identical small squares of chocolate and a fruit skewer - poor substitutes when you are paying that much for a meal. The savory bites were also subpar. And I’m sure that overall there was less food than previous years. Service was very slow to start and after taking our tea order we waited almost 40 minutes for food. There was also a wedding happening in the adjacent room and we were seated by the entrance and constantly had large groups of people standing next to our table which made conversation a little difficult. I would suggest the hotel not schedule weddings during Christmas tea. Peacock Alley is very tight and the additional people back and forth to the bathroom and the Peacock Suite and gathering by our table was too much. The holiday decor was gorgeous as always and we will be back next year but hopefully the food options will have been returned to their usual standard.
   

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10. N

    Nellie

    Washington DC

    2 reviews

    5.0

    2 reviews

    Dined on 29 December 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5

    If you are looking for an afternoon tea with white table cloths, beautiful place settings, and white table cloth service, the Willard is for you. Peacock Alley at the Willard has my favorite afternoon tea in the DC area. It is upscale without being pretentious. For the 2024 Holiday Season, it became a Winter Wonderland. It is not just the decor that attracted us. but we also came for the tea and the food. The gingerbread tea and the finger sandwiches were delicious. The scones were tasty, and the desserts did not disappoint. If you like champagne, they have that, too. When you make your reservation, let them know if you have a food allergy or intolerance. They are very good at preparing delectable pieces that meet your special needs. I never know what to wear to these teas, but at the Willard you can pretty much wear what you like. Even so, I didn't see any jeans or jogging attire, and a lot of the men at least wore sports or suit jackets. During this time of year, it's popular so be prepared for long waits as the valet (or parking garage attendent) retrieves your car. But it's worth it. Use the downstairs restrooms. They aren't crowded like the main level bathrooms.
    

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