The Harvest Room High Tea service is an experience I highly recommend to any foodie or high tea lover!The service was impeccable, even before our arrival the gentleman who booked our reservation was kind, informative, and very accommodating for the allergies in our group. He reassured me that everything would be taken care of beforehand and there would be no risk of cross contamination as two of our members have serious food allergies. He also asked the occasion and it was for a birthday.On arrival, we were seated right on time for our reservation and while the dining room and lobby are very beautiful, I do wish we had been seated closer to the patio or near the windows. This may have been due to the high tea service happening in one area of the restaurant and brunch in the other, however.Our server was excellent and went over and above for us. He explained all of our choices thoroughly and made a great recommendation. When it came time for our towers of treats, he was very careful in setting down the trees separately and explained that there had been no chance of cross-contamination during the preparation or plating. He was incredibly knowledgeable on all of the items on the trays and even gave us the backstory to certain ingredients or pastries.The food itself was divine. The scones were delicious and fluffy, despite how filling they were! Each of the sandwiches was made to perfection and the croissant was one of my favorites. The desserts were almost too beautiful to eat and somehow tasted even better. We were not able to finish all of our goodies and we were provided with a box to take the rest of our treats home. Surprisingly they kept just as well and were just as delicious as a late night snack.The only improvement that could be made is I wish you could have purchased the tea you had chosen to take home as a gift or as a reminder of the experience. Either way I would highly recommend The Harvest Room’s High Tea and I cannot wait to be back again!Dietary restrictions: Incredibly accommodating and very careful about cross contamination. 5/5
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: High Tea, Scones
Ryan
The Harvest Room at the Fairmont Hotel Macdonald is a beacon of excellence in Edmonton, but the food at my most recent experience left me disappointed.We visited during downtown dining week on a quiet Monday evening, with only a handful of tables occupied. While the Mushroom soup from the regular menu was outstanding, the grilled Octopus was severely overcooked. Our excellent server replaced it with a better-prepared dish after some delay. It gave us time to enjoy the house bread. It also gave us some of our first real belly-laughs of the evening. While the bread tasted excellent, it was also a test for strong teeth. Not quite as hard as ice cubes but, close.Moving on to the event menu, the Bison Carpaccio had a weak flavour and paste-like texture. Our first indication of a problem in the kitchen. The lamb suffered from excessive mustard in the crust, masking all of the other flavours. Additionally, both lamb dishes were cooked to medium, disregarding our request for one medium-well and one rare. Believing that a rare order should not take long, only one was sent back. The replacement dish arrived late though. Well after my companion had finished her entree and, more cartoonishly hard bread.Dessert, was a better experience. An excellent Lemon Meringue albeit served in extremely hard cookie-crust shells. Despite these culinary hiccups, our three-hour meal was spent in a beautiful room and in good company. Parts of the bill were laughably discounted by the manager. The apparent presumption being that this was somehow partly our fault. We found the lack of self-awareness to be expensive but, hilarious and couldn't help but laugh even more at the situation.Despite the disappointing food on this visit, we enjoyed our evening at the Harvest Room and we will certainly return to the Mac in the future. It is an Edmonton institution of unparalleled class and beauty that deserves our full-throated support. Next time I go though, I might stop to eat somewhere first.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 1
Service: 4
Michael Ramesh
Ah the Fairmont, always a symbol of luxury and perfect experiences. Sorry to say except for this one in Edmonton. I have gone here many times over the years and they have steadily been declining from thier already not very good standing. Went for high tea, sandwiches were dry, desserts were ok, tea and service was top notch though. For comparison the high tea at the Fairmont empress in Victoria had amazing sandwiches and savouries and the experience was amazing, so this Fairmont has just let themselves go downhill.Also went for the harvest room breakfast buffet. Which I remembered to be really good 7 years ago. It was terrible, eggs Benedicts now served in a buffet warmer not freshly, every food item was bland and just disappointing, again though the service was amazing, at least they still have that going for themselves.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 1
Service: 4
Kurt & Mau
We were staying in the hotel and ate breakfast here both mornings, which was included in our room rate (except for overage charges, which wasn't the case at the Palliser). The atmosphere isn't as nice as the Confederation Lounge next door but it still has a nice view. Food was good and service was good. Nothing else to report or comment on, it did the trick. Solid 4-star overall.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
SandiJ
Lovely evening! Specifically chose Harvest Room at Hotel MacDonald for the ambiance, intimate atmosphere, excellent service and delicious food. We were not disappointed. The best beef tenderloin I have ever had!!!!!
RebeccaG
Not the experience I was expecting at a Fairmont hotel. The service was mediocre. My pasta was very over cooked. The chocolate torte was so dry it was inedible. Perhaps the week of Christmas is not the time to go; both the Harvest Room and Confederation Lounge seemed under staffed.
BeverlieG
I was a little disappointed. Everything and everyone seemed a little worn out. Servers lacked the formality I was expecting which was incongruent with the price of the meal. Fettucine was overcooked, but seafood was perfection.
Amy Kwan
I've been here a couple of times, for high tea and special events.The food has been delicious every time, and the servers are so friendly and attentive.Compared to some other restaurants, they can be expensive. However, I would recommend coming here for their special events or for a special date. The price is worth it for the quality of the food, the atmosphere, and the scenic views.Parking: Since it's downtown, there is a lot of parking options to choose from, but they may all be pricey depending on the time and day.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Buttermilk Mashed Potatoes, High Tea
Albert Wu
Tried their Christmas Eve dinner package. Three course meal with complimentary bread and butter upon request.Overall: 8.8Worth it given the price? Once in a blue moon maybe. The food was good, service and atmosphere excellent, but you can get a lot of tastier products for $130.Price per person: $130Bread (ciabatta):Crust: 8.8/10Inner dough: 8.9/10Freshness: 8.6/10Butter: 8.9/10Sweet potato soup with pistachio:Portion: 8.9/10Freshness: 9.0/10Thickness: 9.0/10; could be used as a dipping sauce.Seasoning: 9.0/10; we’ll seasoned.Savouriness: 9.1/10.Flavour identifiability: 8.8/10; sweet potato could be tasted. Crushed pistachio pieces also present.Boar bacon wrapped beef tenderloin:Portion: 8.9/10Boar bacon: 9.0/10Beef tenderloin: 9.1/10Juiciness: 9.0/10Seasoning: 8.8/10; well seasoned but not excessive.Fat content: 8.6/10; mostly from the bacon.Potato Rosti (side):Portion: 8.7/10Seasoning: 8.5/10; a bit salty but compliments the beef well.Crispness: 8.6/10Turkey dinner:Portion: 8.8/10Juiciness: 8.7/10; not dry for a turkey.Turkey: 8.6/10Stuffing: 8.9/10Mashed potatoes: 9.0/10Vegetables (turnips, brussel sprouts): 8.7/10. Fresh, but only a few pieces.Cranberry sauce: 8.8/10; more sour than sweet but adds a pleasant amount of acid to balance the savouriness.Chestnuts cream chocolate Yule log:Portion: 8.9/10Chocolate flavour: 9.0/10Sweet to savoury balance: 9.1/10; not too sweet; good balance of dark chocolate flakes and decadent semi sweet chocolate cake.Chestnut cream: 9.0/10; a bit nutty, a bit sweet, served nicely chilled but satisfyingly spreadable.Berry compote (jam/sauce): 9.2/10; key component of balancing the richness of this desert. Not too sweet and the acidity cuts through the cake and cream.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
ChristinaE
It was a lovely evening for Christmas Eve. Wish there were more options, however, there's a Christmas day buffet in their ballroom which would be grand. We will have to visit again! The food was very good starters of sweet potato soup with bread, entree of turkey or boar wrapped beef tenderloin, and chocolate yule log for dessert. They even gave me a birthday cake for my birthday this month. Take pictures when you visit here, a sight to see and special memories to make.
From the courtesy call confirming the reservation the day before to our dessert, an outstanding experience. The meal was excellent. The cut of meat and sides were cooked perfectly and high quality. Service was knowledgable, helpful and very pleasant. Happy to answer all our questions and were not ever left wanting. All and all a fantastic experience and one we've come to expect from the Harvest Room. Much thanks!
TroyN
Nice ambience incorporating a live harpist, although the general decorum seemed understated. Experience was rushed, service disjointed with cocktails arriving mid-meal, interjecting the wine pairing, and coffee/tea offered after dessert was completed. Would suggest allowing entry prior to exact seating time. We arrived 15min prior to the first seating and were asked to wait in the lobby, time that would have served well in not needing to rush the experience. Food was good, though underwhelming, an A or B option for appetizer and dessert would have been a well advised and well received value added option. Would have been nice if one of the plates offered the same "wow" factor/punch that the signature martini provided. Overall, a pleasant experience with ready opportunities to improve value and moreover rise to the expectation of a fairmont experience in ambience and, critically, cuisine.
Shelley Cronin
Michelle Young was a great server for high tea. She was knowledgeable and made it fun .
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: High Tea
Sarah Marie
Went here for my birthday and it was great! Great food and very friendly service.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Sheldon Squair
Tuna Appy was excellent, loved the spicy sauce. Tenderloin was top notch we loved the 3 course
The Harvest Room High Tea service is an experience I highly recommend to any foodie or high tea lover!The service was impeccable, even before our arrival the gentleman who booked our reservation was kind, informative, and very accommodating for the allergies in our group. He reassured me that everything would be taken care of beforehand and there would be no risk of cross contamination as two of our members have serious food allergies. He also asked the occasion and it was for a birthday.On arrival, we were seated right on time for our reservation and while the dining room and lobby are very beautiful, I do wish we had been seated closer to the patio or near the windows. This may have been due to the high tea service happening in one area of the restaurant and brunch in the other, however.Our server was excellent and went over and above for us. He explained all of our choices thoroughly and made a great recommendation. When it came time for our towers of treats, he was very careful in setting down the trees separately and explained that there had been no chance of cross-contamination during the preparation or plating. He was incredibly knowledgeable on all of the items on the trays and even gave us the backstory to certain ingredients or pastries.The food itself was divine. The scones were delicious and fluffy, despite how filling they were! Each of the sandwiches was made to perfection and the croissant was one of my favorites. The desserts were almost too beautiful to eat and somehow tasted even better. We were not able to finish all of our goodies and we were provided with a box to take the rest of our treats home. Surprisingly they kept just as well and were just as delicious as a late night snack.The only improvement that could be made is I wish you could have purchased the tea you had chosen to take home as a gift or as a reminder of the experience. Either way I would highly recommend The Harvest Room’s High Tea and I cannot wait to be back again!Dietary restrictions: Incredibly accommodating and very careful about cross contamination. 5/5
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: High Tea, Scones
The Harvest Room at the Fairmont Hotel Macdonald is a beacon of excellence in Edmonton, but the food at my most recent experience left me disappointed.We visited during downtown dining week on a quiet Monday evening, with only a handful of tables occupied. While the Mushroom soup from the regular menu was outstanding, the grilled Octopus was severely overcooked. Our excellent server replaced it with a better-prepared dish after some delay. It gave us time to enjoy the house bread. It also gave us some of our first real belly-laughs of the evening. While the bread tasted excellent, it was also a test for strong teeth. Not quite as hard as ice cubes but, close.Moving on to the event menu, the Bison Carpaccio had a weak flavour and paste-like texture. Our first indication of a problem in the kitchen. The lamb suffered from excessive mustard in the crust, masking all of the other flavours. Additionally, both lamb dishes were cooked to medium, disregarding our request for one medium-well and one rare. Believing that a rare order should not take long, only one was sent back. The replacement dish arrived late though. Well after my companion had finished her entree and, more cartoonishly hard bread.Dessert, was a better experience. An excellent Lemon Meringue albeit served in extremely hard cookie-crust shells. Despite these culinary hiccups, our three-hour meal was spent in a beautiful room and in good company. Parts of the bill were laughably discounted by the manager. The apparent presumption being that this was somehow partly our fault. We found the lack of self-awareness to be expensive but, hilarious and couldn't help but laugh even more at the situation.Despite the disappointing food on this visit, we enjoyed our evening at the Harvest Room and we will certainly return to the Mac in the future. It is an Edmonton institution of unparalleled class and beauty that deserves our full-throated support. Next time I go though, I might stop to eat somewhere first.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 1
Service: 4
Ah the Fairmont, always a symbol of luxury and perfect experiences. Sorry to say except for this one in Edmonton. I have gone here many times over the years and they have steadily been declining from thier already not very good standing. Went for high tea, sandwiches were dry, desserts were ok, tea and service was top notch though. For comparison the high tea at the Fairmont empress in Victoria had amazing sandwiches and savouries and the experience was amazing, so this Fairmont has just let themselves go downhill.Also went for the harvest room breakfast buffet. Which I remembered to be really good 7 years ago. It was terrible, eggs Benedicts now served in a buffet warmer not freshly, every food item was bland and just disappointing, again though the service was amazing, at least they still have that going for themselves.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 1
Service: 4
We were staying in the hotel and ate breakfast here both mornings, which was included in our room rate (except for overage charges, which wasn't the case at the Palliser). The atmosphere isn't as nice as the Confederation Lounge next door but it still has a nice view. Food was good and service was good. Nothing else to report or comment on, it did the trick. Solid 4-star overall.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
Lovely evening! Specifically chose Harvest Room at Hotel MacDonald for the ambiance, intimate atmosphere, excellent service and delicious food. We were not disappointed. The best beef tenderloin I have ever had!!!!!
Not the experience I was expecting at a Fairmont hotel. The service was mediocre. My pasta was very over cooked. The chocolate torte was so dry it was inedible. Perhaps the week of Christmas is not the time to go; both the Harvest Room and Confederation Lounge seemed under staffed.
I was a little disappointed. Everything and everyone seemed a little worn out. Servers lacked the formality I was expecting which was incongruent with the price of the meal. Fettucine was overcooked, but seafood was perfection.
I've been here a couple of times, for high tea and special events.The food has been delicious every time, and the servers are so friendly and attentive.Compared to some other restaurants, they can be expensive. However, I would recommend coming here for their special events or for a special date. The price is worth it for the quality of the food, the atmosphere, and the scenic views.Parking: Since it's downtown, there is a lot of parking options to choose from, but they may all be pricey depending on the time and day.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Buttermilk Mashed Potatoes, High Tea
Tried their Christmas Eve dinner package. Three course meal with complimentary bread and butter upon request.Overall: 8.8Worth it given the price? Once in a blue moon maybe. The food was good, service and atmosphere excellent, but you can get a lot of tastier products for $130.Price per person: $130Bread (ciabatta):Crust: 8.8/10Inner dough: 8.9/10Freshness: 8.6/10Butter: 8.9/10Sweet potato soup with pistachio:Portion: 8.9/10Freshness: 9.0/10Thickness: 9.0/10; could be used as a dipping sauce.Seasoning: 9.0/10; we’ll seasoned.Savouriness: 9.1/10.Flavour identifiability: 8.8/10; sweet potato could be tasted. Crushed pistachio pieces also present.Boar bacon wrapped beef tenderloin:Portion: 8.9/10Boar bacon: 9.0/10Beef tenderloin: 9.1/10Juiciness: 9.0/10Seasoning: 8.8/10; well seasoned but not excessive.Fat content: 8.6/10; mostly from the bacon.Potato Rosti (side):Portion: 8.7/10Seasoning: 8.5/10; a bit salty but compliments the beef well.Crispness: 8.6/10Turkey dinner:Portion: 8.8/10Juiciness: 8.7/10; not dry for a turkey.Turkey: 8.6/10Stuffing: 8.9/10Mashed potatoes: 9.0/10Vegetables (turnips, brussel sprouts): 8.7/10. Fresh, but only a few pieces.Cranberry sauce: 8.8/10; more sour than sweet but adds a pleasant amount of acid to balance the savouriness.Chestnuts cream chocolate Yule log:Portion: 8.9/10Chocolate flavour: 9.0/10Sweet to savoury balance: 9.1/10; not too sweet; good balance of dark chocolate flakes and decadent semi sweet chocolate cake.Chestnut cream: 9.0/10; a bit nutty, a bit sweet, served nicely chilled but satisfyingly spreadable.Berry compote (jam/sauce): 9.2/10; key component of balancing the richness of this desert. Not too sweet and the acidity cuts through the cake and cream.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
It was a lovely evening for Christmas Eve. Wish there were more options, however, there's a Christmas day buffet in their ballroom which would be grand. We will have to visit again! The food was very good starters of sweet potato soup with bread, entree of turkey or boar wrapped beef tenderloin, and chocolate yule log for dessert. They even gave me a birthday cake for my birthday this month. Take pictures when you visit here, a sight to see and special memories to make.
Restaurantji Recommends
From the courtesy call confirming the reservation the day before to our dessert, an outstanding experience. The meal was excellent. The cut of meat and sides were cooked perfectly and high quality. Service was knowledgable, helpful and very pleasant. Happy to answer all our questions and were not ever left wanting. All and all a fantastic experience and one we've come to expect from the Harvest Room. Much thanks!
Nice ambience incorporating a live harpist, although the general decorum seemed understated. Experience was rushed, service disjointed with cocktails arriving mid-meal, interjecting the wine pairing, and coffee/tea offered after dessert was completed. Would suggest allowing entry prior to exact seating time. We arrived 15min prior to the first seating and were asked to wait in the lobby, time that would have served well in not needing to rush the experience. Food was good, though underwhelming, an A or B option for appetizer and dessert would have been a well advised and well received value added option. Would have been nice if one of the plates offered the same "wow" factor/punch that the signature martini provided. Overall, a pleasant experience with ready opportunities to improve value and moreover rise to the expectation of a fairmont experience in ambience and, critically, cuisine.
Michelle Young was a great server for high tea. She was knowledgeable and made it fun .
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: High Tea
Went here for my birthday and it was great! Great food and very friendly service.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Tuna Appy was excellent, loved the spicy sauce. Tenderloin was top notch we loved the 3 course
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5