Had a wonderful experience with afternoon tea. The service was great and the food was delicious. Only thing I would change would be to move the service into a ballroom vice having it in the main hallway. Having a bunch of people walking up and down the center aisle while you're eating is really annoying.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Afternoon Tea
MariaH
High Tea at the Willard was beautiful and expensive. The food was wonderful and the tea was fabulous but the service was terrible. We waited and waited and our waiter never really seemed happy we were there. It was awkward. And it was $500 for 4 people. I am 100% willing to pay that but would expect top notch service. I left disappointed and won't be back.
The ambiance was great! The harpist played a little of everything: the theme from Game of Thrones, a little Billy Joel, the Titanic theme song and The Beauty and the Beast theme. The food was really enjoyable, keep in mind these are finger foods. There was 2 of each item as we were 2 people eating, so no negotiations needed! My favorite savory item was the smoked duck. My husband's favorite was the ny strip with horseradish cream. The scones were excellent and the sweet options were not bad. Our favorite was the chocolate caramel choux. The teas were really great. I had a white tea, the gingered pear. It had a nice citrus aftertaste. My husband had the vanilla almond soufflé. He enjoyed it. Overall, I am very happy with the experience and would come back.
nilguno
After delicious, fresh finger sandwiches, warm, tasty scones, rich seleçtion of jams, next came sweets/desert: unexpected disappointment, for they were simple, tastewise undifferentiated, sample of cookies. We took one bite of each and left the rest. For an high afternoon tea ceremony, different kinds of tasty petit fours would be muchmore appropriate. Thank you. Dr. Nilgun Ocal (mrs)
DEHolz
Excellent food presentation and taste. Nice gluten free option. Tea selection quite nice, though wish pot was larger. First cup is great, second cup steeps too long. Pot then topped with only more hot water. Third and fourth cups a bit weak. All solved by providing a larger pot. Tables are literally in the hallway, so there are random hotel guests strolling by. Harpist is nice, but a bit loud. Difficult to carry on a private conversation with your guests. Table nicely set - though a little surprised at chipped plates at the Williard. Generous quantity of food per person. Could use a bit more clotted cream (which the waiter called sour cream). Overall, not a bad experience- though not sure cost effective at $100 each plus parking.
Aditi Shekar
This was so underwhelming for me. I can see it being a cute thing to do with the women in your life, but the cost vs. the food was just overkill. I went home and ate lunch.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 1
Service: 4
Rosainmd
Juan was our waiter and he was engaging and helpful. I was disappointed in the food. The sandwiches tasted dry as if they had been sitting out. When the gentleman brought the sandwiches I asked for him to come back and explain to my lunch guess as she had gone to use the restroom and he waved stating he did not have time for that. I also noticed on the plates with the sandwiches there was 3 sandwiches short. I immediately motioned to Juan and he brought them to our table. I was disappointed in the seating. We were in a hallway and there was a wedding reception that had to walk through the hallway to get to their ballroom. Everyone loves a beautiful wedding but seating in a hallway for High Tea and having a wedding party trek through, very tacky for The Willard. There was a harpist and she was excellent. Had I not been to High Tea at The Drake Hotel in Chicago I probably would have been impressed with The Peacock Alley Tea; but I was not. This was my guess's birthday. The staff at the tea did bring a lite candle on a cupcake for her and she was happy.
The atmosphere and opulence is great. The tea selection is nice and balanced, but the food leaves a lot to be desired. For 100 USD each, I expect a lot more. There are better tea times around town with a better selection and presentation
MichelleZ
We have stayed at the Willard quite a few times, and always enjoy the dining experience of High Tea at Peacock Alley! The tables are set with the finest silver, linens, and china, and the tone is set with the soft sounds of a live harpist playing in the background. The waitstaff is very attentive, and the tea is delicious. The food is quite good, with ample variety. Altogether very enjoyable.
robS
Very nice Tea, scones, savory bites and sweets with a nice glass of champagne. Wonderful harp player, great attentive service, comped valet parking and beautiful day to walk around DC after.
Nothing special- The offerings for tea time were thrown all together without any presentation. Taste and look was just ok. The location and atmosphere is nice but as a whole, disappointing. Skip
Lovely atmosphere, the harpist was amazing, the crust on the sandwiches was a bit dry I did enjoy the scones the desserts were ok overall a nice experience a bit pricey great service and oh the tea was very good as well
Service was very slow and had to ask more than once to receive service. The food was unexceptional. The only thing that stood out in a good way were the scones. The sandwiches were ridiculously small.
Fatimah
I went there for my birthday and it was an amazing experience. The food was great, the ambiance with the harp playing in the background, the decor was on point ... literally everything was great.
LOVINLife
I've been to other Afternoon Tea spots in the DC area and the one at Willard was just ok. The staff were nice but seemed overwhelmed and not well coordinated. The finger sandwiches and pastries were just ok as well. I was not a fan of the baked scones because they looked and tasted like a biscuit. For the price, I was not impressed with the teas or assortment of pastries.
Had a wonderful experience with afternoon tea. The service was great and the food was delicious. Only thing I would change would be to move the service into a ballroom vice having it in the main hallway. Having a bunch of people walking up and down the center aisle while you're eating is really annoying.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Afternoon Tea
High Tea at the Willard was beautiful and expensive. The food was wonderful and the tea was fabulous but the service was terrible. We waited and waited and our waiter never really seemed happy we were there. It was awkward. And it was $500 for 4 people. I am 100% willing to pay that but would expect top notch service. I left disappointed and won't be back.
The ambiance was great! The harpist played a little of everything: the theme from Game of Thrones, a little Billy Joel, the Titanic theme song and The Beauty and the Beast theme. The food was really enjoyable, keep in mind these are finger foods. There was 2 of each item as we were 2 people eating, so no negotiations needed! My favorite savory item was the smoked duck. My husband's favorite was the ny strip with horseradish cream. The scones were excellent and the sweet options were not bad. Our favorite was the chocolate caramel choux. The teas were really great. I had a white tea, the gingered pear. It had a nice citrus aftertaste. My husband had the vanilla almond soufflé. He enjoyed it. Overall, I am very happy with the experience and would come back.
After delicious, fresh finger sandwiches, warm, tasty scones, rich seleçtion of jams, next came sweets/desert: unexpected disappointment, for they were simple, tastewise undifferentiated, sample of cookies. We took one bite of each and left the rest. For an high afternoon tea ceremony, different kinds of tasty petit fours would be muchmore appropriate. Thank you. Dr. Nilgun Ocal (mrs)
Excellent food presentation and taste. Nice gluten free option. Tea selection quite nice, though wish pot was larger. First cup is great, second cup steeps too long. Pot then topped with only more hot water. Third and fourth cups a bit weak. All solved by providing a larger pot. Tables are literally in the hallway, so there are random hotel guests strolling by. Harpist is nice, but a bit loud. Difficult to carry on a private conversation with your guests. Table nicely set - though a little surprised at chipped plates at the Williard. Generous quantity of food per person. Could use a bit more clotted cream (which the waiter called sour cream). Overall, not a bad experience- though not sure cost effective at $100 each plus parking.
This was so underwhelming for me. I can see it being a cute thing to do with the women in your life, but the cost vs. the food was just overkill. I went home and ate lunch.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 1
Service: 4
Juan was our waiter and he was engaging and helpful. I was disappointed in the food. The sandwiches tasted dry as if they had been sitting out. When the gentleman brought the sandwiches I asked for him to come back and explain to my lunch guess as she had gone to use the restroom and he waved stating he did not have time for that. I also noticed on the plates with the sandwiches there was 3 sandwiches short. I immediately motioned to Juan and he brought them to our table. I was disappointed in the seating. We were in a hallway and there was a wedding reception that had to walk through the hallway to get to their ballroom. Everyone loves a beautiful wedding but seating in a hallway for High Tea and having a wedding party trek through, very tacky for The Willard. There was a harpist and she was excellent. Had I not been to High Tea at The Drake Hotel in Chicago I probably would have been impressed with The Peacock Alley Tea; but I was not. This was my guess's birthday. The staff at the tea did bring a lite candle on a cupcake for her and she was happy.
The atmosphere and opulence is great. The tea selection is nice and balanced, but the food leaves a lot to be desired. For 100 USD each, I expect a lot more. There are better tea times around town with a better selection and presentation
We have stayed at the Willard quite a few times, and always enjoy the dining experience of High Tea at Peacock Alley! The tables are set with the finest silver, linens, and china, and the tone is set with the soft sounds of a live harpist playing in the background. The waitstaff is very attentive, and the tea is delicious. The food is quite good, with ample variety. Altogether very enjoyable.
Very nice Tea, scones, savory bites and sweets with a nice glass of champagne. Wonderful harp player, great attentive service, comped valet parking and beautiful day to walk around DC after.
Restaurantji Recommends
Nothing special- The offerings for tea time were thrown all together without any presentation. Taste and look was just ok. The location and atmosphere is nice but as a whole, disappointing. Skip
Lovely atmosphere, the harpist was amazing, the crust on the sandwiches was a bit dry I did enjoy the scones the desserts were ok overall a nice experience a bit pricey great service and oh the tea was very good as well
Service was very slow and had to ask more than once to receive service. The food was unexceptional. The only thing that stood out in a good way were the scones. The sandwiches were ridiculously small.
I went there for my birthday and it was an amazing experience. The food was great, the ambiance with the harp playing in the background, the decor was on point ... literally everything was great.
I've been to other Afternoon Tea spots in the DC area and the one at Willard was just ok. The staff were nice but seemed overwhelmed and not well coordinated. The finger sandwiches and pastries were just ok as well. I was not a fan of the baked scones because they looked and tasted like a biscuit. For the price, I was not impressed with the teas or assortment of pastries.