Extremely loud and unfortunately no longer worth the money. I feel like they doubled the amount of tables they usually had.
Kristi
Absolutely wonderful experience! We stayed in the hotel, The Drake, and it is just charming! I love that so many movie stars and famous people, especially Princess Diana stayed there! Everywhere you look at his beautiful and the tea experience was awesome!!
Sandra
What a delightful experience! The ambiance of the Palm Court was so elegant. We were surprised that a harpist was playing which enriched our experience. Our waiter was very professional, efficient, and accommodating. He had outstanding people skills. Needless to say the food presentation was beautiful and everything tasted so wonderful. The tea was excellent as were our martinis! We felt like we're really pampered by everyone and everything we experienced at the Palm Court. Booking a reservation here should be at the top of everyone's list of enjoyable things to do in Chicago.
SUSAN
Celebrating a 84th birthday - acknowledgement with a paper birthday flag that was placed on the table by the hostess - no other recognition by our waitress. Ignored for the most part by the waitress. Sandwiches were dry, tea was too watered down and nothing was worth the price. Couldn't hear the harpist which was very disappointing. Sat us in the hard chairs instead of the comfy ones or a couch. It is a lovely setting but definitely not worth $80+ before tax & tip and parking. I'm glad we went as our company of people was lovely but wouldn't waste money like that or recommend to anyone
Elizabeth
The mini sandwiches and pastries are not good at any price—certainly not worth the cost here. The scones are okay, a little heavy. None of the other sweets are noteworthy. The sandwiches lack flavor. Because my daughter is vegetarian, we had a bizarre piece of cold tofu with chikpea curry spread that was just icky. Also for vegetarians was a wrap with mayonnaise-y salad filling that was almost as good as Costco. What a joke. The Palm Court is capitalizing on the idea of high tea with none of the actual elegance or care in cookery. The tea itself was very good. My daughter had a tropical blend that was delicious. The environment was fine, but not especially beautiful. So, no reason to go here, unless you love bad food.
Ro
The food tasted stale and unreasonably priced for the quality. The tea was good. The service was amazing as always.
Evelyn
We love anytime Azmir is our waiter; however, everyone here is great! A wonderful place for afternoon tea.
holly
This was my first experience for high tea at the Drake hotel. We had been looking forward to this day for months. The total cost for the 4 of us was $450 plus coat check and valet. Let me tell you the best parts. The valet who greeted us was lovely. The woman who took our coats was very pleasant. The hostess who sat us was so cheerful and friendly and got us excited about being there. The doormen/bellmen were outstanding. Joked with us, thanked us, took pictures of us. This is where the Drake failed. He host who greeted us at Palm Court was standoffish and unpleasant. Remember we were so excited to be at high tea. All he said was we will get you in closer to your reservation. (We were 10 minutes early. We were sat 20 minutes late but no apology. The server came over, not really pleasant, asked who was having a birthday, couldn't understand her, couldn't really hear her it was so loud in there, didn't act like she was happy we were there. Brought our tea, brought our food, going through the motions, never came back to see if we were fine, if everything was good or okay or if we needed anything. I had to wave someone over twice to refill water. Are you kidding? For $450? No one could even pretend they were so happy that we were so happy to be there? She also dropped the birthday dessert down for our guest and quickly left. Not even an enjoy. Not a happy birthday. Nothing. That's it. It was extremely disappointing afternoon. The food was good but the bread on the prime rib sandwiches was soggy. The staff at Palm Court really were just going through the motions. As if it was a big boring chore to them. But to us it was going to be one of the most exciting afternoons of the year. I'm not a complainer. I can have the best times at a local diner. I worked for Westin and Hyatt hotels for over 15 years. We never would have allowed guests to have such a mediocre experience (AND may I mention one more time for $450 plus valet and coat check!)
Axel
Warm, welcoming cafe with a relaxed vibe that works equally well for coffee, brunch, or a casual lunch. The space feels thoughtfully designed with plenty of light and comfortable seating, which makes it easy to linger without feeling rushed.
Drinks are well made and flavorful, and the food hits the mark with solid classics that feel fresh and satisfying. Service is friendly and attentive, adding to the ov
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 3
Steven Schnell
Awful service and food is meh. Skip this unless you stay at the drake and don’t want to leave the building.
Tea at Christmas time in the Palm Court is a magical experience. The decor, the harp music, and the patrons wearing their finst combine to create the ambiance.
Sally
We come for the ambience but the food and service are average, not commensurate with the price.
William
For some people, this is a "must-do" holiday experience. However, considering the price ($86 base price for finger sandwiches, tea, and water) is excessive, despite the highly holiday-decorated surroundings. Each woman in our group ordered a glass of wine or champagne. Our individual bills, with a 20% tip, came to $135. I've had the experience three years in a row now and feel I've "done" it and want to move on. Add to that, driving downtown, paying for parking, and driving home, the total time for me was six + hours! I loved meeting my friends there and we had a good time, but to do it every year?? We have fun wherever we are. If you can afford it, it's worth giving it a try - and then you can say you've done it. It's not that special for this price!
mary
We love this place, best experience yet! Everyone who works there is amazing especially host Tyler and Azmir.
Kristine
Amazing as always. Such a delight! We always enjoy coming to the afternoon tea at the Palm Court!
Extremely loud and unfortunately no longer worth the money. I feel like they doubled the amount of tables they usually had.
Absolutely wonderful experience! We stayed in the hotel, The Drake, and it is just charming! I love that so many movie stars and famous people, especially Princess Diana stayed there! Everywhere you look at his beautiful and the tea experience was awesome!!
What a delightful experience! The ambiance of the Palm Court was so elegant. We were surprised that a harpist was playing which enriched our experience. Our waiter was very professional, efficient, and accommodating. He had outstanding people skills. Needless to say the food presentation was beautiful and everything tasted so wonderful. The tea was excellent as were our martinis! We felt like we're really pampered by everyone and everything we experienced at the Palm Court. Booking a reservation here should be at the top of everyone's list of enjoyable things to do in Chicago.
Celebrating a 84th birthday - acknowledgement with a paper birthday flag that was placed on the table by the hostess - no other recognition by our waitress. Ignored for the most part by the waitress. Sandwiches were dry, tea was too watered down and nothing was worth the price. Couldn't hear the harpist which was very disappointing. Sat us in the hard chairs instead of the comfy ones or a couch. It is a lovely setting but definitely not worth $80+ before tax & tip and parking. I'm glad we went as our company of people was lovely but wouldn't waste money like that or recommend to anyone
The mini sandwiches and pastries are not good at any price—certainly not worth the cost here. The scones are okay, a little heavy. None of the other sweets are noteworthy. The sandwiches lack flavor. Because my daughter is vegetarian, we had a bizarre piece of cold tofu with chikpea curry spread that was just icky. Also for vegetarians was a wrap with mayonnaise-y salad filling that was almost as good as Costco. What a joke. The Palm Court is capitalizing on the idea of high tea with none of the actual elegance or care in cookery. The tea itself was very good. My daughter had a tropical blend that was delicious. The environment was fine, but not especially beautiful. So, no reason to go here, unless you love bad food.
The food tasted stale and unreasonably priced for the quality. The tea was good. The service was amazing as always.
We love anytime Azmir is our waiter; however, everyone here is great! A wonderful place for afternoon tea.
This was my first experience for high tea at the Drake hotel. We had been looking forward to this day for months. The total cost for the 4 of us was $450 plus coat check and valet. Let me tell you the best parts. The valet who greeted us was lovely. The woman who took our coats was very pleasant. The hostess who sat us was so cheerful and friendly and got us excited about being there. The doormen/bellmen were outstanding. Joked with us, thanked us, took pictures of us. This is where the Drake failed. He host who greeted us at Palm Court was standoffish and unpleasant. Remember we were so excited to be at high tea. All he said was we will get you in closer to your reservation. (We were 10 minutes early. We were sat 20 minutes late but no apology. The server came over, not really pleasant, asked who was having a birthday, couldn't understand her, couldn't really hear her it was so loud in there, didn't act like she was happy we were there. Brought our tea, brought our food, going through the motions, never came back to see if we were fine, if everything was good or okay or if we needed anything. I had to wave someone over twice to refill water. Are you kidding? For $450? No one could even pretend they were so happy that we were so happy to be there? She also dropped the birthday dessert down for our guest and quickly left. Not even an enjoy. Not a happy birthday. Nothing. That's it. It was extremely disappointing afternoon. The food was good but the bread on the prime rib sandwiches was soggy. The staff at Palm Court really were just going through the motions. As if it was a big boring chore to them. But to us it was going to be one of the most exciting afternoons of the year. I'm not a complainer. I can have the best times at a local diner. I worked for Westin and Hyatt hotels for over 15 years. We never would have allowed guests to have such a mediocre experience (AND may I mention one more time for $450 plus valet and coat check!)
Warm, welcoming cafe with a relaxed vibe that works equally well for coffee, brunch, or a casual lunch. The space feels thoughtfully designed with plenty of light and comfortable seating, which makes it easy to linger without feeling rushed.
Drinks are well made and flavorful, and the food hits the mark with solid classics that feel fresh and satisfying. Service is friendly and attentive, adding to the ov
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 3
Awful service and food is meh. Skip this unless you stay at the drake and don’t want to leave the building.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 1
Service: 1
Restaurantji Recommends
Tea at Christmas time in the Palm Court is a magical experience. The decor, the harp music, and the patrons wearing their finst combine to create the ambiance.
We come for the ambience but the food and service are average, not commensurate with the price.
For some people, this is a "must-do" holiday experience. However, considering the price ($86 base price for finger sandwiches, tea, and water) is excessive, despite the highly holiday-decorated surroundings. Each woman in our group ordered a glass of wine or champagne. Our individual bills, with a 20% tip, came to $135. I've had the experience three years in a row now and feel I've "done" it and want to move on. Add to that, driving downtown, paying for parking, and driving home, the total time for me was six + hours! I loved meeting my friends there and we had a good time, but to do it every year?? We have fun wherever we are. If you can afford it, it's worth giving it a try - and then you can say you've done it. It's not that special for this price!
We love this place, best experience yet! Everyone who works there is amazing especially host Tyler and Azmir.
Amazing as always. Such a delight! We always enjoy coming to the afternoon tea at the Palm Court!
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