I had eagerly anticipated afternoon tea at the Ritz-Carlton, booking months in advance for what we hoped would be a highlight of our vacation. Unfortunately, the experience was a profound disappointment, failing to meet even basic expectations.
To begin, the ambiance was utterly unsuitable for a relaxing tea service. Despite the presence of a harpist, her music was overwhelmed by loud chatter from the adjoining bar and those indulging in a continental breakfast. A proper partition between the bar and the lounge could have created the calm, elegant setting one would expect at an establishment like the Ritz-Carlton. Our reservation was for 11:00 AM, and we were seated promptly. However, that is where the attentiveness ended. Our server approached us at 11:07 AM to take our tea and champagne orders. At 11:30 AM, he brought our champagne – but only managed to fill our glasses halfway, as he ran out. We assumed he’d return with the rest, yet he never did. By 11:45 AM, I had to approach the host stand to request his return and inquire when our tea might finally arrive. It wasn’t until noon that we were finally served tea, though the champagne remained elusive.
Our champagne was finally topped off 15 minutes later, and it wasn’t until 12:45 PM – nearly two hours after we were seated – that the long-awaited three tiers of food arrived. The food itself was passable but lacked essential accompaniments; notably, the scones were served without any butter or clotted cream. To add insult to injury, shortly after receiving the food, our check was presented at 12:48 PM – a premature end to what should have been a leisurely experience. Despite the abysmal service, no portion of the meal was comped, and we were automatically charged a 22% gratuity for service that was practically nonexistent.
This afternoon tea was a regrettable experience, far below the standards one associates with the Ritz-Carlton. For a luxury establishment, we expected a memorable experience – unfortunately, it was memorable for all the wrong reasons.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 4
Service: 1
Christopher Taktak
so chill, so vibey. amazing music and drinks. had such a good time here. only difficult is finding a table/seat on a saturday night! but once you do - it’s worth it.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Theodore Wong
Great escape from the sights and sounds of the French Quarter and indulge in a relaxed, unrushed pace and delightful bites provided by Terriell and the Ritz-Carlton staff. Choose from a variety of regular and caffine-free teas, start with one type of tea with the savory bites, and another with the second course of sweets. For an additional $10, upgrade to the Royal tea service that includes a glass of champagne to toast on a special occasion. Each reservation is set-up on a separate table with a long couch and two chairs for a semi-private experience for you and your guests to enjoy, but also allows you to engage with near by guests if you choose. Please let your server know if there are dietary restrictions or if you are celebrating a special occasion.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Tea Service
Ed Noschese
Stopped in here for a quick drink to cool off after the St. Louis No. 1 Cemetery tour. We love the Ritz Home Made potato chips and the truffle fries are the best.
We had their hurricane and the davenportni was excellent! I probably coulda stayed there day if it wasn’t for having to go see more in this city.
The ONLY miss was the ketchup - NO HEINZ ketchup is gross!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Complimentary Chips
Fearless 1973
The single best place for live entertainment on this side of the French Quarter. Classy & comfortable atmosphere. Jeremy Davenport & his band provide extraordinary performances five evenings per week and won’t disappoint. Located inside the Ritz Carlton Hotel on Canal St. I spent my whole weekend enjoying this venue v/s conquering the chaos on Bourbon (which didn’t appear to have any jazz clubs from what I can tell). Davenport Lounge for the win!!
Atmosphere: 5
Service: 5
Marcelo Moreira dos Santos
A place in New Orleans that is definitely worth visiting! Great live music!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
2fast 4u
The single best place for live entertainment on this side of the French Quarter. Classy & comfortable atmosphere. Jeremy Davenport & his band provide extraordinary performances five evenings per week and won’t disappoint. Located inside the Ritz Carlton Hotel on Canal St. I spent my whole weekend enjoying this venue v/s conquering the chaos on Bourbon (which didn’t appear to have any jazz clubs from what I can tell). Davenport Lounge for the win!!
Atmosphere: 5
Service: 5
Daniel Riggs
After several failed attempts at Jambalaya (horrible) in the French Quarter... I came to the Davenport Lounge and scored a homerun with the Paella, not as spicy as I like, but it was a wonderful dish.
Bonus... live music, with great ambience.
Highly suggest making this a stop for a relaxing evening without the craziness of Bourbon Street.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
Angela Lok
If you've enjoyed other Ritz-Carlton afternoon teas, prepare to be disappointed by this one. The staff, while friendly, were indifferent, and the service was painfully slow, even for afternoon tea. We waited an absurd 1.5 hours for the scone and dessert course and had to remind the staff, who seemed surprised by our request. The presentation was subpar, with a teapot that looked like it had wet toilet paper sticking out, which was actually the tea bag. None of the food items met expectations, though the tea and live harp music were the only highlights. Overall, this experience was a letdown, and I recommend seeking afternoon tea elsewhere.
If you've enjoyed other Ritz-Carlton afternoon teas, prepare to be disappointed by this one. The staff, while friendly, were indifferent, and the service was painfully slow, even for afternoon tea. We waited an absurd 1.5 hours for the scone and dessert course and had to remind the staff, who seemed surprised by our request. The presentation was subpar, with a teapot that looked like it had wet toilet paper sticking out, which was actually the tea bag. None of the food items met expectations, though the tea and live harp music were the only highlights. Overall, this experience was a letdown, and I recommend seeking afternoon tea elsewhere.
Rocki
Lovely venue for afternoon tea. We celebrated a birthday and were given the royal treatment. We were not rushed and were able to leisurely enjoy each course. The tea was delicious and we were served a wide assortment of savory and sweet treats. Overall, this was a fun and elegant experience and we had a wonderful time.
ToddC
Server was kind but service was very slow due to staffing and her being assigned to a large group of 10 next to us. This resulted in delays, lukewarm tea, and excessive noise. The food was just mediocre although we appreciated them taking dietary needs into consideration. Hotel was nice but they need to reconsider the location of afternoon tea as it wasn't a relaxing experience compared to similar events in other parts of the world. We likely wouldn't come again unless issues are resolved.
Karla Cuellar
Love this lounge, always amazing! The food, drinks, & service are spectacular!
Great service
Atmosphere: 5
Service: 5
I had eagerly anticipated afternoon tea at the Ritz-Carlton, booking months in advance for what we hoped would be a highlight of our vacation. Unfortunately, the experience was a profound disappointment, failing to meet even basic expectations.
To begin, the ambiance was utterly unsuitable for a relaxing tea service. Despite the presence of a harpist, her music was overwhelmed by loud chatter from the adjoining bar and those indulging in a continental breakfast. A proper partition between the bar and the lounge could have created the calm, elegant setting one would expect at an establishment like the Ritz-Carlton.
Our reservation was for 11:00 AM, and we were seated promptly. However, that is where the attentiveness ended. Our server approached us at 11:07 AM to take our tea and champagne orders. At 11:30 AM, he brought our champagne – but only managed to fill our glasses halfway, as he ran out. We assumed he’d return with the rest, yet he never did. By 11:45 AM, I had to approach the host stand to request his return and inquire when our tea might finally arrive. It wasn’t until noon that we were finally served tea, though the champagne remained elusive.
Our champagne was finally topped off 15 minutes later, and it wasn’t until 12:45 PM – nearly two hours after we were seated – that the long-awaited three tiers of food arrived. The food itself was passable but lacked essential accompaniments; notably, the scones were served without any butter or clotted cream. To add insult to injury, shortly after receiving the food, our check was presented at 12:48 PM – a premature end to what should have been a leisurely experience. Despite the abysmal service, no portion of the meal was comped, and we were automatically charged a 22% gratuity for service that was practically nonexistent.
This afternoon tea was a regrettable experience, far below the standards one associates with the Ritz-Carlton. For a luxury establishment, we expected a memorable experience – unfortunately, it was memorable for all the wrong reasons.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 4
Service: 1
so chill, so vibey. amazing music and drinks. had such a good time here. only difficult is finding a table/seat on a saturday night! but once you do - it’s worth it.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Great escape from the sights and sounds of the French Quarter and indulge in a relaxed, unrushed pace and delightful bites provided by Terriell and the Ritz-Carlton staff. Choose from a variety of regular and caffine-free teas, start with one type of tea with the savory bites, and another with the second course of sweets. For an additional $10, upgrade to the Royal tea service that includes a glass of champagne to toast on a special occasion. Each reservation is set-up on a separate table with a long couch and two chairs for a semi-private experience for you and your guests to enjoy, but also allows you to engage with near by guests if you choose. Please let your server know if there are dietary restrictions or if you are celebrating a special occasion.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Tea Service
Stopped in here for a quick drink to cool off after the St. Louis No. 1 Cemetery tour. We love the Ritz Home Made potato chips and the truffle fries are the best.
We had their hurricane and the davenportni was excellent! I probably coulda stayed there day if it wasn’t for having to go see more in this city.
The ONLY miss was the ketchup - NO HEINZ ketchup is gross!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Complimentary Chips
The single best place for live entertainment on this side of the French Quarter. Classy & comfortable atmosphere. Jeremy Davenport & his band provide extraordinary performances five evenings per week and won’t disappoint. Located inside the Ritz Carlton Hotel on Canal St. I spent my whole weekend enjoying this venue v/s conquering the chaos on Bourbon (which didn’t appear to have any jazz clubs from what I can tell). Davenport Lounge for the win!!
Atmosphere: 5
Service: 5
A place in New Orleans that is definitely worth visiting! Great live music!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
The single best place for live entertainment on this side of the French Quarter. Classy & comfortable atmosphere. Jeremy Davenport & his band provide extraordinary performances five evenings per week and won’t disappoint. Located inside the Ritz Carlton Hotel on Canal St. I spent my whole weekend enjoying this venue v/s conquering the chaos on Bourbon (which didn’t appear to have any jazz clubs from what I can tell). Davenport Lounge for the win!!
Atmosphere: 5
Service: 5
After several failed attempts at Jambalaya (horrible) in the French Quarter... I came to the Davenport Lounge and scored a homerun with the Paella, not as spicy as I like, but it was a wonderful dish.
Bonus... live music, with great ambience.
Highly suggest making this a stop for a relaxing evening without the craziness of Bourbon Street.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
If you've enjoyed other Ritz-Carlton afternoon teas, prepare to be disappointed by this one. The staff, while friendly, were indifferent, and the service was painfully slow, even for afternoon tea. We waited an absurd 1.5 hours for the scone and dessert course and had to remind the staff, who seemed surprised by our request. The presentation was subpar, with a teapot that looked like it had wet toilet paper sticking out, which was actually the tea bag. None of the food items met expectations, though the tea and live harp music were the only highlights. Overall, this experience was a letdown, and I recommend seeking afternoon tea elsewhere.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 1
Service: 2
Restaurantji Recommends
great location and very elegant
If you've enjoyed other Ritz-Carlton afternoon teas, prepare to be disappointed by this one. The staff, while friendly, were indifferent, and the service was painfully slow, even for afternoon tea. We waited an absurd 1.5 hours for the scone and dessert course and had to remind the staff, who seemed surprised by our request. The presentation was subpar, with a teapot that looked like it had wet toilet paper sticking out, which was actually the tea bag. None of the food items met expectations, though the tea and live harp music were the only highlights. Overall, this experience was a letdown, and I recommend seeking afternoon tea elsewhere.
Lovely venue for afternoon tea. We celebrated a birthday and were given the royal treatment. We were not rushed and were able to leisurely enjoy each course. The tea was delicious and we were served a wide assortment of savory and sweet treats. Overall, this was a fun and elegant experience and we had a wonderful time.
Server was kind but service was very slow due to staffing and her being assigned to a large group of 10 next to us. This resulted in delays, lukewarm tea, and excessive noise. The food was just mediocre although we appreciated them taking dietary needs into consideration. Hotel was nice but they need to reconsider the location of afternoon tea as it wasn't a relaxing experience compared to similar events in other parts of the world. We likely wouldn't come again unless issues are resolved.
Love this lounge, always amazing! The food, drinks, & service are spectacular!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Beignets
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