The Reserve

High tea is held daily in the Langham’s Reseve lobby bar.
It’s normally $ 45, but there was a «mother’s day» surcharge (on the Sat before mother’s day, no less) which pushed it up to $ 66pp. Nothing special was added it was the same menu you’d get for $ 21 cheaper per person any other day.
And for the price, the tea was nice if a little staid. There are 4 house blend teas plus a dozen or so more standard teas to choose from.
With that you get 4 small tea sandwiches per person, 2 scones with clotted cream, strawberry preserves and lemon curd; and 4 dessert bites. We added the amuse bouche (lobster tomato and avocado — delicious) and 2 chocolate strawberries for $ 12 additional.
Service was initially fine but later a bit slow and inattentive .
Also; when asked for another pot of tea, more hot water was poured over my now spent leaves resulting in just hot water with the barest hint of tea. For the price ($ 66) I think I’m due another scoop of tea leaves

My husband and my annual Valentine’s Day tradition is to go to a fancy afternoon tea. We had been going to L’Espalier for the last 5 or so years but found the service lacking in recent visits. We decided to try something new this year so we had afternoon tea at Wedgwood at The Langham on Valentine’s Day this year. I really wanted to love it but ultimately, it was wholly disappointing.
First, the Wedgwood is basically just the hotel lobby. It’s open and noisy and not intimate at all. You can hear everyone coming and going (including screaming children) and the space was drafty and the noise carried loudly. Terrible ambiance even though the tables, furniture, and place settings are all lovely.
Second, the service was forgettable. Everyone was nice but nothing was exceptional. It was just… ok. We weren’t offered glasses of water, nothing from the bar, nothing but the tea menu. Really surprised by that. Major lack of attention to detail.
Third, the tea itself. The Wedgwood boasts a large collection of teas in fine wooden boxes but I found it to be all show. None of the teas were special and they all smelled the same. If you are a loose tea connoisseur, like myself, you will not be impressed, or even happy, with the tea selection here (you’d fine better tea at Tealuxe or even David’s Tea). There were no nuances, no finery, nothing that excited me at all. Also, and I think this was the offending blow, when I asked for more tea they just came around with hot water and poured over my spent tea. No! Just no. Unless it is a tea that can be steeped multiple times (like oolong, which my tea was not), you should not ever do that. And they did it three more times.
Fourth, the food. It was fine but, again, really generic and uninspired. The presentation was lacking: everything was put on one plate and plopped in front of us. At least give us individual plates or put it on a tower or something. Also, I have a HUGE sweet tooth but the sweets portion of the menu was so sweet and buttery and cloying that I felt sick after a few bites.
Finally, the menu/​price. The website shows two menus at two price points ($ 36 for the regular tea service or $ 48 with champagne/​rose). On Valentine’s Day there was only one menu, for $ 55, no alcohol included. I was very disappointed and felt super ripped off, after all of the above.
We left feeling fleeced and underwhelmed. The search continues for an upscale, elegant afternoon tea.

I’ve been on the hunt for a new place for afternoon tea for a couple of years, and The Reserve got some great reviews on Unilocal and elsewhere. My wife and I went for Valentine’s Day, as good a day as any for tea, and the experience start to finish was disappointing.
The Reserve isn’t a restaurant so much as it is a part of a hotel lobby. While the din of people coming and going is fine if you’re eating on a patio or elbowed up to a bar, that kind of noise isn’t at all welcome for tea. The gentleman on piano did his best to drown it out, but at no point did I forget I was thirty feet from people wheeling suitcases.
Tea is always pricey, but some places (like the L’Espalier of seven or eight years ago) make you forget that you’re being ripped off by giving you splendid service. You never need to ask for anything. Things are cleared or refilled or topped off exactly as they should be and without you asking. I call it «don’t see the strings» service, and I think that’s essential for a place to offer when they’re charging $ 55 a head for hot water with weeds in it.
The food itself was all over the place, and sparse. The scones were buttery, but the finger sandwiches weren’t so much sandwiches as they were tiny, tiny pieces of bread topped with suggestions of salmon or cucumber or egg salad. Each individual dessert was unmemorable.
The Langham, of note, increased the price of their standard tea for Valentine’s Day, a particularly galling upcharge on something that is already needlessly expensive.
I think I’m off tea for a while. The Reserve wrecked it for me.

My mother had never experienced afternoon tea before so we took her here for a girls’ day out. We made a reservation in advance via OpenTable and the staff called us a day prior to confirm. On the day of, we arrived on time and were seated immediately. Some reviewers have commented on the use of the lobby space for afternoon tea – personally found it interesting in a good way and it was a good use of space.
We were brought two boxes of tea selections. You could pick up each container and smell the teas, which I thought was a good idea. My previous afternoon tea experiences at Battery Wharf didn’t have this option so it was always a guessing game and asking the server to describe the tastes. It was definitely more fun to pick up the containers and smell each blend.
I ended up picking the Palm Court Exotic blend which has Chinese white tea, Hibiscus flowers, rose hip and pink rose petals. If I could also get this in a body fragrance, I’d gladly foot the bill for it. I’d take a bath with this blend if I could. The aroma wasn’t overpowering. It was subtle but memorable on the tongue. So lovely.
As for the food, there was The Langham for $ 36 or The Reserve for $ 48. We chose the Langham and it came with 4 finger sandwiches, 2 scones and 4 desserts for each person.
Favorite finger sandwich was the house smoked salmon parfait on Boston brown bread. It’s so simple but so yummy. Plus smoked salmon is always good. No doubt.
Scones were also a favorite as they were plain and came with clotted cream, strawberry jam and lemon curd. I could eat this all day!
So I am not a big fan of American/​Western desserts as they are often way too sweet, but the selection here surprised me. The lemon meringue cupcake was my favorite. It was moist and it had the right amount of sweet and tanginess.
Service-​wise, they were pretty attentive and knew when to bring out the next course. Our teas were refilled with hot water and then steeped again at the right times. When we were ready to leave, the bill came without being asked. Perfect.
I think price-​wise, this is one of the cheaper options in the city but it definitely exceeded my expectations especially after reading the reviews here. I’d gladly come back in the spring or summer for another tea session!

My daughter and I had afternoon tea here recently. We requested no salmon or egg sandwiches, instead of giving us extras of the other two sandwiches (cucumber and chicken salad) we received two additional substitutions which was appreciated. We enjoyed all the food, but asked for the desserts to go since we were too full after the sandwiches and scones. There were numerous tea offerings and you are presented with a box when you sit down to sniff and choose your tea.
I do have feedback regarding the service. Overall the service was friendly. I did ask to see a champagne menu after we ordered our tea but I never got it. I didn’t bother asking again, but would have ordered a glass if I had received the menu, so that was a lost sale.
My other is at the end of our tea we were kind of forgotten about and after about 30 minutes I waved someone down so we could get the desserts boxed up and get our check.
Overall we enjoyed the experience, my daughter said it was one of her favorite things we did on the trip and we would definitely return.

Took my mom here for afternoon tea for Mother’s Day. At first, I was not very impressed, as The Reserve is literally next to the door and looked more like a bar/​lounge for happy hour. It didn’t seem very private or the best setting for a quite afternoon tea. However, I WAS impressed with the food, tea, and service. My mom and I had a wonderful time! I had this most delicious rose tea that was this stunning pink color-​so beautiful! My mom and I also enjoyed «The Tiffin». The scones were amazing and I was in love with the cucumber sandwiches. The Wedgwood china was beautiful (and added a more traditional element to the tea service). The piano player was also lovely addition to a wonderful afternoon.
I would recommend The Reserve for tea. It is a bit more contemporary compared to The Taj or The Four Seasons, but I would go back again.

A lovely spot to have a peaceful afternoon tea. A bit pricey, but most teas are. The holiday tea is excellent! Every season there are fun new deserts to try amd a pianist sets the tranquil mood. I suggest trying it at least once. Only downside, service can be slow and not overly friendly.

I went to The Reserve for «Afternoon Tea» with my husband and we were SO disappointed. Sure… maybe I had high expectations after my amazing afternoon tea experience at the Langhom in London. But their afternoon tea here was not what I was expecting. I thought I would get the same 5 star treatment as I did back in London but it really wasn’t even close. The Reserve is located right in the hotel lobby near the bar just as you walk in. In regards to the afternoon tea, for almost $ 40 a person, they are stingy as the price covers only a set amount of scones and sandwiches (The Langham in London gave unlimited servings of scones and sandwiches and didn’t make you feed bad for asking!) In addition, their scones were crunchy and not fluffy and airy as one would expect. Their service was slow and they just have the ambience all wrong. If you’re looking for a great afternoon tea experience I would look elsewhere.

You have a choice of the Tiffen or The Reserve, the only real difference is a glass of Moet or Rose’…Tea starts at 2pm. We went at 2pm on a Sunday. The staff was very attentive, they had our reservation and our requests all in order. Especially Aylana… We had one Gluten Free person and they accomodated her perfectly… The atmosphere is a wonderfully Gatsbyish area off the main lobby… I personally liked this aspect… I really loved seeing all the guests coming and going and even some coming in from siteseeing and opting to sit for the Tea Service and relax at the tables that were not reserved. We were not rushed at all. Its so wonderful to catch up with the girls over tiny sandwiches & sweets whiling away for hours with no pressure…
PRO: all Harney & Sons Teas and Special Langham Blends
CON: tea bags, instead of loose tea… wasn’t a dealbreaker but dissapointing

I was looking forward to having afternoon tea at The Reserve.
You have a choice of Tiffin at The Langham ($ 32) or The Reserve ($ 45) with your choice of tea. They bring out a box of tea leaves you get to read and sniff to make your choice. I love the tea. I chose the Earl Grey with lemon or milk. Lemon of course. We went with the Tiffin. The finger sandwiches came out first, they were delicious. Then the desert which wasn’t my favorite. Nothing exciting about the desert, I was looking forward to it but it wasn’t delicious. The only delicious one out of them were the chocolate. The scones were fresh out of the over, but again not my favorite.
HERE’S THE MENU WHEN I WENT!
Tea sandwiches
House smoked salmon on Boston brown bread, crème fraîche
Egg and chive salad on brioche
Roast beef and chive farmer’s cheese on sour dough white
English cucumber, white pepper and dill cream cheese
***
Traditional cream scones
Devonshire clotted cream, strawberry jam and lemon curd
***
Raspberry cream pink macaroon
Strawberry cream profiterole
Blueberry and honey ricotta Verrine
Amoretti Gianduja chocolate crunch cake
Servers were polite and attentive. Tea was delicious. I would give two extra stars but the desert tray and scones weren’t amazing. I was also hoping the plates were placed on the tier tray they had off to the side. But it wasn’t. It was an un-​tradtional afternoon tea experience.

Had tea time with the girls and it was a hit! The food was delicious and the waiter was fantastic, very attentive and courteous. You have two choices of the either the Tiffin or the Reserve. I went with the Tiffin and enjoyed it immensely. They where able to accommodate a large group of ladies with an advance reservation. One thing I would say was draw back was that the tea area is right where you walk into the hotel which is a bit awkward… Other than that, the Reserve was good and I will definitely go back soon.

Wherever my work takes me, so does my coffee. And this week’s Morning Coffee Edition: The Reserve.
The Reserve is conveniently located inside the luxurious and renowned Langham Hotel. «AAA Four-​Diamond Boston. that recalls a charming era of refined service. with every imaginable modern amenity.» And I had the pleasure of enjoying their refined service and coffee, not too long ago during an unexpected commute to work.
During my commute to work, I was in search of a nearby coffee lounge, lobby, and venue to charge my laptop, and complete my «Weekly Political Report.» Losing myself in the heart of the Financial District, I was not particularly choosy of what venue would suit my needs better; but I knew that I was on time schedule. So I immediately chose «the old gray building» on my left, The Langham Hotel, because of its close proximity to where I was at the time. However, little to my knowledge, I did not know the level of sophistication and luxury that would greet me, when I stepped inside its doors.
Stepping inside Langham hotel, was like stepping backwards in time-​a time when there was such a thing called «class» [a close simulation to the movie, A Midnight in Paris]. On every wall there were pictures of legendary entertainers and musicians etc, dating back from the early 1920s, and their attention to retro décor was not overlooked-​their lounge known as «The Reserve» truly spoke for itself. Although I did not have more time to truly enjoy my experience of «vintage class» hospitality [because of my busy agenda], but it was enough for me to sit down and taste their coffee-​taking a picture to keep that moment stuck fast in time.
And so, my coffee of choice is their Illy’s black coffee. A well known brand that provides any coffee connoisseur inherent pleasure. The Reserve is not only a great place for coffee, but for afternoon tea and dinner [Cuisine & Dining food review is still on the way]. Their most frequent guests happens to be entrepreneurs and investment bankers, so don’t be surprised if they speak in another language besides the common everyday language.

I’m in love with afternoon tea at The Reserve!
It had been a LONG time since I had been in the Langham (probably since it was Le Meridien), but a bunch of us go to tea on a regular basis, and today we went to The Reserve. The renovation is lovely (it is where the front desk used to be), it’s bright/​sunny, and the food is DELICIOUS. This is THE BEST deal ($ 30 for «The Tiffin») on tea in Boston. Scones? Yum. Sandwiches? I don’t really like egg salad and that was just one of the sandwiches that I devoured. Pastries? INHALED them. And the little carrot cake? I would have liked a box to take home, thanks very much. My only disappointment was that the little whoopee pie was too cakey and not enough filling, but the carrot cake really made up for it :)
Our server, Diego, was fantastic. Beautiful table, great service, we didn’t feel rushed at all. 5 stars!

We had the Tiffin Afternoon Tea today and it was wonderful! The room is luxurious and full of sunshine. The service was crisp and efficient. And the food was delicious. I regularly meet with a group of my girl friends for Afternoon Tea and this certainly ranks as our favorite place in Boston. I highly recommend it!

Afternoon Tea review: The scones were amazing, tea was ok, and the sandwiches were cute but still just ok. Service was not great. Seating felt like a lobby.

This rating is based solely on my afternoon tea experience, nothing more.
The tea service was «okay» if you don’t have experience having tea anywhere else.
Firstly, their scones, sandwiches and sweets were not «displayed» in the proper order (scones first or on top if all served at once, sandwiches, then sweets). Secondly, and more importantly, they used teabags (albeit good Harney & Sons ones) versus loose leaf tea. When they refilled my tea pot, they didn’t replace the bag so my second pot was hot but full of watered down tea. Thirdly, they don’t have a specific tea room. Rather, you’re seated in the lobby area adjacent to the front entrance. I was disappointed with my experience.
If you’re not overly concerned with proper tea etiquette, or if you’re just passing by (or staying at the hotel), I’d say it’s decent but definitely nothing special– the tea sandwiches tasted bland and the scones were probably not baked on site. I would NOT, however, recommend it for an experience.

This review is only for the afternoon tea in the Reserve Lounge.
Feel like being treated like a cretin? Feel like having your special day ruined? Go to tea at the Langham Hotel’s Reserve Lounge!
We had a reservation recently for a large group and despite several assurances that we would be seated together, imagine our surprise when we were seated 15 feet apart at separate tables. So fun. The host was INCREDIBLY rude to us when we brought the situation to his attention. Seriously, never have I been treated so badly by a host, waiter, parent or random person on the street. It was appalling.
They moved us to a different table, but it wasn’t set up great. Maybe due to the «last minute» change. Our waiter was very nice and tried to make up for the rude host. The tea was disorganized. We didn’t get our actual tea to drink until well into the 2^nd course. It was crazy. One person had a nut allergy and they were good at accommodating that (we let them know the allergy ahead of time).
I wouldn’t go back to tea here and I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone. The lobby Reserve Lounge is cute, but there are so many other quality teas in Boston where you can be treated civilly.