Empress Lounge

Great hotel bar. Excellent bartenders and cocktails. Very friendly. Interesting and diverse crowd.

Boring. Not a guy thing. Ladies only. Tea and cakes and tiny sandwiches. Not sure why I agreed to do this.

I enjoyed a fancy afternoon tea with some ladies at the Empress Lounge a few weeks ago. We were seated in the lounge in large comfy chairs around coffee tables. Each pair of two shared a tiered stand laden with all sorts of goodies. Teeny tiny, 2 bite sandwiches were on the bottom tier and artfully decorated sweets and scones adorned the other two. There was a good assortment of tea to choose from and a server consistently refilled the water in our individual pots. I chose a traditional black tea. It was delightful with some milk and sugar, just like how I had it in England. Pretty much everything was tasty except for a chocolate raspberry cake I didn’t care for and it was all very pretty. As a whole It was definitely fun for an outing, but not something I would feel compelled to do again often. I felt like you weren’t really getting your money’s worth because everything was so tiny. Although don’t let that stop you from getting your fancy tea on. It’s definitely something you should try out at least once.

I really enjoyed all the treats and the ambiance, but I ordered a black tea while my friend ordered a floral herbal tea and they used the same pot of boiling water to fill our mini tea pots. While the boiling water works for a black tea, an herbal of her type should have been steeped about ²⁵⁄₃₀ degrees lower. Even though most things were great and I enjoyed myself I can’t give a good rating if they don’t make tea properly.

A group of friends and I came here to have tea recently on a Sunday afternoon. As far as I could see it wasn’t particularly close to w metro station, so I decided to drive here. I called ahead and was told try validate parking for 2 hours if you eat in the restaurant or are coming to tea. When I arrived, the valet didn’t know very much about this, so I was a little worried.
The restaurant is part of the lobby towards the back. When we first arrived, there really isn’t a host stand and were waiting for a couple of minutes because we didn’t initially see anyone that worked there. We were seated at a group of round tables that were pushed together. It was weird because the round tables are so small and I don’t think they’re meant to be pushed together to form a larger table.
We each had our own glass teapot with loose tea. The teapot really only fills a little more than one cup, so the server kept having to fill our teapots. There were a couple of times where I had to wait for my teapot to be refilled before I could have more tea. Why not just buy bigger teapots? A food stand is brought out with tea sandwiches, cookies, and other delicious treats on it. Two people each share a stand.
Overall, we enjoyed our tea. It was a beautiful setting and the food was delicious.

The lounge in the hotel lobby is elegant and bright with floor to ceiling windows that over look the courtyard area. Plush couches and comfy tables lead to a relaxing air. There are tables and booths for every level of comfort and exposure.
The menu is a variety, unlike most lounges that sell simply alcohol, this lounge offers small bites, alcohol and of course tea service. Since it’s set to an Oriental flair, they have some delicious teas that come in the most adorable glass tea pots. Loose herbals, loose black leaf and the 2 combined.
Another option is fresh brewed coffees and lattes. One thing that I did not appreciate though, were the incredibly high prices. Those lovely teas and coffees? $ 8.00 for a pot of tea (Refillable if you’re there, room service? Not so much) so a little respite of 2 pots of tea and a small 1 cup serving of steamed edamame was $ 26.00 +tip. Frankly it’s a bit over priced.
Wow, looking up, this is my 1500^th review!

Great little lounge in the Mandarin Oriental. Great cocktails and a good beer selection.

Three and a quarter stars. Afternoon tea was fun, even if the cocktails were weak enough that I would recommend against that supplement. Service was attentive and friendly, but the pastry and tea selections were more limited than at Park Hyatt’s Tea Cellar and the price point is barely scaled down to reflect that. Natural lighting, patio view, and better service are Empress Lounge’s only advantages. Found parking around back but had to walk around since the conference entrance isn’t open on weekends evidently. Less expansive than the hotel’s downstairs event space, of course.

I FINALLY tried afternoon tea at the Mandarin and it was amazing! The pastries were light and fresh; the sandwiches were savory and filling; the jam, honey, cream and lemon curd plentiful; the tea was loose leaf (my jasmine silver needle white tea was so good that I ordered some online when I got home); and the setting was pretty and relaxing. We were a big group so originally we were seated off to the side and not in the main lounge. Unhappy with our location, the wait staff promptly moved us when a large table became available in the main area. I was particularly impressed that the staff brought out extra sandwiches for the vegetarians in our party without asking, since they couldn’t have the salmon. We were able to linger and talk as long as we wanted and the hot water was refreshed often. What a fun way to spend an afternoon in the city!

A friend and I came to the Empress Lounge for high tea on a recent very snowy weekend. When we arrived the table had an envelope with my name and the menu. A cute touch. We ordered high tea + an add-​on $ 5 cocktail.
Really, this lounge is just a part of the lobby, so that atmosphere isn’t amazing, but it’s ok. The chairs are pretty comfy. Our server was present in the beginning and then the service died off. For just under $ 60 I think I could find a better experience, but, I don’t regret going.
The tea was quite good, and served in these adorable mini teapots that also steep tea. I got a hibiscus tea and the Mandarin Orient’s version of a black russian. The tea was excellent and had lots of flavor. The cocktail was fine, ordinary, but did come garnished with some coffee beans. The food that came with our tea was just ok as well. My friend said the cheesecakes were much too sweet. The sandwiches are fairly flavorless. For example, the one with pesto only had a tiny dot of pesto. The scones were also nothing special, although my friend and I were really looking forward to them. I think I’d prefer to find somewhere else to go.

Pinkies up! In my book, tea is always a good idea. And when it’s afternoon tea at the Empress Lounge at the Mandarin Oriental, how could it not be? I made reservations on OpenTable for my friend and I about a week prior to our scheduled date. There were plenty of open reservations available then, no problem getting a reservation. I even had to change the reservation and make it a little earlier, and it wasn’t a problem.
The Empress Lounge is located in the lobby of the Mandarin Oriental. You basically enter the hotel and go straight and there’s a lounge/​bar area for tea and cocktails. All the tables that have been reserved have little Reserved cards on them. When you think of Mandarin Oriental afternoon tea, you’re probably thinking — stuffy, super dressy, snooty. But that is not the case at all. You don’t need a ballgown to have tea here. And the service and environment are far from stodgy; everyone is super friendly and accommodating, making this afternoon tea experience a true gem.
I selected the flowering osmanthus, a green tea, and my friend selected the lychee red, a black tea. Teas come in the cutest mini teapots and there’s a separate glass teapot warmer and glass teapot with hot water, so you can replenish hot water into your mini teapot at your convenience. This is brilliant! At home, I’m always struggling with having a full pot of tea and having it to drink it fairly quickly so the water doesn’t turn cold. I love these mini teapots, and now I’m going to hunt for some to purchase!
My flowering osmanthus was wonderful, not as full-​bodied as the green teas I’m used to drinking and a little more floral, but it was still great. My friend’s lychee red was good too — sweet and rich. Along with our teas came a 3-​tier stand. The top tier had madeleines and scones. The second tier had cheesecake, clafoutis tarts with brandy cherry, and salambo with praline diplomat cream and candied pecans. The bottom tier had savory sandwiches — cucumber with dill cream cheese on rye, egg salad on brioche, smoked salmon with cream cheese on pumpernickel, and cheese gougère. My favorites were the smoked salmon sandwich (which even had some caviar on top) and the clafoutis tart with brandy cherry. The tea sandwiches and pastries were very good. I just wish it was unlimited!
You could always get supplements:
Tier replenishment — $ 5
Champagne pairing — $ 10
Cocktail pairing — $ 5
A total of $ 41 before tip. Honestly for afternoon tea at the Mandarin Oriental, the price is very reasonable. I had afternoon tea at the Grille at Morrison House in Old Town Alexandria and it was $ 45, although granted they offer all-​you-​can-​eat but the quality of the teas, sandwiches, and sweets are definitely not on par with Empress Lounge. Fantastic service, of course. I would definitely come back and recommend this tea lounge.

I decided to give the Empress Lounge’s tea service another try. I booked a reservation for my friend’s 40^th birthday. When we arrived, our table had hand wriiten envelopes with my name containing the menu. Lovely touch!
The tea service is now the traditional service where you are presented with a tier of goodness. It was truly a wonderful experience and the food/​tea was delicious.

We went during the JCB weekend.
The layout of the lounge is nice, but the drinks are so marked up. I get that it is a lounge in the Mandarin Hotel, but I definitely didn’t feel like I got my monies worth. A couple frozen grapes as ices cubes shouldn’t cost me an arm.
Plus the service was so slow, and half the lounge was empty. We told our server we were in a time crunch, but they took their time.

This is a nice lobby bar that scores pretty high in swank factor — there are always important people in town, hobnobbing around. Celebrities like to stay there when they come to DC because the paparazzi aren’t allowed into the Portals circle (or so I’ve heard). It’s a light-​filled space with a beautiful view and proximity to the river. The servers are usually pretty generous with the wine pours and with the «free» snack mix and olives.
The downside is that when important people are hobnobbing around, there are also usually scores of not-​as important people that pack this bar after work. It can be pretty tough to get a seat, especially during the summer season. The prices are also steep and they don’t recognize any kind of Happy Hour — to be expected from the Mandarin, but still unfortunate.
Regardless, Empress Lounge has been an after-​work staple for years and if you’re in the area, it’s a fun scene for a drink or two after a long day.
Tip: the pens they give you to sign your check are fantastic. I’m not telling you to steal one, that would be wrong. But if you did happen to end up with one «by accident», you won’t regret it.

My SO and I got to experience High Tea at the Empress Lounge of the Mandarin Oriental the morning after I was proposed to! My fiancé and I were naturally over-​flowing with excitement after having called all of our loved ones in the morning and sharing in our happy news with them. I was surprised to learn my SO had one more surprise in store for me as we checked out of our room and walked into the Empress Lounge for our tea adventure!
Since we were the first to arrive, we had our choice of prime seats in the lounge. We were immediately offered a tea menu and told we could begin indulging in the unlimited food options (both savory and sweet). We noticed a lack of vegetarian savory items in the buffet, and the server immediately said she would work with the restaurant chefs and see if they could tailor make some vegetarian finger sandwiches and crudités for us. The manager checked up on us a few times, as did the server, and eventually we were brought 4 large plates of vegetarian savory bites, just for us. After eating as much as we could, we were told that we could take the remainder home with us, which was quite a treat!
The service was absolutely fantastic, as we were treated like royalty the entire time and the food was incredibly delicous.
What a fantastic experience on the heels of being newly engaged :)

Had to stay at the Mandarin for two nights during the week and wanted to grab something to eat. This is the only bar in the hotel that was open late since the other restaurant with a bar, CityZen, was closed and Muze didn’t have a bar area. I was told by the woman at Muze that Empress had it’s own menu.
I ordered pork belly sliders which were pretty good. I was annoyed to find out the guy next to me ordered Muze’s menu. This is the main reason I dropped the rating. Otherwise, it’s a three star place in my book. It’s a nice lobby, but I find most expensive hotels usually have a pretty good setup.

We stayed a night at the Mandarin Oriental this past weekend, and went to the Empress Lounge twice — once when we checked in around 2 PM and second before dinner.
The lounge is nicely set up. Around 2:30 PM, it was empty. We then saw people coming in for tea time. We just ordered a drink, tea, and some appetizers. For the food, I highly recommend the ‘Vegetable Samosas’. I am an Indian who has had samosas at numerous places (including India). The veggie samosas at this lounge is AMAZING. The order comes with 6 small samosas, served with tomato chutney and yogurt sauce. The samosas were so good, that we decided to come here again at 7:30 PM for appetizers before our dinner reservation at 8:30 PM (at the hotel).
Every Friday and Saturday, the lounge has a live band playing jazz music. We spent an hour at the lounge enjoying the music, drinks, and oh so yummy veggie samosas. My husband ordered the ‘Chicken Lollipops’, and within 5 minutes the plate was empty.
I am not sure if I would necessarily come here for tea time. I rather come here in the evenings for a nice drink/​appetizers and live music.
Yes — I am still craving those samosas… so much better than most of the samosas served in Indian restaurants here.

Meh. With tax and tip, 2 hours of afternoon tea + a chocolate martini at this place was $ 52 a person.
I wouldn’t be coming back.
Afternoon tea here is just so so.
Here’s what I expect for afternoon tea: yummy delicate tea sandwiches, really pretty desserts, yummy tea, good service, super comfy chairs, and perhaps a nice setting. The best afternoon tea I ever had was at the Dorchester in London. Yeah I know that’s not exactly a fiar comparison, but I also remember having a really good experience at Reynolds Tea House in Annapolis.
This place kinda sucked. I give it 2 stars though for the EXCELLENT service we got, the so so tea, and the pretty food. Notice I said «pretty» and not tasty.
I knew I should have passed when I found out that afternoon tea here is a buffet, but anyways, I figured I’d give it a try. Here’s what they had: exactly three «savory» mini «sandwiches,» a table full of mini desserts, chocolate fondue, scones with good clotted cream, and what looked like really pretty sugar cookies.
The tea sandwiches showed promise. I remember cucumber sandwiches, a chicken and truffle mouse sandwich, and smoked salmon. All three were less than okay. The bread was DRY.
None of the desserts were memorable. And trust me, I love me my desserts and will absolutely give credit where credit is due.
The scones were decent, but my friends have made a lot better that they have brought to potlucks.
Onto the good — well I really liked the chocolate martini and the super cute gay couple on a date next to us.
Trust me, save your $ 50 and go somewhere else.

Since I stayed on the Tai Pan Club level, coming to the lobby for drinks was off the bucket list for me. However, just to see what they had to offer, I came to check it out on Halloween night, just before dinner.
This place takes up the majority of the lobby, as it overlooks the lobby, and the garden area. I assume they do a lot of afternoon tea (I wouldn’t know, I was too busy hanging out with Jim Beam upstairs) here by the lush furniture.
I went straight for the bar, and a friendly gentleman came up to me with a menu. I started scrolling through and I realized that this was mostly a martini bar, with some seasonal drinks. There was a brand new «Fall Collection» so you better believe I started off with some. I think it was a caramel apple crumble. That went down in two sips. I then ordered a DC lime drop. That went down in 2 sips. Hell, at that point, I don’t even remember the last drink I got… Oh yea– it was a ginger mojito– as my aunt and uncle were picking me up for dinner, I had to bottoms up the glass.
So yes, 3 drinks in just under 10 minutes. Did I mention dinner was wonderful that night? :P
But yea, if you just want to relax in a low lit setting with friendly bartenders, this is the place to go.
Some of the best mixed «girly» drinks I have ever had. Or is that the purpose of a girly drink?!?

One thing I love about the Mandarin Oriental’s Empress Lounge is that it’s elegant but not intimidating or overwhelming. Another girl and I both had on similar purple wrap dresses, and I saw people in fitted t-​shirts and cargos. Basically, nice-​casual seems to be the dress code. As much as I like dressing up, I don’t want to have to get on the metro wearing something too nice on a Saturday afternoon. It just feels weird.
Also, I’ve heard they have divine jazz here at night, so will definitely have to come back for a nighttime affair. The ambiance is an elegant, well lit lounge, and it’s much less intimate than tea rooms generally are. It felt like we were in a recessed section of the lobby, and I’m still not sure if it’s the best setting for some gfs to catch up. A little too open in space, and your gossip will definitely be overheard.
PRICING
$ 32 + tax & tip gets you the buffet and tea or coffee
$ 38 + tax & tip gets you the buffet, a specialty cocktail and tea or coffee
Or you can get coffee and tea individually a la carte.
Since I was not really feeling cocktailish at 230pm, I opted for the buffet with tea/​coffee sans drink.
DRINKS
They have a couple black teas, couple fruit infused teas, couple white teas… you get the picture. I tried a rose infused tea, which was rather good and fragrant. Here is their cocktail list as well:
FOOD
Scones (with and without raisins) were kept in a heated buffet warmer, with sides of devonshire cream, lemon curd, and strawberry jam. Sandwich selections included a salmon with cream cheese, an egg salad, and a ham wrap with apricot jam. There’s a chocolate fondue set complete with toothpick speared strawberries and other fruits, and there are additional other little pastries as well. In addition to all of this lavishness, there was a pure desserts table with a large orchid display that featured pot de crème, crème brûlée, panacotta and various other bite sized morsels of goodness. I especially liked their layered raspberry cake.
I do like how you have unlimited access to clotted cream. And tea refills. They were very attentive here and cleared away our plates every time we went back up to the buffet, and they inquired as to if we wanted more hot water for our tea.
Overall, I really want to give this place more stars, but I just can’t do it when tea and some snacks set me back $ 40 and I feel like I’m sitting in a nice hotel lobby.
3.5 stars