Afternoon Tea at The Fairmont Palliser

We four ladies, two twenty somethings and two newly fifty something, had so much fun. Our waitress was excellent and the food was excellent. The reno's to the Hotel are lovely. All in all, one to remember.

Booked a table for ten to celebratea birthday and the staff went completely out of there way to make everyone feel so special with all 10 participants expressing their desires to come back next chance they could.

It was an absolutely beautiful way to celebrate my mother’s 70th birthday.

Outstanding service. The food was dry and disappointingly subpar.

I've always loved having Afternoon Tea at the Fairmont Palliser - Always an enjoyable experience. I've been enjoying Afternoon Tea for several years. The part I've always enjoyed the most was the "ambiance". With the grandeur of the hotel itself and the "old world charm" it encompasses, I can feel like I've been carried away to the Victorian era. However, with renovations recently undertaken, and the new Hawthorn being the place tea is served, the surroundings for Afternoon Tea now are a more "mondern" take on the traditional space. It doesn't feel as quaint and as "grand" as it used to. I didn't feel like I was transported back in time, as I used to. Also, the food tasted great, but also lacked the beautiful presentation we had come to enjoy in the past. The experience was still a great one - and I highly recommend the experience. I guess I'm just "old fashioned"!

The items served did not match the steep price of the holiday tea ($70/guest). The bread was dry for the sandwiches and the desserts were mediocre. While our server was very nice, the ambiance felt more like we were sitting in a lounge setting and just stopping in for a snack. I would not recommend having tea at the palliser and feel that there are better experiences to be had in the city.

The afternoon was wonderful with special family & friends. The one suggestion would be that other Fairmont’s have the menus on the table which is nice for reference while you’re enjoying the food. I would also say that though it was delicious the price is a little high & the Christmas decor was lacking in the restaurant area. We would definitely come back again.

First time experience and was better then expected. Pacing and service were nicely timed.

Christmas celebration

All round good experience, met our expectations. Would have rather been in an actual tea room and not right beside the open bar.

We had a very nice time but our experience at the Banff Fairmount high tea was a grander affair on all levels by far

Amazing place for birthdays very cozy

It was really busy in the dining room. The chair was really comfortable and the head cutouts of downtown Abby characters are hilarious. The hostess girl was really nice and checked our coats for us. Service by Jessica was excellent. Can’t say how much I love the fairmont earl grey with just a bit of milk. The sandwiches are good as well. I was bit worried as I was reading the reviews and some reviews mentioned sandwich being dry. They were very moist and tasty. My favourite was the cucumber sandwich and cranberry chicken sandwich. Desserts and scones are excellent.

Our server was excellent, but it felt like we were eating in a cafeteria. The brown table felt cheap and just did not exude the elegance of afternoon tea

What an amazing experience. Upon entering the room the sheer ambiance takes your breath away. Our waitress, Julie, walked us through the tea box and explained each of the qualities of tea with amazing detail and patiently answered our questions. Our mimosas were delicious and the champagne, delicious. The three tiered meal, had delicious fresh scones, an assortment of sandwiches and finger foods, followed by artistic desserts too pretty to eat. LOVE THIS. If you are looking for a luxurious eating experience without the air of pretentiousness, you must try this!!!

High tea is always a fun experience. However the service was not great. It was fine up until we had to pay, the server dropped off our bill and never returned. We needed the bill split and after waiting almost 30 minutes for our server to return she did not. We ended up having to ask another server.

We tried the Downton Abbey tea. The sandwiches were delicious. My favourite was the smoked salmon and the devilled eggs.
The jams and scones tasted wonderful and we were glad there were no raisins in the scones. The little cakes were lovely. All in all the experience was very pleasant. Loved the glasses that the Prosecco was served in.
My only complaint was that the music was too loud for the number of people in the dining room.

Absolutely excellent experience from start to finish! Food was splendid and the presentation was visually appealing. Our server Jessica was gracious, courteous and attentive and made our time in the Hawthorne Room perfectly memorable❤

Newly renovated and very welcoming. Great job and will be back for a dinner.

Loved the Downtown Abbey afternoon tea. Very authentic and great service.

Brilliant afternoon tea with all of the traditional accompaniments that made for a memorable Mother-Daughter experience. We look forward to doing this again!

I have attended afternoon tea at the Fairmont Palliser once before with my husband, but this time I was by myself. They were having a Downtown Abbey themed event, which I didn't know at the time I made my reservation, but I thought it was a cute idea. The art deco ambiance of the Hawthorne dining room plays perfectly into the time period of the show, and is a treat for anyone who likes vintagevibes.

The tower of sweet and savoury delectables was wonderful, but I noticed there were no macarons - which are my favorite. When I mentioned I was surprised about there not being macarons my server, Sarah, said she would see if she could get me one. She really went the extra mile for me, and made my day with her wonderful service and not one - but two! - macarons. I also received a Fairmont Palliser postcard with my cheque, which I thought was a lovely touch.

I highly recommend the Fairmont Palliser for tea, ambiance, and service, and will probably be back again next time I am in Calgary.

We were here for the Downton Abbey afternoon tea and it was a wonderful experience. Our hostess and server were both very friendly and were very accommodating of our dietary restrictions. They had a great selection of teas and the ambience was just perfect; modern with a classic touch.

Enjoyed everything but it is very pricey but u knew that going in. You are paying for the experience. The food was very good too.

Great service. Starting from the hostess and the server. Everyone is all smiling and very pleasant. The scones are super airy and warm and delicious.

I had higher expectations for the Fairmont. We were there for a birthday - celebrating the afternoon with high tea. The food and services were good, very filling sandwiches and lovely pastries. My disappointment stems from the fact that was the tea was not hot, and we solely went for high tea. Even though staff brought around hot water to add to our pots, the tea was lukewarm at best.

I went to the Palliser for my birthday afternoon tea. I enjoyed every aspect of the affair. Neither the tea nor the food disappointed and the service was kind and attentive. I will definitely enjoy another afternoon tea with Fairmont.

It was a very lovely time with excellent service and great food. My only complaint was that there was a wedding party taking pictures and was very loud. Luckily they left fairly soon
Other than that, it was a tremendous experience.

My young daughters took their grandma for tea for her birthday and they charges the kids tea service as adults instead of as kids. This resulted in being over billed $70!! I called to try and straighten out the situation and was treated poorly by the hostess and told there was nothing they could do. So I went in and asked to speak with the manager. After explaining what had happened she refunded me one adult tea service. But we had tipped 20% on the entire original bill. So I ended up paying $175 for tea service for 3, what a rip off. We will not be back

I have to say that I was somewhat disappointed with our visit. With it being the long weekend the restaurant wasn't at all busy and yet we were seated at a table that was very wobbly--every time we moved it moved! We asked to be re-located and we were accommodated but it was a damper on the occasion. Overall our time was OK but of the 4 occasions that I've come for tea, the last three haven't delighted like my first visit did and I don't see myself coming back again. The price that is charged simply is too much for tea.

The scones are amazing! Finger sandwiches and the sweet treats were excellent. The whole experience was exactly what I expect and actually surpassed. Well done!

This experience was worth every penny. If you are looking for an afternoon to be spoilt this is it.

The Palliser is always elegant. However the price is outrageous for the quality & quantity of their High Tea! The tea & scones were wonderful. The sandwiches mediocre. Rock music was playing in the background. Really!
Enjoyed time with my son regardless.

Rap music is not the right soundtrack for high tea.

The service that I received was lovely. No complaints there. However, the tea and setting was not what I expect from a Fairmont or equivalent property.
The scones had the close, soft, cake-like texture of a muffin. One of the tea sandwiches was on an acceptable roll, but the other three were on plain white bread. I asked where they source their bread from and my server reported back that the pasty chef had only advised "from a commercial supplier". It wasn't as bad as wonder bread, but it was clearly just sliced commercial white bread. The bottom of the cucumber and dill sandwich was soggy. The pastry selection was fine. Nothing to write home about, but still fine.
Tea is served in the bar area, and it shows. Classic rock was playing on the overhead and the staff uniform was blue jeans. This is... fine, I guess. I would encourage the F&B manager to contact their counterpart at the Fairmont Vier Jahreszeiten and ask for some tips on how to run a tea service though.
To reiterate though - the service I received was good. None of these things was within the control of my server, who was delightful. I would not return though as the food that is served here is not up to the standards of the brand.

The atmosphere and service promised a superb experience, but sadly, the sandwiches and desserts were not impressive. The scones were good though. For $94.00 I expected and have had much better afternoon teas.

Overpriced for what you get. Food okay. Better go to Banff, Lake Louise or Waterton Lakes instead. Service was excellent

Lovely afternoon tea, great selection of food

It was amazing to have this experience at Afternoon Tea at The Fairmont Palliser.

Great experience. It never looks like there will be enough food but we always have leftovers. Nice selection of teas and a lovely selection of savoury and sweet foods. The room has been renovated nicely and has a much more contemporary feel.