Banff Springs Hotel Rundle Lounge Afternoon Tea - Banff

Overall

Food

Service

Atmosphere

Cleanliness

Price: $$$$ 35-50 per person      Would I go Back: Yes      Reservation: Recommended

Afternoon tea is held in the Rundle Lounge, I would recommend booking ahead especially if you have a food allergy so they can prepare the food to your dietry needs and they'll reserve a table for you by the windows if they can.

This lounge area is on the second floor and is nicely furnished with old victorian style decor which can set a nice atmosphere. If you get a window seat to have your afternoon tea it can be quite breathtaking looking at the mountains while sipping your tea. Unfortunately the Rundle Lounge doesn't just serve afternoon tea at the afternoon tea time slots. There is alot of others ordering off the lounge menu looking for a quick bite and you may end up with some noisy groups as the Rundle Lounge is an upscale bar lounge. For this I did not give it full stars as it would be more enjoyable to have afternoon tea in a more peaceful environment.

The service is not quite on the ball of things. We've been a few times for afternoon tea and they always seems to be a little confused with our booking. The waiting are nice and friendly but not quite on the ball of things sometimes like the teas, we would ask about the flavours of the tea selection they just read the name of the tea. In fact sometimes when we go there seems to be a bit of confusion going on. Since having afternoon tea is a slow process and the tea goers like to enjoy and relax with their company, a few times there was a feel of being forgotten. They do bring the food and take away the dishes promptly but once you have your pot of tea and the three tier tray comes, after they go through what's on the trays their attention is elsewhere. I had to ask for some more hot water or fresh tea as we only had one pot to share.

The food on the tray was good. The finger sandwiches were cute but not very inventive (cucumber sandwich, carrot sandwich, egg salad sandwich and smoked salmon with cream cheese). There were scones with yummy devonshire cream and jam but there weren't a selection of types of scones ( I remember only some raisin scones and plain scones). The pastry and treats were a bit lacking in creativity as well. There was a lot of nanaimo bar like treats (Which I barely ate as I have a peanut allergy and they were kind of iffy. Even the server was not sure. And I called ahead for reservations and notified them of my allergy), lemon tarts and chocolate covered strawberries. They bring a box of the complimentary tea you can choose from or you can have the Banff Springs special blend tea.

In all the food was good for what was served but totally lacking in ingenuity and a disappointment for the price you pay for this afternoon tea experience (this is off the other afternoon tea experiences I've had). If they improve on the atmosphere like having an area that's just for afternoon tea, more attentive service, and more creativity for their selection they can make it a 5 star afternoon tea experience as no one can beat that beautiful scenery outside of that window.

If you're looking for an afternoon tea experience you don't need to go far as Banff for a Calgarian. The Palliser also serves afternoon tea although it's not listed on their website. (see review)