The Fairmont Empress Is Spot On with Its Signature Afternoon Tea

The moment I bit into the truffle-rich quiche at the Fairmont Empress, I got it. “It” being the generations of praise the hotel has received for its Afternoon Tea service; the unofficial designation as a Canadian dining ritual that must be shared with your mom at least once; and the enduring signature experience of a property considered a national treasure.

Built in 1908, The Empress is the accommodations queen of British Columbia, a dominating building on Victoria’s harbourfront that seizes your attention from the outside and charms you within its walls with eager service, lavish amenities, and more than enough stories (ghostly ones included) to keep you rapt. It’s the Afternoon Tea, though, that has set the hotel apart from others in Western Canada, even among the Fairmont brand.

I was skeptical before I entered the Lobby Lounge because travel experiences labelled as “signature” or “iconic” don’t always live up to  expectations. The Empress’s culinary cornerstone delivered on its promise of high-quality dining and memory-maker. The service begins with a tea menu that includes a range of black varieties, including The Empress’s signature blend, and decaffeinated options such as fruity or herbal choices. Properly served, the tea arrives in a bag swimming in scalding hot water inside a large pot that holds enough for four cups. Accompanying it is a grains-of-sand timer with a triumvirate of hourglasses: one each for three, four, or five minutes. The hourglass settings correspond to the type of tea ordered and how long each should steep.

As an avid tea drinker (I have at least two cups a day), I appreciated the meticulousness and the variety. The Empress Blend is layered with aromas and flavours, earthy but with subtle fruity notes that delight your tongue. More novel is Blue Suede Shoes, a green tea that actually turns azure-coloured when poured because of the butterfly blue pea flower in its blend.

You expect The Empress to hit the spot with tea. I wasn’t so sure about what I would get with the food. High tea in Canada can be an overpriced disappointment, with too many outlets serving bland finger sandwiches and nibbles that are too sugary. In contrast, it was both a relief and a delight when I sampled The Empress’s bites. Served on a three-tier tray of white plates, the Afternoon Tea includes sweet treats — such as a macaron, soft-as-a-cloud sponge cake, and chocolate ganache topped with chantilly cream and a decorative wafer — and savoury tastes, like the two-bite quiche, that demonstrate impressive culinary skill.

The quiche is on the bottom layer of trays, alongside a perfect scone that comes with jam and clotted cream, made in-house, in royal-esque ramekins, and a sable biscuit. The centre tray is filled with three finger sandwiches that are the epitome of “dainty”.

To its great credit, The Empress leans fully into the family appeal of the experience. The Children’s Royal Tea is a smile-inducing sampling of lovely indulgences. My 8-year-old, Gabriel, received a cake pop, tutti frutti-flavoured macaron, marshmallow, raspberry-lemon cupcake, and chocolate cookie. He grinned through the experience, mostly ignoring the finger sandwiches but trying one of the citrusy teas.

The Afternoon Tea has been part of the hotel’s program since its doors opened, a remarkable feat given how much hotels and their hospitality services tend to change. With any institution that has such a legacy, there are some fun facts about The Empress’s most famous offering:

• 80,000 guests arrive each year for Afternoon Tea
• More than 250,000 cups of tea are served a year  — more than some of the famous rooms in London
• 5,000-plus Children’s Royal Tea are ordered a year
• The dining team has a designated “Scone Master”, Joga Kaler, who has made more than 8 million scones during his 30-year tenure at the hotel.

While the Afternoon Tea is the most accessible of The Empress’s refined experiences, hotel guests also have the option to expand on the opulence with access to the Fairmont Gold Floor. The 1,100-square-foot lounge serves breakfast and has food offerings in the afternoon. Self-serve tea and coffee is always available, and so are alcoholic beverages. Renovated in 2023, the Gold Floor is a blend of modern comfort and historic architecture. The original steel beams and brick archways bracket the elegant contemporary decor that stretches out in an open-floor plan. A patio faces onto the famed inner harbour, making it one of the prime places in Victoria for sunset-viewing and al fresco sips.

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“Fairmont Empress appeals to international travellers by offering an iconic Canadian luxury experience in one of the country’s most picturesque settings,” the hotel’s general manager, Dan McGowan, says. “For those seeking an even more elevated stay, Fairmont Gold offers an exclusive experience with personalized services, a private lounge, and further comforts designed to surpass guests’ expectations.”

While The Empress is always an in-demand property, the summer of 2026 figures to be one of its busiest in memory. The 2026 FIFA World Cup is forecast to be a boon for British Columbia’s tourism sector, not only limited to the province’s host city of Vancouver. According to the B.C. Ministry of Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sport, the World Cup “is expected to attract over 1 million additional out-of-province visitors”. No doubt many of them will be fans of the teams scheduled to play games in Vancouver, including Australia and New Zealand, two of the most important tourism markets for B.C. There’s also the “escape the World Cup” cohort that is comprised of residents of host cities who will are seeking to get away from the mayhem of the mega-sports event. So there may be an uptick in Vancouverites exploring Victoria in June and early July.

“Whether you are visiting from afar or coming from Vancouver, Victoria is the perfect place to slow down and recharge. With its scenic harbour, famous gardens, walkability and relaxed pace, it is an inviting destination for a restorative getaway,” says Lisa McPhail, The Empress’s Director of Public Relations.

Where to Eat in Victoria

Increasingly, Victoria is also a culinary destination. While the Afternoon Tea at The Empress is the most recognized dining attraction, there are a growing number of outstanding restaurants in the city. Here are two of the best:

Ugly Duckling Provisions: Chef/owner Corbin Matheny, a devoted follower of fine-dining practices, provides the hallmarks of exceptional cooking at his small, independent restaurant in Chinatown. Ingredients are carefully sourced, service is knowledgeable, and plates are inventive and beautiful to view. Among the clever touches on my recent meal was a tasty XO sauce made with halibut trimmings and a gently smoked sablefish served with trout roe that I can’t imagine could be better.

Still less than three years old, Ugly Duckling Provisions has established itself as a must-visit spot for connoisseurs. [Read More About Ugly Duckling Provisions] 

Marilena: With a focus on seafood from the Pacific Northwest and one of the best wine lists on the west coast, Marilena is a crowd-pleasing staple. The atmosphere is jovial and elegant. Start with the oysters and let your hunger guide you through a menu that is filled with fantastic oceanic dishes.

On June 3, Marilena will host a Visa Infinite Dining Series event featuring the most recent “Top Chef Canada” finalists, Coulson Armstrong of Prime Seafood Palace in Toronto and Vancouver’s Alex Kim of Five Sails.

MORE ABOUT THE FAIRMONT EMPRESS

Location: 721 Government Street, Victoria, British Columbia (see map below)
Afternoon Tea: The Lobby Lounge’s tea service takes place daily from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and costs between $70 and $109. Advance reservations are highly recommended.
Other Hotel Dining: The Bengal is the reopened historic restaurant that is one of the most celebrated rooms in Victoria. Originally designed with Indian motifs and Queen Victoria in mind, the revamped space retains much of its heritage. It serves breakfast and dinner, including Sunday Roast. It is serving a Mother’s Day Brunch, featuring two courses and a dessert buffet; tables can be booked here. [Read More About The Bengal’s Reopening]
Room Rates: A nightly weekend stay in June starts at $440, based on a recent search of the property’s booking engine. Gold Floor rates begin at $844 per night.