Fairmont Banff Afternoon Tea Experience In The Rockies

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Looking for a completely unique experience on your trip through the Canadian Rockies? Maybe something a little on the luxurious side? A Fairmont Banff afternoon tea might just fit the criteria.

Gourmet savory bites and decadent desserts, served with a side of tea, of course. Or something stronger if you’d like. This is one experience you won’t forget on your visit to Banff.

I’ll start by saying it’s not a cheap thing to do. At $85-100 per person it’s not just about the food, but about the experience and of course the location. The Fairmont Banff Springs is a luxury hotel, so the afternoon tea obviously comes with luxury prices.

However, having done this afternoon tea experience twice now, I can say it is a fun and unique thing to do in the Canadian Rockies – and different every time.

Where is the Fairmont Banff afternoon tea?

The hotel has a lot of restaurants and bars. There are over half a dozen establishments within the castle you can go to find a meal, light snack or just a drink. They are all slightly different, but no less fancy from the last.

There’s a steak house, an Italian restaurant, wine bar, and German pub to name a few. But for the Fairmont Banff afternoon tea you will be in the Rundle Bar or the Rundle Lounge.

The Rundle Lounge is two level, with the cozy Rundle Bar to the side on the lower level.

The small, yet adequately spacious Fairmont Banff afternoon tea location is bright and had incredible views of the Bow Valley below and the surrounding mountains out of the windows, including Mount Rundle itself.

The hotel is a maze, trekking through corridor after corridor, stone staircases and grand ballrooms. But this hidden gem is worth the walk.

Choosing your afternoon tea

There are a couple of options for your Fairmont Banff afternoon tea experience. Standard afternoon tea or adding some Champagne to your afternoon tea. There’s also a Junior afternoon tea for children.

The first step though was choosing which tea to drink. On the table was a menu of teas including descriptions and small samples you could see. You’ll be spoilt for choice so perhaps if visiting with someone else you should divide and conquer the mighty tea menu.

On my first visit I was also directed to a tea bar where I could go to and open any of the jars to smell the tea. There are about 10 different types of tea to choose from. Some black teas, some herbal teas. There were a couple of specialty teas that they also added for an additional cost if you wanted them.

I decided to go for a refreshing cucumber and melon tea the first time, which was delicious. And a soothing Egyptian Chamomile on my second visit. On one of my visits I took my British parents who went for the classic Orange Pekoe tea.

Choose your tea wisely as you get a large pot so end up with about 6 cups of it in total if you drink the whole thing.

Vegetarian options at the Fairmont Banff afternoon tea

If you have dietary restrictions, make them aware when you book. When I made the reservation in advance, I noted that we had one vegetarian in the party (me).

I have been impressed in the past at how they accommodated dietary needs at the Fairmont and I wasn’t disappointed with the afternoon tea modifications either.

When we arrived and were being seated, our server asked a few clarifying questions: was I pescatarian, was dairy OK, and would I eat desserts made with gelatin. No, yes and no were my answers and they accommodated my afternoon tea accordingly. It was nice to see they did a double check of everything before serving.

Presentation of your afternoon tea

You might end up getting distracted taking photos from the window of the amazing views outside. But very soon the food will start to arrive.

On one of my visits we were served a palate cleanser of fresh fruit (three types of melon and pineapple, topped with a raspberry) in a glass with small shavings of chocolate on the top. However on my second visit we didn’t have this. Like I said, the menu does change often.

But the real excitement starts when it’s time to bring the full smorgasbord of treats and sandwiches.

What I really liked was the wonderful explanation of each and every item, including the vegetarian variances. The enthusiastic and thorough delivery will help you really get excited about your food.

I’m finding it hard to decide which was my favorite Fairmont Banff afternoon tea menu. The first picture above shows my first afternoon tea experience in the Rundle Lounge, the second picture is my second experience in the Rundle Bar. Very different, just as elegant and equally delicious each time.

Fairmont Banff Afternoon tea

With so much food you won’t know where to start. But in both cases I decided to go in the traditional order of sandwiches first, then scones, then treats/desserts. Since this is a lot of food, note that you can always ask for a box to take away anything you don’t get to. So maybe eat the things that won’t travel well first.

Please note that the items in the afternoon tea will change seasonally so may not be as in my experience, but creativity is clearly encouraged as everything was so pretty as well as delicious.

THE SANDWICHES

Sandwiches is kind of misleading for me to say. Whereas typical afternoon teas do include sandwiches, this one changed things up slightly. They instead used mostly crackers and crostini to create open face sandwiches. Again, this menu could be different if you go another time.

The lack of full bread sandwiches ended up being a good thing, as the last thing you want is to fill up on bread and not be able to get to dessert.

There were some meat/fish “sandwiches”: pork belly with maple mustard and pickles; smoked trout with lemon aioli and chives; smoked duck with cherry chutney, orange zest and pistachios.

However many of them were vegetarian and I got other options to replace the meat options as my veggie “sandwiches”. Keep reading for a few of my favorites of the tasty vegetarian sandwiches.

Roasted butternut squash served on a cracker with a cranberry chutney and crispy sage leaves. This was one of my favorites of either afternoon tea experience. It reminded me of a (vegetarian) Thanksgiving/Christmas dinner sandwich.

What afternoon tea isn’t complete without a cucumber sandwich? There will likely be a variation of this on any afternoon tea menu. The first time mine came with fresh hummus and some spiced toasted pumpkin seeds to add a little texture. The second time it came with mustard cream cheese and some dill.

Poached pear and brie with candied walnuts – an incredible combination. The creaminess of the brie paired well with the…well, pear.

THE SCONES

Scones are an afternoon tea staple. And that’s no different with a Fairmont Banff afternoon tea.

On my first visit there were two types of scones: a buttermilk and a cranberry scone. On my second visit was a blueberry scone. All were deliciously fluffy and light. You’ll also be served some jam to go with them and a cream such as a light, citrus cream or a proper clotted cream.

THE DESSERTS

Of course the most anticipated part of the afternoon tea (for me anyway) is the delicious sweet treats. I have a serious sweet tooth so these delicious sugar-rush-inducing delights all hit the spot. Here were some of my favorites and a few examples of what you might get.

French macarons. Light and delicate, these are one of my favorite sweet snacks. The best part is they come in so many flavors. We got three flavors: coffee, pistachio and vanilla.

Fresh berry tarts are also a wonderful addition to any afternoon tea. Sitting on a bed of pastry cream and wrapped in a crisp pastry. Yum. I also love anything lemon so a lemon canelé with lemon ganache and lemon crème was more than exceptional.

A pear ginger molasses cake on my first afternoon tea experience was divine. The cake itself was moist and just melted in your mouth. There was a light cream on top and a little piece of candied ginger.

Most cakes we were served were not as heavy as cake often is which is really good considering the enormous amount of food you will make your way through.

A pistachio raspberry tart was also one of my top picks. I loved the almond frangipane tart with a pistachio and raspberry filling. The raspberry gave it a nice tart finish and the colors were beautiful.

Is the Fairmont Banff afternoon tea worth it?

It all depends on what you value in a meal. If you’re looking for creativity, then this sure covered all bases. If you’re looking for something fun and unique with a beautiful setting, then again this raised the bar.

There’s no doubt it’s an expensive experience, but if you’re at the Fairmont Banff Springs I don’t think you can really expect to not pay a lot of money for an experience. I wanted to treat myself, and this was a lovely way to do it.

I have done afternoon tea before, and I will again. For me, it’s all about the menu – not all afternoon teas are created equal. I’ve also had some where they just give you the food without any explanation. That was something I really enjoyed here: the understanding of the flavors.

I’d give this one a 9 out of 10. They did really well to accommodate for a vegetarian too. All without losing any flavors or creativity. If you’re in Banff, check it out.

If you’ve enjoyed this post please leave a comment or share using the social media buttons below. Have you had a spectacular afternoon tea somewhere or experienced the Fairmont Banff afternoon tea? What are some unique dining experiences you’ve had when you’ve been traveling?