The Palm Court

Review summary

1. A

   Aimee

   Chicago

   1 review

   5.0

   1 review

   Dined 1 day ago

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   Lovely experience Harpist was fantastic Server was wonderful All things made a happy memory
   

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2. I

   Iván

   Chicago

   1 review

   5.0

   1 review

   Dined 1 day ago

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 4

   Gran experiencia, el servicio fue magnífico, la comida muy rica, el té simplemente extraordinario, la relación del precio con la experiencia creo que lo vale.
   

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3. A

   Ayden

   Chicago

   1 review

   4.0

   1 review

   Dined 1 day ago

   1. Overall 4
   2. Food 1
   3. Service 4
   4. Ambience 4

   Perfect ambience but horrendous food. Although the tea was nice, I would expect better foods for the price. Would come again but definitely eat before coming.
   

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4. E

   Evelyn

   Chicago

   16 reviews

   vip
   5.0

   16 reviews

   Dined 1 day ago

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   Traditional Holiday Tea at the Drake. Lovely!!! Always special! Food and service great.
   

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5. M

   Melissa

   Washington DC

   4 reviews

   5.0

   4 reviews

   Dined 2 days ago

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   Amazing! So festive and our server could not have been sweeter. Beautiful music and decorations, yummy food and extras offered. A holiday joy!
   

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6. K

   K

   Chicago

   1 review

   5.0

   1 review

   Dined 2 days ago

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   Promptly seated- great presentation- delicious food and menu options. A very special occasion.
   

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7. J

   Jo

   Chicago

   1 review

   5.0

   1 review

   Dined 2 days ago

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   We had a Fabulous experience today! Breathtakingly beautiful holiday decor and the Ambience was Fantastic! Our server Mirhet is Outstanding…we always ask for him. The hostess Neringa ia Amazing! All of the staff is just Wonderful. You will have Beautiful holiday memories!
   

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8. J

   Jon

   Chicago

   2 reviews

   2.0

   2 reviews

   Dined 2 days ago

   1. Overall 2
   2. Food 4
   3. Service 2
   4. Ambience 3

   Last year's experience left us spoiled and couldn't wait to get back. This year, we decided to not return and we've had enough holiday tea at The Drake. It was extremely crowded (to be expected but just added to the frustration), the server was flat-affect, barky with order taking, cold, ill-mannered as she reached across people and literally had her sleeve grazing my mouth twice with truly zero apologies and DGAF attitude, the crumbs never swept away like last year, plates never exchanged, she checked once for refills, the tea pots came filthy loose tea running down the side. We did tell a manager and although our biggest complaint was the dirty, crowded table - still no one came to clear anything. They took 25% off, which was fine, but what we really sought was some service. For $100/pp (tax and tip), we expect service and definitely did not receive it. Tacky and dismissive at the The Drake....
   

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9. A

   Amy

   Chicago

   5 reviews

   4.0

   5 reviews

   Dined 2 days ago

   1. Overall 4
   2. Food 4
   3. Service 4
   4. Ambience 4

   Our first tea at the Palm Court. Our server, Azmir was excellent. He explained everything very well and even offered to take our picture! The ambiance was lovely as we sat on the edge of the fountain in the middle of the restaurant. There was a harpist and when she went on break, the carolers came by! Overall, our tea was wonderful and plan on making it an annual outing. I do have to say, once the room started to fill up, it did get a little warm, so maybe next year I won't wear a heavy sweater!
   

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10. A

    Agnes

    Chicago

    2 reviews

    3.0

    2 reviews

    Dined 3 days ago

    1. Overall 3
    2. Food 2
    3. Service 3
    4. Ambience 4

    We’ve gone to the Palm Court for holiday tea each year for the last few years. We kept coming back for the excellent tea (Sugar Plum Fairy) and scones, the tasty sandwiches (cucumber and salmon) and the live performances (harpist, carolers) and festive atmosphere. This year, although the waitstaff service was good, the carolers were fantastic, and the decor was beautiful, we started to notice some changes. Some of the furnishings have begun to look dated, the bathrooms were poorly kept, and there were no attendants. The hostess forgot she sat us at the bar while we waited for our table to open up, so we were forgotten until my husband went back to the host stand to ask after our reservations (after this, we were promptly seated). Once at our table, we started to notice signs of cost-cutting. Our waiter was friendly but I was surprised that could only try one tea at the tea service (in the past, it was possible to switch out midway through). Tea should not be an incremental cost to a $300 tea service, so I would think the Drake hotel would be able to spare a few extra tea leaves. The scones were delicious but the sandwiches were stale - the salmon on our sandwich smelled fishy, as if it had been left out all day, and had turned brown at the edges. We didn’t touch it. The cucumber sandwich was tasty, but the roast beef sandwich was bread was stale. The cookies and sweets on the top tray were sugary and, honestly, cheap (as compared to previous years). I’m sad to say that overall the quality of the Palm Court Holiday Tea is declining as prices are rising. I’m not sure if we’ll be back next year, or if perhaps we’ll start a new traditions and try the Langham or Penninsula instead. There is a lot to be said for atmosphere and tradition, but when the first signs of decay begin to appear, perhaps it’s time for a change.
    

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