Afternoon Tea at the Fairmont Olympic Seattle
Hello Steepers! We are traveling to the West Coast today! I had the pleasure last spring of having afternoon tea at the historic Fairmont Olympic Hotel in Seattle! We had just came back from an Alaskan cruise and returned to port in Seattle. We decided to spend a couple extra days to explore the city and celebrate my mom’s birthday before traveling home to the east coast.
A Little Bit of History: The idea for The Fairmont Olympic Hotel in Seattle was conceived in the early 1920s, following World War I, when the Seattle Chamber of Commerce formed a committee to bring a world-class hotel to the city. The site chosen was a portion of the downtown Metropolitan Tract, also known as Denny’s Knoll, a piece of land donated by Seattle founder Arthur A. Denny for the Territorial University, which later became the University of Washington. In 1922, the Community Hotel Corporation financed the project, with New York architect George B. Post & Son designing the hotel in Italian Renaissance style. Groundbreaking occurred in 1923, and by November 1924, the hotel was completed at a cost of $5.5 million. The Olympic Hotel opened on December 6, 1924, with a grand dinner and dance attended by over 2,000 guests, quickly becoming an iconic landmark in Seattle and setting the stage for its long-standing legacy.
The Experience: I can’t say that the hotel drew us in from the outside because there was construction going on when my family and I visited, so it was hard to admire the architecture. However, upon entering it is a stunning hotel and even though it is historic it had a very warm and welcoming feel. Our afternoon tea experience began with a light cream and berry dish as a starter. We also were able to order from a speciality cocktail menu. The Fairmont offered the traditional three-tier setup with scones, savory items and desserts. The savory selection consisted of finger sandwiches: cucumber and cream cheese, smoked salmon on rye, truffle egg salad, chicken waldorf, and roasted prime rib with horseradish. All are fresh and flavorful but I really enjoyed the roasted prime rib and the smoked salmon. I am crazy for salmon so I am a little biased when salmon is a part of the savory tier!
The scones we were served were plain, small scones with clotted cream and jam on the side. They were baked well and tasted great. On the pastry tier, we had a Dublin chocolate cake, strawberry choux, honey and fennel pollen madeleine, passion fruit tart, and a lemon posset. I enjoyed the pastries although nothing was a real standout for me. I do enjoy madeleines though!
Since we were celebrating my mom’s birthday, they added a special touch and brought out macarons and petit fours with a candle to celebrate. This was in addition to our dessert tier. They also gave my mom a little package of tea which was leftover from their Mother’s Day event from a week prior. I thought that was a really sweet touch! The staff was attentive and super nice and the setting inside the historic hotel is elegant and comfortable. We spent some time after our tea to walk around and explore the hotel, which is encouraged. Overall, it was a really enjoyable afternoon tea experience in a beautiful setting.
As of Today: This tea experience is $75 pp and you can also order some speciality cocktails for an additional charge. It is now their 100th anniversary so they have a special tea menu called the Centennial Afternoon Tea. You can check out the menu here. They are also giving out a speciality tea blend for guests to take home!
My Rating: 5/5 teacups! If you are in Seattle and looking for a nice afternoon tea spot I think this is definitely worth a visit!
