The holiday season is all about embracing traditions. And one tradition that continues to flourish in the Washington area is the holiday afternoon tea. The ritual, which typically features petite sandwiches, scones, and pastries, alongside pots of tea and the occasional glass of champagne, is returning to some of the area’s top hotels, like the Willard and St. Regis, as well as restaurants and historic homes, including—for the first time—at George Washington’s Mount Vernon.
Whether you’re looking to book a tea experience for yourself, a group of friends, or as a gift, here are 15 festive places in the DC-area to revel in some holiday cheer.
Fairmont Hotel
West End
This hotel’s holiday tea is always crafted with families in mind (many will remember last year’s Frozen-themed spread). This year, there’s a Nutcracker-inspired tea from 1 to 3 PM each Saturday and Sunday from December 7 through December 29, with additional Friday dates: December 20 and December 27. The tea service will overlook the light-strewn courtyard, and include tea sandwiches, scones, and Nutcracker-themed desserts. Children can sip on sparkling cider, and champagne will be on hand for the adults. Each table gets a take-home Nutcracker goodie.
Price: $110 for adults and $65 for children 12 and under.
How to reserve: Email WDC.HolidaysOrders.DL@fairmont.com or call 202-457-5020
Four Seasons
Georgetown
The Four Seasons’ Teddy Bear Tea is returning on December 7, 14, and 21. Each tea is also a benefit for Children’s National Hospital. This year’s offering is held in partnership with Mattel, which will give a gift to each child attending the tea, then make a matching donation to a child at the hospital. Along with petits fours, scones, and sandwiches, there will be apple cider for the kids and sparkling wine for the adults.
Price: $65 for the tea on December 14 and 21 and $120 for the tea on December 7.
How to reserve: Book through OpenTable.
Green Spring Gardens
Alexandria
For two days only—December 7 and December 8—this historic home and public park will host a unique tea. Guests will first hear a lecture about Christmas Day through history, then be treated to a traditional British afternoon tea. The tea will be held in the 18th-century house, which is on the National Register of Historic Places.
Price: $45 a person.
How to reserve: Reservations will be available beginning November 12—call 703- 941-7987.
Waldorf Astoria
Penn Quarter
This luxe hotel’s soaring atrium is one of the most stunning spaces in the city, and a fittingly festive backdrop for a winter afternoon tea. The seasonal ritual runs Thursday through Sunday in December, January, and February. You can look forward to little delicacies like cucumber-and-caviar sandwiches, miso/tahini mousse, spiked cheesecake tartlets, and panettone shortbread.
Price: $120 a person.
How to reserve: Book through their website.
The Hay-Adams
Downtown DC
This storied hotel near the White House hosts an afternoon tea every Sunday at 3 PM. From now until the end of the year, the ritual will turn festive. Held in the luxurious and old-school Lafayette Dining Room, the tea service will offer sandwiches, house-made gingerbread cookies, Viennese-style pastries, and optional add-ons of hot chocolate and champagne.
Price: $100 a person.
How to reserve: Book through their website or by calling 202-638-2570.
Hillwood Estate, Museum & Gardens
Forest Hills
From December 5 through January 5, Hillwood, the former estate of businesswoman/heiress/hostess Marjorie Merriweather Post, will open the door to its Merriweather Café for groups of four or more for a holiday afternoon tea. Assorted petit fours and tea sandwiches, as well as nods to the estate’s mid-century heyday round out the menu. Hillwood, and its magnificent gardens, are beautiful year-round, but at the holidays they’re particularly magical.
Price: $40 a person.
How to reserve: Book through Resy beginning on November 21.
Pendry Washington DC
The Wharf
This hotel offers a unique take on a traditional tea, with tea-infused cocktails and snacks to complement them. On Saturday, December 14, the “Festivi-Tea” will feature cocktails that play with flavors like peppermint, cocoa, and gingerbread. The cocktail tea will be served in the atmospheric, European-train-car-inspired bar.
Price: $90 a person.
How to reserve: Book through their website.
Montpelier House Museum
Laurel
Montpelier Mansion, which dates to the 1780s and is a National Historic Landmark, will offer its holiday tea on Friday, December 13 and Saturday, December 14. Held in the mansion’s festively decorated East Wing, the afternoon affair will include finger sandwiches, desserts, and scones with clotted cream, lemon curd, and jam. The tea also includes a self-guided tour of the historic house (you can browse the tea pots and teas for sale in the gift shop). Proceeds from the tea benefit the house museum’s programs.
Price: $42 a person.
How to reserve: Call 301-377-7817.
George Washington’s Mount Vernon
Alexandria
George Washington’s home is always a fun place to visit around the holidays, and this year for the first time, it has added a holiday afternoon tea to its roster of winter events. It will be served at the Mount Vernon Inn’s Colonial-themed restaurant from December 6 through December 8; December 13 through December 15; and December 29 through December 31. A harpist will serenade tea goers who can sample sandwiches such as brie with pear and ham, and blue crab with avocado, along with pastries and three varieties of scones.
Price: $70 a person.
How to reserve: Call 703-799-5096.
Quadrant
West End
This intimate cocktail bar and lounge at the Ritz is a lovely place for tea. The service here leans into DC’s French obsession, with Parisian decorations and Francophile-inspired treats like madeleines, mushroom-and-truffle beignets, and salmon croissants, served with cups of tea and Kir Royal cocktails. While not specifically a tea just for the holidays, Quadrant’s winter afternoon tea will be offered each Saturday and Sunday (including Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve) and feature some holiday surprises.
Price: $88 a person.
How to reserve: Book through Tock.
The Ritz-Carlton, Tysons Corner
Tysons
Come for tea, stay for ballet. The Tysons Ritz is serving up both on Saturday, December 7 and Sunday, December 8. The hotel’s Nutcracker Tea will be served in the festive Old Dominion Room and feature a full tea menu alongside ballet dancers and a pianist.
Price: $160 per adult and $59 for children aged 4 through 12.
How to reserve: Book through their website.
Salamander
Southwest
People have been flocking to the Salamander Hotel since its destination restaurant, Dōgon, opened this fall. But that’s not the only reason to come by. The hotel, which recently underwent a top-to-bottom renovation, is serving a winter afternoon tea in its lobby lounge with pastries, tea sandwiches, and bubbly. The tea will be offered each Saturday and Sunday from November 30 through December 22.
Price: $95 a person.
How to reserve: Book through Resy.
Santé
Arlington
The Mediterranean-inspired restaurant inside the Pentagon City Ritz Carlton is hosting an afternoon tea designed for both adults and children. Expect homemade tea sandwiches, scones, and pastries, along with looseleaf teas for the adults. Kids get child-sized nibbles, hot chocolate, and take-home teddy bears. The tea, which requires reservations at least 72 hours in advance, will be offered November 24 through January 5 (excluding Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and New Year’s Eve).
Price: $84 for adults and $49 for children over 3.
How to reserve: Book through their website.
The St. Regis
Downtown DC
One of the most popular teas in the city, the St. Regis holiday afternoon tea is also the longest-running: on Wednesdays through Sundays November 6 through January 5. Tea is served in the hotel’s lobby, which is transformed into a winter wonderland complete with a Nutcracker-themed Christmas tree. Guests can look forward to treats like Sugar Plum Fairy cupcakes, Nutcracker sugar cookies, and Clara’s finger sandwiches.
Price: $119 a person.
How to reserve: Book through OpenTable.
Willard InterContinental
Penn Quarter
Perhaps nowhere presents tea in DC more elegantly than the Willard. The hotel has earned a following for its tea, particularly its annual holiday tea, which is served in the festively decorated Peacock Alley. The hotel even has a Spotify playlist inspired by its resident harpist, if you want to bring some of the ambiance to your own holiday table. Due to its storied reputation, this holiday tea—which will be offered Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays from November 29 through December 24—books up quickly, so make your reservation early or add your name to the waitlist. A new extension of the historic Peacock Alley, the Willard Tea Room, will also offer a regular afternoon tea on Wednesdays.
Price: $90 a person (no charge for children under three).
How to reserve: Book through OpenTable.
