One of the highlights of our trip to Las Vegas for the World Tea Expo was our visit to the Tea Lounge at the Waldorf Astoria. This lounge is up on the 23rd floor of the hotel and is a must-do. This is the first time we have been since the hotel has changed to a Waldorf Astoria, previously it was the Mandarin Oriental hotel, but it did still offer an afternoon tea but was a little different. When we were researching before the trip, we were happy that it said right on their website that vegan options are easily available.
First arriving at the Tea Lounge, you notice across the room the giant windows that offer expansive views of the Las Vegas Strip. If you don’t get a window table, at some point just go over and check it out and get some photos.
The afternoon tea for two included two large pots of tea which you could choose yourself. They had a decent tea list with about 20 teas to choose from including black, green, oolong, puerh and herbal. They had some high end teas like Golden Tippy Assam, Imperial Green, and Osmanthus Oolong, as well as flavored teas like Flowery Earl Grey, Mango Oolong, Vanilla Rooibos, and Ginger Yuzu.
The tables were just full of hidden Mickeys!
With our food, we had a pot of the Imperial Green and the Mad Hatter’s Tea Party (of course). The Imperial Green was a Dragonwell Chinese green tea that had a mellow and full bodied taste that paired excellently with the food without overpowering any of the flavors. The Mad Hatters Tea Party was a Ceylon black tea with passionfruit, pomegranate, and vanilla. It was tasty, but definitely less flavor than we were expecting and overall, it was a little flat. It didn’t pair well with the sandwich round, but really improved in taste when paired with the scones and desserts. After the meal, you can order a pot of tea à la carte and we got a pot of the Monkey Picked Oolong. It had light notes of honey and peach with a floral aroma and was a great way to end our tea time.
If you are looking for teas that are comparable to these, or even better in some cases, try our Dragonwell, Alice’s Tea Party, and Iron Goddess of Mercy.
We were so happy that they were able to accommodate us with vegan options for the tea! The assortment of finger sandwiches, scones and deserts came out in a large three-tiered stand and the presentation was impressive. The small sandwiches were cucumber tomato sandwiches and a take on avocado toast. Both featured a subtle tomato jam that we both felt was barely there in the flavor, maybe it could have used more. We also thought the bread on the avocado ‘toast’ would have been better toasted. Understandably, they were going for a tea sandwich taste, but it really was just like eating straight avocado and the bread basically disappeared.
The scones were a huge hit at our table and were Nick’s favorite bite of the afternoon. We both really enjoyed the flavor and texture of these little scones. Along with the scones was a delicious strawberry puree jam that paired well. There was a fair bit of coconut in the mix and the craisins added just the right amount of sweetness. There was also some crystallized sugar sprinkled on top. These paired perfectly with our tea selections.
The two giant strawberries exceeded our expectations; these were dipped in a sugar glaze then rolled in coconut shreds- so simple, but so tasty!
Next was the hazelnut-coconut cheesecake. These were a true delight, even if they really weren’t anything like cheesecake. The texture was more like a macaroon, but the flavor was perfect and it was quite amazing that they were vegan. Again, these sweets paired really well with our tea selections.
The last thing we had was very unique and very delicious (and Nicolette’s favorite). These were mango and vanilla bean tapioca puddings. The texture was light and sweet, with a perfect balance of fruity and creamy that made for a perfect light dessert.
This afternoon tea was the perfect thing to do in Las Vegas for anyone, not just for tea people (they have plenty of champagne if you aren’t into tea including a champagne vending machine). Nick appreciated it not being too frilly and we saw all groups of all sizes and ages. The atmosphere was very comfortable and relaxed, the food was delicious, and the tea was top notch. We look forward to coming back to the Tea Lounge at the Waldorf Astoria. They do have limited hours and reservations are highly recommended.
