Afternoon Tea at the Langham Hotel Chicago

Our flight from Toronto to Chicago was an exhausting 65 minute ordeal which left both Maxime and I famished for a fine feast. Our first order of business was whetting our whistles at the hotel’s Travelle Bar and Lounge. We were taken care of by a handsome bartender who whipped up a trilogy of signature cocktails which we sipped through while watching a lux speed boat putter up the Chicago River.

Condensation dribbled down our glasses as we sussed out a change of scenery, whisking ourselves into the daylight bright Pavilion. Embracing The Langham’s classic heritage, the Pavilion offers guests its signature Langham Afternoon Tea with Wedgewood, recalling the grandeur of the original hotel, The Langham in London, where the tradition was born in 1865.

With its name inspired by the Barcelona Pavilion, designed by Mies van der Rohe in 1929 for the Barcelona International Exposition, the space is punctuated by the vibrant red and orange granite colours found inside the original building. Located on the 2nd floor, its soaring ceiling and jaw dropping city views offer guests an elegant space to unwind with a glowing fireplace and sounds of contemporary classics from the grand piano.

The Afternoon Tea ritual represents a pause in the day to relax, refresh and reconnect. Quintessential refinement most often associated with feminine traits: pretty, dainty, cute and precious. One feels like a princess when sitting around a white tablecloth and flipping their wee pinky finger into the air while savouring a cup of aromatic loose leaf. Afternoon Tea has of course been made popular as a Mother’s Day tradition but year round, I assure you, it’s rather gay.

Afternoon Tea at the Langham includes proprietary Langham teas, champagne, and an array of sweet and savoury bites. All are served with traditional displays and flourish, setting a perfect scene for a whimsical afternoon where pampering is plenty.

The Feast:

Pink Taxi

tito’s vodka, licor 43, pomegranate juice

Eighteen Sixty Five

courvoisier, champagne, elderflower liquer

The Madhattan Bar Cart Service

whiskey, carpano antica, benedictine, angostura bitters

Regal Earl Grey

organic belnd of black tea saturated with finest oil of bergamot fruit

Emperor’s Himalayan Reserve Silver Needle

white tea with hints of muscatel and light earthy fruit essence

Grilled Asparagus