Palm Court at The Balmoral in Edinburgh, City of

Location: Palm Court is located in the stunning Balmoral Hotel. Vibe/Ambiance: The atmosphere is grandiose and beautifully decorated. The domed ceiling, lit-up trees, and a harpist playing in the background create a relaxing and somewhat romantic experience. Even the bathrooms are lovely! However, it does feel a little stuffy since the room isn't huge and there's minimal natural light. Food: We opted for afternoon tea with a bottle of wine. I ordered a fall drink—a gingerbread cappuccino—and it was delightful! I highly recommend it. The food and presentation were great. We started with a small cup of soup, then moved on to the "afternoon tea" selection of sandwiches and scones. The food was delicious, especially the scones. The sandwiches were good but not particularly memorable. The final course featured a variety of desserts. By the time we got to dessert, we were all quite full from the sandwiches and scones! The desserts were good. Also, they easily accommodated a vegetarian diet, which is great. Service: The service was fantastic, as you'd expect from an establishment within the Balmoral Hotel. Our server, Freddy, was very attentive and courteous. Price: It’s expensive—there's no other way around it—but that’s to be expected at the Balmoral Hotel! There are many less expensive afternoon tea experiences in Edinburgh, but if you’re looking for 5-star service and a romantic, relaxing time, Palm Court is your place. Overall: We enjoyed our time at Palm Court. They accommodated a vegetarian diet and allowed us to bring a 10-week-old baby in her pram, which was nice. They situated us so the pram was tucked away from other customers. While I’m unsure we’ll rush back because it is expensive and a unique experience, I can definitely recommend it if you're looking for an upscale afternoon tea experience.

Celebrating a Family Birthday 11 of us had Afternoon Tea here.Ages ranged from 14 to 80. The younger ones, particularly, were most impressed with the venue and the food. Service was spot on. Staff were courteous, friendly and efficient. Food was freshly prepared and plentiful

High Tea is served in a magnificent room, with a lovely presentation and with excellent service. But sadly, the experience has to take into account the food--which was mediocre. Finger sandwiches were pretty much standard, tasteless and skimpier than they should be. The pastry selection was absolutely beautiful but, with one exception, far below expectations in taste. The muffin I had earlier from Starbucks was fresher and far better than the Balmoral's pastries and I mean that. I wonder if the person responsible for buying them at Balmoral chose on beauty over flavor.

Tea here was nice, but a bit stuffy. The room is beautiful and the live harpist was lovely. The savories were ok, but the desserts and scones were very good.

Booked in for afternoon tea for 30th wedding anniversary. Service was amazing, staff are professional, friendly, discreet, attentive and make feel relaxed from start to finish. Nothing is too much trouble. Food was amazing with a wide selection of teas/coffee and ice tea included with no end to sampling any of them. Well worth the money. You have the table for two hours which is ample to work your way through the selection on the menu. Would definitely recommend.

it was a very calming atmosphere and service was smooth and polite. The harpist was a nice touch, was always made to feel welcome by staff

فندق رائع جدا جدا جدا جدا جدا و الخدمة ممتازة .. الغرف مريحة و رائعة و نطظيفه و خدمات الغرف جيدة .. و خدمة الفطور و العشاء كانت جدا جيدة و الطعام مميز و متنوع يرضي جميع الاذواق .. و الموظفين بغاية اللطافة و التعامل الحسن داخل الفندق و المطعم

Beautiful setting. Lovely harp playing. Interesting tea pour. Could tell sandwiches weren’t prepared to order as would expect for menu that seems to have increased from £35 to £65 in last few years. Good combinations. Tea not refreshed very many times. Pastries high quality. Really enjoyable experience.

I was really disappointed with the afternoon tea. First it had increased in price by £5 per head to £65pp since I booked, second many teas had extra supplements to pay and third they automatically included 10% tip for the four of us, which I could hardly ask to be removed in front of family. In total it was £286 (excluding tea supplements) for a couple of sandwiches and scones (we didn’t have any champagne or other alcohol). We were also given a time limit on staying yet the service was really slow so we felt rushed to finish at the end. Overall very disappointing and not the special Christmas treat I had expected. I have been before and it was much better.

Beautiful food and impeccable service to match. Such a range of flavours and all served so delicately. Timeless setting with the harp and piano playing in the background and no rush at all for tables etc. All so elegant and relaxed, and surprisingly filling too! Don’t worry if you can’t finish everything as they are more than happy to box up anything you can’t manage!

Visited here for a special afternoon tea, what an experience. From the moment we entered The Balmoral we were greeted and welcomed into a beautiful reception and the Palm Court. The surroundings were stunning, staff polite and knowledgeable and the whole afternoon was amazing. The food was tasty, fresh and so much of it; offered fresh tea throughout. A truly magical afternoon and a must visit; now our number 1 for afternoon tea easily replacing The Palm Court, The Plaza Hotel New York!

I’ve been to the Balmoral for afternoon tea on numerous occasions and even wrote in a previous review how excellent their tea was - very close to the faultless tea at Claridges in Mayfair. Unfortunately, my last visit did not match my previous excellent experiences. Staff were very friendly and the lounge itself relaxing and cosy but the sandwiches and scones on offer were not to my taste and the price for the tea had increased dramatically. Cakes were quite tasty and there was an interesting and varied choice of teas. I’m also sure that service charge was not previously automatically added. It is now! The bill came to £88. A large increase and approaching the charge for champagne tea at Claridges. For too expensive. I’ll stick to the timeless, impeccable and relaxing surroundings of Claridges in future!

We had a great time at The Palm Court at The Balmoral Hotel! The whole experience was great. The restaurant itself was beautiful, the entire staff was great and the sandwiches were good. The tea was great and we loved that we were able to try multiple types of tea. Overall, a great experience.

Best high tea in Edinburgh! Great environment and lovely high tea. The food was exceptional and high class to look at.

I booked afternoon tea at The Balmoral as a special treat for myself and my friend who I’d not seen in a long time. We were both really excited and very much looking forward to the experience. We were met by a lovely girl who took our jackets then we were shown to our table. The setting was absolutely stunning and the staff member who served our table was lovely. However the positives end there. We received one 3 tier plate of food and our chosen tea. Firstly the tea was lukewarm at best, the sandwiches were not fresh and the bread felt stale which the staff member agreed was the case. The sandwiches were a poor selection and tiny! The small tartlets were dry and tasteless and the very small scones were also dry. How on earth can they get it so wrong ? My friend had previously had aft.tea at the at the Ritz in London and couldn’t believe the difference in quality and also price. We complained and staff apologised and offered us £24 discount. We were offered more food and a glass of champagne, however we declined as we just wanted to leave. On leaving the girl at the desk (Rachel) acknowledged our disappointment and told us to have a seat . On her return she said that the whole bill had been wiped. We were very appreciative of this and thanked her, she was a gem of a girl. But the whole experience was so disappointing. If you can’t make a decent and hot pot of tea and a decent sandwich there’s something far wrong. Very much a case of style over substance I’m afraid. Alex Polizzi would definitely have something to say about this one.

My mom and I had our very first afternoon tea experience at Palm Court and it was absolutely wonderful. From the pouring of the first pot of tea to the last course of sweets we were impressed. The service is top notch and the tea room is stunning. I highly, highly recommend taking time for afternoon tea at Palm Court.

Went for afternoon tea so disappointed not the standard that it used have. Overpriced for what you received nothing special. The staff unfortunately were not attentive you felt they not really wanting to be there not up to 5 star hotel

I visited the Balmoral yesterday for afternoon tea with my niece and a friend , it was excellent, the food was delicious and well done Jack on your tea pouring skills.The harpist played happy birthday for me which was a surprise, then a macaron arrived with a candle in it which was just lovely, thank you Balmoral staff .

Visited for afternoon tea to celebrate joint birthday with friends. Everything was just perfect. Waiters were discreetly I background and very attentive. Lovely little personal touch was two individual miniature birthday cakes with candles and harpist played happy birthday. Wonderful experience and lovely cakes and sandwiches. To finish a perfect afternoon we were given miniature tea caddy with photo of hotel and filled with lovely tea leaves.

At £60 per head plus 10% service charge I was expecting to be very impressed. I was not. The amuse boche were good but the little sandwiches were disappointing. The scones were certainly not up to Edinburgh standards. Puddings were OK. Advice? Go to The Caley hotel at the other end of Princes Street. It is now called the Waldorf Astoria.

Wow! The Palm Court has a high tea that is truly incredible! It starts with a soup and and a large selection of teas. Then comes the courses of sweets, sandwiches, tarts,... Everything was really delicious and they emphasize to take your time and enjoy the food and teas. It is expensive but the food was worth it. Service is excellent and unobtrusive. Truly enjoyed.

From the moment we arrived, the service is impeccable, the staff are friendly warm and will make your time here memorable, The afternoon tea in The Palm Court is a wonderful experience with a wonderful warm welcome from Daniel who is an asset to the Balmoral. Friendly knowledgeable. Charming and has an abundance of 5 star qualities in this young man. We left with a goody bag, then decided to have cocktails in the bar and once again was treated wonderfully. And enjoyed a hour or so till sadly we had to depart. We are planning on a return stay And can’t wait . Thank you so much The Balmoral Wonderful time

Surprise 60th birthday champagne afternoon tea. This was excellent and would highly recommend to all looking for somewhere very special to celebrate. Service and location couldn't be faulted. The atmosphere along with the harp playing gently added to this extra special event

Recently took my friend to celebrate a big birthday. Food was fantastic. The service was wonderful. Thank you for having the harpist play “happy birthday” and the birthday candle to blow out! It was a perfect afternoon.

My daughter treated us to afternoon tea for my 60th. From the moment we arrived we were made to feel special. The service was lovely as was the food. I loved the harpist on the balcony and the rendition of happy birthday they gave me. It was a beautiful experience for both of us. Thank you!

Group of 5 booked in to celebrate a birthday at the Palm Court for afternoon tea. Eagerly anticipated but unfortunately felt the experience was pretty average. For one, very cramped table once the drinks and tiered stands had been served. There was no option of an non alcoholic beverage to allow all members of the group to participate in the "champagne tea". Given that one of the main attractions was the wide range of the teas the server had little to no knowledge on them and no further initiative was used to ask a colleague. Slow and less then slick service. However, the food was good, fresh and the vegetarian was well catered for with some interesting options. Overall considering £££ was spent, not worth the money and we were left feeling deflated.

We have had dinner at Bar One before we had our baby, we decided afternoon tea to included our son. Today was a lovely afternoon! We had a toddler who was very well catered for, very surprisingly! The food was delicious, the coffee, tea and...

Afternoon tea in the Palm room was out of this world. My husband surprised me and my daughter with this for her birthday. I felt very nervous about going because I thought it would be too 'posh' but the staff are excellent and make you...

Afternoon tea here is a real treat! Everything is impeccable. They also have a kids afternoon tea at ~half price. The Palm Room is beautifully decorated. Staff is very friendly. All guests receive royal treatment - a true example for leisure industry in my opinion.

Visited 160223 From the moment you enter the front door you are given such a warm welcome. We were directed to the Palm Court direction of the hotel by the receptionist The manager Omar, asked for our reservation and kindly took our coats, I left...

Came here with my son who was treating me to a belated birthday afternoon tea. We were attended to by a lovely waitress, didn’t catch her name but she had a very long plait. She was extremely pleasant, helpful and attentive with an adorable manner....

Booked this for my 40th as we have previously been and we were not disappointed. From the moment we arrived the staff were welcoming and couldn’t do enough for us. We had a choice of about 4 tables where we could sit and we chose...

My family come to visit us from Italy and it was their first time at an afternoon tea. They've been impressed by service, food, tea selection (so wide!). We will be back. Host Daniel (if I remember his name correctly) was so welcoming and helpful!Definitely...

Vi var heldige at få et bord uden at have reserveret i forvejen, men det er et eftertragtet sted, så...

Amazing bar in a great location, lovely staff!! Thanks for Csenge she was looking after us and educated about champagne, such an experience!! We will deffinitely come back!

Celebrated my 21st birthday at palm court for afternoon tea and wow it was amazing! Service was fantastic and all staff were lovely and went above and beyond to make sure it was perfect for us, special thanks to our waitress who was amazing. The...

Great service from staff. Nice atmosphere but a bit chilly. Food okay. Desserts looked great. Wouldn't rush back.

Absolutely wonderful experience, fantastic choices of tea, outstanding service by super friendly and welcoming stuff and perfect atmosphere. The perfect Christmas treat. See you very soon again.

Had the most wonderful afternoon tea in the Palm Court as a birthday treat. Fantastic experience and service was outstanding by all staff. Food was filling and sweet potato and lemon oil soup was lovely.

Had afternoon tea. The positives were the cakes/deserts (selection of 3) and the friendly staff. Otherwise not great. Vegetarian sandwiches were awful, fridge cold, flavourless and lumpy. The soup was just warm and no more, also pretty tasteless. They do a strange ‘high pour’ of...

My partner and I celebrated our engagement with champagne afternoon tea at the Balmoral, and we couldn't be more impressed. It was our second time visiting Palm Court and as always, delightful service from beginning to end. It truly feels like a special occasion from...

“Coffee ready?” “Certainly, Sir”. It’s ten o’clock AM. With the utmost hospitality we are led into a fantastic area where we are served a wonderful cup with a few cookies. Away from the hussle of EIF and The Fringe we enjoyed every moment of it.

Exllent service. Went for afternoon tea for two 25th silver wedding anniversary amazing staff outstanding food and wonderful experience. Would highly recommend. And also experience staff very kind and made our day special. We will be back in the future.

Well Palm Court was very pleasant, I had the champagne afternoon tea, the champagne was lovely and the earl grey tea excellent. The food was nice the best morsels were that, gone in 2 nibbles, sandwiches nice, scone nice, cakes nice. I also had a...

I found this place by accident. I wanted to have afternoon tea and was pleasantly surprised I went back a second time on a different day. The staff is attentive the food was very good, and the tea was also good. You also get a...

Was given as a gift, staff were excellent and couldn’t have been more helpful and friendly. Perfect place for afternoon tea with lovely atmosphere . Would highly recommend visiting.

The sound level is very high and not an impressive Afternoon tea. Dry scones for example. Initially the service was good, but after a while they actually seemed to forget about us. Had the feeling that since they probably don't have to work too hard...

Bring your family, friends and appetite for a lovely afternoon! The staff know how to please and have a lovely little ritual for presenting your tea. Hint: There is the standard menu with tea selections. but ask for the list of additional choices.

We had a wonderful afternoon tea experience here. Reservations are necessary. They had a varied selections of teas. They also had coffees, soft drinks, champagne, beer, wine, and liquor. I am keto and they provided a wonderful keto tea experience. For dessert I had cheeses...

Went for afternoon tea to celebrate my friend's birthday. The whole experience is good and we have a great time. Quite pricey but worth it!

Great ambience and delicious selection of sandwiches, cakes, tea and champagne options. What a delightful way to spend our last afternoon in beautiful Edinburgh! Special thanks to the staff whose professionalism was charming and exemplary.

Lovely experience, warm welcome on arrival, staff were friendly and very professional. The afternoon tea was fantastic, great selection of sandwiches, savouries and cakes.

We was presented with an afternoon tea gift from a friend for our 25th Wedding Anniversary. The setting was great and the waiters were friendly. However, the food was a rip-off at £130 for a few sandwiches and cakes. Plus, the price had gone up...

Un moment exceptionnel pour le tea Time. Une parenthèse enchantée pour s’offrir le comble du raffinement, du goût (au sens...

For start to finish it was a perfect experience Beautiful tasting afternoon tea We were treated special. Far out done the savoy london which I visited in April of this year. The manager was a lovely gentleman, ,

We were visiting the Balmoral for afternoon tea. We left with both positive and negative thoughts. On the good side, the palm court is lovely and we were well taken care of by our waiter (was his name Miguel?). The food was overall nice and...

By far the best afternoon tea we've ever had. Absolutely loved the atmospheric room and everything was superb - the tea pouring ceremony, the food, the harpist and the service. Second to none!

The tea at the palm was exceptional. I have been to the Plaza in NY and the plaza was twice as expensive and not as good. The workers could not have been more helpful with my elderly mother in law. Getting her scooter up the...

Do make a booking first. The hotel reception area is very welcoming with scented fresh blooms, and a member of staff takes you through to the palm court room, where there was a harpist playing on the balcony above. It was a pretty and a...

The tea pouring ceremony…absolutely make sure you take a video of this. The setting is great; Omar is fantastic; the staff are attentive and lovely. Sandwiches are ok too.

Simply lovely. The tea pouring is fascinating, the selection of food for afternoon tea is lovely, and the service is excellent. Harp music is the perfect backdrop to this beautiful space. Highly recommended for any special occasion - we went as an anniversary treat and...

Fantastic experience from start to finish, food and service both excellent. Attention to detail, the harpist and the decor all add to the experience. Would definitely recommend and will return for sure.

My sister and I agreed that the afternoon tea at Palm Court was one of our favorite experiences in Edinburgh. It is pricy, but so enjoyable and I don't even like tea. You get so much food we had to cancel our dinner reservations and...

My friend and I came for afternoon tea on a Sunday during our trip to Edinburgh. I was very impressed overall with our service but especially the manager. He visited every table, cleared dishes, filled glasses, and kept the place running smoothly! Tea, sandwiches, and...

My wife and friend had afternoon tea.they thoroughly enjoyed the experience and beautiful surroundings saying the staff were friendly and courteous.they would recommend too

Omar Ismail, manager of The Balmoral's Palm Court is erg vriendelijk en gastvrij. The afternoon tea was geweldig en erg...

Well what can i say. This was the best afternoon tea i have ever had. Everything was amazing food was so nice. Service was fabulous. Felt like a was treated like a queen for 2hrs. I mentioned it was my birthday and there was a...

Had to cancel originally due to me catching Covid, so some months later were able to re-arrange. We were not disappointed. Service was excellent with nothing too much trouble. The surroundings were equally splendid. If you like afternoon tea put this on your bucket list

I have had afternoon tea in the Palm Court before but my friend (staying at The Balmoral for first time) had not. She loved the whole experience. We both had the champagne afternoon tea which was beautifully presented and a delicious indulgence! The Palm Court...

I booked the champagne afternoon tea as a surprise treat for my sister’s birthday. From the moment we walked in all the staff were attentive, polite and charming. The selection of savoury and sweet items was incredible, we enjoyed everything that we ate. There was...

Booked a small gathering for afternoon tea for my wife's birthday and they had the forethought to check if there was a celebration when I booked. Never had that before at any level and set the scene for what followed. The staff were very attentive,...

As expected from The Balmoral, the experience was luxury from start to finish. From the harpist playing overhead to the extravagant tea pouring, it all feels very 5*. The staff are very friendly and attentive without being overbearing. The food is delicious, the best afternoon...

Wow what an experience this was.The staff were so attentive and you genuinely felt the enjoyed serving you.It was my birthday so they brought out a card for me and a dessert with a candle,as the lady on the harp played Happy birthday.The food was...

What a wonderful couple of hours we experienced enjoying the afternoon tea. All staff were so welcoming and friendly, we were made to feel comfortable right away. The Afternoon Tea was amazing, we opted for champagne which was delicious, from the veloute starter through to...

Wonderful afternoon tea, great service and lovely atmosphere. The staff were lovely, the food delicious and the extra touches were super.

Went for my birthday with a few friends and was treated like royalty, the staff were so nice and professional and were quick on their feet, food was high quality and tasted amazing I highly recommend this place, thank you guys for the experience.

Fantastic afternoon tea for two. We were both made to feel really welcome and enjoyed a relaxing couple of hours trying different teas and eating some wonderful food. The Palm Court staff were all friendly and attentive and made the afternoon tea very enjoyable. They...

We had a wonderful afternoon at The Palm for afternoon tea. Younes (spelling might be wrong) lead our experience and he was just wonderful. The atmosphere, the tea, the food, everything was just fantastic. We did the champagne experience and it was probably the best...

It is THE place if you want to go for the afternoon tea in Edinburgh. The staff is extremely friendly and professional, the interior is simply delightful, the food is great and the selection of tea is outstanding. We ended up trying 6 different ones...

My mum and I visited the Palm Court at the Balmoral recently to try the afternoon tea. The setting is absolutely beautiful and was very comfortable. The harpist was a lovely touch and really made the whole experience very special. The service was excellent and...

Faultless experience from start to finish, we thoroughly enjoyed our champagne afternoon tea as a special treat during our Edinburgh trip. Delicious food and excellent service too. Made to feel welcome & there was the added bonus of a harp player throughout! Too much food...

Beyond perfect Everything was just perfect, from the doorman too sweet Omar, Carlos and think Lucy( the tea pouring lady) This was special treat for my mammy to celebrate her 80th birthday, at that age did not know what to give her, so gave her...

Thoroughly enjoyed my birthday surprise ‘Champagne afternoon tea’ the food and drinks were excellent especially the attention to detail of the pastries. The staff were professional,friendly and so attentive.I really cannot wait until my next visit.

What a beautiful hotel. I was there for afternoon tea, on a Friday, and it was busy. Glad I booked. Palm Court is very impressive and you really are treated well. The afternoon tea is bigger than one I’ve had before; an amuse bouche (a...

I was bought vouchers as a birthday gift for afternoon tea in the Palm court. A truly beautiful room. The service was great with great showmanship from how you are shown to your table, how the tea is served, to how the cakes etc are...

This was easily the best afternoon tea experience of our lives. First of all, each member of staff was incredibly friendly, professional and diligent. It really made the experience feel like luxury. The atmosphere was impeccable - from the decor to the live harpist our...

The Palm Court “High Tea” was magical. Delicious lunch , served so elegantly and with the upmost service. This trip was a delayed April 2020 -70th birthday present to me! Delayed again October 2020- the 3rd time was the charm. I mentioned this and wouldn’t...

Just WOW, great service, fantastic tea and food. If I had to find one fault (which is difficult) the only negative that did have an effect on the ambiance was hotel guests having to walk through the palm court to I presume their rooms. But...

Thankfully it would appear that my experience is the exception, but when you get dressed up for Afternoon Tea in a fancy setting at an exceptional hotel you expect good service. I was ushered to my seat and then just sat and waited and waited...

We came here on our stay at the balmoral . We were here celebrating our honeymoon. Palm court is absolutely stunning and the atmosphere is topped off with the beautiful sounds of the harpist. The staff here are friendly and so accommodating. I am not...

My wife and daughter-in-law spent a wonderful afternoon having afternoon tea at the hotel. The attention to detail and the quality of food was second to none. Her highlight was having Happy Birthday played to her on the harp.

Visited with my wife and her 78yr old mum. What an excellent choice to round of a lovely weekend! A glass of champagne and two delicious mock tails proved a perfect introduction to this experience. “Sit back, relax and enjoy your afternoon with us”, was...

Having ate at the Ritz and Savoy in London the Balmoral Afternoon Tea is clearly the best. Kudos to Omar and his staff for all of their attentive service and especially the nice gift celebrating our anniversary.

We had the most wonderful afternoon tea , we were celebrating my sister’s birthday and the staff made her fee so special. The food was well presented and tasted amazing . The setting too was stunning . Thanks to all staff involved .

Before I start my review I have to say that this afternoon tea runs my favourite tea (Claridges) a very, very close second. I’ve visited nearly all the five star hotels in London and this beats them all apart from Claridges. Maybe even on a...

What a treat this afternoon tea was. I took my 3 children here during a trip to Edinburgh. The staff were outstanding, particular Omar. The food was divine and exquisitely presented. My children were allowed to help pour the tea from a great height which...

My husband recently treated me and two other family members to a champagne afternoon tea for my birthday. It was the most perfect birthday treat. Beautiful surroundings, staff could not have been any nicer, making us feel very welcome and looked after us perfectly. The...

Wow, beautiful setting, beautiful scones, friendly service from start to finish, great to see people happy in their job. Fully recommend booking a table, what a lovely treat.

This was a wonderful experience. The welcome was genuine and sincere and the service throughout from all the staff was first class. Palm Court is beautifully decorated, with comfortable seating and a lovely atmosphere with a harpist playing softly in the background. The staff seem...

Came here for afternoon tea on our wedding anniversary and it was lovely. Beautiful location and felt really special. The staff were all super friendly and even have us an anniversary card. The food was excellent and surprisingly filling. The tea was lovely and you...