Afternoon tea is a fussy, slow, three-course commitment that takes two hours and requires a reservation. New Orleans has kept the ritual alive in four hotels, two of them year-round and two only at the holidays.
1. The Windsor Court — Central Business District
Le Salon has been serving tea since 1984, when an Anglophile developer opened the hotel and decided the lobby needed a proper salon. Seatings run Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at $80 per adult and $50 per child, with reservations required at (504) 596-4773.
The service opens with a cocktail or mocktail, which is unusual and makes the whole thing more fun. From there comes a pot brewed from a list of 26 or more loose-leaf teas, English tea sandwiches, seasonal scones with clotted cream, and a dessert course. A harpist or trio plays. Themed teas run through the year, including Irish, Princess, Prohibition, and Halloween editions, usually priced around $95. The holiday tea runs November 27 through December 31 under a lobby filled with ten Colorado blue spruce trees and a 19.5-foot centerpiece, at $95 per adult and $60 per child. Book 48 hours out, more for weekends.
2. The Ritz-Carlton New Orleans — Canal Street
Tea happens in the Davenport Lounge on the third floor, reached by walking past the garden courtyard. Service runs Saturday and Sunday at 11 a.m. and 2:30 p.m., at $75 for adults and $55 for children, with a 22 percent gratuity added automatically. Reservations are required at (504) 524-1331.
The tea list comes from Palais des Thés, with eight loose-leaf options, and a harpist plays during service. Savories, scones, and pastries make up the courses. The room doubles as the hotel’s jazz lounge, so tea guests share the space with the stage and bar, which gives the whole thing a looser feel than a dedicated salon. The Papa Noel Christmas Tea Party takes over the same room in December with cookie decorating and storytelling.
3. The Roosevelt New Orleans — Central Business District
Teddy Bear Tea is the Roosevelt’s contribution and it is a holiday event rather than a weekly service, running November into December with ticketed seatings. Prices in recent years have landed between roughly $91 and $120 for adults and $69 to $98 for children ages 3 to 10, with children under 2 free.
The format includes holiday food, specialty teas, and pastries, with sparkling wine and mimosas for the adults. Children meet Santa and Mrs. Claus and leave with a Roosevelt teddy bear. The lobby carries 112,000 lights, 4,000 ornaments, and 42 trees during the season, which does most of the work on atmosphere. Tickets sell out, so book when they release. Call (504) 335-3129.
4. The Royal Sonesta New Orleans — French Quarter
The Bourbon Street hotel runs an annual holiday afternoon tea with sweet and savory courses in a classic French Quarter setting, which makes it the only one of these four inside the Quarter proper.
Dates, pricing, and seating details shift year to year and are not posted far in advance, so this one requires calling the hotel directly rather than booking online. Ask about seating times and whether the tea includes a sparkling option, since both have varied. Worth asking early, because the holiday tea calendar across the city fills fast once November arrives.
