Reviewing the three afternoon teas offered by the Hotel Bristol Vienna proved to be quite challenging, especially when you’re neither a kid nor a vegan:
Traditional, Vegan & Kids Afternoon Tea
Ronnefelt Tea & Afternoon Tea Savouries
Afternoon Tea / Vegan Afternoon Tea / Kids Afternoon Tea
Hotel Bristol Vienna, Austria (five-star hotel)
Overall Mark: ★★★★☆
Traditional Afternoon Tea price: 39€/person
Vegan Afternoon Tea price: 45€/person
Kids Afternoon Tea price: 29€/person
Tea refills: No; Food refills: No
Service: Friday to Sunday, from 3 to 5 pm in The Bristol Lounge
The Setting ★★★★☆
The Bristol Hotel sits on the grand Ringstrasse boulevard, right on the corner of the Staatsoper opera house. Needless to say the location doesn’t get much more prestigious than this. The Baroque building is 125 years old and feels even more stunning once you set foot inside.
The hotel was acquired by the Sacher hotel group in 2011 though it is branded “A Luxury Collection”, a brand of Marriott International.
The interior decoration ranges from Art-Déco to Biedermeier, which is consistent with the hotel’s standing as one of Vienna’s most prestigious establishments.
The Bristol Lounge ★★★★★
Afternoon tea is served in the Bristol Lounge, which is basically the perfect venue for a cosy afternoon on a cold day. I imagine that the fireplace will be lit when the winter sets in.
Guests who want to enjoy a bit of natural light can also sit in the veranda on the Mahlerstraße side. The tables feel a bit more cramped but I love to have options.
The Hotel Bristol Vienna Afternoon Teas: Traditional, Vegan & Kids
The Bristol Afternoon Tea is seasonal: it is served from November to April of each year. Guest may choose between the following options:
- THE Traditional Afternoon Tea price: 39€/person with a hot beverage and an apéritif
- Vegan Afternoon Tea price: 45€/person with a hot beverage and an apéritif
- Kids Afternoon Tea price: 29€/person with a hot beverage
I was lucky enough to enjoy this afternoon tea with a group of people, allowing me to sample and review each afternoon tea.
The Tea & Beverage Selection ★★★★☆
Like most hotels in Austria and Germany, The Bristol Vienna sources their teas from the Ronnefeldt company. it’s a very reputable Frankfurt-based tea house with almost 200 years of experience and the quality of the tea is excellent. There are 15 teas and infusions on offer, each tea is very thoroughly detailed in the menu (German only). The staff is very caring and always brings fresh cups ♥ with a new serving.
The afternoon tea includes an apéritif (sparkling wine), with the obvious exception of the kids afternoon tea.
15 Ronnefeldt teas (4 black, 4 green, 1 white, 1 oolong and 5 infusions); 1 choice of tea per person
Brewing method: Brewed in a teapot brought to the table; infusion can be stopped with the help of an hourglass
The Hotel Bristol Vienna Afternoon Tea Savouries
The Savouries ★★★★☆
Each afternoon tea comes with its own set of savouries, though some of them are common to all of them.
Traditional afternoon tea Savouries
- Wrap with crayfish, salty apple and egg salad
- Red Tower “Beetroot Macaroon” with pistachio and avocado ♥♥
- Smoked fillet of duck and ash of leek with Cesargel and chip of Graham’s bread
- Hamon Iberico toast
- Cafe-de-Paris-cream and Ora-King-salmon wrap
Vegan afternoon tea Savouries
- Wrap with chickpea, lime, curry and wild herbs
- Red Tower “Beetroot Macaroon” with pistachio and avocado ♥♥
- Bread- pralines with Beef tomato and basil
- Sour Tomato Gazpacho
- Avocado salad with lime, Treviso and watercress
Kids afternoon tea Savouries
- Ildefonso of ox-heart tomatoes and basil ♥
- Mini Club sandwich with organic eggs and grilled fillet of chicken
- Black bread Sandwich with Gervais cream and fillet of turkey
- Salted caramel popcorn
The Beetroot Macaroon ♥♥ is the tastiest as well as the prettiest savoury. I really appreciate the fact that the chef went the extra mile to design savouries which are pleasing to everyone, both in terms of taste and aesthetics.
The Scones ★☆☆☆☆
Whether it’s the vegan or the traditional version of the scones, they were disappointing both in terms of shape (so small that you can’t break them by hand) and in terms of taste (or lack thereof).
The scones are served clotted cream for the traditional afternoon tea and almond cream for the vegan afternoon tea, as well as homemade apricot jam and strawberry jam ♥. While the toppings themselves were very nice, spreading them was made very difficult by the odd shape of the scones.
I would’ve understood if the vegan ones had been slightly less tasty but since both are at fault, there is really no excuse for this and it’s really a drag on what would have been a fantastic afternoon tea(s). The kids afternoon tea does not include any scones, which is probably for the best.
Marshmallows & Vegan Afternoon Tea
The Cakes & Sweets ★★★★★
Fortunately for the Bristol afternoon tea, the cakes and sweets are tasty and plentiful enough to make you forget about the rather disappointing scones.
Traditional afternoon tea Cakes & Sweets
- Chocolate-Caramel-milk (shot glass)
- New York Cheesecake with raspberry and amaretti
- Peach Melba Mousse with crumble and vanilla foam
- Orange-chocolate-brownie with walnuts ♥
- After-Eight-muffin
Kids afternoon tea Cakes & Sweets
- Cocoa-caramel milk (shot glass)
- Cake Pops ♥
- Peach Melba Mousse with coloured sprinkles and vanilla foam
- Brownie with Smarties and walnuts
- Marshmallows with cotton candy
Vegan afternoon tea Cakes & Sweets
- Lemongrass-coconut milk (shot glass) ♦
- Fruit tartlets on a sesame base
- Amaranth cherry bar
- Bristol french toast with banana and hazelnut ♥
- Almond pancake with green pepper and strawberries
The Cakes & Sweets are pleasing, no matter which afternoon tea you go for. The vegan afternoon tea lemongrass-coconut milk is the only notable exception as I found it quite odd.
Service ★★★★★
The staff is professional and efficient, as expected from a five-star hotel of this calibre. Special thanks to Herr Bauer and Kühnanst whose stellar service made the afternoon even better.
Conclusion & Overall Mark ★★★★☆
The Hotel Bristol Vienna serves three good afternoon teas for the pleasure of everyone (bar scones fans), vegans and kids included. It is a really a pity that the scones are not on par with the rest, else it’d have been excellent.
I’m not able to express a preference for either afternoon tea so it’ll all boil down to whether you’re a vegan/vegetarian or a kid/kid-at-heart. However, if you consider that the scones are the most disappointing course, the kids afternoon tea wins in terms of price/performance ratio.
Afternoon tea at the Bristol Vienna will be served until the 28th of April 2019 so don’t waste time and remember to book.
+: The setting
+: The Ronnefeldt Teas
+: Three afternoon teas in one (traditional, vegan & kids)
+: The savouries and cakes
+: Caters to everyone
+: The service
-: Only one tea per person
-: The scones
-: Not served week-long / year-long
Phone: +43 151516553
Address: Kärntner Ring 1, 1010 Wien
