Halekulani Tea Room

I have eaten here twice for brunch, and anywhere you sit, you will have a breathtaking view of the beach and the coastline. The food was good for the price, but nothing to write home about. I came with my toddler to meet a friend, and wasn’t dressed up in the newest designer resort collection like their regular tourists; I came wearing yoga capris, a tank top, slippers, and no makeup. Although our server was nice, I could feel an air of judgement coming from him.
On another note, the valet guys are always extremely polite and truly do not care what you drive… They even helped me load my daughter’s stroller into the back of my (messy) Volvo.
All in all, come for the ambiance and the view.

Love the idea of having tea time in an open-​air restaurant. Love the view of the shoreline and of diamond head. Love how this restaurant is located in a gorgeous hotel. But what I didn’t love was the tea, the champagne, the scones, the sandwiches, the desserts.
Why? Because…
The Tea: smelt good but flavors didn’t shine through enough
The champagne: ok but not worth spending extra for
The scones: not bad but not as fresh as I expected it to be
The sandwiches: fancy but I’ve had better (with simpler ingredients)
The desserts: pretty but flavors were one-​dimensional
To sum it up, 5 stars for presentation but 2 stars for taste. And for the price I paid, I’d rather they focus on making everything taste better than look better.
One more thing that I did love was the lemon curd. I’d come back just to be able to have their lemon curd, but hopefully the scones would be fresh and warm.

Went here in April to celebrate my sister’s promotion and my last pregnancy what a perfect place to do some girly catch up time! Not that men wouldn’t enjoy this either because the food is BOMB… but everything is just so picture perfect, pretty, clean and cute that it makes a girl want to squeal with delight! lol… okay I’m going there… With so many reviews here’s my recap:
Pros:
–The Veranda, it’s first come first serve. This is a much more intimate and ‘tea like’ setting. super relaxing and polished, with doors that open up to the grassy courtyard so you have a nice mix of A/​C and fresh air. The setting is definitely a lot more formal if you sit in here.
–Orchids, can make reservations here. This is outside with beautiful ocean views. It’s not private per se as you can see all the action by the water but its still pretty because of the wonderful Diamond Head and Pacific Ocean.
–Gluten-​free settings! My cousin has celiac disease (she’s not trendy yo) and can’t have gluten. I called 3 days ahead to inquire what could be done as I didn’t want her to sit around picking at grapes the whole time (ain’t no fun if the homies can’t have none…). I had to make a reservation at Orchids in order to secure this service. Not only was this accommodation «free» (wasn’t charged extra for it), but they went above and beyond my expectation by making the gluten free setting almost exactly the same as the regular tea setting! Yay!!!
–The poppy seed muffins or whatever they are… dude I can just get that and be happy.
–Free valet with validation
–It’s surprisingly a lot of food so cost/​value/​quality rating is spot on.
Cons:
–Nothing!

Amazing afternoon tea that only the Halekulani can provide.
The view was great.
The service was excellent.
The food and tea were great.
Free valet parking for four hours was great.
Unforgettable from the moment we stepped out of our car all the way we stepped back in.

Come here for the amazing and serene view and good tea selection more so than the food.
We made a reservation at Orchids on our last day before our flight and it was a great way to round up an awesome trip. You have to walk through the Halekulani’s hotel lobby and pass through a courtyard (there was a wedding preparation going on at the time we were there) to get to the Orchids (their outdoor space). There weren’t that many other patrons around at the time and we had really great service.
The waitress brought us two wooden boxes, each filled with different samples of tea to make your decision easier. I ordered a pot of Queen Emma Rose tea for myself, it is apparently one of their signature blends and it’s pretty good. They first bring out fresh currant scones and poppyseed mini muffins. The scones were a bit on the dry side, but the poppyseed muffins were SO GOOD. I ate all of them and wanted to ask for more, but I wanted to save some space for the actual tea sandwiches and pastries. The scones and poppyseed muffins also came with strawberry preserve, lemon curd and fresh cream. I personally thought the lemon curd was too tart and enjoyed the cream more. They then bring out this very pretty tea tower filled with mini tea sandwiches and tiny pastries/​desserts. While the tower was pretty to behold, I can’t say I was impressed with the quality of the food. The ham and watercress on bread was okay, but the bread was really dry. The smoked salmon and chicken wasn’t special. The cucumber with cream cheese tasted mushy. The desserts and chocolates were overly sweet. Overall the food was disappointing, but the view is amazing.

Stumbled upon a sign at the Halekulani that read Afternoon Tea at 3:00pm and low and behold I looked at the time and it was 3:00pm, meant to be?
We had some time to kill and wanted to relax before heading off to dinner in a few hours. I was a little confused exactly where the afternoon tea was taking place so we headed over to Orchids and they were happy to set us there but there was a loud group celebrating something so we walked across the hall to an open wall dining area, much better!
Service was great and wasn’t too intrusive. In most cases you want attentive service but this was actually a time where I didn’t mind a minor lack of attentiveness, it was just right. FYI, you can share one order of the tea sandwiches and desserts among 2 people as long as you order 2 teapots. One of the sandwiches had a stale refrigerator taste (smoked salmon) but the petit fours were yummy. Also the tea was already strained, I’m used to using the tea strainer over the cup. Another thing I noted was that the tea is served with sugar but not cream.
We sat around enjoying the view, sipping on tea and enjoying each others company. Come here was good company and you’ll have a good time.

Halekulani offers one of my favorite afternoon tea services on the island. I have several afternoon tea places that I am partial to but none of them has the entire package like Halekulani does. If you are looking for the ultimate afternoon tea experience, Halekulani delivers on all fronts – gorgeous view, intimate ambiance, five-​star service, wonderful tea, and scrumptious tea accompaniments!
Tea service is offered in two locations – the veranda and Orchids. They don’t take reservations for the veranda, but do so for Orchids. The veranda offers an incredibly serene ambiance while Orchids offers an ocean view. I have only had tea on the veranda and thoroughly enjoyed it. There were around six tables only in the veranda tea room and we were only one of two parties there when we arrived. It was lovely having tea in such a peaceful setting – the toils of everyday life were forgotten and we could focus on simply enjoying the moment.
Our waiter was impeccably dressed and looked after us attentively. If you want more tea, you have only to ask. At the Halekulani, they don’t simply pour more hot water into the pot – they will give you a fresh pot of tea. Everything from finger sandwiches to the basket of fresh scones and poppy seed muffins to the exquisite desserts was delicious. I absolutely adored the little elegant jars of lemon curd, devonshire cream, and Kula strawberry preserves.
If you are looking to pamper yourself or someone special, check out the tea service at the Halekulani!

Excellent service and great food! I love the scones and jam so much! The scones are hot and not too sweet. The environment is quiet and peaceful. Is a great place to spend your afternoon. Also there are 12 selections of teas to choose from. I open each one and smell them all! Is recommend to anyone who wants a relax afternoon.

I may have made a mistake with making the afternoon tea at the Halekulani hotel my first experience with afternoon tea as it was sooo good. You have a choice of eating in the Veranda or in the Orchids restaurant. The Veranda doesn’t require reservations, however, you need one for Orchids. I had ended up eating in the Veranda which faces their courtyard and you sit in sort of a patio area. This was a very relaxing area as there were only a few other patrons so it’s very quiet and serene which is uncommon in Waikiki. One issue with eating in the Veranda is that there were a few birds that would wander on to the tables to grab at the crumbs. It was cute at first, but then it got annoying when they kept coming back.
I ordered the classic set which comes with your choice of tea, small tea sandwiches, baked goods, and desserts. There were about four little tea sandwiches with the salmon with lemon cream on rye bread as my favorite. They gave two scones and two lemon poppy seed baked goods. They also gave a good assortment of cakes like tiramisu and some chocolate thing which was excellent. Even though it didn’t seem like a lot of food I was surprisingly content by the end of it. The one issue is that the food became too sweet after a while. I helped contribute to this though by putting on way too much cream and lemon curd on my scones haha.
There is free valet parking with validation or you can self park for free with validation in the Waikiki Parc hotel (which is just a bit up the street on the left). There is also a dress code where they request slacks and a collar shirt for men.
The Halekulani afternoon tea is a great place to have tea and some scones in a tranquil atmosphere. It is quite pricey ($ 32 for the classic set) but it is the Halekulani and the ambiance, service, and food can make it worthwhile.

My best friend asked me what my one wish was for my last few days in Hawaii. Seeing that I already had my sushi and Bubbies fix, I chose to have high tea. Um. this might have been one of the best decisions I made in a while, and something I definitely needed.
We didn’t book an appointment and we came 15 minutes after they opened and we were told that the entire tea room was full. Luckily the total wait was only around 25 – 30 minutes.
I don’t go to tea rooms often but when I do, I expect to have top notch food, service, atmosphere, etc. and Halekulani Tea Room was no exception. My friend thoroughly enjoyed the experience as much as I did. :))))
The quality of the food was really good, we enjoyed 3 of the 4 sandwiches (one was quite plain, the best was the one with the smoked salmon), and all of the cakes were delicious and everything was made fresh. The slice of coconut cake was DELICIOUS (you can order it on the side for $ 12!) It was was definitely worth it. Overall, every bite was heavenly and really enjoyable. I regret finishing all the cakes because I didn’t have much room left for the scones. I did try at least one though because it looked too good to not experience it. And keep in mind that since it’s the last thing I ate, it was an hour and a half into it, THE SCONE WAS STILL WARM. Whoaaaaaaaa! HECK YEAHHHH! I think next time, I will eat more scones and not eat the extra slice of cake. Literally, once you see how delicate and dainty everything looks, you would swear you see the little «eat me» Alice in Wonderland tag attached to it. Even the flowers on the little cake tasted good (kidding, they didn’t taste like anything), I’m not sure if I was supposed to eat the flowers, I’m assuming it’s edible since I’m here typing this review a week after I ate them. And no, I did not eat the orchid that came with the coconut cake if anyone was wondering. haha!
Our server Ricky was excellent, super attentive and explained everything that you would want explained really well. His partner was also nice and they both chased and clapped away the birds that kept trying to get lucky with our food.
And if you haven’t noticed that I’ve been raving about this tea room in the entire review, I would definitely come again and it was amaze balls.

I once took an online quiz to figure out which Downton Abbey character matched my personality. It was of no surprise that I was the: Dowager Countess! She’s my favorite character on the show and I’m pretty sure in my past life I was her because that’s how much I adore high tea! Enjoying a hot cup of freshly brewed fragrant tea while sinking my teeth into delicate sandwiches and dessert is my very favorite way to spend any afternoon!
I was invited to have high tea at the Halekulani and was expecting to be seated at Orchids. To my surprise we were seated in a quiet room next to the Lewers Lounge. You might be disappointed that you’re not getting an ocean view, but I actually preferred the serenity of the tea room because it doesn’t as though you’re in Hawai’i. Not knocking our island paradise, but a truly wonderful afternoon tea experience is like jumping down a magic portal into a world where life is hushed to a whisper, you are taken care of like royalty, and everything in your life is at peace. Do you understand how difficult is for someone like me who is a mother of three to have peace and quiet? It’s rough. The nice thing is that if you still want the ocean view you can also be seated at Orchids.
Our waiter was a sweet man who presented us a selection of teas in a beautiful wooden box and delivered a basket full of freshly baked currant scones. I’ve had scones from all around the world and these were so light and fluffy! If you’ve ever tried to make scones at home you know this is no easy feat because they can turn as dense as a hockey puck in a minute. The scones come with adorable jars of devonshire cream, lemon curd (my personal favorite), and Kula strawberry preserve.
The tower of treats that we enjoyed had:
–Ham and Watercress with Grain Mustard on Poppy Seed Bread
–Cucumber with Cream Cheese and Chives on Caraway Seed Bread
–Chicken with Horseradish on Whole Grain Bread
–Smoked Salmon with Lemon Cream on Rye Bread
–An assortment of insanely amazing pastries (see photos, but be warned they’re almost too pretty to eat)
The entire food experience was only made better by fantastic service, free valet parking and my gigantic Santa-​sized belly full of treats. As we people watched guests through the veranda doors and drank tea from our delicate cups, I couldn’t help but feel as though I was happily trapped in a Jane Austen novel. All I needed at that moment was my Mr. Darcy so we could scowl at one another.
Afternoon tea daily 3 – 5 pm
Classic afternoon tea — $ 32
Champagne afternoon tea — $ 49
Celebratory afternoon tea — $ 54

My bestie and I went here today to celebrate her engagement. After much anticipation, I must say this place was not what I expected. It was even better!!! I am not a big tea person but they have so many varieties to choose from that it would be hard not to find something for everybody. I had the blueberry rooibos, chilled. On a hot day like today, it was absolutely perfect. It was the perfect blend of tea and fruit. The desserts were so soft and light. The scones and muffins were so fresh and warm. They seriously melted in our mouths. The sandwiches were very delicious as well. We had the celebratory package that came with a glass of champagne, strawberries with cream, and a cake. All of which were just amazing. I think we might have to make this afternoon tea date a thing! I am definitely looking forward to going again!!!
The staff was also very friendly and helpful with the selections. Our waitress was very attentive and would bring refills for my iced tea and water before I ever had to ask. The view was gorgeous. They have opened seating in the Orchid room so that patrons could get a beautiful view of the ocean. However, beware of the sparrows!!! They are FEARLESS!!! They were nice enough to wait until we were finished eating before they came and picked at our leftover cake. No amount of swatting would deter them. They were on a mission. I swear one even hissed at me LOL.

Recently Honolulu Magazine listed the Halekulani as one of the best afternoon teas in Honolulu. So naturally, favoring all things fancy, I had to go!
The Halekulani offers three types of tea service daily from 3pm in their Veranda and at Orchids: classic $ 32; champagne $ 49; and celebratory $ 54 (champagne + coconute cake). Seating is limited on the elegant Veranda so if you don’t have a reservation, you may be seated at Orchids — which is just as beautiful with open air seating and ocean and diamond head views.
We were able to make reservations for tea on any other day, but Sunday. Possibly because of their Sunday brunch at Orchids. Because their tables at the Veranda seat four and they can only accomodate one party greater than 4, I was advised to arrive early to get that space. When I arrived, I checked in with the reception at Orchids who told me to hang out by the Veranda to catch the man setting up the tables. I didn’t see anyone so I wandered into the lounge where I asked about the tea. The man basically told me that tea didn’t start until 3pm so I told him my situation with the larger party. Finally, they said they could put two tables together since they were seating a table of two and a table of 3. Just a warning if you have your heart set on having afternoon tea on the Veranda!
I was lucky enough to have their tea service both on the Veranda and at Orchids. The menu is the same with the exception that the Halekulani blend is not offered at Orchids (they sub it with chamomile) and they use the same settings from the restaurant. You’ll get the floral tea cup settings on the Veranda. Other than that, it is the same fine selection of teas. I highly recommend getting the blueberry rooibos iced for these hot summer days.
The tea service starts with freshly baked currant scones and poppyseed mini muffins served with double devonshire cream and the most amazing lemon curd and Kula strawberry preserve. The sandwiches include: ham and watercress on poppy seed bread; cucumber with cream cheese and chives; chicken with Horseradish; and smoked salmon on rye. My favorite was the chicken. The assortment of pastries were visually stunning, but my favorite was the pretty red tiered dessert topped with a flower.
Afternoon tea is such a relaxing and refined experience and to share it with family and friends makes it unbeatable. One of the better ways to end any day.

Ambiance — 4 stars for the view of diamond head and how it’s outdoors facing the ocean. Be careful of hovering bird and possibility of bird poop!
Afternoon tea experience — 3 stars. Only 6 tables at most. Make your reservation.
We got the Celebratory Tea ($ 54) set and the regular Afternoon tea set ($ 32):
Ham and Watercress with Grain Mustard on Poppy Seed Bread
Cucumber with Cream Cheese and Chives on Caraway Seed Bread
Chicken with Horseradish on Whole Grain Bread
Smoked Salmon with Lemon Cream on Rye Bread
Freshly Baked Currant Scones
Served with Double Devonshire Cream, Lemon Curd and Kula Strawberry Preserve
Assorted Afternoon Tea Pastries and Cakes
A Pot of Fine Tea (we got fruity teas: blueberry and mango/​pineapple)
I didn’t find the sandwiches to be that outstanding. The poppy seed muffin was too sweet. I’ve had better scone. The Celebratory set came with champagne, fresh strawberries with cream and a coconut cream cake.
Parking — ticket was valeted for 4 hours. Get it stamped!

Celebrated a dear friend’s birthday with a girls afternoon at High Tea. We ordered the champagne and strawberries, along with the normal tea service. We called a few days ahead, but were told that reservations were not taken unless the party was 5 or more. Valet parking with free with validation, which was very nice. There was plenty of availability in the tea room, and it was a perfect celebration. We drank champagne, ate delicious fancy tea sandwiches, and enjoyed tiny deserts. The birthday girl was even served a piece of coconut birthday cake, which we all shared.
My favorite were the scones — delicious! And served with an assortment of creams and jam. The whipped cream that came with the strawberries was also divine! Once my strawberries were gone, I pulled a classy move and ate the rest of the whipped cream by itself with a spoon — it was THAT good!
As expected, they have a great selection of teas to choose from. You can smell the different flavors before ordering. All three girls chose a different tea, and we each very much enjoyed our selection. Overall, the birthday girl loved it and it was a completely successful birthday celebration! I will definitely be back when I feel like being fancy again.

My first time having afternoon tea was here at the Halekulani. It was everything i had envisioned it to be. Classy, fancy, & sophisticated. Everything was beautifully decorated with orchids & the ambiance was amazing. Love the ocean view! Service was ok. I chose the tea service that included a glass of champagne & strawberries with cream.
The 3 tiered assortment was so beautifully presented. The sandwiches were just ok though. I only really likes the ham & cheese one. The desserts were just ok as well. Too rich in flavor for me. The best part of the meal was the scones! Freshly baked & warm with strawberry preserve, whip cream, & lemon curd. The strawberries were good too! Very sweet & the cream was delish! I chose the blueberry flavored tea which was very good as well.
Sandwiches & desserts were just ok, but the ambiance makes up for it!

If you are looking for something different and classy for your next date with mommy dearest or some close sister-​friends, look no further than the Halekulani Tea Room. This is especially a nice place to bring someone when you’ve got a bit of catching up to do on a lazy sunday afternoon. On this occasion, we were celebrating the not-​long-​enough homecoming of a very very close friend of ours. Thank you to fellow Unilocaler Megan R. (
) for treating both myself and another close friend of ours to this venue.
We purposely arrived a little earlier than 2pm so that we would be able get a table in the open-​aired room facing the courtyard for traditional tea. We were cautioned via a quick phone call that the courtyard area did not take reservations and that seating was limited (i counted 6 tables). Don’t worry if you do not make it in time, you can always go over to the Orchids Restaurant located right across the hall way. They also serve afternoon tea, however, Orchids does not provide the cute tea sets and plates, etc.
THE SERVICE:
Service was friendly and helpful, and I liked that they did not make us feel rushed. In fact, we sat there for a good 2 hours before we felt like we were ready to go, and the server did not even once make us feel like we were over staying our welcome. They seats were cozy, so we sank in, sipped our tea, and talked up a storm like we hadn’t seen each other in a million years.
THE FOOD:
If you choose the traditional tea like we did, you will get some yummy scones, poppy-​seed cornbread, clotted cream, strawberry jelly, lilikoi spread, an array of finger sandwiches (cucumber/​cream-​cheese, Salmon/​cream-​cheese, & chicken salad), and 3 different mini pastries. Of course, everything is WAY fancier and better quality than the way i described it ha! Everything was very delicious! My favorite was surprisngly the chicken salad sandwich which had a sweet an savory taste to it because it was prepared with fruit and nuts. MOST surprising was the amount of food that was given to us! I did not anticipate to be so full by the end of our afternoon tea! I regretfully left behind a few desserts and a sandwich. CAUTION: DO NOT EAT BEFORE HIGH TEA OR YOU ARE SENTENCED TO FOOD FAILURE!
PARKING:
Just valet it! Bring a few dollars with you, and be done with it.
Don’t forget your floppy hats and cute dresses :)

Elegance actualized. Everything here is beautiful and abundant! From the literal basket full of scones to special devonshire clotted cream, lemon curd, and strawberry preserves, to towers of gold dusted desserts… this is the epitome of tea as far as I’m concerned.
It’s expensive, definitely for a special occasion, but I would say it’s worth it just to enjoy a beautiful afternoon in a beautiful setting with delicious food. Choices of tea are abundant, the servers are super friendly and very polite.

Halekulani is my favorite hotel on Oahu so when I found out that they had afternoon tea, I just had to go right away!
First of all, there are no reservations allowed on weekends so seating is on a first come first served basis. Tea is located next to Orchids and Lewers Lounge on a small veranda. There are 5 tables of 4 so good luck getting a table! The service was spectacular and what you would expect of this five star hotel.
As for the tea and food, I found the tea selection to be a little on the small side. I have had afternoon tea all over the island and was just a little disappointed at the selection. The food on the other hand, was 5 stars all the way. The presentation alone was breathtaking. The food was so beautifully made that I almost didn’t want to eat it! I just wanted to take pictures of it and stare at it. The desserts especially were just amazing.
Overall, the setting was beautiful and the food and service were great too. I would highly recommend having afternoon tea at Halekulani!
TIPS:
Valet parking is free for 4 hours with validation.
Tea is served daily from 3:00 pm — 5:30 pm.

According to our wonderful server, tea at Halekulani has been updated recently and, «is sooo much better than before». The price has gone up $ 5 to $ 32, but it really was fantastic!
Tea: Each pot was brewed separately with fresh leaves, so we got to try several different kinds. There were many unique choices… one of the best was Earl Grey with Maui lavender.
Food: There is no longer a dessert tray. Instead, you are served 3 desserts and 4 sandwiches. Everything was tasty (not bland like tea food can sometimes be), and the gold-​dusted jasmine infused chocolate mouse ‘pockets’ were so heavenly I nearly swooned.
Setting: Very elegant with heavy crème-​colored drapes and roses on and around all the 6 tables. The bright, airy room opens out to a sunny tropical courtyard with palms and lush greenery. (And wait until you try the high-​tech Japanese toilets in the restroom… Hilarious!)
Come here for a special occasion or for a few hours of pampering. There is no way you’ll be disappointed.