The Gallery, Ritz-Carlton Boston Common

2 Avery St
Boston MA 02111
(617) 574-7100

Official Website

Yelp Reviews

Map

Finished in 2008, the new Boston Common location was a bold move for the Ritz-Carlton Hotel. After 80 years across the park in their original building by the Public Gardens, Ritz-Carlton upped sticks and headed for a new modern building in the less fashionable downtown area. Behind they left their established majesty to become the new Taj Hotel and ahead they forged a new slick luxury hotel with an urban feel. Royalty can stay at The Taj, Boston Common Ritz-Carlton is after the movie stars and sports teams.

One of the last editions to the new Ritz-Carlton was its afternoon tea. Not only is the Ritz name synonymous with afternoon tea but at the old location it was both a showpiece and a tradition of the hotel. With the Taj continuing the old tea across the parks with more than capable hands, the new Ritz-Carlton has a lot to live up to.

Tea is on Saturdays and Sundays with sittings at 1:00, 1:30, 3:00 and 3:30 pm. It is held in The Gallery - a comfortable lounge area at the back of the modern lobby with a centerpiece fireplace and art from the hotel's million dollar collection. The typical afternoon tea costs $32 and consists of scones with cream and lemon curd, followed by an assortment of luxury finger sandwiches and then finally English biscuits, fruit tartlets and mignardises (small sweets). For $13 more you can also add champagne and strawberries and there are also vegetarian alternatives, as well as a $20 version for 12-and-unders. There are 12 teas to chose from covering classic and scented black teas, green teas and tisanes (herbal teas). The menu proudly proclaims that all the teas served are Mighty Leaf teas.

Hana...
The Ritz Carlton, known for afternoon tea, was one of the places that I'd been eagerly wanting to try. I had high hopes for it. During the course of our tea, the food was very elegantly presented (to go along with its modern interior design). The fact that they have 2 types of afternoon tea - one regular and one for vegetarian, gets high mark in my book. However, with the inclusion of caviar on small pre-made open face sandwiches and getting two of the same kind (from the vegetarian side), my feelings for this place were reduced to sub-average. Actually, the sandwiches seemed quite small. What I remembered most from this tea experience is not their tea sandwiches unfortunately, but only their lovely scone. It was so rich, buttery, and heavenly on a cold winter day.

Afternoon tea here was good, but it was definitely not excellent, in my opinion. The interior is very modern in every way. However, I find the tea area too open to the lobby, where people go in and out. There is no distinct separator, except for the presence of a carpet. A fireplace keeps you warm if you happen to be sitting near it. If you happen to get a table on the other side of the lounge, you are not so lucky as burst of cold air will come each time someone enter the hotel. It was a nice place to try out, but a memorable one? Not really.

Tom...
As soon as we sat down and were handed the menu I was a little perturbed seeing the endorsement for Mighty Leaf teas. They make great teabag teas but it was the first time I'd seen a brand you could can get at your local Whole Foods so prominently revealed on a $32 menu. It wouldn't shock me if most hotels get their teas through a commercial brand but to mention it seemed odd. Certainly it's a far cry from the expert-picked tea menu and personal tea collection at Swan's Cafe down the road.

The food and tea were beautifully presented. Everything fitted in with the modern luxury feel - the cuts of the bread, the plates, cups and teapots - all modern and elegant. There were some classic touches too - the silver service tray with its Ritz-Carlton lion on top, and the candle-powered teapot warmers on which our pots were rested. The staff were attentive to start with and the seemingly innocent questions as to why we were exchanging gifts culminated in a surprise final course - a handful of their decadent chocolates garnished with an orchid and with Happy Birthday written out on the plate in drizzled chocolate. A nice touch, it was just a shame that the staff were entirely absent when we were looking to pay up and move on.