The Tavern at Heathman

Review summary

1. J

   Jessica

   VIP

   Portland

   14 reviews

   4.0

   14 reviews

   Dined 1 day ago

   1. Overall 4
   2. Food 3
   3. Service 4
   4. Ambience 5

   Went for high tea. Happy that high tea has returned to the Heathman. Love the luxury and warmth of the hotel lobby. A nice touch having “Sniff” box for choosing your Steven Smith tea. I appreciate each person being able to pick their own tea. They let my teen choose hot chocolate and even brought a side of whipped cream and marshmallows to be added. The tea tower was lovely and 2/3’s sweets.
   

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2. T

   Tami

   San Francisco

   2 reviews

   5.0

   2 reviews

   Dined 2 days ago

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   Elegant, lovely dining experience upstairs, overlooking the ground floor guests. The delectables were beautifully displayed and yummy. The tea selection and service were good. It was a memorable, fun moment spent with my daughter. Great way to end a year and start the new!
   

   The Tavern at HeathmanResponded 1 day ago

   Hello Tami, Thank you so much for your wonderful review! We're thrilled to hear that you enjoyed your dining experience at The Tavern at Heathman, especially the upstairs view. It's fantastic to know that our delectables and yummy food added to your enjoyable visit. We're also glad that you appreciated our tea selection and service. We're glad that your family celebration was memorable and fun. It's a great way to start the new year, and we're excited to welcome you back soon! Best regards, The Management Team
   

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3. E

   Erin

   Portland

   2 reviews

   4.0

   2 reviews

   Dined 2 days ago

   1. Overall 4
   2. Food 3
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   Came here for the annual holiday tea. Enjoyed the food, ambience and service. The only negative was all of our tea was served lukewarm at best. Even with the heated water teapot at our table we couldn’t get the tea hot enough to enjoy.
   

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4. A

   Arley Ann

   Portland

   8 reviews

   2.0

   8 reviews

   Dined 3 days ago

   1. Overall 2
   2. Food 2
   3. Service 1
   4. Ambience 3

   Unfortunately the holiday tea at the Heathman is not what it used to be. We waited at least 10 minutes at the empty host stand before anyone even spoke to us, and then it took almost an hour to get our food, my young child was on the verge of a meltdown. Our server was clearly run ragged, she had way too many tables and was definitely doing her best. I can’t understand why the food would take so long when it’s a pre-done selection, no ordering. Once the food finally came, the selection was pretty uninspired for the cost. Aside from our server, the friendliness and service was lackluster. I assume everyone is overworked and grouchy, so it’s the fault of management not the servers….but it doesn’t make for a very pleasant experience. We’ve been doing holiday tea at the Heathman since I was a child, and I love going there with my family every year, but we may need to find somewhere else, sadly. The ambiance is also very cold compared to the past. I miss the big cozy booth in the center of the room, comfy seating, the decor. It feels like a collection of furniture from 3 different restaurants just jammed in as an afterthought now. We still had a nice time once the food came, mostly thanks to our server. $400 for 2 adults and a child, warrants a more pleasant experience. Buyer beware.
   

   The Tavern at HeathmanResponded 1 day ago

   Arley Ann, We're truly sorry to hear about your recent experience at The Tavern at Heathman. It's disappointing to know that we didn't meet your expectations, especially considering how much you've enjoyed your holiday tea tradition with us over the years and we appreciate your loyalty. We understand how frustrating it can be to wait, especially when you have young children, and we sincerely apologize for any inconvenience caused. Your feedback about the food and service is invaluable to us. We will definitely work on improving our efficiency and the menu options to ensure a better experience for you and your family. We appreciate your patience and understanding, and we hope to have the chance to serve you again and provide a better experience. Best, The Management Team
   

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5. OT

   OpenTable Diner

   Portland

   1 review

   1.0

   1 review

   Dined 4 days ago

   1. Overall 1
   2. Food 1
   3. Service 1
   4. Ambience 1

   They sat us (as well as several other reservations) about 40 minutes after our reservation time saying they were running behind. They never caught up which is strange. All the food is premade. Tea takes a few minutes to steep. It took us 25 minutes to place our order and then another 30 minutes to get the tea. Looking around and everyone is in the same position of waiting. Two servers, but even if that makes it short staffed, everything is premade. The food was so disappointing. The price for the four of us, two kids, was $300. $300 to wait for uninspired food. We were so exhausted from waiting we skipped our next adventure and went straight home.
   

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6. M

   Maggie

   Portland

   1 review

   1.0

   1 review

   Dined 4 days ago

   1. Overall 1
   2. Food 1
   3. Service 1
   4. Ambience 2

   Terrible experience. Took 45 minutes to get seated for our 1pm tea reservation. After an hour we had been served tea (yay) but not the cocktails we ordered or any food. We could see that other tables were also not getting their food so at 3pm we finally left. Haven’t been to tea here in almost 20 years and won’t be going back any time soon.
   

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7. K

   Kathleen

   VIP

   New York City

   8 reviews

   4.0

   8 reviews

   Dined 4 days ago

   1. Overall 4
   2. Food 3
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 3

   Lovely service with some good courses and others a little mixed
   

   The Tavern at HeathmanResponded 2 days ago

   Hi Kathleen, Thank you for taking the time to share your experience at The Tavern at Heathman. We're glad to hear that you found our service pleasant and that you enjoyed the courses you tried. However, we're sorry to hear that some of our dishes didn't quite hit the mark for you. We always aim to provide a variety of choices for our guests, and your feedback helps us improve. We hope to have the opportunity to serve you again and provide a better experience. Best regards, The Management Team
   

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8. B

   Brittany

   VIP

   Portland

   5 reviews

   1.0

   5 reviews

   Dined 4 days ago

   1. Overall 1
   2. Food 1
   3. Service 2
   4. Ambience 2

   Awful, terrible, no good Christmas dinner. Not returning. Service was fine-ish, food was genuinely awful. $100/person and not worth leaving the house for in the slightest. Lesson learned. We politely grinned and bared it but all agreed was a horrible experience.
   

   The Tavern at HeathmanResponded 4 days ago

   Thanks for the feedback, Brittany. We're sorry to hear that your Christmas dinner at The Tavern at Heathman didn't meet your expectations. We take pride in our food and service, and we're disappointed to hear that we fell short on this occasion. Your comments will certainly be shared with our team to improve our guest experience. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience and hope to have the opportunity to serve you again in the future. Best, The Management Team
   

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9. J

   Jeannie

   Greater Boston

   2 reviews

   5.0

   2 reviews

   Dined 4 days ago

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   Gracious staff. Excellent flavor in our meals. Quiet ambiance
   

   The Tavern at HeathmanResponded 4 days ago

   Thanks for the review, Jeannie! We're thrilled to hear that you enjoyed your meal and the ambiance of The Tavern at Heathman. It's always our goal to provide excellent flavor and a quiet ambiance. We appreciate your kind words and look forward to serving you again soon. Best regards, The Management Team
   

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10. L

    Lori

    Portland

    3 reviews

    3.0

    3 reviews

    Dined 5 days ago

    1. Overall 3
    2. Food 2
    3. Service 3
    4. Ambience 3

    Heathman Hotel is a beautiful hotel and Portland institution. HOWEVER, my biggest peeve, and I don't peeve very often, was the food and quality and quantity of food for a set menu of $100 per person for Christmas day. Let's start with starter..I am fine with potato chips and french onion dip, fun, taste fine, festive, I knew it was coming. I had crab bisque and my daughter the salad. There was minimum crab in bisque, come on, at least have ONE morsel in the bisque, it was flat and tasteless. The salad was just a salad, lettuce and one sundried tomato. The truffle mushroom risotto was underdone (yes, I know there needs to be a "bite" to good ristotto, not a a crunch) and 2 mushroom. I had the monkfish and my daughter the beef wellington. The beef was good and done well but the pastry was wet and fell apart. My monkfish was plentiful but it truely was not anything special. The only saving grace was dessert. WHICH is done ahead of time. So my peeve...is this. If I spend 100 dollars for a set menu I expect much much more and to be blown away by the food. The service was fine, but had to ask on more than one occasion for more water and the food coming out felt rushed. I would not recommend and will not be a repeat customer for Christmas again
    

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