Julien Bar & Lounge at the Langham Hotel

A wonderful old bar. Piano music, out of another era. It’s a martini place for sure. As a friend said to me, it’s the nicest hotel bar in Boston. (Not a hipster place.)

Hmmm… this place is pretty stuffy… more of a place for old financial type men with ties and cigars. It reminded of a scene from «The Game» with Michael Douglas.
I was very excited about the 101 martinis. I ended up trying the thin mint martini which I would rate as 4.5 stars and the necklace martini which I would rate as 3 stars. It’s also quite expensive — $ 14 per martini I believe. There is live piano but other than that the atmosphere leaves much to be desired. I probably won’t go there again.

The bar with 101 martinis! Yeah it’s great and all but they start at $ 12. Like I have said before, you’re at a hotel bar. your going to pay more. But these bartenders have a great memory. I asked for Martini Number 26 and he responded «Bellini Martini»
They provide wasabi covered peanuts and mixed nuts for you to munch on. They have one 15 inch flat screen that they can swivel to only one side of the bar.
The décor is amazing. trapped in time. Very dark though, only light is through windows which are already shadowed by the skyscrapers. It can be intimidating if your in middle class but that didn’t stop a visitor with a poker visor and socks and flip flops on. Very quiet, only the piano player was making the noise. Was too afraid to talk, may cause a ruckus! I haven’t tried their food yet but heard good things on the restaurant side.

A tale of two cities…
In London, everyone loves the Langham. It’s palatial celebrity-​spotting central and it’s only a few blocks away from retail mecca. In Boston, the Langham is the forgotten old boy of the financial district, with 8ft thick granite walls and conferencing facilities galore. Which one sounds like the place you’d want to treat yourself to an afternoon of tea and cakes?
Well, obviously London… but in keeping with Langham traditions they have to offer it here in Boston as well. Every day, and with posh tea selections too. Because? Well, because it’s a Langham and dammit, even if no businessman in Boston could give a crap about tea, they’re going to serve it. They have to.
So how does the ‘tokenist’ afternoon tea gesture at the Langham stack up? Well, I thought the food was very good — but not Boston’s best. Great smoked salmon sandwiches spring to mind. The tea was fun, we shelled out extra and got the flower blossoming teas and if they had come in transparent pots it may have been really good fun rather than just fun (they sadly came in dour teapots instead). Service was okay too, if a little pushy… «Yes, waiter — we’re trying to relax. Why don’t you?»
But the main problem was our isolation. The Langham’s tokenist efforts to serve afternoon tea had done quite well with the food and tea but it seems they’d not found an appropriate location to match. So sadly we were stuck by a window on some sort of landing area outside the lovely looking Julien Bar. Not in the bar, not in the lounge, possibly trapped in the closet (as R Kelly would be).
Still, we had fun. We always do. And we definitely didn’t talk about sex. We’re far too mature for that tomfoolery.
For a more thorough and mature review and more photos check out our blog…

The Langham Hotel is a luxury hotel «collection,» dating back to 1865, and the Boston location offers Afternoon Tea service daily in the Julien Lounge. The menu features three tea service selections — Hampton Court, Windsor Castle, and Buckingham Palace.
From the website, the lounge appears to be a sophisticated, and inviting space and the menu seems promising. However, this holds to be untrue. The afternoon tea here was mediocre, nothing was especially memorable or special.
The ambiance? Sterile white walls and bad lighting. Sparse and boring layout.
The food? More or less «eh.» Mascarpone cheese for scones is a nice change from the traditional devonshire cream other places are offering. A rum dessert was good, liked that one the best.
The teas? Good selections, but seemed overpriced for «rare» tea and «high art» tea, which wasn’t presented well. High art tea is tea that would bloom into a flower when steeped in hot water. Promised to have a unique and precious tea experience, I was quite disappointed that the tea was not even in a clear pot to begin with. You would need to take off the poorly designed lid to see the flower inside.

The view? Out a window, overlooking into a park at Post Office Sq.
The service? Nice. Didn’t push us out the door.
The furniture? Ugghhh! Wasn’t ergonomically comfortable, chair is low for table IMO. Yes, for vertically challenged people!
Very busy? Nope! But we were the only one that’s having afternoon tea on a Weds. Yes, lazy asses. The lounge was empty, two tables over a guy was having a job interview and we were discussing sex. (In general, not between us.)
.. .. .. .. .. .. .…So Langham! You’re not LAG-​ham!
Step it up!
Not a piece of yam! (A dopey rhyme. Whatev.)

Don’t know much about the food but the 101 Martini drink menu ROCKS. Love the gold medallion ceilings, vintage décor and comfy armchairs.

The food is excellent, the waitstaff is formal without being stuffy, the service is stellar, and the room is absoltuely beautiful. It reminds me of the sort of luxury one imagines on a 19^th century ocean liner (in First Class, obviously). Their Sunday brunch offers an amazing spread, too.