4 Fabulous Ways to Celebrate the King’s Coronation This Weekend

Where to find Pimms Cups, extravagant afternoon tea, and one epic fruitcake on Saturday

The Coronation of His Majesty King Charles III and Queen Consort Camilla means many British restaurants and elegant hotels are pulling out all the stops to celebrate the monumental royal occasion. Here are a few themed happenings around the globally televised event on Saturday, May 6.

Fairmont

2401 M Street NW

The chic West End hotel throws a Coronation Garden Party in the courtyard starting at 9:30 a.m., complete with a Scottish bagpiper, Champagne sabering, and specially priced Pimms Cups and gin and tonics. Executive chef Jordi Gallardo’s themed menu includes steak and kidney pie with spinach sauce, fish and chips, and grilled lamb chops with roasted baby carrots and mint sauce. A jaw-dropping Coronation cake on display is a seven-tiered fruitcake featuring the King’s favorite blue flowers (delphiniums) and his monogram hand-painted in 24-karat gold. The show-stopping topper is an edible gold replica of the Sovereign Orb, trimmed in diamonds and rubies made of hand-poured sugar. The cake took executive pastry chef Claus Olsen and his culinary team a whopping 56 hours to make. In wedding-style fashion, this one isn’t for eating (just photographing); a similar cake will be cut in the kitchen and served during the event.

Four Seasons

2800 Pennsylvania Avenue NW

From 11:30am to 2:30 p.m. at the luxe hotel’s Seasons Restaurant, find a four-piece, Bridgerton-esque string quartet (DC String Machine) and a London-styled spin on its afternoon tea featuring King Charles’ official Coronation quiche and Queen Elizabeth’s Coronation chicken sandwich. Guest will enjoy bottomless bubbles throughout the event.

The St. Regis Washington, D.C.

923 Black Lives Matter Plaza NW

The opulent hotel lobby near the White House offers a royal afternoon tea in honor of the Coronation. Now through Sunday, May 7, raise your pinkies with a selection of British treats sure to transport you to the halls of Kensington Palace. Think: a deconstructed beef Wellington; smoked trout salad with citrus, trout roe, and pumpernickel; and a duet of English pea and cucumber with pimento cheese and quail egg. The tea will be playfully presented on a London Eye-inspired display, with crowns to match the royal occasion.

Duke’s Grocery

2000 Pennsylvania Avenue NW

Doors swing open at 6 a.m. at Foggy Bottom’s British-styled pub. Secure a seat to watch history happen across multiple TVs and a projector screen. Look for across-the-pond bites and “bevvie” specials all morning long.

Source: DC Eater