Not a usual Friday Find, because the Bengal Lounge at the Fairmont Empress Hotel has been around since the 60’s but rather a farewell since it will be closing its doors tomorrow, April 30th.
The iconic space began as a reading and writing room before becoming the Coronet Lounge, Victoria’s first cocktail bar in the 1950s. It’s been serving cocktails over half a century, becoming the Bengal Lounge in the late 60s.
The Fairmont Empress Hotel is named for Queen Victoria’s rumoured favourite title, Empress of India, and the Bengal Lounge is decorated in a Victorian-era colonial Indian style to echo this title. Dark wood fixtures and fitting, tiger-skin hanging over the fireplace, punkah ceiling fans, sipping on a 1908 martini and the famed Curry Buffet are all part of the colonial style charm that makes a visit to the Bengal Lounge a visit back in time.
While the Bengal Lounge will be closing as a restaurant / lounge it has been announced that the 3000 square foot space will be retained as a banquet rental space. A perfect setting for a meeting, event or even wedding. Watch for the newly renovated restaurant and lounge, replacing the Empress Room, to open in the Fairmont Empress later in May.