Afternoon Tea At El&n Lowndes Street

The bill included a 12.5% service charge, which felt excessive, as the usual rate is around 10% and is often voluntary. They did remove the charge upon request, allowing me to leave my own tip. Overall, the food and ambiance were great, but the service definitely needs to be more attentive.

We initially had a reservation for afternoon tea but decided to switch to the regular menu instead. The staff appeared to have no issue with this change. However, during this visit, we encountered a significant problem; we were told it would be classified as a no-show and that we would be charged for it. Earlier in the week, I had also called to reserve a table for afternoon tea at 1:30 PM, but I was told to arrive at 12 PM because the 1:30 slot was unavailable. We ended up staying until 2:40 PM, so it was clear there was no need for us to change our reservation. Additionally, our table was not properly cleaned, and we ended up ordering food via the app after our afternoon tea because we did not receive any service during our visit.

We were forced to choose a £70 afternoon tea for two, even though we initially booked the one priced at £50. We weren't permitted to look at the main menu and instead had to select from the afternoon tea offerings, while others around us seemed to have the option to do otherwise. The quantity of food served was quite small; the sandwiches were minuscule, about the size of a 50p coin, and not even shaped like triangles. I was allowed to substitute my coffee or tea for a dietary drink, but everything else would incur an additional charge. Overall, the experience was disappointing, especially since we had made the reservation six months in advance and were looking forward to it.

We had a terrible time at the tea. it was very suspicious and disappointing. I have written a long review and written to him elsewhere.

I had my afternoon tea here. Initially the receptionist had told me to choose to sit wherever I liked. I chose a pink table which she told me that it was only for 11 people so I chose another green table next to it. Later, I saw only 4 white people which were the same numbers as mine got that table. Why is there a white privilege even though we paid the same price with advance booking?