Afternoon Tea at The Goring

During December 2024 I was visiting London and decided for my birthday to book the afternoon tea at the goring hotel. When we arrived we were seated and after a few minutes a female waiter came by and began telling us about the menu however it was very difficult to understand her and most of the time she was muttering. She failed to explain that we could try as many teas as we wanted, ask for as many sandwiches/desserts as we wanted. After she takes our drink orders we let her know we did not want any pork in our food. About 10 minutes go by and we have not received our drinks but the male servers come out and bring us our sandwiches when we ask to confirm if there's no pork the server immediately tells us it contains pork. What was the point of asking if the waitress was not going to follow thru (I also had let them know while booking the reservation online). Even just getting our waitress to come by our table was difficult, its not something I would expect given the price that was paid. The taste of the food was nice but definitely not worth the extra holiday charge. When we were ready to pay we had them remove the tip because the service was not up to par with the cost. And one of the hostesses came by to ask why was the tip being removed. To be very frank I had better service at honest burgers then there. I was not going to write a review but last month I received an email from them asking if I wanted to come back which brought back the experience I had here. Overall the experience was meh I wouldn't even go back if they gave me a discount.

Visited for Afternoon Tea in January 2036, party of 2. The overall experience was enjoyable, but the food was a little disappointing. Staff were extremely kind and welcoming, talking through menu options and offering more food and refills throughout. The food was well presented, but just not particularly excellent. The sandwiches were probably the nicest element with the pastries being cloyingly sweet and a bit dry (particularly the carrot cake tarts which we couldn’t finish). I enjoyed the experience a lot and had received it as a gift. If we had paid the £130+ service charge personally I would have been disappointed.

Afternoon tea at The Goring is absolutely a must when visiting London. From the moment you arrive, the setting feels refined and welcoming, creating a perfect atmosphere for enjoying a leisurely tea. It strikes the right balance of elegance without feeling overly formal, making it ideal for both special occasions and a relaxed indulgence. The tea itself was excellent — fresh, flavorful, and served with care. I particularly enjoyed how attentive the staff were in explaining the different teas and making sure everything was poured perfectly. The sandwiches were splendid, beautifully presented and full of flavor. The scones were perfect — light, fluffy, and served with clotted cream and jam in the classic style. Presentation was thoughtful throughout, and I even got the leftovers packed to take home, which came in a very elegant box — a lovely touch that shows the attention to detail. The entire experience felt polished and effortless, with friendly, attentive staff making it seamless from start to finish. Overall, afternoon tea at The Goring is a quintessential London experience. Between the quality of the food, the freshness of the tea, and the elegance of the presentation, it’s a treat you won’t forget and one I’d happily recommend to anyone visiting the city.

I had been looking forward to this afternoon tea, but it turned out I should have just kept it as an aspiration. Even considering the strong pound, £100 for this experience was very disappointing. Among all the afternoon teas I’ve tried, this was the lowest overall. Afternoon tea in Japan offers far higher quality. As others have mentioned, the sandwiches were good, and it was nice that refills were available. However, the scones were far too sweet, and there were only three cakes, with rather ordinary flavors. The atmosphere was pleasant and the staff were polite, but that is to be expected from a hotel of this level. By comparison, the afternoon tea at the Baccarat Hotel in New York is more expensive, but it delivers much greater satisfaction.

Wonderful setting, even during the winter. The service was exceptional, and I would highly recommend visiting The Goring for afternoon tea at The Veranda. We were here on Sat 13 Dec 2026. Lovely experience.

By far the most memorable part of my trip to London. The afternoon tea was delightful. The staff was attentive, and the food and tea were impeccable.

Very expensive but worth it for a rare treat. The food was made to perfection, and the desserts were beautifully styled. And the staff was extremely friendly and attentive. As for the setting, the hotel and the veranda were gorgeous and a wonderfully peaceful setting for tea.

We have tried afternoon tea at a number of different hotels in London and this was up there with the best. The Veranda room is quite small but very comfortable with that cosy feeling and the service was excellent. We selected the Bollinger tea which included a glass of Bollinger champagne. We selected a Goring speciality tea and a Chai tea both of which went very well with the selection of sandwiches, scones and cakes. We went to the excellent bar near the veranda room for more of the hotels selected champagne. An excellent experience and cannot recommend enough when looking for afternoon tea in London.

We at here this past weekend while staying at The Goring. Lovely dining room with great local food but French wine (a great combo). Service was great with a great suggestion on a lovely Chablis that probably matched my seafood selections better than my wife and daughter's beef Wellington but they prefer white , and the Chablis had strong characters. My fish and seafood starters, including some very nice Jersey oysters which i did not get pictures of , were all outstanding and i am told the Beef Wellington was perfectly prepared. Team also was informed it was our 27th anniversary so they greeted us with flutes of champagne and closed with a post desert treat which I chased with a Yamazaki. The decor of the Dining Room makes it special indeed, like you expect a classic Michelin star place to have. It was a great addition to my Michelin star dining list, and I think the most British place of all. Which is good.

We decided to celebrate my birthday with a royal celebration at the Goring Hotel. If it's good enough for William and Kate it's certainly good enough for me. As a matter of fact Kate loves it here so much it is where she stayed the night before her wedding. We opted to go for all their signature offerings. Our cuisine began with the Gorings egg Drumkilmo which consisted of lobster ,aged caviar and roasted tomato. OMG!! Main course was their famous Beef Wellington with slow cooked short rib with a pickled horseradish. To say this beef melted on your palate would be an understatement . And of course it was mandatory to save room for their ever popular Rum Baba flambé with Lemongrass crème . Needless to say I was immediately transported into a decadent food coma but sooo worth it! The service was impeccable and Claudia made it extra special. I left feeling like I had been treated like a Princess!

I'm not sure what to say about The Dining Room at The Goring, but I'll give it a try since I'm writing this review. Incredible service. They had people for everything. They were on top of everything. There wasn't a moment when I was wanting for anything. Probably the best service I've ever had at any restaurant, with a caveat... The sommelier was shockingly unprepared. My girlfriend asked the somm what he would suggest for her main. He picked up the wine book, made a "hmm" noise like he was thinking, and then would make half-hearted suggestions. "Sauvignon Blanc usually goes well with seafood so maybe one of those?" And then would point at a list of Sauv Blancs. I was just surprised that a somm at a restaurant such as this wouldn't have been more prepared with a solid answer. Anyhow. The food was very good. Not great... But very good. My bisque was amazing. But nothing else was overly rememberable? I'm struggling to recall what I even had. Again - this is my complaint with restaurants of this caliber. So much attention is focused on the presentation and service and not a lot of energy goes into creating food that blows your hair back. But with that - one thing that impressed me was the temperature of the food we received. Everything was just hot enough without being too warm. Love that. Fanciest restaurant I've ever been to, and probably the most expensive. Not sure it was worth the money, but I enjoyed the experience and have no real regrets.

Wonderful afternoon tea on the Veranda. Beautiful space, polite and pleasant service..overall experience was wonderful!

Had afternoon tea here and it was amazing! The dining room is decorated and traditional British style, with lovely large windows to let in the light. The afternoon tea comes with many selections of tea to choose from, pastries, the most delicious scones and clotted cream I've ever had, and delectable finger sandwiches. The staff is attentive and hospitable. I was researching which afternoon tea to choose I'm so glad I chose this one!

On our first trip to London, I asked my husband if we could do afternoon tea 2x in the short 4 days that we had and he agreed! I couldn't decide between The Goring (his find) and Claridge's (my find) so I was lucky that he was open to visiting both. We came to The Goring first on our first day for their earliest seating at 4PM. We were seated in the middle of the room. Giuseppe was our server and he was amazing! He was sweet and attentive, as were the other staff members, and he made our experience wonderful! There was only one guy who made me feel uncomfortable and he seemed to be a "higher" up guy - when he came to ask about the food, I didn't realize my reservation wasn't prepaid and he told me to show it to him and while I was looking for it, he was hovering over me, appearing impatient and annoyed and then when I showed him, I felt embarrassed by the way he spoke to me. Other than him in that beginning part, Giuseppe was fantastic! We noticed that he disappeared for awhile after showing me where the ladies room was so we were a bit bummed and felt unsure about asking any other servers for additional tea. We were pleasantly surprised when they brought out an extra cake with Happy Anniversary written on the plate - that was a nice touch and when Giuseppe came back, he said that he wanted to be the one to bring it to us, but was told to go on break. The dining room was very elegant and regal and made you feel very fancy. We just got the regular afternoon tea as we are not champagne drinkers. The sandwiches, scones, and desserts were all "unlimited" so you could order as much as you needed. I believe it is expected that afternoon tea last for 2 hours - we found out after Giuseppe got back and we asked so as not to hold anyone up. Around 6/630pm, they begin to prepare the room for dinner. We did have items we took to go and Giuseppe was so great! There is a 12.5% discretionary charge that is automatically added (though you can have them remove it or change it) and it acts as the gratuity. After we paid with someone, we asked to make sure that it is split between the staff and they said yes, so that's good that the establishment doesn't just take it. We loved Giuseppe and wished we could do more, but gave him a little something extra for making our experience so wonderful - just by being him. The afternoon tea itself was fine, not amazing, but not bad by any means. Claridge's was better and fancier, but also more expensive. The experience here was nice for us so if we know that Giuseppe is still there, we would come back just for him!

Everything perfect. Service, food and ambient. Went for the Beef Wellington and it was great. Definitely a must comeback.

We made reservations for afternoon tea on the Goring website and it was very simple. We came after a long day of sightseeing so we felt a bit underdressed with our tennis shoes on. However, 90% of the patrons that walked in were more underdressed than my party was. We still felt a bit uneasy at first. So if you have the chance to dress up in at least business casual, I would recommend it. They also charged 6 pounds for still water without me knowing. So that wasn't very cool! They did, however, let us have Diet Coke in place of tea (at no extra charge) since we don't drink tea....it's all about the food :) We did not enjoy the pea mousse; it was really gross, actually. They may change this up seasonally, but they struck out with this one. Not good. The sandwiches were pretty good. But the clear winner were the scones and desserts. The scones, oh the scones! So incredibly amazing. The clotted cream and jams (strawberry and raspberry) were also to die for!!!! I could eat these every day. And I can't even talk about the desserts! Ok, yes I can. They were out of this world amazing. Every single one of them. I wish they were full sized so I could devour each one even more!! The lemon dessert and coconut macaron were my favorite. Oh, and the chocolate domed one. I can't decide; they were all so good. 50 pounds per person is a bit steep but it was fun to try once. When in London....ya gotta have Afternoon Tea.

The server was a total snob. I was disappointed. I've been to better hotels and this guy thought he was too cool for school. I give it a 3/12/ stars. I would not go back.

I was at The Goring with family for a birthday. First off, the service was excellent. Very understated yet attentive. The dining room itself is a nice room with a lovely bank of windows over the garden. The garish blue tinted lights on the ceiling are an odd counterpoint to the other wise pleasantly traditional atmosphere. The food was good - not excellent. There was no vegetarian option for the main (at least, not that I could identify!), so I went for fish. It was good. The style is a little fussy and nouvelle cuisine. I see that they are walking a delicate line because they need to be modern without alienating their base. Sadly, my dad's steak that I polished off was not especially tender. A solid three stars on service and very pleasant environment but the food (at this cost) could be more refined.

Was here for the afternoon tea. The place is gorgeous. Love the yellow interior. We got the non-champagne option. Cant remember the exact name of the tea I got, but I believe it was a green tea. It was a bit too mild for my taste. They offer endless refills though They served us a mini appetizer bite before serving us the trays. It was a pea mousse that was actually pretty delicious, considering I'm not a big fan of peas. As for the tiers, the sandwiches were pretty good. They can accommodate the food to any preferences or allergies you may have. However, when they actually served it to us, it was a bit confusing trying to figure out which sandwiches belonged to whom as there was 2 servings together on each plate. The desserts were pretty decent as well. I was a bit disappointed by the clotted cream that came with the scones, as I was really looking forward to having some since my last visit. The service was great from the get go. They were attentive when it came to serving the tea. They clear away your plates quickly then leave you alone for quite some time, which I believe is what do they do over here. So you have to flag them down when you're ready to leave. Overall, a great fancy tea experience if you wanna live that bougie life!

Let it be known that this is not where you make reservations for afternoon tea. I made that mistake, and made the reservation through their restaurant and upon arrival, I was informed that their tea room didn't open for another hour but they could squeeze us in to the tea room if we waited for a little bit. I normally would have been super irritated by this, as I do think that they should make it clearer to people NOT to make tea reservations through their dining room, but the employees were all so pleasant and polite, and their bar was fun to wait in. We were sat at a table in their tea patio, where the windows opened up to a gorgeous view of the city. Even though it started raining, of course, it didn't deter us from having a great time. The sun patio let in so much natural light, and the girls waiting on us were of utmost politeness and manners. Our tea cups were never empty, and they checked on us constantly to see how we were doing. The scones..oh my god, those scones. They were the best scones I've ever had, anywhere. They were warm and buttery, and paired with the clotted cream, they were heavenly. The sandwiches were all dainty and delicious, but those pastries were such eye candy. Everything was beautifully presented, and the experience was definitely memorable, from the seating, to the amuse bouche, to the tea, to the food, to the ending dessert. This traditional English afternoon tea experience goes down in my book of memories, and if we ever make our way over to London again, I definitely want to do it again!

The Goring Hotel is a lovely spot for afternoon tea! Scoring a reservation can be quite challenging but definitely worth the effort. The decor is classic understated elegance with very comfy seats to lounge in as you daintily sip your tea and gorge on your second serving of sandwiches. The sandwiches were more exciting than the desserts for us and we really liked the turkey cranberry sandwich! They have a great variety of teas and happily refill your pot with hot water frequently.

Would not recommend the afternoon tea. Good quality food but very poor service. Made reservations for the Goring afternoon tea for August 6th. It was a special occasion as I am visiting from Switzerland and wanted to have a wonderful afternoon tea experience with my best girlfriend. We were seated on time but had to wait a very very long time for our tea. We even asked for it repeatedly. We then had to wait equally long for milk. Finally, we asked several times for scones and jam. It was a most stressful and frustrating experience. I wished we would have picked a different restaurant.

Not a Michelin Star restaurant experience at all as far as the food is concerned. Otherwise, the atmosphere is a bit pretentious and we never really felt at ease throughout our lunch. 80% of the price is basically based on the fanciness of the place.

Aaaaaaaaah, the Goring. Family run, discrete, tucked away....a great setting for tea or a drink ( if you can find a table). You'll find yourself surrounded by an interesting mix of clienetele . Highly recommended, but if you're a jeans-and-trainers type person, and not a dressed down mogul, it's probably not for you. Delightful garden at the back. I'd not say the "tea" is authentic - show me someone who serves the same level of dainty patisserie in their own home, and I'll show you someone who lives in a five star hotel - but this in no sense detracts from them. Service is highly attentive, which is important given how busy this location can be.

I LOVE having afternoon tea and having it at The Goring Hotel was absolutely fantastic and wonderful. The place was nicely decorated and peaceful, but not too quiet where you can't have a lovely chat with your companions. It was on the pricey side but nonetheless, a great experience. Delicious snacks, sandwiches and desserts, with loads of tea to choose from.

The Goring, for afternoon tea; a Tea Virgin's story During a family vacation, we stopped in London, which required an afternoon tea for my wife and teenage daughter. I recommend you consider the same. The setting is delightful. Not garishly opulent, but understated finery. The garden takes the experience over the top, with cut grass, shrubberies, statuary, and yes, even people playing croquet. If lucky, a table on the patio will let you split the difference. The staff are not stiff, but warm (English warm) and easily help a neophyte along. Not that tea is rocket science, but there are many choices, and you'll be there awhile so you need to select something to make the visit sing. That said, I'm not a tea fan, but was won over nonetheless. I never thought I could ever spend three hours drinking teas, but we enjoyed every minute. The sandwiches (chicken curry, tuna salad, salmon, and of course cucumber) and sweets (scones, cakes and tarts) were delicious as well. Tea at the Goring is a worthwhile treat

We found this place based on the high reviews. The staff here is very professional and formal. We even saw a guy ironing a table cloth. We had the 3 course meal. My husband got the risotto and I had the vegetable spring salad. We both liked our plates. Next was the beef Wellington. It was so good. Every bite was pure joy. Lastly, we got the bread pudding and chocolate dessert. Both were fabulous! This was a 2hr food experience that we thoroughly enjoyed.

Great service, good food, exorbitant price. I don't mind paying a lot for food but it has to be really good. I've gone to 'high tea' before and for it being 'the best high tea in london' I was expecting more. I would come back - but only if someone else is paying the 62 pounds for my birdfeed.

I had my very first tea time experience here and absolutely felt like a princess! We did the champaign with strawberries and cream and then came the tower of sandwiches, scones and deserts, which were absolutely fabulous! Since I'm allergic to shrimp, they substitute a sandwich for an egg salad sandwich. And the replacement was my favorite with its buttery taste and creamy texture. They brought us more since I gobbled that one up. I enjoyed the earl grey tea as well. Atmosphere was cheery with a touch of edginess, like the fuzzy lamb stools. There was a good mix of family, friends and business people there as well. Service was fabulous!

A 5 star experience it was not. Very much overpriced. To be 5 star requires a full experience start to finish including food and presentation AND the completion. At the end, we were ignored for over 30 minutes and needed to go to the desk to request the check, which thoroughly confused her as she searched for our waiter. We seriously could have left without notice (and paying). We left feeling like riff raff at an exclusive restaurant. Food was excellent, but did not make up for cost and poor exit.

Ok, firstly, I know it's a tad cliche to hit afternoon tea here directly after a certain Duchess and fam just stayed here before a certain wedding, but hey, if it's good enough for them, then surely it's an ideal late Mother's Day pressie for a visiting mum.... Firstly, the setting - absolutely lovely. We were lucky enough to have a sunny, warm day and were sat outside overlooking the lovely private garden (see photo). Being outside also helps make it less stuffy/more relaxing. Secondly, the food - again, fab. Guinea fowl and mushroom replaces the bog-standard ham and cheese (melt in your mouth), delicious scones and calorie-laden clotted cream don't disappoint and the pastry selection was delish and unique (popcorn macaroon anyone?). Two pages of tea selection, including silver needle (my choice), jasmine pearl, and two types of mint tea are great for normal coffee-drinkers like me. Only comments here were that my initial coffee was lukewarm... Lastly, the service - now, i admit my expectations were set exceptionally high, but given a) the fact this staff recently hosted a number of royals and b) the price (£35 for traditional tea and £45 for champagne tea), I think that's fair enough. The service was by no means bad, it just lacked that polished aspect I expected. We were given a complimentary seafood starter (a bit odd before tea) before we had anything to drink and then when I ordered tea, our server poured it for me and then commented that it probably needs to steep longer. Well, that's great, but I now have to drink what is basically a cup of warm water. We also had an issue with being charged for a glass of champagne rather than the afternoon tea which resulted in a bit of attitude before being resolved. Anyway, I'll put all that down to the fact that I'm not a princess - I would definitely recommend The Goring.

The food was excellent. I started with the duck egg, and then had the halibut for the main. Both were fantastic. To finish things off, the chocolate dessert was also very good. The only two things I didn't like was that the atmosphere was a bit stiff (but that's to be expected) and that there are virtually no options for vegetarians. For this, I'd rather give Goring 4.5 stars.

Lovely afternoon spend drinking yummy cocktails on their lawn, if you are Looking for somewhere with a relaxing outdoor space near Victoria head here, they also have a cool beach bar for summer 2011

Excelent food an service. Try the short ribs and monk fish; they're wonderful. Nice ambiance and great wine and drink menu.

Came here for afternoon tea. It was a fun experience to have under our belts, but not something I see myself doing often. Quiet / peaceful enough that we felt a bit self-conscious, especially since they had signs on the table encouraging you to put away your phones. We weren't going there to web surf and ignore each other, but we did want to spend some time going over some trip logistics since you have 2 hours there. Liked the sandwiches more than the desserts, which were on the sweet side. Also wished they put out multiples when more than one person is taking tea. They will refill for you if you ask (and we did), but would like to just have them readily available instead of tracking someone down... My husband shares, but leaves everything worse for wear after he finishes his half; it just looked a bit unappetizing, which seemed anti-afternoon tea to me. Attentive enough and polite service, though accents sometimes hard to understand. Man in bowler hat outside more pleasant and actually smiled. Certainly expensive.

This is a review of High Tea at the Goring Hotel, while visiting London. Went to high tea at the recommendation of a chef friend. If you want an authentic British tea, without going to the usual places, I would highly recommend the tea at the Goring. Very nice tea service in a lovely hotel. Plus it's out of the usual tourist pathways . . .

review for afternoon tea- service- not incredible for a hotel, including a random waitress who interrupted our conversation and asked if she could remove all of our stuff on a chair to take to a different table when there were other chairs at empty tables... not that it would be a problem but it was just strange. the manager(?) was super friendly. beautiful, yellow room. weird thing is no music! no live, no CD. scones here were really good, the tea was good, though the menu more limited than dorchester. not that clean- i didn't fuss but dust in the cup, and little things like that. overall, i just really love afternoon tea and i'm glad i came here

A highlight of my trip to London is afternoon tea at the Goring. Great service, delicious food (continue to replenish your sandwiches, sweets, and teas). You feel like royalty when dining at the Goring :)

Here's 'The Situation': Parent birthday, parent obsessed with Victorian/Eduardian England, how to score massive points with least amount of pain... Answer: The Dining Room at The Goring. It's a pretty penny, but the food was excellent and the service was rock solid ensuring all the birthday trappings came off perfectly! Nice of them to have a set menu price (a trifle steep, but worth it) to avoid the awkward selection process, and a wine list that ranges from the excessive candle-pour to the solid and price worthy to make any meal a 'smashing affair.' Birthday cake was an absolute hand-made, fruit delight (in Jan no less) at a fraction of what you'd expect and birthday child was made to feel oh so grand. In short, have that someone in your life with an Agatha Christie obsession? Bring them here and sit back while the staff does all the rest! Apropos the food, from the eggs drumkilbo to the beef wellington, was, well, a surprising not-as-stuffy-as-expected delight

Went with a friend last week for afternoon tea at The Goring Hotel. No welcome when we entered the hotel. Unfortunately the garden was being redesigned, so we were able to enjoy the site of mud! The toilets smelt, not very clean and only 2 cubicles! Service, not fantastic. We felt we were being rushed slightly. There was no ambience, no music. It would have ben lovely if someone had been playing a piano or harp. The scones were delicious. Sandwiches were ok, fish starter strange, but tasty. Champagne and strawberries were delicious. Having been to The Ritz for dinner the previous week - I would definately recommend going there instead - now that really is something quite special!

This is probably my favorite afternoon tea in London because the food was delicious, setting lovely, and the staff was friendly, particularly accomodating of my toddler son. He enjoyed the herbal tea and pastries, and I found the scones to be the so tender and lightly sweet. I've been to tea at the Ritz, the Berkeley, Brown's and the Savoy, among others, and the Goring is the one I will certainly return to next time I'm in London.

came here last month to eat with my partner, well thougfht out menu with lovely presentation, i may well be back to try out the afternoon tea,