116 at the Athenaeum in City of London, Westminster

They did not have an extensive menu for a Large restaurant. Both times I've been here I chose different and opposite to my guest who enjoyed theirs much more. I had the chicken escalope which was served with a halo of Parmesan over broccoli tenderstem and radicchio., which did not Look pleasing to the eye. My guest had the crab risotto which seemed a better dish to Look at and savour. As a restaurant and dining experience the service I could not fault The outside under the canopy is much preferred with good weather to do this. My particular evening it was very windy

Had an early dinner here and had to leave a review. Great food and great service. I recommend this place!

The atmosphere was nice, very sophisticated but we were also the only people there all night on a Thursday. The portion sizes of the fish main was very small but the risotto was very big and filling. The apple dessert was very good but the french bread was a little disappointing. Overall it was a nice experience and the staff were great, would have been expensive for what it was without the first table offer however. The toilets were on another floor.

Great staff, great service. Great food.

Went here on a team outing and fortunately I wasn't paying. The food is expensive but very good. The only downside is that the portions are tiny. Don't go here if you're hungry.

May I take this opportunity to thank Amanda and all the team for there Amazing service and delicious food we had a wonderful evening dining in your restaurant. Lovely atmosphere really delightful thank you all.

We were doing a tour which started from the hotel and thought we'd have lunch after the tour finishes. We sat outside as it was a beautiful sunny day. We ordered some drinks which took some time to arrive. The food was very good, we had a club sandwich, a burger and couple of vegetarian dishes, watermelon carpaccio and a beetroot swirl. The waitress was friendly and helpful but I think we may have gotten quicker service if we sat inside. All in all a nice place with good food.

We were here for their afternoon high tea and it was incredible. The level of detail and care that goes into the food is obvious. Every sandwich we had was uniquely delicious. The scones may have been the best scones we've eaten in our lives, perfectly golden. The desserts deserve a whole write-up in themselves. Incredibly creative and impressively delicious, we have never experienced such a thing. The service was incredible as well. My partner had missed an email asking for dietary restrictions, but they were able to switch her to a vegan menu with no hassle. Our servers name was Urmila who was extremely friendly and pleasant.

Went here for our anniversary as part of the spa package/dinner deal, and we had an absolutely wonderful evening. The food was excellent - I wish I had taken pictures of everything but at least I got one of the dessert, which was a work of art - and also we couldn’t have asked for better or friendlier service. Thank you Kazi!

Very nice food had the sea bass and the mash . Birthday girl had the rib eye steak . Was nice I would say tasty. Amanda was amazing with her Irish charm. Nice rose’ to drink .

I had the pescatarian tasting menu which was delicious however it was not a sufficient amount of food for the price. My mum had the vegetarian tasting menu and it was a big disappointment, the main course was beetroot with leaves, at the same price as the other menu. She left hungry. Would not recommend. The service however was very good and the manager offered an alternate meal as we were not satisfied.

Close proximity to the Buckingham palace with such warm, friendly staff. The food was good and plated well. Love the woman's bathroom! 🤩

What a perfect venue to meet friends and celebrate a 60th birthday. Staff friendly and attentive; they all made us feel very welcome. Food was beautiful. Highly recommended 5️⃣⭐️

Completely surpassed my expectations. Was bought a set lunch as a present, I am going to be honest I didn't expect great things but i had the set menu for £42 and was bowled over with clever cooking that you don't normally get for this price. Job very well done.

Worst service I’ve ever received, especially by the manager of the restaurant, Amanda. Absolutely unprofessional and rude, got into a discussion with me because she couldn’t find my booking, which was part of a spa package. Awful service in this restaurant and this hotel. I wouldn’t even recommend to my worst enemy.

We enjoyed the Easter afternoon Tea at 116. very beautiful setting and good food! Unfortunately the waiter were not very attentive. It took us sometimes a while to get the attention of one of the waiter.

Hostess was in a bad mood. When I asked to confirm my booking of the menu, she raised her voice at me. Food was yummy but the portion size is unreal. Watermelon tuna sashimi is £12 and only 5 thinly sliced watermelon. “Tuna” is just a descriptive word because the dish has no tuna in it.

Wonderful tea! They were very accommodating to us with my 5 yr old niece and 20 month old nephew and even gave them a special goodie bag. Everything at the tea was delicious and beautifully presented! And it's so reasonably priced for a tea this quality!

Food was delicious but staff was absolutely not good. Got served the wrong tea several times during afternoon tea. Men’s restrooms looked like crap and had no towels and the staff didn’t really care about it when we told them

Fantastic tasting menu, really impressed. We'll done Ian and team, THANKS.

Had a beautiful vegan afternoon tea here. Sandwiches, scones & cakes were so delicious. The service was brilliant. The whole experience was perfect.

Very lovely, welcoming staff. Our hostess Debra was very sweet and friendly, she made the experience even more enjoyable. The food was delicious.

We had a wonderful experience with their 5 course tasting menu (given to us as a gift). Alessia our waitress was attentive and friendly and the food was absolutely delicious. Great attention to detail in all 5 dishes and our cocktails were perfect - Excellent negroni! Would recommend.

Amazing place with the helpful staff!

Loved it Food amazing Staff so helpful we felt very welcome Looking forward to going back

On a vacation where you're constantly sightseeing, the afternoon tea is a wonderfully relaxing experience for a lunch break. Amanda was a delight and the service was 10 stars. The food and tea were both perfect as well.

We were given a voucher for 3 course set meal with prosecco and used it for our wedding anniversary. The food was delicious, beautifully presented and sensible size portions. The staff were really friendly and attentive. The atmosphere was relaxed but classy and it felt a world away from the hustle and bustle outside. Would definitely revisit.

I spent a wonderful Friday evening with my husband at the Athenaeum. We started with a delicious cocktail that were mastered by the bartenders who surprised us with an unisual twist. We continued with a tasteful dinner, the service was impeccable and the staf very friendly. We really enjoyed our evening out in the quite but charming atmosphere of the Athenaeum. We’ll definitely come back!

Very pretty place, good cream tea the scones were nice and hot, the tea was delicious, can't complain.

My daughter and her husband went there for their wedding anniversary as a gift from us. It was a voucher for a 5 course tasting meal with wine pairings. The reason for the not so good rating is that she and her husband felt the service was not the same as those who were staying at the hotel and going a la carte. They were made to feel as though the voucher was a cheap alternative and the wine pairings was not very good at all. They were under the impression that the cider that was given is one they need to get rid of and unlikely anyone would order, the red wine was awful and also felt like it was a wine that no else would ever order. My daughter poinred this out abd told them she did not like the wine at all, but they did nothing to remedy this, which in our opinion is not what is expected from a supposedly 5 * service. The food was excellent, except that they had put too much gelatin in the desert making the mousse denser than it should have been. When I purchased this voucher it sold it to me as being high class 5 * food and service, but this is not what they experienced at all. They loved the salmon and the lamb as well as the goat cheese at the end.

The five course taste menu was delightful and all dishes were good. Service from our waiter Marcos was fantastic and a highlight. Overall the restaurant is good and worth the experience.

Emailed with a query in July and never received a response. Very disappointing customer service.

We had a lovely birthday dinner at the 116 restaurant in the Athenaeum Hotel. Our waiter Matt was a superb host both witty and full of energy. He made you feel at home and made it a very enjoyable experience. We had the 5 course tasting menu with Preseco.

We had an incredible five course tasting menu with wine paring the food was so good I would highly recommend giving it a try it was so good I forgot to take photos of the lamb and the cheese dishes

The most unprofessional service I have ever encountered. Avoid at all costs. In addition the music was terrible I am not joking that who lets the dogs out eas playing when we went there.

Lovely meal. Staff, food and surroundings were excellent. Thank you

We had the five course tasting menu. Very tasty. Service and friendliness of staff extraordinary.

Visited with a friend for afternoon tea. Overall you do get what you pay for and we were conscious that this was an afternoon tea around the £40 mark, so we weren’t expecting the Ritz. The sandwiches did taste a bit stale, like they’d been out for quite a while, and the sweet treats were so sweet we couldn’t eat half of them. Scones were very good. Tea was nice, although it was a bit hard to get attention to get a refill (which we didn’t have to pay for, but it wasn’t clear). The restaurant / tea room was mostly empty, which meant we could chat easily but didn’t have any pleasant buzz.

Came here as part of our spa day treatment for the cream tea. The food was nice but service was not good. The scones were nice with one plain and one raisin each, the jams were strawberry and blackberry. Disappointed by the service which was rushed and a bit rude, and then they completely forgot to make our teas! We were over half way through the scones and they still hadn't brought them over so I had to ask them to bring them over, which they realised and just started making them, it took another 5 minutes and our scones were then cold.

My wife and I had a wonderful dinner here on a Friday evening. It was the five course tasting menu with wine/drink pairing, and probably should add it was using a Virgin Experiences voucher. The food was absolutely delicious, particularly the pork belly main, which I have to say was one of the tastiest dishes I have had. Service was good, friendly and attentive. The atmosphere was fine, though being in a hotel dining room it maybe didn't match the food and service, but was still very pleasant. Would thoroughly recommend.

April 2023. We all have different experiences at restaurants and mine was good here for a dinner out. The restaurant manager and our waitress were delightful and attentive. Treat them with humour and courtesy and you get the same in return. We had the 3 course set meal for £33 which for a central London restaurant is bloody good. 3 choices per course including a vegan option. Starters - Carbonara for her and leak and potato soup for me - were very filling and both slightly over salted. For the main course we both had the salmon with giant couscous and samphire which was very tasty. The salmon would be improved if the skin was crispy. We were unsure of picking a Horsemonden wine from Sussex so our waitress brought us a taste to try. We chose it and it was very elderflower in taste but light and good with the salmon. For dessert we chose chocolate cake with mango and passion fruit puree. The chocolate sides to this were incredible. The restaurant itself is nice but not stunning (it doubles as the hotel's breakfast room). Lighting was a good level and no music playing. Tables are far enough apart not to hear your neighbour's conversation but they do need to sort out the wobbly ones. Food was delivered promptly and water and wine kept topped up. It looks like the menu is changed regularly and a lot of "local" ingredients are used. Worth a visit if you are at the Hyde Park end of Picadilly and want something better than the Hard Rock Cafe!

Really lovely afternoon and very friendly staff. Would go again.

Lovely food carbonara was amazing

Had the vegan afternoon tea here. The sandwiches and scones were okay but the deserts were unacceptable and horrendous! Sent the full plate back - Even the cream provided for the scones felt cheap whipped cream - Not sure how the chef found it acceptable to serve those desserts - they rather take off the vegan tasting menu than serve it and reduce the overall rating of this restaurant. Please take your money elsewhere for a vegan tasting/tea menu. I can’t comment on the other non-vegan dishes The staff were super lovely and can’t put any fault here. The stars are only for them who made the experience lovely. The ambience of the place feels like a hotel Breakfast bar with its wooden office /conference type tables and doesn’t really have any nice decor to it.

I came here with one of my friends to celebrate his birthday, the afternoon tea was delicious and the service was great. We booked the spa and massage (honestly there was nothing special for the price) I would never recommend the spa to anyone

Afternoon tea at 116 at the Athernaeum, was perfect. The British sparkling wine was a revelation, the options on the teas superb. The food was beautiful with everything just right to fulfill a great day out with friends. The staff were attentive but not in your face the whole time with special thanks to Allison. The prices for the West End of London were very reasonable. Would thoroughly recommend to everyone.

Terrible service. Shown to our table then left for 30 minutes with no drink or service. Unproffessional waitress who forgot things and slagged off the food and venue. Food was average. First course unseasoned and bland. Wine pairing was naff with cheap wine. Will never return.

We had the afternoon tea and it was fantastic ! Our server Amanda was amazing, so funny and friendly and kept the Prosecco topped up! Thank you! Can’t wait to come again

Lovely festive afternoon tea with free flowing prosecco. Very quiet at the time we visited but had a great time, will be back soon

The staff are so nice, asked a few times for our needs. And the afternoon tea is amazing, those scones are the best I have ever tried, recommend for that:)

We got as present the tasting menu, 5 courses. Although food was tasty and service friendly, the speed of the service was very very slow although restaurant wasn't busy. We waited around 15 minutes for our drinks (ordered cocktails £15 each), my cocktail was ok, my husband's cocktail tasted like soda water with ice with old lime, we notified the server(based on uniform he could be either host or manager) about it and all he said is that he made it. My husband couldn't finish it as it tasted really bad. Anyway the food was good but we waited at least 20 minutes between each course, therefore 2 hours later i had to ask to bring dessert same time with cheese plate as we had to be somewhere. Also the bad cocktail was still on the bill when we received it. Therefore I cannot say I would recommend it to anyone.

Service is marvelous as well as the portions which were huge. Sadly I could not finish. Prices are reasonable for a place like that. Foos was delicious. Staff is so friendly, did not expect that much of a heartwarming service.

The location was good, price was reasonable, stuff were ok, however, the sandwich was dry, scone was too hard(it’s like a stone and I couldn’t cut and accidentally dropped it off…), cake looks cute but not that tasty and kind of disappointing, unfortunately. I wouldn’t try it again. アフタヌーンティー楽しみに行きました。見た目は可愛かったですが、サンドイッチのパンはカピカピだし、スコーンも硬くて美味しくなかったです。2人で106ポンドで、他と比べると値段的には良いですが、再訪はないかな。。

The service was incredibly slow. Our desserts were sitting by the register for at least 5 minutes because there was no communication between servers about delivering our food.

It's really not worth a visit, and this is why... Let start with the good. The salmon starter was very nice, with beautiful tender and fresh subtle flavours. The wine pairing was good with a great explanation of each wine beforehand. And that's about it! Our table wobbled when we were eating that nearly spilled our drinks, we were not offered bread with our soup, we asked for some and it arrived, which was disappointing with a 10p size piece of butter. All the courses were flavourless and bland sometimes over seasoned. The soup took so long to arrive that the crotons turned to mush. Glasses were not cleared away and stacked up on the tables. In the end, we just wanted to leave. Overall, it's not about the price it's the value you receive, and on this occasion 116 fell short.

Very tasty food, extremely friendly and personable staff. We had the Beef and the Monkfish, both delicious (monkfish maybe a little too salty) and got the Cauliflower soup and breads to start - the soup was hands down the winner on the day. And got a little cake from the staff for K’s birthday

For the 5 course tasting menu, the food and wine were excellent, as were the staff and ambience. Would definately go again

Consistently amazing food and service. Also offer a great selection of vegan options.

Food excellent, service enthusiastic and polite but inexperienced

We had afternoon tea at The Athenaeum on a sunny Sunday afternoon. It is a lovely light and airy setting. We ordered one savoury and one sweet tea (you have to order the savoury tea at least 48 hours ahead). The standout items were the savoury scones and chicken coronation sandwiches - delicious. In fact all the sandwiches were yummy. The other items were not to our taste unfortunately. However, the real star of our afternoon experience was Nicola. She was an absolute pleasure, professional, friendly, warm, engaging and she made our afternoon sparkle. Thank you SO much Nicola, you are fabulous.

Absolutely stunning restaurant, went for afternoon tea and the staff were a delight. The afternoon tea selection is beautiful with a variety of different sandwiches/delicacies. Truly phenomenal place with friendly staff and a stunning interior. They cater to vegans and take allergies seriously.

Excellent service & delicious afternoon tea!

I hadn't heard of the Athenaeum before let alone eat there and having read the reviews before visiting was expecting a pleasant, but not extraordinary, dinner. In fact the food was fantastic. We had the tasting menu which was really delicious and beautifully presented. Although the main course was small, in totality I had plenty to eat. Surprisingly they offer wine in 500ml carafe which is perfect if you don't drink too much. The restaurant had a lovely ambience and the staff were extremely attentive, especially Claudia.

Had the best evening last night here. We had the 5 course tasting menu and it was outstanding. The staff were brilliant and the food was amazing Will def be coming again when we are next in London

We were given a tasting menu experience as a Christmas present a year ago. Finally, we were able to use our voucher and it was well worth the wait. Staff were friendly and attentive. Food was amazing. Each course managed to surpass the previous one!

Good food and service. Would recommend the braised beef cheek which was excellent.

Reasonably priced festive afternoon tea with well filled finger sandwiches, scones and aesthetically pleasing sweet treats. Relaxed ambience and quiet environment great for both a romantic time and any intimate gathering between close friends. Service was just fine. Requested a celebration plate but unfortunately weren't offered any.

I came here for a mid-week evening meal with my team and the restaurant were very accommodating for us. There were 10 of us and the chef was able to cater for any type of allergy or food intolerance within our group. We had the 6 course tasting menu which was excellent value for menu (£45 for the meat option or £40 for the vegetarian option) and the food was outstanding. The beef main course was very tender and the best dish of the menu. We did not opt for the wine pairing and instead chose individual bottles of wine for the table. Most wines were quite pricey compared to the food but we were impressed with the quality of wine that we chose. The timings between each dish was a little on the slow side where it took about 3 hours for us to finish our meal but we were not rushed or pressured to leave our table at any time. Overall, I was very impressed with this restaurant and would recommend it to others.

Had dinner here as part of a spa package at the hotel. It included three courses (set menu) with a bottle of champagne. The service is outstanding but we thought the food wasn’t quite as good. I had the sea bream and my husband had the beef.

Beautiful restaurant, the ambiance food and service was amazing!

Wonderful Tasting Menu meal with complementing wines. Staff friendly, knowledgeable and professional. We had a Galvin gift voucher that expired in 2020, but they were happy to honour it in full.

Lovely, hospitable staff. Did afternoon tea her & it was a great experience.

Had a delicious set lunch accompanied by great service. Definitely recommend and the staff were super friendly and went out of their way to help celebrate a birthday.

A birthday treat, was so lovely. More then enough to eat, ended up taking some home, which they were more than happy to organise for us. Served by Georgia who was so polite, friendly and very professional. Would definitely go again. Bought a voucher on buy a gift.

Lovely staff food also very good spa fantastic

Got their Afternoon Tea as a package with a spa + treatment so we had our afternoon tea after our spa. All the staff were very polite. The food was good - scones, sandwiches, and cakes/tarts. That includes a free glass of Prosecco and your choice of tea/coffee. There were three of us and we can't finish the entire thing. We had to ask for a doggy bag! All staff were wearing a mask so safety protocols were strictly followed. I suggest you get the voucher with the spa + treatment and afternoon tea, definitely worth it!

Love love love it. Brilliant massage carried out for my daughter and I by 2 wonderful black ladies. Excellent j.. would definitely go back and recommend

Have had some wonderful meals at this place. Excellent food and pleasant attentive staff.

We find a fly in our drink and menu is to small and prices big .not recomand

Do not go here if you are Vegan, unless you want to pay £100 for a fancy lettuce. Also, staff mixed up orders and served us Chicken. Staff appear inexperienced and in need of training. Repeat: THERE ARE NO VEGAN OPTIONS HERE, despite what they will say on the phone to pull you in. A £100 lettuce is quite a profit. And there is no music.

Lovely afternoon tea. 5 star service

The restaurant is very beautiful inside, and relatively quiet. In terms of food, we were really pleased with the starters, the burger sliders and the imam biyaldi, but I wasn't too happy with the chicken breast and leg with the tarragon sauce, i found it a little dull, not very tasteful. The duck confit with the puy lentils was more tasteful for sure. Also the sticky toffee pudding was really nice! The service was very good in general.

Great bar, great staff, great sound system. Fully recommend!

Great food and service. The chef suggestion for the food pairing wines were great. The waitress was very nice, down to earth and knowledgeable.

I had made a reservation by calling up two/three weeks in advance prior to the visit and informed the attendant that I had a gift voucher to use. The attendant took all the relevant details and reserved a table for me. He also asked if it was a special occasion whereby i mentioned it was a birthday meal and he said they would make sure it's special. On the day of the reservation we had arrived early by 30 minutes, we were greeted at the door by the Hotel host who guided us to the waitress. They asked if we wanted to sit at the bar or go to the table, our booking was on a weekend and we was given a really nice table. The staff were extremely attentive and friendly. They even allowed us to change our drinks from Presecco to mocktails off the menu as we don't drink alcohol. The lunch menu had a variety of options and the two waitresses and the waiter were polite and helpful. One of the waitresses asked how the day was and I said it was great and said the occasion was a birthday, a few moments later they brought out a birthday chocolate tart for the birthday girl. Great atmosphere and restaurant with a superb catering staff. Definitely recommended.

Excellent service , it was my dad’s birthday and they dealt with it superbly for giving us free champagne and a free cake to wish him a happy birthday. I highly recommend this restaurant to everyone .

Amazing service food and atmosphere,we worth the visit

It was a birthday treat,I wasnt as impressed with the decor as I was a few years ago. It was very stark and not very decadent in my opinion. We wasn't made to feel special which I was hoping for. It wasn't cheap as we went there for afternoon tea.I was very disappointed in fact that it was just ok and nothing special. Had a good chat with the concierge called Steve I think who kindly explained what the dog statue was all about.

Great price for a give course tasting menu with wine pairing.

The Afternoon Tea was very good except until we received the final bill. Had a voucher for Afternoon Tea with Champagne and received email notification that afternoon tea had been booked with free flow Prosecco. Therefore, this is what we expected as it seems similar correct? Unfortunately, we were told that the email notification did not reflect what the voucher had stated. Instead of accepting that this was an internal error Barry the Maitre'd failed to accept this and made us feel that it was in fact our error. hmmm. Although Barry changed the bill we felt he lacked a humble approach in this service recovery situation leaving a bad taste to the end of good meal experience. Your email notification clearly stipulated free flow Prosecco, therefore this should have been acknowledged as an internal error, not some error that we had made.

Good location with range of drinks and food.

A little disappoint with the service considering we were the first in for a cream tea.

Brilliant.proffessional service

I booked afternoon tea here for myself and two friends. I booked the Gentlemen's Afternoon tea for myself, but I was informed that the restaurant no longer did this tea. However, as the restaurant hadn't been able to get in contact with me prior to the day of the reservation they still did their best to provide me with a meal as close as possible as the Gentlemen's Afternoon tea. The service was excellent as was the food and it was a relaxed, unhurried atmosphere. I would recommend to anyone.

Excellent food and service. Johnny, one of the waitstaff, made the experience magical. The beetroot salad was a mix of cooked and fresh beets. Have a viognier with the mushroom risotta.

This hotel restaurant is quite far to get to by tube but you would probably think that unless you book a room there you'd probably not eat there. However, we were pleasantly surprised by the food and the service.

Came here for lunch. Set menu has a good selection. Very attentive service, We had sea bream with Mediterranean veg and orzo and it was delicious. Dessert was also very well presented and tasty. Will be back

Good ambiance. Service bit slow. All service stuff very cordial and pleasant but have problem with language. Slightly over priced but still good.

First time here for an anniversary meal out, customer service was spectacular couldn't fault them, quality of the food; exquisite. Price... well definitely worth it for what is provided. Going back next year.

Michelin-starred chef menus for afternoon tea & dinner service in a contemporary hotel setting.