Afternoon Tea at The Montcalm London in City of London, Westminster

We visited for afternoon tea and had one of the worst afternoon teas we have had in London. From a small selection of Twinnings tea to very obviously frozen and then defrosted pastries which we subsequently found out had been brought in from a 3rd party supplier. It was certainly not the experience you expect from a 5* hotel and I would absolutely not go back

Passing off frozen and then poorly defrosted cakes from Costco as the work of the in house pastry chefs says about everything you need to know. Pictures show the patisserie we were served and the other is how the image looks from the box from Costco. The Montcalm is a 5* hotel, they should be embarrassed.

I regret to say that although we have shared a number of afternoon teas in London, and elsewhere, this was without doubt the worst experience that we have ever encountered. I have no doubt that the AA had good reason to award the hotel a 5*rating, but I cannot imagine that this could possibly have extended to, or included, its’ afternoon teas. This was far from being a 5* star experience. I will briefly outline the things that we found to be the most disappointing, as well as some of our observations: On arrival, no offer to take our coats The rather characterless, soulless restaurant Lukewarm tea with tea bags left in No offers of fresh pots of tea One of us had vegetarian sandwiches - 2 x pictured below & 2 x cucumber (on its’ own !) No one offered to describe the sandwiches The bread was not obviously stale, but neither was it fresh The contents of the sandwich (one vegetarian sandwich pictured, below) were extremely poor We felt sorry for some of the staff, who had clearly not been properly trained, did not engage in any conversation, and therefore appeared to lack enthusiasm We were relieved that we hadn’t invited any guests, as both of us would have been embarrassed by the very poor quality of the afternoon tea on offer

Was excited to purchase afternoon tea voucher for two with prosecco from Virgin - came to book Took a large number of phone calls to get through and speak to the hotel to try and book Kept getting put through then told wasn't the restaurant then getting cut off. I am wheat free by was told they do not do gluten free afternoon tea any longer (I had been the previous year and had one) was told they didn't do any allergy menus at all. Was really annoyed as had saved the voucher for using over Christmas, which meant that my time left on the Virgin voucher was then limited. Receptionist was rude and unapologetic about their change in afternoon tea

It's quite a difficult thing to review for me because Afternoon Tea is not really my thing but we were bought a voucher as a Christmas present. Upon arrival the room was packed and there was no table free so we had a little wait. There was nothing particularly wrong with what we were served but none of really blew me away. I didn't really enjoy the setting either, it felt more like an upper class canteen rather than a relaxed afternoon. Service was very pleasant.

Called hotel for afternoon tea reservation and the manager is rude as hell. Asked me to not waste his time and introduced himself as Manager We are paying customers not charity - treating customers like this won’t help. They need training and probably a raise to be cheerful.

This is NOT a five star experience. It felt like having afternoon tea in a garden centre cafe. The dining room is like a modern cafe, no atmosphere or sense of luxury. No choice of tea offered….just English breakfast tea. All the cakes tasted synthetic, like the ones served on an all inclusive buffet abroad. The saving grace was the scones, although not enough jam and cream was served to go on them. It’s a complete rip off. AVOID.

I took my mother and cousin for afternoon tea today at the Montcalm Marble Arch and sadly it was the worst afternoon tea I’ve ever been to. The only positives were: - Friendly staff on the door of the hotel welcoming us. - A pleasant hotel lobby. - Central location just off Marble Arch. Now let me start with why I would never recommend this afternoon tea: - We were seated on a table of four and immediately asked if we had any allergies to which we said no. With that the waiter left (no food or drink menus) - usually at an afternoon tea I would expect a menu of what’s on offer (even a drinks menu alone would be nice!) - I had booked the Prosecco afternoon tea - about 10minutes after we were seated, three glasses of Prosecco were plonked on the table - all glasses with varying amounts of Prosecco in them (my mums was only half full). - Around half an hour later we were brought our afternoon tea stands. The bottom layer was sandwiches (although we were not told which ones), the middle layer was scones with jam and cream and the top layer was for the cakes (again sadly we were not told what the cakes were). I have never been to an afternoon tea and not told what I am being served. I therefore asked our waiter who rolled his eyes at me and mumbled something (although I am under the impression he didn’t actually know what he was serving) - The sandwiches were dreadful: under-filled and stale is the only way they could be described. Scones again were cold and stale. The desserts were tasteless. - Around 15minutes after the afternoon tea stand was brought over we still hadn’t been given a hot drink menu - I therefore asked our waiter if there was one. Another filthy look and a ‘yes’ - to which he walked off and didn’t bring one back. So I asked another (more polite) member of staff the same question and she explained they didn’t have menus (and listed the minimal coffee and tea offerings). - Before even finishing our food the original waiter came to ask if he could clear our stand away - there was still food on it !! I did actually notice they were doing this with everyone ‘to make more room’ - I think in reality the likelihood is that they do not have enough stands for bookings. In summary the worst afternoon tea I have been to and I would never recommend this to anyone.

Well what can I say. The picture is definitely not a reprisentation of the actual event. It was honestly one of the worst afternoon teas I've ever had. So utterly disappointing. Thinnest filling in sandwiches ever, cakes were boring. Scones were nice though. Definitely will not come again and thank goodness I have experienced better otherwise I'd never do it again. Such a shame.

We came here on an exchanged buy a gift voucher from a family member and we were not disappointed! I think it only cost about £30 so highly recommend checking Buy a Gift before booking afternoon tea as it was really good value. The sandwiches were really fresh, although they could have had more filling they were very tasty. The scones were yummy and the cream had a lovely flavour. The little cakes on the top tier were all delicious...shout out to the chocolate cream profiterole! They were really dainty and delicious. We were only offered tea or coffee on arrival so not sure if they do loose leaf teas and the tea was okay as long as you dont add much milk. The service was excellent, the staff were really friendly and attentive and even let me sit down before finding my voucher on my phone - no pressure at all and no service charge or any extra add ons which was a lovely surprise. We used the toilets in the lobby which were lovely and clean. For the money our voucher cost we highly recommend the Montcalm for afternoon tea and really hope to return soon! Thank you for a lovely afternoon!

Visited here today with my friend who is vegeterian. As a meat eater I had 5 different sandwiches my friend just had 2 different types very disappointing. The food was nice but service not great. Was never given a tea menu to choose from so just went with English breakfast, states loose tea this was not. Was missing a cake after seeing what others had on their plates asked for one which was bought out. Not one was we asked if everything was OK. Had to ask for more tea myself after being there for just under an hour. 20 minutes later tea was still not bought out to us so at that point we decided to leave. We have been going for afternoon tea every month for the last year or so and there are some really lovely ones out there. Don't waste your money here!

Food was ok - but nothing special. The room we were in had no windows, decor was dull/awful. It was really loud and there was no real ambience/atmosphere. So disappointing. The service was ok, but I didn't feel particularly welcomed or special. Afternoon tea is supposed to be a lovely treat, but this just felt average. For 2 people the total cost was just over £80, with a service charge included. Not value for money at all. We also asked the staff and they told us that they don't get any of the service charge which I thought was bad too. Perhaps if they let the staff get tips they might be more enthusiastic. Would not return.

Very little amount if everything, hardly any filling in the sandwiches, have to pay extra if you need more, no toilet roll in any of the ladies toilets we kept asking for it from the recetionist, 3 times, had to wait nearly an hour for toilet rolls then suddeny the toilet door slummbed open and a huge box of toilet rolls kicked in the room by the cleaning lady shouting'' There's your toilet roll, I have to do EVERYTHING one person '' Three of us shocked with her behaviour had leaned down and opened the box ourselves to get the toilet rolls out, She just kept them in the middle of the room on the floor and left, Disgusting behaviour and disgusting the way they treat their workers to the point that they have to behave this way , don't come to this restaurant it's really not worth it. Nothing special. No atmosphere everything basic. Cheap quality, I only went because of buyagift vouchers

Used a Virgin experience voucher was a bit haphazard in booking and wasn’t surprised when we turned up we wasn’t on list but got a seat anyway Staff we’re ok didn’t seem particularly happy but did a good job Standard of food and drink was good and we came away well fed Room a bit noisy but nice and cool on a hot day

Last year We had afternoon tea at the Montcalm & it was a very enjoyable experience. We were in Hankies restaurant & food, service & ambiance could not be faulted. So we decided to treat ourselves with a return visit. Big mistake. Firstly we were led to another windowless restaurant which was both loud & cold. Our food was brought to the table. The sandwiches were disappointing. Let’s just say, they were not over generous with the fillings plus we were told if we wanted another plate it would have been £10. Scones were nice but in a 5star establishment, if I ask for butter I don’t expect to be given butter pats wrapped in foil. Worse of all were the pastries. I can only assume that it was the pastry chefs day off & they had ordered a job lot from Costco.

Disappointing - Definitely would not recommend this afternoon tea. Waited ages to order our pots of tea. When the food arrived it was missing the smoked salmon sandwiches and when we pointed this out the plate was taken away and then brought back, still minus...

Bottomless afternoon tea we booked for 3pm but we were told at 4pm we had to leave because they were closing. We still had food and drink left - rather disappointing.

We had an afternoon tea using a buy a gift voucher. Nice hotel, friendly and polite. Great location, easy to find. We booked via phoning well in advanced. On arrival we could sit where we liked. I had a non alcoholic cocktail instead of prosceco...

Two couples went to 51, Buckingham Gate we enjoyed our tea with variety of teas. Food was good we all four enjoyed thoroughly. Help by all staff with Gabrielle & Iskra taking good care of us. Definitely will plan to go again. Taj has this...

Aunty's 83rd birthday staff couldn't be bothered. Stale bread tasteless cakes. Forgot cream weak tea. Service terrible.

5* hotel? I don’t think so… booked an afternoon tea over the phone, we arrived at the hotel to discover the booking was never made. On the phone I discussed that one of the guest was gluten free and I was told this was no...

Lovely afternoon tea just before Christmas. We arrived early and we were Seated without waiting. Lovely sandwiches in particular the chicken tikka. The cakes were amazing. Very enjoyable and would recommend.

I've done the bottomless brunch twice - I bought it after I was taken as a gift. Whilst the food and drinks are of a good quality and are generally very generous, the staff this time were not good. We waited a long time for...

I had bottomless afternoon tea on Sat with 3 friends and would easily recommend it to others. We booked 3 months ago when TripAdvisor reviews were very good. However, before going on Saturday I noticed some bad reviews. I was hoping these negative reviews were...

Enjoyed our visit to the The Montcalm London Marble Arch hotel using out buy a gift voucher. Easy to book afternoon tea and staff were lovely. Variety of sandwiches, scones, sweet treats. Offered extra cream and jam for scones. Highly recommend!

My husband and I enjoyed the Bottomless Prosecco Afternoon Tea last Friday. Initially concerned by the poor reviews on here, but our experience was much more positive. Staff were friendly and welcoming. We were asked if we had any food allergies and then the sandwich...

We visited for Afternoon Tea with Champagne just before Christmas 2021 and were really disappointed. Right from the start the staff hardly made us feel welcome or valued. Whilst the Champagne was passable the rest of the experience was found desperately wanting. The tea was...

On the plus side the sandwiches were fresh, the dainty cakes were very good and the scones were warm if a little tasteless. The jam and cream were meagre (just one teaspoon of jam and cream provided) and we had to ask for more twice....

Probably one of the poorest afternoon teas I have experienced. Prosecco was warm and the tea was cold. Staff were miserable and not very attentive. Won’t be returning.

We had been gifted a voucher for afternoon tea and bottomless Prosecco afternoon tea was offered. This is where the good ends. Trying to book a reservation three weeks in advance was hard enough. No one answered the phone. Ever. I emailed and it took...

I had an afternoon tea with my wife on Monday afternoon (1st Nov). I checked some of the more recent reviews before going and saw that there were some pretty poor reviews. My experience however was far from being poor. Probably if you have tea...

We did not stay at the hotel but thoroughly enjoyed our afternoon tea there. The hotel is just a couple of minutes walk from Marble Arch. The room afternoon tea is served in is very attractive with nicely spaced tables. The tea was plentiful with...

Not the typical ‘traditional’ place to have an afternoon tea setting. No champagne, Prosecco was average and not chilled, choice of a cup of tea or coffee and it was cold. Loud and upbeat music. Restaurant was dull and dark and staff were very slow....

The afternoon tea was nice, however we had to constantly ask for our glasses to be topped up and we had to ask for teas and coffees, we were not offered them. Some of the cakes were delightful, our favourite was the lemon drizzle cake....

I received a voucher for Afternoon Tea for my birthday. After reading the reviews on here I was expecting the worst. I’ve had many afternoon tea’s across London over the years, and this wasn’t the most refined for sure, but in my view it’s not...

Was disappointed with this afternoon tea. I've been to lots of different venues over the years and this is probably bottom on the list. I expect in a so called 5 star venue to have exceptional service Inc an explanation of Sandwiches and cakes etc...

My daughter treated us to an afternoon tea... The restaurant where the afternoon tea was served was shared with regular dinners and the smell of fish and garlic was very off putting when you are sitting down to sandwiches and cakes..! Service was very prompt...

Nice room and the food was fine. Lovely warm scones but the tea was not loose leaf - just a tea bag! Service could be improved - had to ask three times for more tea. Not bad but definitely not five star.

was a little apprehensive after reading reviews , we thought the whole experience was good value for money . Service was good , everything arrived without waiting to long . The sandwiches and cakes contents was explained . We were offered 4 types of tea...

I bought a voucher from buyagift for a Prosecco afternoon tea. On the plus side, the dining room is quite nice and the service was prompt. The food was not the best I’ve had but it was ok. There were only two types of sandwiches...

I bought a Virgin Experience Voucher for a friend and when I read thr reviews after I was worried it was going to be a disaster. I was pleasantly surprised, we had good service and the food was fine, the scones wasn't the best I've...

I am quite a connoisseur when it comes to afternoon tea but I can honestly say this was the worst one I’ve ever experienced. Prosecco Afternoon Tea for Two at the 5* Montcalm Hotel, London £37.50. It wasn’t worth even £10.50. The whole restaurant smelt...

Came here for afternoon tea with a group of four friends and can safely say we won't ever be coming back. Arriving at the reception, I explained we had a booking and one friend was already here. I was told quite aggressively she was indeed...

We were booked for afternoon tea on a Wowcher voucher gifted to us, and the pictures on the website looked amazing. On arrival at the only time the had available when I booked, it seems everyone was on the same voucher who were arriving. We...

We arrived and we’re seated with a glass of Prosecco really promptly which was a great start but things went downhill from there. After waiting for 40 minutes for our afternoon tea to arrive, we asked a waitress where it was and were met with...

They never answer their phone or reply to their emails. This special occasion was for a Wedding Anniversary and I wanted to include something special in with the tea and as I was unable to contact them before hand I was disappointed. The wait was...

We made a booking for an afternoon tea as a birthday celebration in March for august, after calling to confirm Montcalm could cater for my allergies, they advised us it would be perfectly fine. We went ahead and booked the table. Yesterday we called the...

We visited the Montcalm for afternoon tea as I had received a Buyagift voucher from a friend for my birthday. Appears like a nice hotel but the afternoon tea was very poor quality. The sandwiches were tasteless and bland, I can make better sandwiches myself!...

I bought a Wowcher deal for myself & my daughter. We arrived at the Montcalm hotel & were shown to our table. The surroundings were nice & we were given a glass of Prosecco & a glass of tepid water. The waitress did not ask...

My daughter brought me afternoon tea here last year but we were only just able to go. We had food at 12.30 as we were going on somewhere afterwards. We do quite alot of teas out . The room here is quite pleasant and all...

We had a glass of Prosecco which was OK. The food came on a three tier cake stand with sandwiches at the bottom, scones in the middle and cakes at the top. The highlight was the scones which were good although there was not enough...

I was taken to the Ritz as a surprise for my birthday / retirement. Words fail me on this occasion! Initially gobsmacked by the splendour, my expectations thereafter were exceeded beyond my wildest dreams. An awesome experience. The Palm Court is just magical. The team...

Visited the hotel on 01/07/21 with my partner , with a gift voucher we had got for Christmas for Afternoon tea with Prosecco. We had a very warm welcome and showed us to our seats promptly even though we was a little bit early. The...

Arrived for our pre-booked afternoon tea which wasn't as expected for a 5 star establishment. We were sat on a table and glasses of water were filled and staff brought the fizz which was included in the afternoon tea. A man was going round collecting...

Arrived on time for our 2.30pm Bottomless Fizz Afternoon Tea, showed to a side room with a few tables, one of which was already dining!! 10 minutes after been shown to the table a waitress poured us a glass of water, 20 minutes later I...

I must say i was pretty surprised at the quality of the tea and food provided. Various issues. It was advertised as a Champagne afternoon tea. To begin with it was Proseco, not champagne. For an extra £20 per person it was a blatant rip...

Was a little worried after reading some of the reviews but was pleasantly impressed. The tea was served in a lovely room, decorated for Christmas. Took my mum for our Christmas treat, we were the only two in there. So sad to see this at...

We came here for a romantic afternoon tea and what a disappointment. Dirty dishes and glasses. Cheap and dry sandwiches . Place was empty and waiters couldn’t be bother to check on our table to top up Prosecco or even cleaning our table. Very disappointed...

We got as a gift for my partner's 30th birthday , food and restaurant doesn't look like in the pictures, it look really simple and food was okay. They bring us the desserts and sandwiches but forgot to ask about tea, so we have to...

Les anglais ont de nombreux salon de thé , nous y sommes passé pour le gouter , c est une...