Andre Garrett at Cliveden in South Bucks

The exterior and grounds are stunning. The interior beautiful beyond belief. The food is superb, from 'traditional to tastefully imaginative. The Staff are incredible. Caring, non-intrusively proactive, professional, smiling and totally dedicated to enhancing the visit experience. From the car park attendant, to the doormen, the Receptionists and most especially the Cliveden Dining Room Staff. Friendly, courteous, respectful and dedicated to the highest level of customer care. |Our thanks to all.....you are magnificent.

As a birthday treat I was given a voucher for Sunday lunch. We arrived through the hotel gates and drove up to the very impressive looking hotel. We were seated at a table with an amazing view down to the river Thames in the dining room. The food was excellent and the staff were very attentive.

We celebrated my wife’s birthday with 2 friends & we were very impressed. The food was imaginative, well cooked & beautifully presented. The Dining Room team were fantastic - very friendly & yet superbly professional. And very knowledgeable about both the food & the wine.

If you’re really into your food you might be left a bit disappointed. The setting is obviously incredible & the pricing reflects this USP. I have had significantly better meals (both breakfast & evening) for much, much cheaper. But I don’t mind paying for nice things and understand part of the price factors in the unique setting. Breakfast was okay, the cooked option I had wasn’t bad but I wasn’t left very excited about it. Dinner, there were a few dishes that were very nice but overall I was left feeling like I have had much better meals. For instance I had the beef and there was a weird popadom-crisp type greasy thing lying on top of everything. Very bizarre and added nothing. It also had a sauce that was so far reduced it went into glaze territory, tasted nice but the viscosity was all wrong. I could have made it better at home, which is a bit of a let down at £45 for the dish. The service was very good and they allowed us to linger for a long while which is appreciated. Overall it was a good experience but I’m not clamouring to return.

Much like the sentiments expressed by previous reviewers, this charming little eatery offers a cozy atmosphere, excellent cuisine, and top-notch service. The value for money is commendable. The historical background shared on the back of the menu adds an intriguing touch. This place is definitely worth revisiting

Food and service was excellent. We had a wonderful Sunday lunch - dietary requirements were well catered for, and we had children with us who were also well looked after, and had options. Would recommend for families, couples, and groups of friends. A truly memorable experience.

Gorgeous setting for afternoon tea. The actual dining room is maybe a little tired but the view out the window is stunning and the rest of the public areas of fhe hotel are lovely. Service was top notch. Food was terrific and they were able to accommodate all our dietary restrictions. Just delightful!

We had lunch in the main dining room on 30 September during the Cliveden Literary Festival. The hotel was very busy at the time. The dining experience was excellent. Due to the Festival, the menu was limited to two courses with a choice for each course. We had been alerted to this before hand. The service was attentive and professional from a very nice team. the food was of a good quality and the view from the ground floor room was excellent. We have stayed and dined at Cliveden on a number of occasions and our experience over the weekend was at their usual high standards. The cost of meal was acceptable if a little on the high side for the limited choice. I do however understand why. In summary a great experience and we highly recommend.

A great spot for a celebration. We came for high tea and enjoyed our little luxury. Beautiful views over the garden. A large selection of teas to choose from. wonderful tower with sandwiches and tiny cakes and other delicacies.

Celebrating 30th Anniversary, two night stay, very poor dining experience, breakfast was average. Food was pre-cooked and cold, no better than our local pub. No atmosphere, four tables occupied. Astor Grill much much better. We can only assume all the resources and chef were dealing with the wedding in the next room. Unfortunately it ruined our anniversary. Actual hotel stay and spa was excellent as well as the polite and attentive staff. Despite emailing and filling out online feedback detailing our meal, to date no response two weeks later. Beware.

This is a beautiful place with fine dining. We booked dinner for our wedding anniversary and arrived early to look around the grounds. We were given a very warm welcome and showed to the gardens via the bar (perfect for our pre-dinner drink). We were given a wonderful table overlooking the parterre. I would certainly recommend asking for one when you book. Service was friendly and attentive but not stuffy. Food was well crafted and attractively presented. If I have any criticism, it was the price of drinks. Only one of us was drinking alcohol (OK I did have one pre-dinner drink) and yet the bar bill almost equalled the food bill!

We had dinner in Cliveden's beautiful dining room for our Anniversary. It was fabulous from start to finish. Service, food, wine, the view - all just exceptional. Thank you to all the staff for making our evening so very special. We shall definitely be back.

Great venue and helpful staff. The food was ok. Spoilt by the fact that they add 12.5% service charge onto the (partly hidden) £10 per head National Trust surcharge. They then add 12.5% service charge onto the total bill then ask you if you want to leave a tip. We left feeling a bit ripped off.

Dirty cutlery. Table clothes that hadn't seen an iron. A vegetarian menu that was a joke. Brocolli for starter and main. The most uncreative vegetarian food I've ever come across. And expensive... Just Brocolli. Staff where great but just suprised at the lack of attention to detail in the dining room. Massively overpriced for such a low class experience. Being British and on a special occasion we didn't want to make a complaint at the time as it would have soured the whole thing but I wanted to get half our money back. Not good. Never again. You also get the lovely experience of a broken toilet in the gents. Really?!

Disappointing. The setting of the house and views are spectacular. However the service was disorganised and erratic. Despite notifying allergies in writing before (and confirmed all would be fine), at check in to the hotel they had no knowledge and went through again. At the pre-dinner drinks they had no knowledge and had to go through and then yet again at the table they did not know and went through for the fourth time. All different people who did not seem to talk to one another! Went for the tasting menu but the courses either had long delays or one plate replacing the prior as you finished the last mouthful. In terms of the food it was a mixed bag. Asparagus was good and the Gin & Tonic halibut ok. The Aubergine Ravioli was rubbery and little taste and suspect had been standing for a while. Bass was excellent and really tasty. The beef filet was too well done for my liking and a little tough. We were then introduced to an amuse bouche palette cleanser (but actually just the next course) of Onion ice-cream that was so strong we could taste it the next morning (and not a pleasant taste). This was our 45th wedding anniversary meal (reception knew but I suspect not the dining room) and the worst of 45 "special" meals we have had. Will not be going back!

Had a lovely meal here overlooking the formal gardens at the rear. Service was fantastic and food really tasty. Look forward to our next visit and might even stay the night if the bank balance allows.

I entertained a visiting US colleague in the Cliveden Dining Room. We both went for the tasting menu (AKA - "The Great Cliveden Journey") accompanied with paired wine from the "Sommeliers’ Cellar Selection" It was fabulous - not just the quality of the food / wine - but the unique atmosphere and superb service. My colleague said it was the best night he'd had for a long time :-) Truly a memorable experience - Highly recommend.

We had dinner here when staying overnight to celebrate our anniversary. The service and food were excellent. It is nice to have a drink before dinner in the main house sitting area and have a look at the menu and wine list. The service throughout was excellent as was the food. Good food choices and quality was very good. The ambience is classy relaxed. Highly recommended.

The staff were excellent and helpful. The menu was surprisingly small - on offer were just 6 options of main courses - vegan, veggie, fish, fish, lamb, beef. The amuse-bouche was tasty, but it wasn't all good from there. The cheese soufflés were tasty and well cooked, but came with a strange bowl of inaccessible "salad". The main courses were pretty bad. The beef dish came with a razor clam which was like rubber - unchewable. The beef was tough, the potatoes were undercooked, the mangetouts were cold. The lamb was difficult to cut and incredibly chewy. The dessert soufflé was OK, the cheeses were OK but all English copies of continental cheeses, which was unnecessarily specialist. For the money it wasn't worth it, we won't eat there again.

I treated my Mum to lunch on Mother’s Day. Although the venue was really very busy, the staff were lovely and very attentive. Venue is great (except for the toilets), but the food was rather disappointing. My Mum was lucky with her choices, but I...

We had been very much looking forward to spending a Sunday afternoon having lunch at the Cliveden. However, we ended up sorely disappointed. The grounds are truly stunning, the food was beyond bland, tasteless and whilst I recognise nouvelle cuisine is meant to be minimal...

Booked in at Cliveden for a long weekend and reserved a table for dinner in the restaurant. Very quiet (4/5 tables) for a Friday evening at 8.30pm, so whilst the environment was beautiful there was little ambiance. Service was excellent. We had risotto which was...

Would be 5 stars for the location and historic effect of the place. The high tea was very average the sandwich filling barely there. Could not substitute the tea or coffee for 1 small soft drink. Asked for tap water but got bottled water at...

My wife and I had sunday lunch here. In summary everything was top rate. The tables are of good size and well dressed with linen table cloths. Service was good although there were a few minor slip ups which I won’t detail but accounts for...

Just returned home from a Champagne afternoon tea with my wife at Cliveden. We've been there several times in the past, but not in the last 5 years. Cannot fault the staff, they were all fantastic. Attentive, polite, respectful, and a credit to the hotel....

My 21 year old daughter and I were excited for our mother / daughter stay at Cliveden House and our meal in Cliveden’s main dining room. Our high expectations were slowly deflated as the evening wore on… and on. The wait staff was formal and...

We had a wonderful dinner on Monday night. It was my birthday and we had the tasting menu. Excellent location and lovely staff and service. Would recommend this to others. There was a good atmosphere.

Came with friends for afternoon tea. Last time I came was 5 years ago and I thought sitting in the dining room was a better experience (previously sat in the entrance hall). Parking at the front of the house is great too. Service top notch,...

I haven't been to Cliveden for some years but I was disappointed on behalf of the friend who bought me lunch. Firstly to ask for credit card details on booking is very déclassé and started me off on the wrong note. No vegan options for...

Went here with a party of 6 for afternoon tea. Firstly the staff are just wonderful! When they found out that our visit was to celebrate a 40th wedding anniversary they gave the table champagne for all of us free of charge! Secondly, the food...

A throughly enjoyable afternoon tea to celebrate a birthday. The quality of the food and service was everything you would expect from a first class hotel. The staff were very attentive without being overbearing, and we had beautiful views to admire from our window seat...

Lots of good things, but sadly overshadowed by the cod dish which was cooked in a paste which was riddled with salt and not edible. Should have sent it back but didn't want to embarrass my wife on wedding anniversary. they kindly gave us a...

cliveden our 4th visit, 350 yrs of heritage, churchill, gandi, princess di, bill gates, elon musk, richard branson, megan markel the night before her wedding christine keeler brought a whole govenment down, in 60,s, WATCH MOVIE SCANDALL,as we arrived for dinner, lewis hamilton, steven gerrard,...

Friendly service, in a beautiful environment but we were misled somewhat by the 'sample menu' on the Cliveden website, that tempted us to return to the dining room and try the Sunday lunch menu. The website menu refers to 'quality' dishes/ingredients such Chateaubriand, turbot and...

First class experience, on a par with Fortnum and Mason or Colworth Park and our local Oakley Hall. Staff are personable and friendly without being obsequious. Fantastic view of the parterre from our table on a beautiful sunny day. Excellent selection of dainty cakes and...

Perfect service, Amazing views of the gorgeous grounds, excellent food. A real treat. Ask for a window table and take your time to savor the meal.

It is a bit pricey but considering we were dining in a beautiful house with lovely views, linen on the tables & a wonderful cheese trolley it is understandable. The cheese trolley was fantastic & each cheese was wonderfully described by the server plus I...

Great surrounding and fantastic view. Staff were very friendly and helpful, especially Ben who did everything he could to make our dining experience enjoyable. Unfortunately the food did not live up to the price. A starter of asparagus at £22 whilst was pleasant and presented...

Dined after having bottle of Champagne in Residents' Lounge. Spectacular view from restaurant. Server didn't let us know whether our dining club membership was valid, although he'd said he would find out. Glasses of tap water not replenished during meal. Bread was good, served with...

The moment we walked through the door we were greeted by a lovely doorman. He took our coats. We then spoke to a wonderfully friendly Portuguese lady who was very kind to my elderly aunt. We had afternoon tea every part of which was delicious....

We have just had a very pleasant evening at The Astor Grill. Fabulous surroundings, good food and good service. When one of our party felt unwell, the staff could not have been more kind or attentive. Will definitely eat here again.

We were seated facing the terrace with the view looking out over the Parterre and across the Thames Valley. Food was out of this world and is easily fit for a king. The waiting staff were ‘above and beyond’ with attention to detail, they would...

Taking a meal in this opulent dining room with superlative service is an unforgettable experience. My first choice of Brixham scallops was heavenly the seafood being soft and succulent. I followed with a delightful creation of confit globe artichoke accompanied by tiny Chinese artichokes. I...

The most wonderful thing about dining out in Cliveden House Hotel is the building and the sense of occasion that engulfs you in the building’s aroma. The sofas, chairs and sheer presence make the lobby awe inspiring. The buildings provide a statement and an amazing...

Amazing meal at The Cliveden Dining Room We had the 7 course taster menu which was really special. Superb food. Staff were very attentive and helpful. Really nice atmosphere. Beautiful room. Certainly not a cheap meal, but great as a 'one-off special' and a wonderful...

We ate here whilst staying at the hotel. Its a formal location with views over the grounds if the shutters are open - starts end of March. There is a lot of local food e.g venison from the Estate. Some odd desserts as well -...

Went for Sunday lunch, at £75 a head, the portions were so small it was very poor value for money, two tiny fatty slices of beef, standards have gone down hill. I wrote an email which management ignored. Lovely setting, they obviously trying to make...

This was intended as a treat for our 25th wedding annivesary. There is no doudt that the setting is splendid - it really is a spectacular house, with great atmosphere. The staff are the soul of hospitality and the suite we booked was enormous and...

Lunch for a friends big birthday and quite disappointed. Felt the dining room was very tired looking, floral Red carpet and very well used velor chairs, which we felt were too low to sit and enjoy lunch.. . Starters were nice, but really disappointed with...

Brilliant day good food, service and setting. The organisation was very impressive and service friendly and perfectly suited to how we wanted the day to go.

A very special afternoon tea to celebrate. The house is stunning and you can feel the history oozing out as you sit in the lounge at the entrance next to the roaring fire on huge sofas. The dining room has beautiful views of the gardens...

Having recently had excellent food in an afternoon tea from Cliveden, our expectations of the restaurant were high. They have vegan a la carte and tasting menus. The a la carte had two starters and main courses, with a risotto in each course so the...

Having visited the dining room before, for two special occasions, my husband booked a return visit, with friends, for my 60th birthday. What a spectacular place it is! From the minute you arrive you are made to feel special. We started with cocktails in the...

Good mains - star was the truffle rissoto, one of the best I have ever eaten. Dessert (banana souffle) was on the other hand very dissapointing - way too much unmelted sugar on the outside which makes the edge of soufflé inedible as I was...

I had Sunday lunch with my wife in the Cliveden Dining Room today; the food and service cannot be faulted. Perfect roast beef (chateaubriand) , roast potatoes - all that one could hope for. However, at £90 per person for three courses, charging an extra...

My wife and I have previously stayed at Cliveden and it was amazing and lived up to all our expectations and more.... Returning for our 31st wedding anniversary evening meal we were excited. However, we were met with poor service in the bar. I witnessed...

The food, staff and setting were simply marvelous. Friendly yet formal it felt very special and I will be going back for my next celebrations.

What a memorable evening at The Cliveden Dining room. Celebrating my Wife’s 40th Birthday nothing was too much trouble. All the staff went above and beyond and a few nice little touches and remarks were very much appreciated, helping exceed the high level of expectation...

I visited Cliveden with my sister for afternoon tea as a special birthday treat for her. From arrival it proved to be a magical experience, sweeping up the drive past the fountain to park right outside the main entrance, where a photoshoot with a model...

Staying overnight at this lovely hotel we were anticipating a fabulous meal as we have experience several times before. The covid arrangements in the restaurant were in place and generally the food was good. However the vegetables were stone cold and had to be sent...

Cant quite put my finger on what stopped it being a 5* review - maybe how hard it was to get a waiters attention (mire water, the bill etc). They definitely know how to make you feel special out front. We all had the Sunday...

Good food with pleasant service, the sommelier was overstretched and we had to wait quite a long time to order wine, wine list has a good selection, but is pricey

We've been here several times, and the setting, food and ambience are superb. Measures to keep guests and staff safe are not: 1. The dining room's trolley of petit-fours was hovered over at a height of 50cm by two masked waitresses while one briefed the...

Having just dined at the local two-star Michelin restaurant, Hand & Flowers, we were worried the Dining Room might not impress. How wrong could we be - it is miles ahead of the two-star establishment for service, ambiance, surroundings and, yes, for food. The quality...

This is the 4th time I've been to Cliveden to eat and it didn't let me down. The experience was just what you would expect of a first class establishment and just driving up to the main entrance is the start of the loveliness which is to come. Very grand and we felt like valued customers with complete confidence in their approach to keeping everyone safe from Covid-19.

We went for high tea at Cliveden restaurant on my birthday. The Restaurant had good Covid measuers, including temperature check and masks for all staff. You need to book in advance! The staff were incredibly friendly. There are limited places in the restaurant now, so almost all are by the window, with stunning views. When the staff caught on that it was my birthday (I opted for a glass of house Champagne - extremely delicious!) they singled out my cakes with a wafer saying Happy Birthday. Sweet gesture! The food was wonderful. The sandwiches tasty, the cakes delicious. The pea and mint soup in a shot glass... an acquired taste, perhaps. You get a choice of warm sweet and savoury scones, freshly made. Lovely. You will not leave the table hungry.Ok, it does not come cheap. But you get a cheaper entry ticket to the estate. And it is just a bit of luxury. Dress code is smart casual/smart. A great opportunity to get into your glad rags for an afternoon. I definitely thank the staff for a wonderful birthday treat and will return.

The Cliveden House Hotel provides a sense of the opulence and life of past owners. The Dining Room offered it’s a la carte menu and we opted to share the Beef Wellington which was cooked perfectly. I had started with the double cheese Soufflé which was delicious and my wife opted for the pudding soufflé as a sweet which was equally delicious. The service was excellent and the ambience superb. Would recommend to anyone who enjoys great food and service in a unique setting.

Cliveden is one of the most famous Country houses in Britain, magnificently situated about the Thames at Taplow. For centuries the playground of Royalty and the Aristocracy particularly when owned by the Astor family in 20 Century today it is a wonderful hotel but it has not lost its exclusive country house atmosphere. The service is first class, from drinks in the bar surrounded by period furniture and with a sublime view over the parterre to gourmet food, with excellent service in the dining room. We enjoyed a perfect truffle risotto, excellent tender guinea fowl washed down by a smooth 2017 Rioja and delicious light puddings. The staff were attentive, managing the post Covid restrictions patiently and subtley . A post prandial stroll down to the boat house down hill to the Thames completed a super afternoon. I also recommend reading Natalie Livingstone’s (the current owner) book the Mistresses of Cliveden telling the extraordinary story of this hotel through the ages. In the early 1980s former U.K. Prime Minister Harold Macmillan in old age was told that Cliveden had become a hotel “but of course” he said “ in a sense it always has been”. Go and enjoy this great experience- you‘ll have a wonderful time.

We went here for Sunday lunch. It’s such an iconic venue. Driving up the long drive to the house is already special. The dining room is well laid out and in spite of Covid the staff did a reasonable job. We ordered a variety of dishes and the Cheese soufflé and mushroom risotto to start was very tasty and well presented. We ordered a bottle of Veuve Cliquot champagne which was reasonably priced. For mains we had Guinea Fowl, and Halibut, and Roast Beef. Theywere very well presented and tasty ..except for the roast beef. This should be a signature dish for a Sunday lunch. But one was served well done and the other rare, when they were ordered medium, and medium-well. The presentation was very basic too similar to a normal pub meal. We all had deserts which were all very good. Again the soufflé were excellent- top marks for however was creating them. So a lovely experience, but let down a bit by the roast beef, hence 4 stars.

We were staying at the hotel and decided to try the hotel dining room on our final night. We skipped starters as we chose the beef wellington for our main course, which was absolutely delicious. Faultless, in fact. The steak was succulent, tender and melted in the mouth. Everything that came with it was excellent. Dessert, a strawberry soufflé, was incredibly tasty too. We also had a couple of cocktails before dinner in the bar and a delicious glass of red wine with dinner. It also didn’t cost as much as I thought it would, which was a nice surprise. It was worth the money, certainly.

We dined here recently and were overwhelmed by just how impressive both the exterior and interior décor was. It truly is a stunning building which is beautifully decorated totally in keeping with the buildings magnificence. The service in the restaurant was very efficient and smooth - as one would expect - but could have benefitted from being slightly more friendly. The food was very nice - nothing exceptional - and was served leaving just the right amount of time between courses. Would I return? Probably only for an afternoon tea to see more of the building and grounds (it was dark when we arrived for dinner) but the prices were quite inflated in relation to what was served.

I dined with my extended family here on the evening of the 16th February to celebrate my 50th birthday. I had been for lunch here once before decades before as a teenager and the memory stayed with me so I really wanted to return for this occasion. It did not disappoint. We had an amazing evening and I was treated as a special guest without the embarrassment of too much fuss. I received a card from the dinning room staff and a special cake for dessert but we all loved the dinner. I particularly loved the truffle risotto - I would have this again in a heartbeat. We all had beef wellington, on the waitress's recommendation and it was 100% the right choice. We were also impressed with the desserts and most of all the Bon Bon trolley. After dinner we took teas and coffees into one of the small library rooms - which we had to ourselves - and played Trivial Pursuit in front of the fire. i felt truly spoilt and the service was amazing - not intrusive but at no moment were we wanting for attention. It was effortless and other members of my family very much want to find an excuse to go back!!

Very good drinks, great dinner, impeccable service. The setting is fabulous. The lady was delighted so job done.

A truly romantic EveningStarted with a Glass of Champagne with nuts & olives by the Grand FireplaceWe were placed at one of the best tables in the corner, private but with a view of the entire Dining RoomSpecial Thanks goes to Zarah for incredible service and recommendation of a French Chablis to accompany the Valentine set menuAlso thanks to Ben for looking after us, no question was unanswered and must say very attentive staff.A definite recommendation for Dinner, or if you able to overnight at the Wonderful Clivedon House with DinnerC❤Q

This is a special place. It was built specifically for grand entertainment and pleasure. After 100 + years it still succeeds in achieving this. The building and setting is impressive. The service exemplary, even when the place was incredibly busy having hosted a private party that had taken over the entire hotel the previous night. A special mention must be made of Branca, our delightful and professional waitress. If anyone was made to work in the hospitality industry, it is Branca. Then the food. Good starters and desserts but the stand out course was the roast Chateaubriand beef. Apparently this joint is marinated and massaged with treacle, slow cooked for hours at low temperature sous vide then blasted in a very hot oven for a short while. The result was incredibly tender, medium rare slices of perfect prime beef. Yes, it is expensive, especially if you raid the wine list. However, what price can you place on such a special occasion. I know I will savour the memory for a long time.

An absolutely fabulous room. The decoration is amazing. Certainly a very big wow when we went into the room for breakfast. Well worth a visot

I was so looking forward to visiting Cliveden for Sunday lunch however I'm afraid to report that it did not live up to expectation. The service was exemplary however the overall experience was severely let down by the food. The Saddle of Lamb was overcooked and tough - not even slightly pink and I found the dessert menu rather strange considering the time of year. There were no warm options and instead two mousses or a panna cotta which felt very repetitive. Considering the price point, I'm sure I could've enjoyed similar food at a pub down the road for a quarter of the price. Very disappointed!

We chose Cliveden for our ruby wedding anniversary. Our experience was rather disappointing. It was by no means poor or even mediocre but the cost was such that the product should have been no less than excellent. Food was good but flavours were bland - other than the sensational salted caramel soufflé. Perhaps we made poor choices but again everything should be at least very good indeed. Our room was small but very comfortable but the hot tub was barely luke warm. One of the air vents was also broken meaning that conversations from the adjacent spa reception were clearly audible. We left with the feeling that Cliveden may be resting on its laurels. Perhaps its reputation has led to a touch of complacent?

I visited with two friends, looking forward to good service and a quality afternoon tea of the usual sandwiches, scones and cakes. The location is stunning, set within the National Trust property grounds. Frankly we would have done better to go to the National Trust tea room. On arrival there was no one to greet us. Eventually someone came, looked at the computer, head down, no eye contact, wandered around (with us following) and we got the idea we could sit at a table with sofa and chairs, set for afternoon tea, which turned out to be correct. Someone else came and asked if we wanted to have champagne (who doesn't?) but as I was driving I declined. I was offered a non alcoholic cocktail which turned out to mean waiting for a dog eared menu and then waiting an age for someone to take my order. There were long delays in service throughout. The bread was dry (not fresh) and the scones came with one small pot of cream and one small pot of jam, between the three of us. There was no cutlery to serve the cream and jam (were we expected to use our knives that had been used for the savouries?). When we asked for more jam and cream we were served jam and yoghurt. When questioned the waiter (later we were told he was the sommelier) told us that this was "how they made the clotted cream at Cliveden". We then asked another waiter to explain which version was the "Cliveden clotted cream" because the two small servings we'd been given were completely different. He, at least, agreed that the second serving was yoghurt and said he would get us the correct product. After another long wait we gave up and decided to leave. The last waiter had been helpful and engaging and even ran after us to deliver a phone we'd left behind. Unfortunately that couldn't make up for the frankly over-priced and underwhelming food / experience we had had. Overall it appeared chaotic and random as to whether you got a decent experience.I would not risk a return visit and would not recommend the afternoon tea. However, the grounds are phenomenal, so visit via the National Trust gate and you should have a much better time.

5 star hotel but 1 star afternoon tea. Cold draughty lounge, inadequate service, tepid tea and average food. Anticipated a premier level pre-Christmas experience and left deflated. Staff nowhere near attentive enough. They did offer more savouries then neglected to bring them. Tea was not hot enough-don’t they know to warm the pot? And how about lighting the fire to stop guests shivering? If the idea of offering afternoon tea is to provide a taste of the hotel’s high standards then it failed miserably. I’ve been to 3 and 4 star hotels for tea that have completely overshadowed this disappointing experience.

Last night my husband and I enjoyed the rare experience of dining in the stately Cliveden House. Whilst the setting was lovely, as a coeliac, who has to eat gluten free food, it was an odd and worrying evening. As my husband was using a voucher I had given him last Christmas, for which no change can be given, we decided that the best option was to go for the tasting menu. When the waiter came over to advise us, he suggested that as a coeliac, the best choice for me was the vegetarian menu, which makes no sense at all, but I went along with it, as it seemed the safest option. I so wished I hadn't, as my husband's meal generally looked much tastier and more interesting than mine! On the whole it also appeared to be gluten free and I'm sure chef would have ensured that mine was indeed gluten free.

Last night my wife and I enjoyed one of the best dinners of our lives!

Visited on Sunday afternoon as a family party of 9. We were seated so far apart from one another we weren’t able to speak. The tea itself was not very inspiring. I think Cliveden is resting on its laurels. I am very happy to pay these prices for quality food and service, but today’s experience in no way warranted the cost.

Now, I’m not one to gripe about a venue, but our Cliveden afternoon tea for Six was a delayed birthday gift from my friend. Something we were all looking forward to as we don’t get together as often as we’d like.

We booked a Sunday lunch for 8 family members to celebrate my Father’s special birthday! The experience was 5 star from start to finish. Every course of each of our meals was absolutely excellent. The beef in particularly was the most tender and delicious we had ever eaten. The lunch room and view were perfect and the whole experience was a wonderful setting for our family celebration.

We have been to Cliveden to dine numerous times before (inc afternoon tea in March 2019) and have always been thoroughly impressed. Not on Sunday 1 September 2019. We arrived at the entrance and were shown into the hallway. Despite several staff being around no-one met us to ask the purpose of our visit. Eventually someone noticed us and showed us to our table. The surroundings are superb and very atmospheric. We ordered a standard afternoon tea for 4 and a bottle of Bollinger Rose. We were brought our food quickly as was the champagne to taste. The food selection seemed good at first sight. However there started a list of items that a venue such as this claiming to be 5 star should not be experiencing: scones fresh but not warm; after the initial pouring of the champagne & tea we had to continually seek out staff to top up; sandwiches good but not as fresh as they should be; cakes OK but not special; fresh teas had to be chased & followed up; fresh tea came in a teapot of a different set of china to the rest!!; staff tried to top up Bollinger Rose with the house rose when chased, resulting in some waste from the existing contents. Afterwards I paid the discretionary service charge of 12.5% as all the staff were extremely pleasant. We had a wonderful stroll on the Parterre afterwards which helped to make up for the shortcomings of the afternoon tea. It is astounding that the standards have fallen so far in six months.

We went here for Sunday lunch in the main house.

We had a lovely afternoon tea here with a very nice view over the parterre and the gardens. It's a gorgeous hotel with a lot of history about it. The staff were friendly but not very attentive (we had to ask for most things during the tea). They also seemed to forget about my friend's 60th birthday which we came to celebrate (I noticed another customer in these reviews with a decorated dessert plate).

We drove up to Cliveden which was a delight as the scenery was beautiful and parked outside which was even better. We were greeted and shown inside and waited while the resturant opened had a couple of fabulous cocktails in the most fantastic room full of wood carvings and a slight Tudor feel. We had a lovely table with a glorious view out to the garden the food was incredible the service was impeccable and our waiter was most charming. There was light piano music in the background which was lovely. The butter on the table was so nice they make it themselves on the estate. I will defiantly be going back.

Have a drink in the charming bar before dinner. The food was excellent. Excellent choice of wines by the glass.

The breakfast at Cliveden is excellent. The bufffet is plentiful. It is filled with interesting foods and exotic fruit. The entrees are wonderful and well-prepared. I always order The Lord Astor, usually with a side of Hollandaise Sauce.

Our friends treated myself and my wife for afternoon tea. We arrived early so had a drink in the hotel lobby. Hotel was busy and service was certainly on the slow side. Room whers you have tea is lovely with stunning views over the gardens. The tea was lovely, savouries, finger sandwichs, scones and cake. All the food was beautifil prepared and looked stunning. Service for tea was good. We also had a glass of champagne. If you want a treat this is a lovely place for a high tea.

As a group of 6 celebrating a 60th birthday with our children and their other halves we had the most memorable experience! From the moment we drove up the stunning approach to the hotel, to the perfect greeting, and then being accompanied to the bar prior to dinner, we knew our evening was going to feel extra special. The bar and restaurant were comfortably busy for a Monday night and therefore the atmosphere was perfect. The food was so good that we all tried each other's dishes! We have been to some lovely restaurants and hotels, but can honestly say that we couldnt have had a nicer time! A chance to dress up and enjoy one of the most beautiful country hotels imaginable. The ambience was exceptionally elegant.

Well I’m not quite sure where to start we arrived in awful weather and had to request a doorman to bring a brolley. Hoping to have a drink in the hotel before lunch to be told only for hotel guests we arrived early so had to have a drink at our table in The Astor Grill.

The hotel lounge was lovely along with the grounds, the service was excellent and they were all very attentive. It was my birthday yet they didn’t know until we arrived, we had a really nice Sunday lunch with perfect roast beef the only complaint was the roast potatoes were very dry. They brought me out a surprise dessert, which was very sweet. Will definitely will be returning.

Disappointed lunch was no longer in the house.

It’s rare to get a meal cooked to your preference, so often the chef knows better, so it was great to have beef just how I wanted it. The beef was tasty and melted in the mouth. Vegetables were cooked well, although the roast potatoes and Yorkshire puddings were a bit dry. The Yorkshire would be better made in a tray. The service was friendly and attentive without being overbearing. It wasn’t the least bit snooty as some of these establishments can be. The desert was delicious. I’m definitely going back.

We stayed at Cliveden for the weekend to celebrate my birthday and ate at the Dining Room both dinner and breakfast. Dinner had a very good service, but the quality of food was definitely not worth 120 pounds per person. The menu we had in our room didn't match the menu we were given at the restaurant - again, not something you would expect out of a 5 star hotel. Breakfast on the other hand, was a complete disaster. Pancakes were too sweet, coffee (americano and filtered) terrible, scrambled eggs without any taste, cheese already gone when we arrived to eat (10 am) and no one was checking it to make sure all the guests have the same choices. Half of our order didn't arrive by 11 am, when we had to check out, so we cancelled the order. The service was sloppy explaining to us that they are incredibly busy - but given the reputation Cliveden has, as well as the amount of money you pay, I do not think it is a good enough reason for guests to leave breakfast hungry and disappointed, regretting their decision to spend their birthday at Cliveden.

Recently visited Cliveden Dining room for the seven course tasting menu and was quite underwhelmed by it.

Cliveden House looks very grand with fantastic grounds. The house looks impressive from outside. We wandered around the grounds before we had afternoon tea in the Cliveden dining room. The room is beautiful with lovely view over the landscape. The selection of savoury & sweet treats were very good & moreish. Staff were polite, welcoming & helpful. It was a very enjoyable treat.