Cafe Forty One in City of London, Westminster

A great selection on the menu meant we were spoilt for choice for our lunch there. It is attached to a hotel, and was empty when we visited. The waitress was very helpful and attentive and happy to help with our questions. The food was fantastic and filling, we are not vegetarian, but we were keen to try the menu. I’d have never guessed the burger I had had no meat in it! The only thing wrong with this restaurant is that is is not open in the evenings.

Came here for afternoon tea. While the food was great, the service was poor, which is a shame because as a vegan I want to support ventures like this as much as possible. I also work nearby and would have loved to bring colleagues for a meal but wouldn’t risk it now because the service was literally laughable at times. In a few years, long after we’ve forgotten the excellent food, we’ll remember the poor or non-existent service and how laughably bad it was. To start with the positive: the food was great. Really great. All tasty and without feeling like any compromises were being made just because the food was vegan. The ‘egg mayo’ in particular was lovely. It’s just a shame the savoury part of the tea was restricted to four finger sandwiches and, unlike afternoon teas I’ve had elsewhere, no offer of free refill rounds. This places it in the cheap and cheerful bracket rather than the classy hotel vibe they’re aiming for. Another positive worth a mention are the scones served with clotted ‘cream’ and a wonderfully tart jam. Unfortunately, the cream and jam are served in stingy portions, just about enough for half the scones, and the waitress seemed almost offended when we asked for more. She returned with even smaller pots, which is when we started laughing at the absurd pettiness of the service. The first warning sign about the service was on arrival, when there was no one at the restaurant reception to greet us and we had to wait for a couple of minutes before someone arrived to seat us. Next warning sign: no offer to take our coats, leaving us to hang them on the back of chairs - not the kind of detail that would be missed at even an average restaurant, let alone one trying to give off a classy atmosphere. The service thereafter was perfunctory and cold - not very friendly at all (apart from the woman who appeared to be the manager). There were also little details like failing to provide us with serving spoons for the clotted ‘cream’ and jam, or spoons small enough for the pistachio mousse served in shot glasses (frustratingly, you can’t reach the bottom of the glass to finish eating the mousse - how the kitchen missed this issue with the presentation, I don’t know!). This might have been rectified easily and I would have loved to have simply asked the waitress for the spoons but there was no serving staff in the room at all for a good 7 or 8 minutes - as in, literally the room had no staff in it even to pop in and out for a single second. In the end I had to get up and find the cutlery myself. During the vast majority of our time in the room, there was no staff, and when they did appear, it was only ever a fleeting appearance. On reflection, I think we might have suffered from arriving at a switchover of shifts as the service did pick up a bit when the waitress was replaced. Too late for us, alas. If you’re wondering why I didn’t complain at the time, I would have but no one checked if we were happy with everything at any stage and the only person in the tearoom at the end clearly wasn’t management. I do hope the service picks up soon because like I said before, as a vegan I want businesses like this to thrive, but I won’t be returning or recommending.

La comida es muy muy rica. Buena atención y lugar moderno, los baños están muy bien cuidados. Solo remarcaría que los precios son un poco elevados, y si bien la comida es rica, no condicen del todo si tenemos en cuenta también el ambiente ya que es el café de un hotel. El exterior es muy lindo pero el interior del café es bastante chico, mesas incluidas; fui con una amiga y apenas teníamos lugar para nuestros platos y las tazas de café, también es un poco oscuro en el interior. A una cuadra de la estación de Bayswater.

This is up there in terms of being one of the best places for vegan afternoon tea and lunch! A clean, modern, quiet, calm and beautiful place. Staff are attentive and hospitable. Definitely will return!

Following all the positive reviews we decided to go and were very excited about it. Unfortunately it didn’t meet our expectations. We found the food expensive (£52 in 2 for a breakfast) which was okay in terms of quantity/quality , but definitely not worthy the price in my opinion. The cafe is within a hotel, so the atmosphere is not as chilled as other cafes, it’s a bit formal. I had a cappuccino (£4) which was basically watery and without foam. The overall experience is okay but personally I reckon it is a bit overrated (according to many reviews I found I was expecting it to be excellent).

So many things I love about this place, so let’s start with the ambience: it has a cozy, calm and modern feeling to it. It is a cloth napkin restaurant, but at the same time is very casual and welcoming. The staff is very attentive to the guests. Both times I came I did not have a reservation, but I do recommend making one if you’re planning on coming during the weekend. The smoothies are very good and very filling, in case you’re planning on having a light meal. Let’s get to the Vurger: it is the best burger in London, and I am not vegan nor vegetarian. And this is what made me a frequent to this place. You won’t regret it.

I was looking forward to this birthday treat and was not disappointed! We had a warm welcome, orders taken quickly and food and drinks delivered promptly. We had unlimited refills of tea and coffee which were quickly provided on request. Food was really delicious and plentiful. The attention to detail on the cakes and pastries was perfect! We couldn't eat our large cookies so brought them home in a little take-away box! A wonderful way to spend a few hours, in nice surroundings too! Can't wait to visit again to sample the rest of the menu!

My wife and I visited Cafe Forty One with our 2 year old and loved it! It was a rather nippy 14C outside (given that is was supposed to be summer!), so the waiter kindly gave us blankets, and we started off our morning with two oat caffe lattes along with a baby chino for our little one. The vegan croissants were gorgeously delicious — we couldn’t tell the difference, except they were a lot healthier to eat and digest than your standard French croissant. We ordered the Vegan full English breakfast, which was super tasty, particularly the spiced hash brown! (We love chilli!). Our son had the alkalising pancake, which he didn’t quite finish but we happily polished off. Fabulously presented, and packed with favour and goodness! The only “negative” comment is that it’s felt rather dark and cramped inside when we first walked in, and we much prefer to sit somewhere light and airy. Highly recommend overall! 😊

Were given a voucher for Vegan Afternoon Tea as a birthday gift so visited this restaurant.. In the British afternoon tea style but entirely vegan. The tea food was set menu with a choice of different teas or coffees. . We had savoury sandwiches -falfal with spring onion,roasted aubergine with pesto,cucumber with cashew nut butter. We had freshly baked scones with coconut cream and strawberries. and other delicious sweet bakes . I loved the nutty,pistachio cookies. Excellent polite service by the staff. Had a refill of the tea.

We booked a room at the La Suite West near Hyde Park and were wildly surprised to find that the hotel restaurant was this lovely vegan cafe! Innovative dishes, and a full vegan breakfast in the morning. The perfect combination for vegans visiting London.

We visited Cafe Forty One with the intention to try the desserts, as they looked tempting and not to be missed on the reviews we have read (London's only Vegan French Pâtisserie). When we arrived, we decided to try out the menu and have lunch as well. The food was very good and it is apparent that a lot of effort has been put into each dish, from the choosing of the ingredients, the constructions of the dish itself and the final plating and serving. Although not all dishes are of the same quality, the starters and the main courses are very good and are worth a trip for the experience. My personal recommendations would be the citrus, smoked 'salmon' & pomegranate salad and the mushroom bourguignon pie & mash. No, sadly we come to the point where we should indulge ourselves with the French Patisserie . . . however, this is (for me) the weakest offer of the place. We ordered 3 of the 4 desserts offered and unfortunately, they were very disappointing. However, the starters and mains are a very good reason to try this place, as the Chef seems to be indeed passionately vegan, as the slogan of the place reads.

we had breakfast at this place 5 days in a row, the food was great and service was okay... Everything was vegan so we did miss our usually proteins but all good for a few days :)

Really nice food (savoury breakfast) full of flavour and great combination. I was a bit disappointed with the desserts as tried few and all seamed not impressive as much as the rest of the dishes on the menu. Ruby and tumeric lattes were really nice. The one problem I had is that it is the same eating area as for hotel guests coming with their slippers for breakfast. I didn’t think of that and booked breakfast which was slightly spoiled with the continental breakfast atmosphere. I will come back but not during breakfast. The staff were good just take too long to take your order or get the bill, I had to go to the till and pay instead.

I thoroughly enjoyed this meal, beautiful presentation, lovely, warm staff and creative dishes. It was worth the trek across London. The ambiance was tranquil and refreshing.

The staff have a gentle manner and are delightful. The imagination that goes into something as simple as afternoon tea is so impressive. The sandwiches were exquisite and the scones the best I have ever had. Thank you to the chef and staff.

We have been here for Afternoon Tea and were really happy to discover vegan restaurant. The ambience was uninspired and not really cosy. We have not had really the chance to read the menu when the service took it away. The food was.... not really sure how to describe... the sweets too sweet, that we couldn’t eat everything, the bread of the sandwiches was dry at the surface - it seemed that they were prepared hours ago. The taste of the sandwiches were okay, however we expected something ‚more‘ from this vegan restaurant. Overall - too expensive for the quality and atmosphere.

Very impressed and would definitely go again! But without the veganuary discount and with the added service charge it’s very expensive for what you get and not many people could afford it. Love the scones! Such a delight. The current chocolate pastry and vanilla brioche...

Took my non vegan boyfriend here and we both loved it! So much food, the sandwiches were lovely, very original fillings, i especially liked the smoked salmon style ones made from carrot. The scones were delicious, so pleased I got to try vegan honey, it...

My partner and I came here for the vegan afternoon tea on 10th jan, after purchasing a Red Letter Days Voucher. Wow! Far, far, far exceeded my expectations, from the quantity and quality of the food to the service! The decor was lovely inside, and...

My friend and I had an afternoon tea here last month, and it was lovely. The sandwiches, scones and cakes were very tasty and cleverly done. Could not fault the food, or the tea, at all. The staff were friendly, and very knowledgeable in what...

Under vår tur til London spiste vi på Cafe Forty One ved flere anledninger. Vi var her rett før jul,...

Absolutely excellent food. Everything is vegan. Really expensive (normal for London). Worth the experience. Can you spell "full-English-breakfast" in Veganese? Go do it!

I’ve been searching for awhile now looking for high tea that would cater to all my dietary needs (I’m allergic to gluten and dairy and am also a vegetarian). I came across Cafe Forty One at La Suite West. All their food is completely vegan...

Visited today with a friend as was so excited to try a fabulous new vegan menu which looked so exciting on line. The menu did sound fabulous and the food itself was delicious. I had Citrus Smoked ‘Salmon’ and Pomegranate Salad and Sweet Potato Dauphinois...

The food was absolutely delicious, really really great, but the service was possibly the worst I've experienced in seven years living and dining out frequently in London. We were pretty much ignored and left to our own devices for the entire 4 hours that we...

I don't really understand the negative review given below, as the couple sitting next to me just finished eating the afternoon tea and seemed thrilled with it. I opted for the lunch meal deal (main & dessert) while getting through some work and was delighted...

Stumbled on this by accident. So hard to find good vegan food which isn’t junk food or gimmicky. There is proper table service, it is definitely a place you could take family or someone you want to impress. The service was brilliant and the whole...

Arrived too late for breakfast but staff let us wait with hot drinks (amazing hot choc) until lunch service opened which was very gratefully received from the pouring rain! Both staff that dealt with us were warm and friendly, knowledgeable about their menu and history....

As an ethical vegan, it’s very exciting to find new vegan cafés and restaurants, especially if they allow dogs! And, I do understand that veganism is a trend for some. But what’s important to me is that the establishment at least respects vegan ethics. Ethical...

Ate lunch here, I chose the salad which had a fake smoked salmon on it (delicious, no idea how it was made!). I really enjoyed my meal, good portion, great value. Two others with me had the muahroom pie with mashed potato and carrots. They...

We loved coming here for Vegan High Tea in the afternoon. The tea itself could have been better. They should consider serving a traditional Earl Grey and not blended with other flavors. But the awesomeness of High Tea is their snacks! Their sandwiches were delicious...

After seeing this place in Time Out i was really looking forward to visiting, however, on arriving i was very disappointed. The place for a weekend visit lacked any form of atmosphere and was extremely quiet, cold minimalistic decor and empty of bookings. I was...

We had seen the adverts on facebook for the patisserie and were determined to eat here. We were not disappointed by the food or the surroundings. We had travelled from Yorkshire that morning and not eaten so we went for the mushroom pie with mash...

We visited Cafe Forty One for breakfast even though we were not staying at the La Suite West hotel. Originally we wanted to have afternoon tea, but the exchange rate is not currently in our favour, so we passed on that until next time. We...

I had the pleasure of discovering Café Forty One today after reading about it on the internet and, as a vegan, was keen to see what it was like. I understand it has not been open for very long. The restaurant was small, intimate and...

This was a wonderful experience for my boyfriend's birthday - an all-vegan afternoon tea! Everything about the experience was delightful: from the beautiful garden oasis we were seated in, to then non-alcoholic fizz we were served upon arrival, the sandwiches, the scones and cakes... it...

I visited Cafe Forty One last Friday for birthday afternoon tea. I found the service, attentive, warm and friendly and the food exquisite. As a vegan cook myself I am in awe of Clarisse’s talent and will definitely be visiting again for breakfast, lunch and...

I visited the restaurant for a vegan afternoon tea together with my husband. The venue itself was a bit of a disappointment; a small dark room with several loud groups, meaning that the noise level was pretty high. But the restaurant/hotel has a lovely terrace...

Visited this Vegan restaurant for afternoon tea with my wife. The restaurant is attached to the LA Suite West Hotel and is nicely presented with an outside seating area as well as inside. Its in a nice part of London near Queensway and Bayswater underground...

We had a great vegan breakfast there, staff were helpful although appeared very flustered as it became busy. Food and drinks were delicious and fairly priced. Would come back

We were booked for a 10:30 breakfast today but missed it due to the vagaries of the Sunday tube service. Mohammed and Kata couldn’t have been more helpful when we arrived for an early lunch at noon, and what a lunch if proved to be!...

I went with a vegan friend of mine to celebrate our birthdays (i'm not vegan). The food was delicious. We had the vegan lunch menu. Then amazing puddings - i particularly loved the chocolate/hazelnut praline - gorgeous. The afternoon tea looked so good too, that...

Planned a vegan afternoon tea with family in London on a recent visit. Emailed ahead to confirm they could accommodate a child in our party with nut allergies. Menu online looked very promising and we were really looking forward to this email. I wanted my...