The Assembly House in Norwich

Beautiful building but music room far too cramped and too hot. Not impressed with the candlelight concert 31-10-24, I felt it wasn’t worth the money for an hour of music and it was uncomfortable throughout. String quartet good musicians but didn’t think the Coldplay set worked - personal opinion

We stayed two nights within the Assembly house in one of their lovely rooms. Breakfast superb and staff could not have been more polite and helpful. Made our stay in Norwich a delight.

Went to a Candlelight event and it was such a lovely experience. The rooms are absolutely stunning and the staff were attentive and friendly. Would recommend

My first visit on the recommended of a friend. The staff and food was exemplary. Excellent customer service so friendly from the minute I walked into the building, but most of all kind and thoughtful. I’m sight impaired and every member of staff from the young to the more mature staff made sure my every need was catered for in a thoughtful manner. Excellent in house customer training and a credit to the management. The food! Gosh my twice baked cheese soufflé nearly floated off my dish complimented by one of the tastiest mixed side salads I’ve had for a while. Portions just right. I prefer quality not quantity.

Wonderful overnight stay with afternoon tea. The staff were brilliant and the hospitality was excellent. The rooms are beautiful, and the Temple Spa products in the bathroom were a welcome extra touch.

Afternoon Tea -was totally looking forward to this as had heard good reports. Looked impressive when arrived, but mine was served on a separate plate from everyone else as I didn’t mind the chutney or mustard unlike my friends. We was told if we wanted more please ask. Well nobody come anywhere near us all the while we was there until they came and asked if we wanted the bill. No real choice of tea all run by young people that had no idea of customer care or attention. The sandwiches were cold and stale , the savouries were the best thing delicious but tiny and the cakes were stale. You could tell everything had either been made the night before or early in the morning and been either frozen or chilled. The scones had no flavour and were rock hard had to throw away when I got home. I know this had a really good reputation when the Michelin Chef was alive but unfortunately what I was dreading the standards have totally gone now. Will not be going there again.

Delightful. Lovely to see the building being used for what it was meant for. It makes such a nice change to find somewhere for afternoon tea with no loud music playing snd scruffy un-trained staff or customers shouting and screaming. Perfectly polite, smart and well trained staff. I would recommend this place without hesitation .

We had a lovely Beauty and the Beast themed afternoon tea. It had a large range of food, including so many extras not normally included. Having the scones brought out at our request, warm from the oven, was a great touch. Also, we had a dairy and gluten free option and it was brilliant- very similar to the regular option with creative touches to ensure it looked and appeared the same. Again, this was greatly appreciated. Overall, an amazing experience. Thank you

Very enjoyable evening I recommend the Adele Candlelight concert

Saw fantastic string quartet here. Absolutely brilliant. Minor moan is the amateur Spielberg's at then who insist on holding phones as high as possible for as long as possible. All I saw was bingo wings and tattoos for the last 5 minutes

Afternoon tea was very nice and service was very good So the problem … they had a wedding going on and we were not allowed out of the dining area to get down the corridor to the toilets which was a bit of a problem with a toddler !!! Having an exit out of the dining area for any age is quite important…think this needs looking at.

Waitress was grumpy. This is the forth time I have been and this is a recurring issue. It took 20 minutes to get a refill of tea the waitress was annoyed that we questioned where the tea was. (The restaurant was not busy). The food was OK but a little too sweet for the people that had the normal afternoon tea. We won't be going again.

Lovely venue for afternoon tea. We were well taken care of by the staff, including a guest who is gluten and lactose intolerant. The food was good and you can request extra sandwiches. With three fingers and one small roll per serving, this was appreciated. The other savouries were like mini tasters - little mouthfuls really. The scones were good. We preferred the savouries above the sweet, which were very sugary rather than flavoursome. For four the spend was £150, this included one additional glass of wine and the gratuity. I wouldn’t return, because it didn’t feel like a £150 experience.

Updated : Another fabulous stay. This time in room 16. Wonderful spacious room, beautiful decor ( great air con!) Room 5 was gorgeous. exceptionally comfy bed. Linen is super fine thread count, so soft. Everything about the rooms are a real touch of luxury. First class breakfast with local produce. All the staff we met were delightful and extremely helpful. Located in the very heart of the city, it really is the perfect setting and the rooms we have stayed in were blissfully quiet. (5 &16) You access the rooms externally. There is some parking available for hotel guests but it’s a pay and display so you need to obtain a pass from reception and only available between 3pm-11.30 am. The hotel is extremely popular for afternoon tea and was busy when we arrived (the teas looked amazing!). We will definitely return when next in Norwich 5***** ( we did return !)

I recently took my mum for the Beauty & the Beast Afternoon Tea and everything about the experience was outstanding! I honestly can't wait for the next theme, I will be returning!

A lovely gluten free afternoon tea enjoyed by my friend.

Lovely themed afternoon tea, Beauty & the Beast. All the food was yummy, all freshly prepared, warm savoury bites and warm scones , cakes all delicious and themed, choice of cocktails and shake all delicious. It was a very warm day and was very hot inside with no air. Room was decorated with a large chair for a photo opportunity. Serve was very good as always .

Great lunch , will definitely be returning and soon

Lovely Afternoon Tea, Beauty and the Beast Themed. Very well presented and Fresh. Had to take some home as more than enough. Would recommend

It was ok. Lots of different staff members serving with poor communication. I called and had a lengthy conversation with someone who didn't tell anyone of our conversation as I had to repeat myself to each new server that came to the table, which made me wonder why I was called in the first place) Was offered more of different items on multiple occasions but when I actually requested more, I was told no. Sandwich bread was stale. Scones were delightful. Most of it melted in the heat (in hindsight I wish they had suggested we eat inside as until it arrived and we started we didn't think about it melting until it was too late) Wouldn't rush back for the price but good for a special get together.

We had a lovely afternoon tea celebrating my friend’s special birthday. Food was excellent as was the service. We will definitely be going again.

Always a treat and lovely experience at the Assembly House. Love the theme Beauty and The Beast. Such yummy food.

The whole experience was amazing. The best afternoon tea I have been too at The Assembly House. From the minute we arrived everyone was so attentive. They had read my booking note and seen it was my twins birthday and wished them a happy birthday even before we sat down, gave them a card and had a candle in the cake. The service is the best in norwich for afternoon tea.

Absolutely loved it. Afternoon tea was amazing and service and staff where lovely

I took my daughter for the Beauty and the Beast themed afternoon tea and it was outstanding in every aspect, as usual. The staff were attentive, efficient and friendly. Thank you Assembly House.

Tea at The Assembly House is always a special treat. The current Theme of Beauty and the Beast is innovative as always. Each mouthful of food was delicious. We keep going back.

As always The Assembly House afternoon tea didn't disappoint. It was lovely to bring two first timers who both said it was the best they'd ever had. Very impressed how easily our different dietary requirements were catered for - one vegetarian and one with a nut allergy without compromising the quality or visual appeal of all the treats!

Thoroughly enjoyed our Afternoon Cheese sitting outside at The Assembly House. Cannot fault anything - service and food first class and highly recommend

Absolute stunning attention to detail, the themed afternoon teas are always beautifully done. The only downside was unfortunately we were sitting right in the middle section so constantly had staff and customers walking past which got irritating when trying to eat. A few times our chairs were bumped into by other people and even a few staff members. There was lovely beauty and the beast music playing in the main room but unfortunately we were not privy to that which was a shame. Food as absolutely delicious and were very accommodating to my two children who only engaged specific sandwiches

Afternoon Cheese - Absolutely fabulous best Afternoon Tea I’ve had. If you are not too keen on Afternoon Tea with lots of sweet cakes then this is a must. The ambience of The Assembly House and the wonderful staff cannot be beaten. Can’t wait for the next one.

Overall we did really enjoy it, cakes and sweet treats to die for!! We would have liked more sandwiches! Didn't feel like was enough everything was quite small. We mainly filled up on the cakes which was a lot of sugar so would have liked more savoury! Unfortunately the service wasn't great, everyone was lovely but our server looked miserable she looked so fed up of us. We had to ask for drinks several times even water took over 15mins to get. We waited over 20mins for our tea which we had to ask for at the end of all our food and then that took ages we asked again and no one had put it through. We then asked for scones which took forever and we had to ask 3x for them, after we had eaten they then brought the tea after asking 4x for that as well. She said she didn't put the order through, didnt aplogise or anything just walked off. Not joking we were gasping by the time it arrived I downed my water!! Me and my mum tried the beauty and the beast cocktails but they tasted very watered down due to the ice in it not worth the money unfortunately. Food was lovely service not good at all! Such a shame! Didn't even look that busy either as there was a lot of staff around so not sure what happened there. Not overall impressed.

Excellent in every way. Can’t fault anything. Will be coming again

We’ve visited for a few of these themed afternoon teas since the Covid restrictions were lifted. Sadly I probably won’t be visiting again as I thought this last one was the worst we’ve had. The Beauty and the Beast theme wasn’t great. Very little effort put in. Sandwiches were lacklustre. Savouries were tiny and a bit tired looking. Best thing was the scones jam & cream but I feel it’s a high price to pay for a cream tea! Drinks were pricey too and not very generous. It’s a real shame as this was usually my go to for a nice treat with my daughter. I do however think the breakfast version of the afternoon tea is very good and I will be returning for that!

A lovely afternoon spent in the amazing surrounding of The Assembly House with fantastic food. Thoroughly recommend.

Emily was so lovely and attentive when my daughter and I came for afternoon tea

Love the afternoon tea here, it is always something different and unique.

First Class! Food excellent as was the service. Can’t wait to go back!

It's a stunning location with excellent service and the most delicious food. A wonderfully relaxed afternoon.

It was up to the usual standard that was expected, staff friendly and efficient, afternoon tea as good as is normal.

Attended a wedding here. Staff were fantastic throughout. The place was clean and well presented. Parking can be an issue, there is a car park next to The Assembly House, but this does get busy and spaces are limited.

Did the beauty and the beast afternoon tea. Food and ambience amazing.

We took a friend for afternoon tea to celebrate her birthday, the staff were very helpful and the service was very good. The food was delicious too, will definitely go again. Loved the Beauty and the Beast theme.

Excellent afternoon tea and great service. Love going to eat at The Assembly House!

This was one of the worst afternoon teas I have ever done. The staff were rude. It took us 15 minutes to be given our diet cokes. We ordered the afternoon cheese. The sandwiches tasted stale, there were only 3 cheeses and none of these were of the quality we were expecting for £55 total. We would have been better to go and buy the cheese and all accompaniments ourselves and it would have been a lot cheaper.the table was very cluttered, we were not having tea with our food so this should have been removed from the table.

Delicious food in a stunning setting. Would have liked a slightly different variation on the sweet cake selection, but that’s just a personal thing. Incredibly hot and uncomfortable in the room itself, could do with investing in some air con units.

Lovely experience as usual . Special occasion for my mother in laws 70 th birthday. She absolutely loved it and food was great

Too much on 'theme', herding people in, and not enough focus on quality and flavour. Too many over-rich and sweet desserts which tasted synthetic and over-coloured, with no actual flavour. Sad times! 'Beauty and the Beast'-themed afternoon tea was in a noisy and crowded room. After waiting 30 minutes for our food, we found that one of our allergy requests was incorrect. They apologised and were told they could only have wraps, scones and desserts which, yes it's difficult, but they were charged the same £39 as everyone else who had a lot more on their plates.

Wonderful place and ambience, can not fault the staff they were super friendly and polite, but food was not up to usual standard and although I normally enjoy afternoon tea here we were quite disappointed, will be a long time before I venture back there especially considering how much it costs.

Lovely experience, food was very nice didn't have room for cake but this was boxed up for us to take home

We had the 'Beauty & The Beast' afternoon tea. It was well presented and very tasty! I love the cocktail additions to the menu. Everything is explained to you and any problems are sorted. The ingredients used are of good quality and nothing is too much trouble.

The cheese soufflé and salad were delicious and the service was friendly and efficient. Unfortunately the tiny tables are jam packed together which made for an unpleasant experience.

Probably the nicest afternoon tea we’ve had here. Service and food was excellent

We had an absolutely wonderful time here having afternoon tea for our 1st wedding anniversary. The staff were incredible, especially Gina who made us feel that nothing was too much trouble. There was such attention to detail, even a little card t say happy anniversary. Also the themed afternoon tea was really fun and very cleverly done. We were so impressed.

Disappointed with the food offering for the afternoon tea for the price, £64 for two was very expensive for what we got.

Very welcoming, friendly and a fabulous afternoon tea!!

Fantastic afternoon tea, great service, beautiful room, everyone so helpful, gave us doggy boxes to take our cakes home, would definitely recommend, will definitely be back again

We had the vegan Beauty and the beast afternoon tea. It was so delicious and what an amazing selection for vegans. The effort to make such an interesting selection of treats for vegans was very much appreciated. The staff were particularly good. We felt very at ease, not always easy for a wheelchair user in a restaurant. The visit was a special treat and this was enabled by the professional and pleasant manner of the staff. We came away very happy and full!

Option to choose which menu at point of booking or all menus left at the table Better clarification of what drinks were included with the afternoon tea

Lovely breakfast. I had the rarebit with crispy bacon on top and grilled tomatoes. My husband had eggs Benedict with smoked salmon. A lovely treat from our daughter.

Excellent in every way .. great venue, brilliant service and one of the best afternoon tea offerings in the area.

Excellent service and staff. Professional and friendly. We had a lovely lunch- thank you everyone!

We had the cheese afternoon tea. Loved the Eccles cake and cheese biscuit. Plenty of food. Good value.

The afternoon tea was stunning to look at. The savoury food was delicious, creative and the flavours were fantastic. The scones were amazing. The cakes were good and we loved the beauty and the beast theme.

I was nervous as a non dairy eater that my experience wouldn’t be as special as the rest of the family, but I was so wrong. Our requirements were catered to and the food was exceptional. It was a great holiday treat for us all and we were all (including the children) made to feel special and valued customers. I will certainly recommend this to friends and family. Thank you so much.

We had a fantastic afternoon tea, it was so delicious and well presented. The staff are so friendly and the building gives such a great atmosphere. We will definitely be back

Very pleasant experience. 2nd time we have had the afternoon tea and we liked that it a different theme every 3 months. Excellent range of teas. Staff very polite and attentive.

Lovely place to go for a special occasion. Food amazing

Fantastic beforenoon tea in a fabulous setting. Cant recommend it more.

Wonderfully unique afternoon tea, very filling and fun.

Fantastic experience. My daughter and I took advantage of a gift card I had for a birthday last year. Even though the price has gone up since the voucher was bought, they honored the voucher for the full price. All the food was scrumptious and my daughter said the peach iced tea (no gin) was delicious. Would highly recommend.

Lovely atmosphere & gd service,my only criticism would be the tables are too small

First time having lunch at The Assembly House, usually have afternoon tea. It was hard to choose, as everything sounded so good, but what I did have was delicious. Me and my friend really enjoyed all the food we had and a lovely time. I’ll definitely be coming again for lunch - in fact I’ve already booked.

Fantastic venue, delicious food, and superb staff! Can't wait to return.

My husband and I went to the Assembly House for afternoon tea to celebrate the birth of our daughter with friends. The afternoon tea was fantastic and the staff who served our party were friendly/helpful as they accommodated two additional people. Unfortunately the friendly/helpful nature of the staff was soon lost as approx one hour after we left I received a call advising that the Assembly House had undercharged the party. At this point my friends were on trains home and we were not in a private location but talking to shop staff. The man who spoke to was insistent we came back straight away, I politely advised this was not possible, or hand over my card details which was not possible in a public setting. The man then proclaimed it was my responsibility to ensure the bill was correct versus the Assembly House staff and continued to be exceptionally rude despite me advising I can settle the bill shortly but this exact moment was not a good time! As a result of the threatening nature of the man my husband and I rushed back, causing great upset, to settle the bill with little remorse or a sorry for the intimidating/threatening behaviour. The staff member behaviour soured an otherwise great experience for the sake of £40! Strongly recommend customers think carefully about going to the Assembly House given the hostile nature of some staff members as we are now reluctant to return!

Going to the Assembly House is always a real pleasure. The surroundings are so elegant and the ambiance unique. Not to mention the quality of the food and service.

Lovely Afternoon Tea, as always. Lovely place, lovely food and lovely staff.

Fantastic night at the candlelight concert. Really captivated by the music and the atmosphere. Would definitely watch it again.

Saw a quartet there, hall and staff were lovely.

Very nice. Very civilised. The Sea Afternoon Tea is a good lunch.

Absolutely fabulous food and service as always 😀 we came to celebrate myself and friends birthday. We will definitely recommend and return many thanks to all the staff .

Had a lovely time and the food as usual was excellent. Loved the Beauty and the Beast theme!!

Lovely experience on what was a difficult day for myself and my husband. Very friendly and helpful staff. Food was amazing 💜💚

There is no better place in Norwich to have tasty light lunch.

Went for Beauty and The Beast afternoon tea yesterday. Utterly stunning building and the room we were sat in was decorated beautifully. The service from start to finish was lovely although we did have to flag someone down anytime we needed something as we were not approached at all for more drinks or if we wanted our scones. The sandwiches were lovely and cut perfectly if not a little bland. The chicken roll was lovely and the toastie was nice but would benefit from stronger cheese as it didn’t really taste of anything. The scones were perfect and some of the best I’ve ever eaten. The sausage rolls were amazing as were the little tart and salmon mousse. The cakes very much let it all down. The blueberry cake tasted of nothing and seemed greasy. The macaron again tasted of very little and the red food colouring stained everything it touched. The lemon cake was nice but the icing was awful and it seemed to be made from margarine rather than actual butter. The chocolate mousse was lovely if not a little strong for the children. Both the savoury and sweet biscuits were out of this world. Our biggest complaint is that 4 of us were squeezed into a small table. We really struggled for space. I couldn’t drink my tea and had to hand back my pot of tea as we simply didn’t have space for it. We felt incredibly cramped. It would of been nice to have some music in line with the themed afternoon tea playing too perhaps?

Lovely afternoon tea, atmosphere was good, quite busy as it was a Saturday but overall good experience

Beautiful building, service and food excellent. We had the Beauty and the Beast afternoon tea and it was truly magical

Food and service absolutely outstanding. Will def come back again

My first visit to this restaurant. It’s in a classical setting with a pleasant atmosphere. The service was very good, staff polite and attentive. The menu was very limited, I was expecting to eat a meal but the closest I could get was soup, and small container of chips and a sandwich. I get the impression they focus on the afternoon teas at lunchtime. The dessert menu was different variations of ice cream or 3 types of cake so again very limited. I would like to return for an evening meal. The cost was £80 for 3 mains, 3 drinks and 2 slices of cake.

Service was quick, polite and very efficient. Food was absolutely delicious as were the drinks. Ambiance as always was great.

We booked a private room at the Assembly House for afternoon tea for my niece's hen party. The staff here were amazing from the initial planning stages to the end of the day. We booked the Sexton Room for 15 people which overlooks the main entrance outside. We had access to the room from 12 o'clock as we added our own decorations, the rest of the guests arrived at 1pm to a welcome glass of prosecco and afternoon tea was served at 1.30pm. A speaker was provided for music. The waiting staff were very attentive and kept calling into the room to replenish drinks and see if we needed anything. The afternoon tea itself was lovely and i would highly recommend using the Assembly House for any event.

What a beautifully presented, imaginative, and utterly delicious 'Beauty and the Beast' themed Afternoon Tea. It was visually stunning and every mouthful was divine. Lovely atmosphere, very attentative staff in such elegant surroundings. It was made even more special by the staff presenting my daughter with a Birthday cake , and card. Such a special place.

Had the most amazing take away afternoon tea for my surprise weekend away, the food was very tasty and packed so perfectly. Every detail was thought of along with a bottle of Prosecco. Will defo be returning.

Our elder son a nd family bought us voucher for The Assembly House for our Ruby wedding anniversary which we used yesterday. The afternoon tea was based, rather loosely, on a Beauty and the Beast theme. All the staff were pleasant and the food tasty and plentiful - we were told that we could ask for more, but there was more than sufficient and, like many others, we took some home with us. The venue was busy with several others, like us, celebrating birthdays or other life events. Very agreeable and would be happy to return.

Ordered a cake away for two ppl to collect for my wife’s surprise 40th get away, collecting was so easy, service was brilliant and with a smile,food was amazing,well boxed so nothing was damaged in transit,will defo come back again! Thank you

We recently spent two nights here, the building is magnificent but the best asset here is the staff! From check in to check out everything went very smoothly, nothing was too much trouble. Dan was very helpful with changing a couple of items in the afternoon tea, Jane was very knowledgeable and helped us with planning our visit to Norwich, Gina and the breakfast team were friendly and efficient. We will definitely return and cannot recommend Assembly House highly enough, thank you.

As expected, always a pleasure to dine at the Assembly House, excellent food, lovely ambience and you leave feeling uplifted.

Wonderful staff, food and surroundings! Nothing more to add other than an all around fabulous experience.

Attended The Assembly House for an afternoon tea experience. The venue is beautiful and transports you to a time of high society, as though you are stepping into an Austen novel. The afternoon tea was beautifully displayed and contained an array of different savoury and sweet treats - be sure to bring your appetite as it is plentiful, however, they are happy to give you a box to take home any extras you didn't manage. Service was a little slow and we had to capture attendants attention rather than be checked upon throughout our service - depends on whether you'd prefer to be left to enjoy or interrupted at regular intervals.

My only wish would be that they use bone china to serve their afternoon tea. Tea tastes infinitely better when drunk from a china teapot and tea cup and it looks so much more refined too! To match the elegant surroundings of The Assembly Rooms.

An outstanding themed afternoon tea with wonderful photo opportunities! The staff were attentive but not intrusive and the food was exemplary, as always. A wonderful venue to celebrate my mum's milestone birthday.