The Dower House at Royal Crescent in Bath and North East Somerset - Phone Number, Reservations, Reviews

The gentile and exquisite setting of The Royal Crescent and Montagu’s Mews is the perfect place to escape the busyness of life for a few hours. Our afternoon tea was sublime. The extensive varieties of tea and the selection of sandwiches and patisserie was impressive. In addition, the precision and flavours were sensational. I particularly loved the gooseberry and créme tartlet and the scones. Service was excellent and we all had a thoroughly enjoyable sunny afternoon drinking tea, eating the sweet delights and quaffing deliciously crisp Chablis. Highly recommend and excellent value for such an outstanding afternoon.

I'll start with the positives. The hotel certainly has the wow factor being situated within the Royal Crescent. Upon approaching Montagus we were warmly welcomed by the host and seated on the terrace for our afternoon tea. The food was nice, selection of tea was great and the option to upgrade to champagne. The surroundings are beautiful and well kept. However, the service in this place is absolutely abysmal. The waiting staff seemed poorly trained, they were amateurish and quite frankly I felt embarrassed for them. They wandered around looking like they didnt have a clue what was going on. It took ages to get served and we had to remind them of our orders several times. It was painful. I have no issue in waiting if places are busy or understaffed but this was something else. We also observed two ladies on the table next to us have their glass of champagne spilt all over them. Yes, accidents happen but given the amateur nature of the staff here its hardly surprising.

One of the best meals we have had. Amazing food and drinks. Attentive and helpful staff. Beautiful surroundings. Will definitely go back if we are in Bath again.

We had been told that this was one of the best tea experiences in the UK. Better than in London. Wife and daughter came for tea usually 45 pounds per person but upgraded to the bubbly experience for 59 for wife and 45 for daughter. They were sat outside at a picknic table WITHOUT an umbrella on a warm sunny day. There were 2 other tables with umbrellas, yet they chose to seat at the ONLY table without an umbrella? After seating, requested to be moved as it was sunny and they were cooking in the sun. Even the host mentioned that "this table needs an umbrella. They moved to a shaded area in the patio but there was construction happening in the garden area so it was not a peaceful experience. By the time they were done, there was still the the same table with an umbrella unoccupied. The food was just okay as the sandwiches were mediocre, but the desserts were good. Had to waive the waitress down twice to refill the water and refill the tea. This is not a 4 star experience. It's not even a 2 star experience. They were not welcoming and for 100 GBP, it's just a disappointing experience. Would not be coming back nor would we recommend it. The landscaping and gardens setting is beautiful however and it's worth walking through. Perhaps when the construction is finished, have a drink there to get an experience but don't waste your time with the tea service. We had a much lovelier tea experience in Cottswold at Stow on the Wold at The Old Bakery Tea Room from a lovely couple who were very nice and understand good service.

Visited for champagne afternoon tea. We were sat outside & gardens were beautiful. Food was average, no better than I’ve had for afternoon teas elsewhere. Service not as expected, when we arrived waited for table, staff were around but no acknowledgement until I went to find someone. We enquired about the champagne flight & also the cost of a bottle of Prosecco and honestly the waiter was snobbish & rude. This is my second visit for afternoon tea, not as enjoyable as the first and not sure I’d recommend.

We visited Montagu’s Mews one summer Sunday evening.It’s part of the Royal Crescent Hotel which itself is impressive,historic but a little quiet. The restaurant is to the rear of the hotel and accessed though the courtyard . It’s an impressive approach and a beautiful room. The inner room is luxurious in pink. There’s an outer room overlooking the gardens - good in summer. From the outset, service is impeccable. We had cocktails in the bar (reminiscent of the Savoy’s American bar) then through to dinner. We had the tasting menu - which I’d recommend. Cooking was superb throughout. Well paced service and attentive (but not intrusive staff). We ended the evening back in the bar and chatted with the maitre d’ who worked previously at Restaurant Gordon Ramsay. Super evening - only criticisms were that we’d have preferred tablecloths for the evening and a couple of cheaper house wine options would be welcome. It may not have it yet, but this is a Michelin star level restaurant in waiting for me. I advise going now before it gets that star and prices go up.

Everything was wonderful at Montagues. The only problem I encountered was my order was delivered in the reverse. Meaning that my dessert came first followed by my tomato salad, and then my pasta orzo. The house is very apologetic about the delivery of my food items and graciously gave me a gin and tonic on the house, otherwise it was fabulous. Highly recommend it. And the tea was superb.

We had a wonderful afternoon tea with excellent service (especially from Esther) and delicious food. It was a fantastic place to catch up with an old friend.

Booked 1M early and they managed to mess up booking times. Given my wife’s big birthday we got put on a table out of the way. Waiter tried his best and was lovely. Underwhelmed, especially as we were staying in hotel. We rushed a show to get there on time, for that.

I often find it's hard for hotel restaurants to excel and Montague Mews is no exception. This rebrand of the Royal Crescent Hotel's Dower House has stripped away its predecessor's formality, replacing it with a kind of soft peach look that's reminiscent of a suburban bedroom. The old decor may be gone but the ludicrous prices have not. Price is obviously relative. I have paid twice as much for dinner and have been willing to pay more because the food was sublime. This restaurant is not in that category. Montague's prices make a mockery of value because some of the food is so pedestrian. The appetisers were delicious, the brioche bread based on Japanese milk bread was very nice but the main course options of lamb and ribeye were just food, without any of the magic I expect from 40 quid dishes. Service was enthusiastic but slow, despite the room being half empty. I will try Montague's again in six months time but for now I would much rather go to Beckford Canteen or even the nearby Marlborough Tavern.

Delicious afternoon tea with polite and attentive service!

Really enjoyable tea. Service slow in places eg refill of tea but this seemed to be the junior waiting staff. Great selection of sandwiches which were topped up and good choice of cakes. Stronger flavour in the macaron would be good as couldn’t decide what flavour it was and also more horseradish in the beef sandwich as again not much flavour. Beef tasty though. Good choice of teas and fab setting. Very comfort. Really enjoyed our experience there and would highly recommend.

Very nice setting and newly refurbished restaurant with a gentle ambience. Tables by the internal doors not the best as staff coming and going to other parts pass close by and you cannot see the view of the gardens. The food was freshly made, well presented tasted great and plenty for tea. The service however was not as polished as one might expect of such a venue and certainly not up to the 12.5% service charge added on top!

Really thought long & hard about booking afternoon tea here as Royal Crescent dining room was being refurbed & I was also concerned we would be out of our league! However, I needn’t have worried. From the minute we walked in the door of the hotel we were greeted by a lovely friendly welcoming lady & were taken through the beautiful garden to the newly opened dining room which was stunning. Service, food, and patient waiting staff were all exemplary. I honestly can’t fault a thing…it was all wonderful. We opted for the additional champagne flight which I do not regret & certainly completed the fabulous experience. Wandered around the gardens & hotel afterwards with no pressure to leave. Massive thanks to Royal Crescent for making us feel so special & welcome!!

The overall feeling was that it was not as good as the last time. Overall the service was good, if a little inconsistent. Initially there was some confusion as to which room our booking was for. Also, when the food was brought out, there were no details about the food offered, unlike the adjacent table who were given a full explanation. The menu (and website) advertise a children's afternoon tea, but the reality seems like a bit of an afterthought (although our son was happy). Moving onto the food. The sandwiches were mediocre and lacking in flavour, bar the coronation chicken. The baked goods were excellent and the patisserie was a bit hit and miss, but good overall. So all in all it was pleasant, but has been better in the past.

Had an early Sunday night supper here. The Royal Crescent's main restaurant was being renovated so the dining room was not as atmospheric as it usually would be, but the perfect service and excellent food more than made up for that. Really cannot praise the waiting staff enough and the food was pretty close to perfect. Can't wait to go back when the restaurant upstairs re-opens.

Fantastic service and very good food.

Had to pay for one additional scone. Our belongings were not well kept at the wardrobe. Not warm welcome at the arrival

This was a Christmas variation on afternoon tea. We arrived early following a couple of hours of trawling the wet streets of Bath. We were invited to wait in the bar area. Our table was soon ready. We were informed that tea and coffee was effectively bottomless. Sandwiches were on the softest, freshest bread and very well put together with good ingredients. Cakes and scones? So good. And the service was extremely courteous and yet friendly. The cost is reasonable/high, making this a treat rather than a regular occurrence. Excellent work.

We had a lovely meal on Christmas penultimate eve. We selected the vegetarian tasting menu and were delighted.

If you're looking for a great place for Afternoon Tea in Bath, this is the place! It starts with the walk to the astounding Royal Crescent, and continues to your last sip of tea. Everything was top notch, but also approachable--no pretense or attitude here. The staff was very cordial, engaging and professional.

A great meal in a great resturant. Could not ask for more.exceptional

The service was very amateur. The sandwiches had obviously been made hours before serving. The cakes and scones were delicious and very professional and it’s a shame that the poor service and sterile atmosphere of the dining room did not do the pastry chef’s work justice.

This is a fantastic place to eat, food always great and the ambiance lovely. I’d highly recommend it. We had lunch this time but I’ve also had high tea. Always beautiful whatever time of year.n

On booking this table with only availability of 9pm we were not informed prior to the meal that the tasting menu stops at 8.45pm and therefore was told that we could only order off the bar and supper menu. This was very disappointing as we had specifically chosen to go to the dower house for the tasting menu and this was for a birthday celebration - had we know that this was the case we would have chosen another place to eat

The staff were very attentive and food very good and all in a marvellous setting!

This afternoon tea was a truly fantastic experience. The food was exquisite & beautifully presented. The service was fantastic & attentive. I would very much recommend this wonderful experience.

The tea was excellent but the food was not that great. The sandwiches lacked flavor. The scone and clotted cream were fine. The desserts weren’t very good. Overall it was disappointing.

Second time I’d eaten here and even better than the first, which was itself fabulous. Couple of new to me dishes on tasting menu I loved - trout and venison. Matched wines worked great despite my initial scepticism - always pays to listen to the expert. I hope to be back soon

Missing something, real fire or festive table wear maybe Not in hotel but in restaurant in garden . Savouries would have been nice Sparkling wine very expensive N

A special treat for birthday celebrations, mums and daughters weekend away rounded off with a wonderful afternoon tea!

Afternoon tea with champagne at Royal Bath Hotel and Spa was a 70th birthday experience gift for my wife from our children and grandson and was supposed to be a highlight of our week staying near Bath. In the event the experience proved to be a frustrating and disappointing one. We were seated at a corner table and, after being served our food and first teas, we watched as other tables were attentively served and offered more teas and sandwiches whilst we seemed to be overlooked at best and ignored at worst! With growing frustration I eventually chased down a pair of waiters to complain that our food was almost gone and we had received no attention, offering more tea or sandwiches, nor had we received our champagne. We were finally offered these and an additional flute of champagne by way of apology but this was too little, too late and we just wanted to leave. Instead of the highlight of our week away it became an experience we would rather forget. To add insult to injury we found that the voucher that our family bought included a 12.5% service charge for the neglectful service we received. Thank you Dower House for turning what should have been a highlight my wife’s special occasion into a frustrating and disappointing experience!

Outstanding service from the staff. We came for afternoon tea and could not fault anything.

A truly wonderful afternoon experience, with wonderfully prepared food, served by very friendly and polite staff, would highly recommend this venue for any celebration as they seem to attend to every need.

Best afternoon tea I’ve had in a very long time. Lovely food and first class service. Would thoroughly recommend to anyone visiting Bath The view as you step out of the front door onto the Royal Crescent, is breathtaking

Incredible experience, loved the atmosphere and selection of teas!

Lovely venue and the sandwiches and scones in particular are gorgeous. The scones were really light and fluffy and the cinnamon butter complimented the Bath buns superbly. Ideal for a special occasion.

Great afternoon Tea in a fantastic location. The only criticism is that the price does not include tea! I paid £39 plus £7 for a tea. Very good however and would go again.

We had a wonderful time - lovely, friendly, attentive staff, great food and all of our requests were catered to with ease and nothing was too difficult to accommodate. The hotel grounds is beautiful, we loved walking through to the restaurant. Some reviews we read prior to coming were quite negative but I would advise to ignore them. We really enjoyed our visit and would definitely come back again!

Fantastic. It really hit that romantic spot for my partner

Booked afternoon tea for 1pm which was confirmed by email but when we arrived we were told it was 1.30? Something to do with not serving afternoon tea until 1.30 - this is fine but don’t accept online bookings for 1pm! Booked Vegan afternoon tea and was served meat sandwiches. Tea served with dairy milk twice. Had to chase second serving of tea as they forgot it. So all in all not great service in the restaurant I’m sorry to say

Food was great, not the best service or experience recieved. Normally much better sadly.

Beautiful grounds, attentive staff and a delicious afternoon tea.

Perfect experience. Tasty afternoon tea, excellent staff, great place to be.

Lovely food, great friendly service but the room it was served in lacked any ambience at all. Also we had afternoon tea at 3.30 and as people left the team started to pack away the tables and begin setting up for dinner . We felt we were being rushed out! The room was poorly set up - no flowers anywhere, the journey to the toilet was littered with spare furniture and we felt that we had been put in a part of the hotel away from the main action! Shame as the tea itself and the staff were great!

Great staff. Great atmosphere. Great cakes. Great scones as and buns. Filling in bread tasty but very slim minimal filling. Otherwise it would be a 5 all round.

For best experience book on a day you can eat in the garden.

We had a fabulous afternoon tea Celebrating, the service was impeccable and the staff were so accommodating to all our requests. Will definitely return. Perfect 🤩

Poor service! Horrified by how inattentive they were to my request. I personally spoke to the manager to ask for a note that said Happy Birthday as well as left a special instruction while booking for the same, to my surprise NOTHING was done about it. I took my husband to celebrate his birthday and it was the worst choice ever. Also expect a £10 service charge on the bill which is not justified at all. Food tastes very average. Only thing that stood out were the delicious scones.

Music a little too upbeat for the setting and, despite lots of staff, service was slow - tea came after everything else had arrived, not with it or before. The food was excellent, the cakes totally brilliant in presentation and very delicious. Asking us whether we wanted more sandwiches was an appreciated touch. We'd go again due to the quality of the food.

A beautiful dining room in the Dower House. Smooth service and pleasant staff. The quality of the food was good but failed to meet expectations at a highish price level. Even though we did not choose one of the tasting menus, we'd normally get a few little treats (amuse bouche) at this price level. The standard menu was fairly unadventurous. Another shortcoming were the toilet facilities which clearly needed some maintenance and updating. In summary a lovely place for a quiet romantic supper but on the menu and food front, the game needs to be considerably better at that price level.

Lovely building reached by walking through the beautiful hotel garden. The staff were very attentive and nice. The food was lovely and we were offered more sandwich refills which you don't always get with all afternoon teas. The cakes were delicious and the tea selection was large and varied. Will definitely visit again if we come to Bath.

We booked for Afternoon Tea at 4.15pm, and noted that the last booking for tea would be 4.30pm. We arrived a little early, and had to wait while a table was laid for us. But we did not expect that the Restaurent would be being prepared for the evening dinner service while we were having our tea - this began almost as soon as we were seated. Service was not up to the standard we have experienced in the past. It was a disappointing visit.

A delightful setting to be found in this gem of a restaurant. The service was impeccable, the food excellent and the overall experience well worth seeking out.

Service was efficient. The gardens looked lush and well looked after; perfect for an afternoon tea Al fresco. Interiors in the dining area was also beautiful. Afternoon tea was beautifully presented and scrumptious!

We arrived for our 3pm reservation and was ushered to the table. The Afternoon Tea tray arrived first, but it took more than 20 minutes later for our coffee to arrive. I had to enquire about our drinks from the service crew as other people who came after us had their drinks & food served already. Then we asked for another round of hot drink, for coffee & tea. This time we waited for longer than 30 minutes for the drinks to be served. I had to ask twice from the service crew where the hot drinks were. The response was that they will follow up with the baristas regarding our hot drinks. Honestly, that was the worst afternoon tea experience we had. Our double birthday celebration was spoiled by the long waits and the inattentiveness. Compounding the experience was the lack of customer service. Our time would have been better spent elsewhere for afternoon tea, if I am being frank to you. I was the one who recommended the Royal Crescent Hotel to my friend for this double celebration, but regretted doing so.

Great afternoon tea. Unrushed, enjoyable afternoon tea with additional food offered. A good way to spend an afternoon.

outstanding service, even valet parking. Food was fantastic

We had an excellent evening. The food was delicious, particularly the lamb, and the staff were king, courteous, knowledgeable and efficient. The final touch was a celebration offering as we were celebrating a wedding. A very memorable evening

Lovely setting, food was average, was expecting something more being at a 5 star hotel. Had to ask for additional sandwiches and only one extra plate allowed, cakes were bland and quite ordinary. But it was good, just not outstanding

Incredible food, very pricey but the experience was insane. Would 100% recommend. Best way to celebrate a special occasion.

We were celebrating a special birthday, fabulous food, amazing location, service was fantastic, the waiter was amazing, very attentive and knowledgeable, definitely recommend.

Shame one of there best stuff (Sonia ) left . Hopefully the standards continues ,with lots of training Needed .

Nice experience, food excellent, service was nil and no one asked if everything was ok or if more tea required. Compared to our visit three years ago which was a fab experience, this time it was very, very disappointing.

Fantastic food, fabulous service and a great setting!

This is an amazing experience! We dined in the garden of the Dower House - an experience more usual abroad ! The service was amazing , the food delicious and - for a tasting menu- plenty to eat , unusual flavours , but not too unusual. Every course made us happy ! Perfect 45th wedding anniversary dinner - expensive but well worth it in my opinion !

Gorgeous place to visit. we were in the garden as it was a warm afternoon. a lovely treat.

We had the tasting menu and each course was excellent. The staff were very attentive and explained each dish. I would highly recommend the Dower House.

Lovely! We went for the set menu - would recommend it. Great pre-dessert.

Rather odd way of selecting starters, and main. All day menu. Soup was a bit bland, ham hock hash with egg as a starter was OK. Cod with wilted leaves lacked seasoning. Steak with creamy mushroom sauce was good. Chocolate creme brûlée was good. Rather haphazard service , had to remind them to bring wine, mustard and French fries. Pleasant restaurant manager but the two waiters who brought our food were uncommunicative . Asked if food was ok but didn’t wait for answer ! On the whole mediocre.

The setting is spectacular. The food was adequate but nothing exceptional. The servers were pleasant enough but the standard of customer service was disappointing.

Would absolutely book afternoon tea here again! The food was delicious, staff were polite and informative, and the view was just stunning!

Wonderful afternoon tea , fantastic food and amazing staff !!!

A wonderful surprise. Being able to dine outside on such a fine summer night in such lovely surroundings made for a romantic occasion when one wasn't planned. The service I thought faultless, attentive yet discrete. The food was a delight, showcasing wonderful regional produce. Will definitely return. Thank you to all involved.

A wonderful experience, with outstanding food and great service.

The best gluten free afternoon tea, better hat The Ritz and The Connaught in London!

Food was excellent and the service was first class. All in a beautiful setting. Would definitely visit again.

Beautiful location. Excellent food and service. We would definitely dine here again.

The food was good (and expensive) but the service was absolutely appalling! We asked for a Bloody Mary when we arrived and even though there were only 2 tables occupied at the time, it took at least 15 minutes for our drinks to arrive, which then turned out to be nothing but tomato juice with ice….no spices, no taste, nothing…so we had to ask for a bottle of Worcester sauce to spice up this bland bit of nothing. Bread took another 15 minutes, just as the starters arrived. My starter was good but served on a saucer! so it was an impossible task not to spill my food on the table. Then a second tray of bread arrived, which we hadn’t asked for. At no time were we asked if we wanted wine with our lunch or any other drinks. The main course was good but by that time, we couldn’t wait to get out of there and when we asked the bill, we noticed that we got charged twice for the bread… There was an army of waiters to-ing and fro-ing all through lunch with trays carrying bits and pieces from kitchen to tables but attention to the actual guests was badly lacking and value for money was below par. We would never go back.

Truly outstanding. The flavors and presentation were world class. I see Michelin starts in the chef's future.

Always a lovely treat to come for Afternoon Tea at The Dower House at The Royal Crescent Hotel. We sat out in the garden on this occasion and what a lovely setting it is.

Perfect place to indulge in a scrumptious meal. Tea was just wonderful.

The afternoon tea was a fabulous 50th birthday treat with a glass of bubbles and lovely food - bit of a sugar overdose by the end! Service was discreet and impeccable and the venue outside on a summers day perfect!

Superb Afternoon Tea to celebrate my son's graduation. The glasses of the champagne flights could have been larger..lol

The Dower House is located in a stunning location, and the food and tea were quite tasty. However, our outdoor reservation was not accommodated (important to us because we are only eating outdoors during the pandemic, although they did seat us in a mostly uncrowded room next to an open door). Additionally, as other reviewers have indicated, the service itself left a bit to be desired - staff were not very attentive to the table (only came by 2-3 times total throughout our experience, and took quite a long time to take our initial orders). The setting is beautiful and it was the best high tea we had on our trip, but overall an average experience and if given the opportunity I would choose a different option.

The staff made us very welcome, we didn’t have to wait for anything and the sandwiches and cakes for our afternoon tea were delicious.

Husbands birthday dinner was delightful. We haven’t been in a while to this restaurant but it was exquisite. Looking forward to the next dinner occasion.

Wonderful setting, superb food. Staff very pleasant & helpful.

Service was haphazard to say the least, Really was a shame as it was a special occasion ☹️…

Really good service. Yes staff went out of their way to accommodate us. The food was delicious

The food served for the afternoon tea was fantastic and the setting (we were in the garden) just lovely. The staff were friendly & polite but very inattentive. The table was set, the order was taken, Tea brought & then the cake stand came but by different people each time. Then nobody came thereafter to check on us, not even at the end. This was expensive and meant to be ‘top end’ but quite a few things missing- water jug had no ice, no pot of hot water to top up the teapots and no teaspoons for the jam or clotted cream. One plate, knife & fork for savoury, scones & cakes.

The Dower House is wonderful, we dined in the garden. The food was fantastic, the service was excellent, the garden was beautiful. It was a hot day and so we sat in the shade underneath a large tree. We loved it so much we didn’t want to leave! It was the highlight of our trip to Bath. Our only regret was that we hadn’t booked in to this wonderful Georgian Hotel!

We had a wonderful time, the staff were so helpful and engaging and couldn’t do enough for us (this is true of everyone but shout out to Sonia who introduced herself, particularly chuffed to be shown the dessert menu when choosing mains, why doesn’t everyone do that!?). The food was delicious, the wine incredible with fabulous recommendations from Jean-Marc who also gave us some good travel advice, and the portions perfect. The whole evening was so relaxed, we were very sad to go. Thanks to everyone who made our visit so magical.

Afternoon Tea was delicious. Sat outside in beautiful, tranquil gardens listening to the birds sing. Staff were very friendly and nothing was too much trouble.

Delicious tasting menu which the chef very helpfully modified to take account of a food allergy. Wonderful relaxed service.

On arrival we were shown to our table and ignored, we had to go into the restaurant to ask for service and then a very efficient and friendly lady came to our aid. But, it wasn't the 5 star welcome I had expected or received before. One of our group was wheelchair dependent and the disabled toilet within the Dower House is almost impossible to use as there is very limited space within. But, the kitchen were very accommodating of a party with dietary issues.

Excellent ambience, service and location

The afternoon tea was fine but the portion size was shocking for the price. All very tasty but what we were served didn't match how much it cost. Have had lots of afternoon teas before for a lot cheaper and had a lot more food (including other savoury items). Was nice but won't be coming again.

Much better places to have dinner in Bath. Very over rated.

Our waiter was very attentive and polite. The food was exquisite and the tea was beautiful👌