Watch House in City of London, Westminster - Phone Number, Reservations, Reviews

Well what a find we first found a Disabled parking bay right next to the Watch House and was served by a very, very friendly waitress Desiree who was so helpful in sorting me out with a lift to toilets and a fabulous choice of coffees, in fact when we had finished our business venture we called back again for seconds and again Desiree recognized us and helped us with our choices and a place to sit. A valuable asset to any company and she comes from Brazil, (Where the nuts come from} quote from old English play. Great place and so busy

Parfait endroit pour faire une pause gourmande avant comme après une visite à la Somerset House ! Tout y bon, avec une attention spéciale réservée aux excellents pancake noisette, pistache, framboise, on en reprendrait sans hésiter !

What a great find. We were at the Hello Kitty exhibition and went to take the kids for lunch to the café but as there was a 45 minute wait was going to exit the building via the courtyard when we saw The watch house. What a great find when you go in you think it’s just sandwiches and cakes, but they have a full menu which can either take away or sit inside. We made the mistake of asking for take away, and then realized as we had the young kids with us that we needed to sit in, and they couldn’t have been more accommodating than they were. Food was very good . Shame that there is not a sign at the Somerset house Café, that people could go to the watchhouse and eat if they don’t want to wait so long for the cafe there.

Excellent breakfast, recommend the poached eggs and toast with coffee. Service was quick and efficient. Friendly and attentive staff.

Lovely location, a bit hidden away within Somerset House. Nice comfortable tables and chairs. Prompt, polite and friendly service. We had breakfast tea, eggs benedict and eggs royal. The muffins with these were the lightest we've ever had - superb. Our only criticism (and we're scrapping the barrel to think of one) is that it would have been nice to have a tiny bit more hollandaise sauce.

Our lunch for four started out promisingly. Table service was swift and apparently efficient, with out order taken electronically. Sadly it was all downhill from there. What ensued would have been comical, if we hadn't been pressed for time. The first two dishes were served and we waited expectantly for the other two to arrive. After around twenty minutes, with no sign of the food, my partner inquired as to when it would arrive. We were told by the waiter that he would check with the kitchen. Another waiter turned up two minutes later with the bill. Bemusedly, we told her that half the party were still waiting for lunch. We then waited another fifteen minutes, but the other dishes singularly failed to make an appearance; neither did any explanation from the staff on duty, who completely ignored our table. I then went to the till to complain - something I've only done on one other occasion in London, and I've lived here for thirty years. The waiter then left and we waited... again. Our original server then appeared and claimed that there was a problem with the system and our order never went through. Finally, after around 40 minutes of waiting, the two dishes arrived. The toast on my rarebit was burnt, but by that stage I was too hungry to make any further complaints. After we finished a very hurried lunch, the waiter informed me that as a result of the inconvenience, drinks were on the house. It was a gesture that could have redeemed the experience slightly, yet even this was screwed up. I paid the bill and wasn't offered a receipt: after taking my seat at the table again, I realised that the bill seemed too high for the four dishes we ordered, sans drinks. I caught the attention of another waiter and asked him for the bill and whether the drinks were indeed on the house, as promised. He left to consult with "the highest boss" - that's a verbatim quote - and then returned to inform me that apparently only the teas had been taken off the bill. The two cheapest drinks, naturally. So that was our experience at the Watch House. The food was actually very nice (aside from the toast), but the level of service was abysmal and ruined what should have been a pleasant and fairly relaxed lunch. The cafe wasn't busy when we arrived at around 2:30-ish, so there was really no excuse for the catalogue of miscommunications, the 'too cool for school' indifferent attitude from some of the waiting staff, and litany of blunders. Bring back Fernandez and Wells, please.

Ever since Fernandez and Wells left Somerset House .The chances of having a nice coffee went out of the window . They were really good . I believe 2 other companies came and rightly went . They could not get anything right . Then......"Watchhouse" Came and the game was back on !! Amazing coffee and rightly so after all its all in house and their London Bridge "base" is an amazing set up . SO far .... the best cup of coffee I have had in the last year ANYWHERE in LOndon . And I get around !! Is it a "Hipster " destination???? Well, Somerset is a Arts centre so expect to see a certain type . And it all falls into place well. Good luck

What a lovely and unique place so needed after a visit of the huge Sommerset House and what it has to offer (like the Courtauld Foundation and Art Gallery) Why am I sharing my review? Easy and straight : - It was simply the very BEST Cappucino I ever had and this is due the fact that they make it with speciallitty coffee beans! What a DELICIOUS Cappuccino. Prices are more than fair, and service is correct. What makes this place different, first is the location and the decoration, the settings. Wanna go back there on my next visit to London.

I have got here based on a recommendation for a friend for a place with good breakfast options. I can agree that this is one of them. Despite having Benedict eggs for breakfast myself, I would recommend to go for avocado bread. Some friends that were sitting at the table with me went for that. The avocado break looked much better and healthier than my eggs.

Good coffee - difficult to find in London. Very good food - had the eggs and ham on toast which was very tasty and a good sized portion. Friendly and light space. Great staff - polite and attentive.

Perfect place for a quiet coffee in central London, inside the courtyard of Somerset House. Quality of coffee is very good, location is amazing. Service a bit slow and disorganised but overall a really nice place to visit.

Went in the late afternoon on a beautiful sunny Saturday. Food choices were limited - and food was poor - they re-heated the buttermilk chicken burger in a rapid oven - bread, coleslaw and all - meaning everything was rubbery and almost inedible. They shouldn't offer foods they can't serve properly. Asked for some condiments, the only one they had was ketchup, and the server literally threw it on the counter we were sitting at. Such a shame as such a beautiful location and another restaurant would benefit the area so much better.

I came to see an exhibition on a sunny Saturday so stopped here for a coffee. Really nice setting located in the courtyard of Somerset House. As it was a nice day, most people were sitting outside where there were loads of tables but I wanted to sit inside. I got a nice high stool seat by the window. Lovely and relaxing and it was nice to look out at the courtyard and enjoy the atmosphere. Very busy inside too and there is also quite a few tables here too. Fast free wifi. Good service. I just had an americano which was perfect. Well presented. There is a big selection of cakes, pastries, sandwiches, sausage rolls, cold drinks and more. The brownie looked tempting but I am going away in a few days and watching my weight! If you decide to sit inside, wait to be seated and they will give you table service. Otherwise go to the counter for take away. Clean. Loved the minimal wooden decor. Great for solo time as well especially if you grab a seat by the window. Lovely atmosphere. I would come back again.

Really very beautiful space in the courtyard of Somerset House. A lovely spot by the Courtauld. But hopeless service, at least on the weekend. Lovely coffee, but it sat on the counter and got lukewarm because the staff were too busy/disorganised to bring it. Good quite nice but very hard to get cutlery…

Just minutes from The Strand. This is a perfect retreat from the busy London streets. Relax in the courtyard of beautiful Somerset House. Great quality drip coffee & a good choice of cakes - including many gluten-free choices. An ideal choice when visiting London.

Watch House occupies a prime site in Somerset House’s East Wing taking over from Fernandez and Wells whose Spanish savouries and gazpacho soup in particular I much enjoyed. It has since given itself a facelift with rather empty spaces in the rear rooms replaced by smart wood partitions entirely apt in these troubling times. The walls are nicely adorned with prints for sale of London landmarks. The culinary ambitions of this place are more modest. No hot savouries in sight. Instead the occasional bap or roll in a sea of cakes and pastries. Moreover the rather bizarre 4pm closing time meant I was denied a hot beverage but allowed to eat a chocolate shortbread accompanied by a ginger beer inside. But then this is currently the time for a multitude of confusing rules.

We had tea and cakes. Tea rather disappointing, tea pot contained no bag or leaves, therefore no chance to brew to your liking. Lemon poppyseed cake and carrot cake, nice but underwhelming . We visited mid afternoon, server blanked us to the point I nearly walked out. Having found a seat the area around us was quite grubby, a brush over the floor wouldn’t hurt. Felt like an office , people engrossed on laptops.