Claridges - I usually don’t write public reviews, but ….
I usually don’t write public reviews but in this case I make an exception, This week we went for afternoon tea priced at £95 pp as a birthday treat. In addition, we were charged a 15% non-negotiable service charge and an extra £5 per cup for the type of tea I selected, plus £10 for bottle of still water. The final tab was just shy of £250 for two.
Three of the “pastries” were neat piles of sludge. The first nestled atop a thin biscuit, the second huddled in a macaroon, the third was perched on a plinth of some kind of shortcrust. We each took one bite but neither of us could finish them as we found the texture and taste unpleasant, nay, almost vomit-invoking.
The definition of pastries is small cakes made using pastry so I was expecting at least a glimmer of something resembling a small dextrously-crafted pastry along the lines of a danish, croissant or choux. Non of these were present.
My main bugbear, though, was that we kept having to request more tea and the situation was made worse as there was no little pot of hot water as a means of topping up. Apart from the first cup (the one with the extra charge), the tea got progressively weaker so that by the end, we were drinking what could be described as hot water.
Perhaps I should have complained, but in retrospect I believe I was in shock. In addition I found the waiter difficult to understand due to his broad accent, requiring repeated “pardon?’s”.
There was no “wow” factor, not even in the decor which struck us as tired and in need of a revitalising. I don’t expect Claridges to be a contender for the Afternoon Tea Awards anytime soon.
Nauseatingly, we paid a lot of money for what should have been a fab time, but was sadly unenjoyable, and this makes the price all the harder to bear.
How they can improve? Make better tea, offer lots of tea refills and ensure attentiveness is sufficient to guarantee this happens. Ensure staff can communicate well. Include more pastry in the pastries. Make clear the 15% service charge when booking.








