The Orchard Room - (Near Westminster, london)

5 /5 Rich Dunn: Ibrahim was sensational! We couldn’t have asked for a better experience! Our glasses were never empty he couldn’t do enough for us. We had the best time! So relaxed and enjoyable! Will definitely be booking again!

5 /5 Annabelle Linders: We got afternoon tea for two (via Groupon) on a Friday morning, our first time visiting London. We enjoyed the interesting tea offerings and really liked the sandwiches and scones. The desserts were all good but very sweet! They easily accommodated a food allergy. Thank you to Alan for the outstanding service, he was very friendly and helpful without being overbearing. We were also greeted by friendly staff while waiting for our reservation time. It really made the difference!!

5 /5 Kalei Souza: Ibrahim and Alson were amazing! The service was great and so were the sandwiches, scones, and desserts! This was our first time at afternoon tea and was well worth it. Perfect note to end on to wrap up our first trip to London! Thank you to the staff for making our experience top notch.

3 /5 Katie: The Orchard Room at the Conrad Hotel provides a wonderfully calm and elegant setting for afternoon tea, perfect for a special occasion. We were immediately charmed by the Wedgwoods Wild Strawberry fine bone china and found the selection of teas to be absolutely delicious. I had the genmaicha, it was fantastic. Our waiters were professional throughout our experience. On the savoury side, the sandwiches were quite good. The standout of the entire experience, however, was the Victoria sponge, which was delicate and incredibly fresh. It was such a shame that the portions were so large, as we could barely touch the scones, which were also much nicer than the other sweet treats on the stand. Unfortunately, the sweet side of the tea was a complete letdown. The lemon fondant fancy was sickly sweet with no discernible lemon flavour. The honey and orange cake had the same issues; I could feel the honey, not the orange and it was just way too sweet. Especially one after the other. The chocolate and sour cherry cake was surprisingly very bitter, and the sour cherry in the middle was there but completely missing in flavour. There were also some less-than-perfect moments with the service; the person who welcomed us was quite cold, and we were abruptly asked to reconfirm our booking name mid-way through our tea. We also found ourselves waiting a bit too long for both water and the final bill. Overall, it was a beautiful experience in a stunning room, but one that was tinged with disappointment. While it was still lovely to have had the experience, the inconsistencies in service and the quality of the sweet items made it a bittersweet visit.

1 /5 Natalie: We recently visited the Conrad St. James Hotel for afternoon tea, which included a mini tea for our daughter, a lovely concept designed to be playful and hands-on for children. We arrived with high expectations, but sadly, the experience did not live up to them. From the beginning, things felt a little unorganised. No one offered to take our coats or umbrellas on arrival, which you’d expect at a hotel of this standard. The sandwiches were the biggest let-down, while some were dry and hard, my partner’s portion was wet, cold, and soggy, with a very unusual texture. You’d assume it’s hard to get sandwiches wrong, but unfortunately, it seems possible. The salmon was brown in colour, and overall, the selection was so unappealing that we left our plates of sandwiches uneaten. At one point, the coffee arrived cold, and we couldn’t help but notice that the staff seemed under a lot of pressure. The usual attention to detail and warm, personal service that make an afternoon tea feel special just weren’t there. Plates and cups were left uncleared, and the table gradually began to pile up, eventually, we found ourselves having to see to things on our own, which took away from what should have been a relaxed experience. On a positive note, the cakes and scones were good and our daughter really enjoyed the hands-on DIY treats, which were creative and fun for children. However, for over £235, and given that we barely ate or drank anything, I have to say we regret coming. The concept is wonderful, but the execution, from service to food quality — sadly fell far short of expectations, especially for a hotel of this reputation.