Annie's Tea Rooms — Restaurant in Cherwell District

So since Covid came in and the new barcode trace I must appear like a child who can't read. Called at Annies today and before walking in I scanned the barcode on the window. Walked in and immediately I'm asked have I registered with the track and trace, "yes" I reply "just scanned it"

"Can you show me on.the app that you have?" I take my phone back out of my pocket and scroll to the app and place it against the perspex screen. I then ordered a tea, black coffee and one slice of cake. I'm asked to pay by contact less which is fine however where the machine is placed you can't read the screen and heaven forbid you place your hand on the machine to adjust it in the light. I'm presented with the till receipt but no card machine receipt, despite asking for it. As I turn to my left to leave the youth behind the tills says ""Can you please leave via the entrance on the left", that will be where I was heading already..

So I sit outside with my partner and wait for my order, and wait, and wait.. 35 mins later my order is brought out with the server quickly saying sorry for the delay (not really) before scampering back in..

I open the cardboard box with the slice of cake and there's no utensils or serviettes, so once again back on to queue.

This was an appalling standard of service. I was treated with little or no respect and the staff were bumbling about without a clue. The tea was strong as the bag had been left in for sometime, the coffee was lukewarm and the cake was dry.

How this place...

I'm not sure how to approach this review, as ordinarily I'm very fair when writing feedback. The location is great, the tea rooms are well presented, clean and tidy. Sadly, we felt for the price the service was below average. My wife ordered a full english at £14.95 and had the bacon substituted with extra sausages (4 in total) as they'd apparently run out. Initially, I let this go as we were tired, we'd just come back from France and so wanted to refuel on our way home to Norfolk. However, several minutes later, the couple who ordered after we'd already ordered and paid, were served full english without any substitutes. I was a tad annoyed to say the least. Not to mention the lady was feeding scraps of bacon to her dog. I genuinely felt like we'd been singled out as we weren't local. I felt the gentleman serving was quite rude and patronising toward some customers. We went out of our way to visit the tea rooms, sadly we shall not bother in the future. Such a shame as this little place has huge potential with the correct level of customer service. I appreciate there were a handful of customers before us, but to run out of the basics within 10 minutes of opening is a...

On Tuesday, we had the most delicious afternoon tea at Annie's for my Mum's 101st birthday. Our lovely hostess had everything at the ready as we arrived. The table had a lovely collection of china tea sets, pretty fresh flowers and in the background some 1940s music played. The log burner made the room feel cosy and extra welcoming. We were so well looked after. As for the tea..well that was absolutely delicious (and I am pretty fussy when it comes to scones and cakes!). The scones came with a very generous helping of cream and homemade jam. I chose to come to Annie's because I know how delicious the food tastes. We also had a lovely selection of sandwiches. There was more than enough for us to eat and we all took home a box of left overs to enjoy the following day. Little extras included strawberries dipped in chocolate and a cute candelabra with candles for Mum to blow out. Nothing was too much trouble. They even opened the tea room for Mum so that we could celebrate on the day itself. Thank you so much to everyone who made this possible. Mum always comments on how much she likes coming to Annie's and I am so pleased we celebrated her...