The Lane — Restaurant in Dover

So today I visited The Lane, tucked away in a little corner of Dea, l for afternoon tea with some friends. To start off I want to say I have been to a fair few afternoon teas in my time (even having it as the main meal at my wedding) and I can honestly say this was one of the best, if not the one at the top of the list. They ticked everything. It had quality, it had quantity, it had service and it had atmosphere. The variety of food was displayed uniquely on mini picnic tables, which was quirky yet very practical. The selection was excellent, with the right balance of traditional items to those a little different. What was also brilliant was each person got one of each food item. I have been to some afternoon teas where they give you an assortment of sweet treats and you have to argue amongst yourselves who gets what. I will reel off the different foods as listed on their menu but hopefully they are all showing clearly enough in the photo to tantalise you. There was a skiosh (cross between scone and brioche) with clotted cream and jam (raspberry in our case), a sun blushed chicken wrap, BLT on foccacia (now we're talking a quality sandwich), spoon tart shell with Mediterranean cream cheese alongside feta and olive, homemade mushroom arancini with spiced ketchup (I don't even like mushrooms and I thought this was delicious), rye bread with cream cheese and cucumber, carrot cake loaf, lemon and blueberry cupcake, mini white chocolate and raspberry tart, macaroon with strawberry filling and a salted caramel brownie. This is all served with bottomless tea or coffee. It is located close to a car park which costs as reasonable an amount as car parks do these days and it's within a minute to the seafront, so you can burn off the food afterwards. If you're into afternoon tea you'll love this. We all left feeling stuffed and very happy. I challenge anyone to direct me to a better afternoon tea in East Kent. I will be posting some more close up pics of the individual items, so check them out and let me know which you think looks best. Thanks The Lane, we...

Shameful service on 26 October 2024. We were the first customers for the Beetlejuice afternoon tea and so I guess we didn't matter to the young female staff (3+) congregating behind the bar, chatting away loudly amongst themselves. The noise was overwhelming: no background music yet, but hundreds of freshly washed cutlery from the kitchen in a metal bucket on the bar counter, being bashed around (sorted) for like 10 minutes. We couldn't hold a conversation because of this jarring noise. Then 1 girl finished her shift and insisted that the rest of the staff count the tips jar content so she can take her cut home. More loud bashing of coins on the counter, with some running commentary about customers tipping or not tipping. Took forever to order a second pot of tea, just couldn't catch anyone's eye to summon service. The only member of staff who stood out was a young man on kitchen duty, who would pop out occasionally and ask us about our needs. The floor runners just didn't bother. We felt utterly underappreciated and like we were imposing on some private party. It got a little better once more customers arrived and music was turned on, thus highlighting that we, 2 pre-booked early doors customers, just didn't matter to these young female staff. We paid our £60 and left without tipping, really disappointed by the ordeal, which also happened on my birthday, and being 7 months pregnant I was sooo looking forward to that special...

I went with a friend to the Grinch Afternoon tea. I've been to several of the afternoon teas.. not reviewed till now. I've made a point of doing it today as it was once again a 'can't stop smiling' experience. The staff are so welcoming and helpful. The menu is lovely and so creative. It's the attention to detail that I always love so much. Even down to things like the 'ice' shard and the little tart with the lane grinch logo on. Each afternoon tea is obviously well planned out and any dietary adjustments are made so they still fit the theme. You get so much for your money and I love that you can box up and take home the rest. The drinks are also never ending, very generous and you are never rushed even when you can tell they are getting ready for another sitting. (Happened on another occasion- a friend and I had chatted for so long we were the only ones left. The staff were still really friendly and chatty, answering random questions I had.) There is beautiful decorations everywhere which are hand painted and details galore.

A really nice touch was a candy cane on the grinch plate and there is always a puzzle on every table.

To the team, keep doing what you're doing, you're bringing a lot of joy, cleshay yes but true, its very much appreciated.

To anyone else, pick a theme you like and...