Bettys Café Tea Rooms — Restaurant in Great Britain

We visited Betty's as we had been gifted a voucher and although we were very much looking forward to it, there were a few minor things that let it down.

We hadn't booked ahead but we only waited about 15 minutes for a table for two and were seated downstairs, so the short wait time was a pleasant surprise. We weren't too fussed about whether we were upstairs or down, however upon descending there was a strong smell of fish or fishcakes which wasn't particularly enticing.

One of the things that we were most looking forward to was the famous cake trolley and an explanation about the cakes available, however when we asked the staff member waiting on us, they said that it was too busy and they weren't able to wheel it over (it was pretty much next to us) but we could go and view it if we liked. It was the lunch rush so we did understand but it was disappointing to have travelled so far to experience the world famous Betty's and not actually having the full experience. The waitress did come back later apologising and asking us if we wanted to view the trolley later on, but by that point we had already ordered and eaten.

The food however was on point. The cream tea was really tasty, freshly made and quite light for a scone; and the Yorkshire curd tart was like a more substantial egg custard in flavour, very tasty. The white tea was very light and floral while the Betty blend was a good strong tea. The extra pot of hot water was also very much appreciated.

Overall I would recommend but as we had high hopes for the overall atmosphere and experience, we were slightly disappointed. As silly as it sounds it would perhaps be worth adding a disclaimer to say the trolley viewing isn't possible at peak times to manage...

Grand Breakfast was a grand disappointment. Four went for breakfast/brunch today to celebrate Mothers Day early given my younger sister is away for the actual day. Three ordered the Grand Breakfast, I ordered the Eggs Royal. The drinks were served before the food so we had finished these when the food arrived. The food arrived a little while later with the WHOLE of the Grand Breakfast menu being served together at the same time. There was no room on the table for all the food, so they removed the side plates. However, there still was not enough room. When my Eggs Royal was served, there was no room at all for my plate to be put down- we were squashed. We had to move cups etc and everything was on top of each other on the table. Further, my Eggs Royal was only warm, my tea was not hot and the refill was useless as it was only warm so no there was no heat when I tried to use it for a top up to have a hot cup of tea. The pastries and cinnamon loaf of the Grand Breakfast were cold by the time my mum and sisters came to eat them- obviously they ate the hot cooked food (scrambled eggs and salmon etc) first. So they were disappointed with this. The staff and service were lovely but the Grand Breakfast was a huge disappointment and the ambience and experience of having a meal at Betty's was lost given there was no room on the table for the food so we felt uncomfortable and squashed. I came all the way from the east midlands especially to celebrate Mothers Day early and was so looking forward to our meal at Betty's but sorry, it was not enjoyable. I would advise others to find a local business that does special breakfasts and cream teas etc as Betty's is just not worth it. We paid just under £130 for a meal that we...

A trip to Betty's is, apparently, a MUST DO while in York and I am not sure why. My wife had her heart set on it and I could not disappoint her.

You have to queue up for up to an hour for a table, then, once seated, pay an exorbitant amount of money for mediocre pastries, meals, and drinks ... BOHICA!

We were not very hungry, so we went the Betty's-light route. I had a Gooey Rascal Scone (€6.50) and a cafetière of the house coffee (€6.25) and my wife had the Fat Rascal Scone (€6.25) and a pot of the house blend tea (€4.85).

The coffee and tea were okay, but the scones, although rather big, were hard as rocks without much flavor. We could barely cut the scones with a knife without hard chips of a scone flying off of the plate but, fortunately, nobody was injured.

Their ¨Festive Afternoon Tea¨includes a small selection of very small sandwiches (one-quarter of a sandwich), a cranberry & orange scone with strawberry preserves and clotted cream, a miniature selection of miniature cakes, and a pot of tea, all for just £30

Sandwiches range from £16 to £20. I saw a Club Sandwich and a Quiche at the next table, both falling into that price range, and that is about all you get - a meager club sandwich (I have seen larger, more appetizing examples at an International House of Pancakes) and a tiny quiche with a miniature salad.

I am not easily impressed and I was not after we visited Betty's. If you have a wad of cash you need to part with or want to impress your friends with photos of you eating miniature, overpriced food, then have at it folks ... OOH-RAH!

CombatCritic Gives Betty's Tea Room York 3 Bombs Out Of 10 ... More...