EL&N London - Lowndes St — Restaurant in London

Do not go here for afternoon tea! We booked for 3 people through OpenTable but when we got there they told us they can’t bring afternoon tea for 3?!? You can either get one tray for 2 people or two trays designed for 4. Trays are £70 each. Staff just cannot fathom giving you 3 of each item and charging £35 for another person. They say that one tray can be really filling, and the 3rd person should order from a la carte. Right because a family really want two people to enjoy the tea and another to miss out on having their own? But they assure us that on one tray there will be 2 of each item (remember that part!!) The manager tells us that OpenTable does say it’s by tray for 2, but it absolutely does not. We were then told that the cafe orders in enough food every day based on numbers. But if you are offering us the choice of another tray then you have 4 pieces in already so either one portion goes to waste or two do. It kept being referred to as a “recipe” as well, while at the same time admitting that stock comes from the central EL&N kitchen.

After going over all this and hearing our complaints, the manager ends up bringing out two trays but one is missing the promised mince pies, there’s not one of each cake on either tray, and there’s no christmas tree cake as advertised - four santa hats on each tray instead. The manager then says that the christmas tree is out of stock. Ah so you order to the numbers but dont tell the customer that one cake is out for the day when they get there? Then she says the “big” cakes (sleigh and gingerbread) are only one to share between two so despite what we’ve been told there isn’t one each of everything. The cafe puts the afternoon tea menu on the table to show you what you supposedly get which makes these mistakes more embarrassing. We were literally checking off what was missing as we looked at the sad trays of afternoon tea. Sandwiches are barely filled and cheaper ingredients take precedence such as cranberry sauce over turkey. And the cakes we do get are so misleadingly described. Mince pies weren’t warm, the santa hat did not resemble cheesecake or appear to have any ruby chocolate. Only one of eight santa hats had a bobble on top. Oh and the “mixed berry preserves” were nothing but a Hartleys jam packet you’d get at continental breakfast. We also believe the clotted cream was double whipped cream instead. Not worth £70 at all! We asked one member of staff if the tray we had just received was the afternoon tea and he said “I’m new I don’t know” so if afternoon tea is so popular why do staff not get trained to know what it looks life? And everything is mousse or cream or solid chocolate so it makes you feel sickly after a while - much lighter offerings can be done. As we told the staff, we have been to many afternoon teas across the UK and never before had such difficulty ordering for 3 people to have the same thing. I can’t believe this hasn’t been raised as an issue before. I have never been somewhere that doesn’t give every guest one of each item. Most places will even refill the sandwiches and sometimes cakes. No refill on the tea was even offered here. Yes the place has the requisite neon signs and floral backdrops that make it “instagrammable” but don’t be taken in. It’s a chain hopping on the afternoon tea bandwagon with no clue how to actually provide good service behind the hashtags and filters. Stick to the established names as this is a tourist trap that has happened to make good in getting retail space in Knightsbridge.

On top of this, the Lowndes St location is a poorly designed choice - staff should not have to come across the dining room with rubbish to take out or have to carry the excessive hot drinks/shakes down stairs...

I would like to inform you that I visited your branch located next to the Jumeirah Carlton Tower in London. Upon my arrival, I stood in line due to the heavy crowd. The branch manager approached to be seated inside. I politely informed her that I preferred to wait for an available seat outside. She ignored my preference and walked away.

After some time, I approached her again to take outdoor seat and she asked me to sit with a man that I was talking to him while we were standing .. and i told her he is not my relative to sit with him and he is a strange man i cannot sit next to him However, instead of handling the matter professionally, she spoke to me in a disrespectful and inappropriate manner, raising her voice in front of other customers. Such behavior is unacceptable, especially from a branch manager who is expected to represent EL&N’s high standards of hospitality. (She shouted at me by saying YOU ARE VERy RUDE).

I kindly request that you take the necessary measures regarding this incident, as this experience has left me extremely dissatisfied. Unfortunately, it has also negatively impacted my perception of your brand, and I would be hesitant to visit this or any other EL&N branch in the future.

Furthermore, I strongly recommend that, in the future, before hiring any staff member—especially for managerial positions—you ensure they undergo comprehensive training and assessment on customer service skills, the use of polite language, respect for clients, and the ability to handle work pressure professionally. Based on my experience, I believe the current branch manager does not meet the requirements for the position she holds, as she struggles to cope with high-pressure situations and her communication style requires serious review.

I trust you will treat this matter with the seriousness it deserves and look forward to your response.

I am extremely disappointed with the incident that occurred and will never visit any of your branches again, whether in London or elsewhere. This manager left a profoundly negative impression through her manner of dealing with customers, and I believe she has projected an unprofessional image of all your branches.

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No one has the right to dictate what we wish to write on the review platform. If anyone else were to experience the same situation, they would not hesitate to claim their right.

I believe the restaurant’s management can verify the accuracy of what has been written, as they have allocated a budget to install surveillance cameras in all branches, and they can review the footage to confirm the incident. We reiterate that this space is dedicated to expressing our opinion with complete honesty. We will not flatter anyone who insulted us in front of everyone, nor will we applaud those who...

EL&N is clearly struggling with their reviews! I personally would have never thought. You'd think a place with an image like EL&N, and its locations, they would have have an above 4 Star review average across all its locations, but clearly no. I realised two days ago. My partner and I thought we'd enjoy our day off, and the beautiful weather at the pretty from far EL&N on Belgravia. This is our second possible third time here. They've changed the dirty stained cushions, so well done for that. the seating was nice. A first the staff seemed really helpful, a little too helpful if I'm honest. we got asked if we are ready to order twice by two different ladies, again asked twice the second time, order was taken once and almost a second time by another. It's obvious there's ZERO communication! My latte was Luke warm, I didn't like it but didn't complain. My partner enjoyed her beverage. The washroom facility on the ground floor is shocking, my first time. Completely neglected, doesn't not fit the look and feel of the shop. So we decided to order lemonades, considering we have 30 mins to go on the metre, without the room to extend the parking. We placed an inside the shop because it is an absolute challenge getting anyones attention. The staff are almost like useless robots. They come out take or deliver an order and run back in without taking a moment to ensure the customers satisfied or require anything. Twice I missed the opportunity to SCREAM for service so I deiced to pop in and order. I placed my order and that was that. 24 minutes later and with only 6 minutes let on the metre the order of lemonades finally makes it was out. HORAAY! we cancelled the order and asked for the bill. The waitress simply shrug her shoulders and walked in. No apology, no conversation, no anything. Bill as expected did not arrive, so I popped in again and requested the bill while apologising for canceling the order and explained my reasons. The female who took the payment had a little attitude and was a little upset with me. I didn't careless and carried on smiling. As usual with these useless robots I received a little shrug shoulders, a comment under her breath, No apology, no conversation, no anything. To the owners of EL&N, in this current situation you'd think everyone is stretched due to Covid, however this place was over staffed by too many useless people, who if I may, couldn't answer questions related to the menu and struggled to speak basic English! loosen up your pockets and hire proper staff if you're going to carry on opening up in these locations and charging what you charge! 1Star for the breeze we had that day and another for my partners company. YOU...