Swan London — Restaurant in London

The first time in London so of course I needed to do one afternoon tea experience. We came here last week.

After researching multiple places, Swan london was the place I wanted to go. The best part of this place is that it accommodated my whole family's wishes. I came here with my husband and 2 kids (8 and 10). Since we booked a reservation from 12 to 2 pm, my family had the option of doing an afternoon tea or lunch menu (we told them in advance). This is the best idea ever. I have been to many afternoon tea in the US and couple in Europe and every other place I have been to, we all had to do afternoon tea which wasn't always great because kids can't normally appreciate the whole experience.

Location: at the Shakespeare globe (in the same facility- upper level). This is the main reason I wanted to book an afternoon tea here. I loved the idea that it's in the same facility or area as the globe. So historical! The restaurant is at the corner and we were at the upper level. The room was so pretty, clean, and looked fancy. Loved all the Christmas decor.

Service: absolutely phenomenal! Our waiter Riyas was so great!! Checked on us all the time. Got all our orders right. Made sure we were OK. My kids have nut allergy so he also made sure our kids were OK and provided us nut free macaroons. He was so attentive, informative, knowledge, friendly, and polite. Loved all his recommendations too. He was the main reason we had such a lovely experience. Although the theaters were all closed, he showed us the direction of the theaters. He was amazing in every way. Thank you Riyas!!

Food: We ordered the Hansel and Gretal theme afternoon tea and 2 kids food. The food was wow! For the kids food, the price was great! The portion too was bigger than any kids food. We were impressed. For the afternoon tea set, Loved every tier! The savory food was so good that we got more. The biscuits were delicious. The dessert tier was also good. Loved the winter them decor on the food. I especially loved c the savory tier the best!.

Overall, I would totally recommend this place. The price is just right and the food is amazing. The service is the best service i have ever had in any afternoon tea I have ever experienced. Thank you...

Serious Physical Injury Due to Negligence – Public Safety Breach

Under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, all businesses operating in public spaces within the United Kingdom have a legal duty to ensure the safety of the public. This duty has been clearly breached by this establishment, resulting in a serious personal injury.

While walking on a pedestrian pathway, I was struck on the leg by a blue barrier located in the restaurant’s outdoor area. This barrier, containing a weighted metal base, had not been secured and was allowed to move freely. Due to wind, it was displaced into the public walkway and caused an open wound to my leg. Photographic evidence of the injury and the scene is available.

This incident amounts to negligence, and the restaurant may also be liable under the Occupiers’ Liability Act 1957, which requires businesses to take reasonable steps to ensure that visitors and even passers-by are not exposed to risk. The failure to anchor or remove a heavy object from a publicly accessible area is a breach of this duty and a threat to public safety.

When I reported the incident to the staff, no formal apology was given. The situation was handled in a dismissive manner, with only superficial first aid offered. Furthermore, the accident report form was inaccurately and incompletely filled out, failing to reflect the full extent of the incident.

Legal consequences that may arise from this incident include: • Personal Injury Claim: The victim is entitled to pursue compensation for physical and potential psychological harm caused by the negligence. • Regulatory Sanctions: The business may be subject to investigation and penalties by local authorities or the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). • Public Liability Exposure: This could lead to further legal and reputational consequences if the hazard is not rectified and similar incidents occur.

I intend to file an official complaint with the relevant regulatory bodies and to seek legal advice to initiate a formal claim. I urge the public to be cautious, and I call on the establishment to take immediate action to review and rectify its...

Very limited, unimaginative menu. Disjointed service between downstairs and upstairs.

Update: Reply to Owner comment -----

Hi Benoit,

Thank you for taking the time to reply and explaining the concept of British venues.

Being British - I am familiar with British restaurants that use local and fresh produce to build a creative menu.

We tried to order from your bar menu which had more options, however this was not allowed. We also tried to order the set menu - but one person on the table wanted a la carte - and this was also not allowed.

I think if there was more flexibility then we would have been happy to order from the different menus that you have to offer with all the options you mentioned. However this was not possible.

Hopefully one day we can come back and find better options. Would be keen to see if there has been improvement in future.

We've been looking forward to try the Swan for years but the right opportunity never came. Sadly our experience was very underwhelming. When we arrived we were greeted by 2 staff members who couldn't find our booking - at the ground floor entrance and at the welcome desk by the bar. So she sat us at a random corner next to a large group of loud revellers. It felt wrong, so I asked again about our booking. In the end the staff realised that we probably booked upstairs and finally showed us where to go.

Once the menu came, the options were so disappointing. If the menu could be a colour or flavour - it would be plain, bland, vanilla. Nothing on the menu jumped out as exciting or something we'd love to try.

We thought maybe they would surprise us with the quality of food (surely with such a limited menu they must be spectacular) so we decided to try out a few things. The duck came out quite chewy and bland. The tart was pretty but tasted plain.

The only saving grace was our table service as our waitress was very friendly. Also the marmite butter that came with the bread basket was delicious.

In the end the bill was quite expensive for what was a very underwhelming meal. It felt like money not...