The Library — Restaurant in London

A disappointing visit this time round and they don’t look after their long term customers.

My mother and I have been attending county hall for afternoon tea many times over the years with our friends. However yesterday we felt it fell short of the high standards we have become accustomed to.

At the point of booking I advised them that it was my Mum’s birthday and I would have liked this acknowledged in some way. It wasn’t.

Our table felt as if we had been put in the stock room. We were situated right in the back of the library where the stairs are. Throughout the experience staff were going up and down the stairs to get things. At one point a member of staff started doing something with napkins in this space.

They attempted to get us to pay service charge despite the level and standard of service completely lacking. I asked for milk with my tea and the waitress forgot before finally remembering twenty minutes later. There were several instances throughout the experience when we needed a waitress that Mum had to wave frantically to get the waitress’s attention. When it came to the end of the tea we were forgotten about and had to get up and walk to the till to request the bill and pay. Had we been dishonest individuals, we could have easily breezed out without paying, the service was that lacking.

We asked for more sandwiches and the initial response was “I will have to ask the chef as I don’t think he will allow that” Although a second plate of sandwiches were reluctantly brought out, I did not think this was a courteous response.

When I complained I was told the waitress was new. They did not feel it important that she was trained properly and taught to be attentive.

They argued that being sat in the back room near the staff work area was the best table in the house.

They felt it acceptable to expect a service charge despite us having to constantly get the waitress’s attention and even get our own bill.

They acknowledged that there were no notes about it being my Mum’s birthday. They argued that the waitress told us she was new which was a complete lie, she didn’t.

We have frequented the Library at least ten times between us over the years and the manager responded with contempt. We won’t be returning. This is not how you...

We had a nice experience having High Tea at this cozy location. The interior is decorated with book shelves adorned with Roman statues, and Big Ben can be seen from the windows. The staff is helpful in guiding you through the experience, though some are perhaps a tad snooty about the whole thing. The sandwiches and scones were all super tasty, as was the tea - even though I'm not a big tea drinker. I'm less inclined towards sweets so the cakes weren't a big success for me, but for anyone who likes desserts I'm sure they'll be delicious. I was a bit worried about leaving hungry, but I was quite stuffed at the end of it. Recommended!

Of course, you should keep in mind that it certainly is an expensive visit. We paid £65 per person, plus a mandatory 12.5% service charge. I'd say it's worth it for the experience though. I'd recommend reserving in advance - we got a table without a reservation but we were probably quite lucky. I'll give you a bit of a guide of what you can expect from the experience below.

First off, finding the place is slightly tricky. Out on the street, next to the bridge leading to Big Ben, you'll see a small sign for The Library. As you enter the passage you'll come to a hotel entrance - go in and head left, soon enough you'll see signs guiding you.

The menu is straight forward, you'll get the afternoon tea service which includes some small sandwiches, scones, and cakes. There are no selections to be made - all they'll want to know is whether you have any allergies. You can also get some refills of sandwiches if you want them. What you can select is twofold: What tea do you want? And do you want something extra to drink (champagne, sparking wine, or a cocktail)? If you don't know your teas, don't worry, they'll bring you a sample tray so you can smell some of the different options and choose...

Very much looking forward to. British Tea during our trip, and because of the view, this was the spot we picked, in spite of the mixed reviews.

Pros: The view was just beautiful, as just outside our window, the Thames was active and Big Ben was towering in all its glory. The atmosphere was classically British, posh table settings and surrounded by old books and artifacts. The selection of teas was superb, and we had a difficult time deciding which one to choose (each person has a choice.)

The kind birthday card we received!

Cons: The music was was atmospheric at all, it was more of British folk or pop and that took a bit away from the ambiance. While, at first, our server was attentive, it seemed after bringing the service and the few times he came to check on us after, we were left without any care. Since the savories and scones were quite dry (and the savories devoid of filling), just one refill of tab water would have been nice. Speaking of tap water, we were almost charged £6 per glass, until our server caught it and adjusted the bill. And we had to find our server to pay the bill, as there was not an attempt to help us finish out the tea. We were just left there for close to 15 minutes without anyone checking on us. And finally, the food. The "mixed reviews" are accurate. The value for the amount and quality of food is not worth £80 per person. The savoring (sandwiches) were dry and mostly bread. The scones were average, one was really good, the other bland. And the sweets were over-the-top sweet, so much that we could not finish eating them.

Overall, it was a good one-time experience, but if you want a better quality of food and attentive service, try...