The Original Maids of Honour — Restaurant in London

Even though we were greeted outside by a very friendly man, it went very quickly downhill. We then got served by a woman who made us instantly feel very uncomfortable as if we were an inconvenience despite there only being 1 other table in. It seemed like she had better things to be doing. We ordered a bakery basket for two, I then proceeded to tell her I had a nut allergy, to which she brushed it off and told me they had almond crossaints. Before I could ask if it was okay for her to use fresh tongs and check it was definitely safe she'd already started to walk away. After discussing with the person I was with and worrying, I went to ask if it was okay to switch out to crumpets to save the risk and feel safer. I was abruptly told no, it can not be switched out despite it being for a severe allergy. Our food and drinks then came after quite a wait.

After looking at the display and seeing everything in close proximity, I then didn't feel comfortable eating the croissants, so I swapped with the person I was with for a piece of toast.

We then ran out of butter as it was in the tiniest pot, which had to spread over 2 croissants, 2 pieces of bread, and 2 scones. Also, even after letting the decaf tea brew, it still looked like water. We asked the same woman if we could please have another pot of butter and another tea bag, to which she then reluctantly got us.

At no point did she come over and ask if everything was okay, even though there was another table in who obviously were regulars as she was very chatty and attentive towards them.

We then paid the bill and left as we were travelling home, and it wasn't until later on that day after a 3 hour journey that we discussed the price. I then called the cafe to query how a £11.75 breakfast, 2 teas, and 2 juices came to £30.10 to be told that there was a 12.5% discretionary service charge added on. We were never told about this upon paying or given any form of receipt.

If we'd have been served by the man who first greeted us I feel it would've been a whole different experience.

Overall, we were really disappointed as initially as you look at the place, it is very quaint and has the potential to be a really lovely place. We usually would tip any good service/food after working in hospitality for numerous years. However, the service we received was appalling and certainly not...

Second time visiting here as it was my birthday and I had had a good experience here half a year ago. Unfortunately, I was let down by unfriendly staff and changed recipes.

We arrived five minutes before our reservation (1:45pm on 10th September, 2024) and, despite the restaurant being fairly empty (only three tables occupied), we were left standing for several minutes before being acknowledged. When we were finally approached, the staff member said she wasn’t responsible for bookings, and we had to wait again for someone else. When the staff member “in charge of the booking” finally attended to us, she didn’t greet us warmly despite our smiles, giving us a poker-faced, cold reception instead. This was definitely not the welcoming atmosphere we had previously experienced.

We ordered a special set tea (£50) to share among me and my daughter and my husband ordered a luncheon (£22). However, we were taken aback when the staff member reprimanded us for supposedly booking three sets of high tea. Their website states that tea sets can be changed on the day of booking, yet we were made to feel at fault. Moreover, the website doesn’t allow guests to select different sets for each person, so it was confusing why this would be an issue. While the staff explained that baked goods are prepared in advance based on bookings, this level of inflexibility in the service and catering industry is unreasonable, especially when it wasn’t communicated upfront.

When my husband wanted to have a refill of teapot, he walked up to the baking display and asked the staff. His “excuse me” was ignored and his perfectly reasonable request was met with a glare and reluctant fulfilment. Not the service we recall and expected at all.

The food was also not up to our expectations. The scones were smaller than normal, almost like mini scones, and came cold! It also had an almost bread-like texture, which is such a disappointment as you would expect a tea room to make a decent scone, especially one with such a long history.

Throughout our visit, we remained polite and courteous, so we have no idea why we were treated with such hostility. Ironically, the staff were cheerful and jovial with other guests, even sharing a laugh with a table that paid their bill in loose change.

Was looking forward to a good memory to celebrate my birthday - guess it wasn’t...

My friend and I had afternoon tea there. I typically don’t do this but I think this is going to be one of the longest reviews I would write in my life. I will start with the good: Food was tasty. The tea selection was good. The place was what cleverly decorated and the ambiance is what one would expect for a traditional / typical afternoon tea setting. Now the bad: The service. More accurately, the service from one person. I called in the morning for a 4:30pm reservation, which was available. The call itself was already difficult but no big deal. I will attribute that to accents (both hers and mine). We arrived at 4:25. There was another couple in front of us. The same staff member who I talked to on the phone (I can tell from her accent) seated them KNOWING their reservation was for 5pm and they were early. When she asked for our reservation, I told her my name and my reso time. She looked at her list very briefly and said “You didn’t make a reservation”. To which I responded saying I did make a call and it was her I talked to in the morning. She said “no you did not talk to me”. My friend was able to find my name on the list and pointed it out to her. She looked at the list and threw it down and said “fine”. We waited for 10 mins standing there for a table. We did get a table by the window, which I can’t complain. When the same staff member came to take the order, my friend ordered a savory tea set and I wanted to order a few items from the tea menu a la carte. To which she said “you made reservations for two for tea, so I expect you to get order tea.” I explained to her that I am ordering from the tea menu, just individual items. She wouldn’t let me. I mean what’s the point of listing out and pricing individual items on the tea menu if you are not allowed to order them individually?? By then I already had enough of her and didn’t want to talk to her more so I ordered a set just to be rid of her. This is not an experience I want to have repeated. I walked away feeling talked down to, belittled, and my money undervalued. I now have seen many other reviews with comments very focused on the same staff member. Not sure if it makes me feel better or worse that it wasn’t just me. I hope if you do go, you don’t run into the same person, cause the food was great (and I was ok paying the...