The Promenade — Restaurant in London

Visiting from Victoria, BC Canada in late April 2024, we had the absolute pleasure of afternoon tea at the Dorchester Hotel’s restaurant, The Promenade. We have enjoyed this lovely British ritual in a number of beautiful venues, and some more quaint, around the world but the Dorchester’s offerings, ambience and service top all the rest!!

Right from the moment you enter the hotel, your senses are greeted with the spectacular displays of fresh florals and the classic and stunning traditional decor with sumptuous fabrics and every attention to detail possible. The original works of art by varied artists helps continue the exceptional visuals of multi-layered decor. The room is setup whereby each table enjoys their own somewhat private and stylish “corner” that are all equally as comfortable. Even tables in the centre of the room do not feel exposed. I’ve watched many YouTube videos of different London afternoon teas and most do not offer this luxury, including other 5⭐️ properties. They also do not have tables and chairs/sofas that are at a comfortable height and/or distance to truly enjoy tea without fussing with your skirt or endangering the pristine condition of it. The Dorchester’s Promenade offers both in spades.

Now to the food and service. Wow 🤩 our waiter was outstanding in every aspect and each hotel and restaurant employee we encountered were welcoming and genuinely warm from the Host to the Clock Room Attendant and others we passed by during our time there. Our Waiter, Rachel, knew just what to suggest as I was interested in a tea to pair with my savouries and then, my sweets. Her suggestions, obviously a sign of excellent intuition and training, was spot on. It was a joy to experience such impeccable service!

Each and every morsel we were served was presented in keeping with 5⭐️ expectations and was truly melt in your mouth delectable! The scones were perfection as were the jams and clotted cream. I’ll have dreams of those for some time! The salmon lox offered for my pescatarian option was - well - there are no words for how great that was - and we come from another renowned salmon fishing Commonwealth country. My dining companion had the vegan option for her afternoon tea and each and every offering was comparable in flavour and visual appeal to any of mine.

Afternoon Tea at the Dorchester is a not-to-be-missed destination when visiting London. I look forward to returning upon...

As someone with experience in hospitality as a chef, I was genuinely excited to enjoy afternoon tea at The Dorchester’s Promenade. Unfortunately, while the food was enjoyable, the service left much to be desired and significantly detracted from the overall experience.

We arrived promptly for our 3 PM reservation, and while the setting was undeniably beautiful, we found ourselves practically begging for service throughout. Despite the £50 service charge on a £330 bill, we were largely ignored for the better part of our visit. Plates sat empty for prolonged periods—at least an hour in total passed without any attention from staff. While servers were often visible, they seemed more focused on walking around than attending to guests.

What should have been a smooth, indulgent experience stretched to nearly three hours, with much of that time spent waiting. It took 45 minutes just to get someone’s attention for the bill. My boyfriend even stood up to locate a server, only to find no one available for at least 15 minutes. When a server finally emerged, they ignored him, served another table, and promptly disappeared again.

When we eventually managed to speak with the server assigned to our table, I requested a few sandwiches and cakes to go. His response was dismissive, stating that guests are expected to eat until satisfied at the venue and that taking items away isn’t typical. This was particularly ironic, given how empty our plates had been for much of the evening due to the lack of service. Having worked in afternoon tea service, I know it’s common practice to accommodate such requests—especially under circumstances like these.

It’s disappointing to say that, despite the lovely ambiance and quality food, the service fell woefully short of expectations for a venue of this reputation and price point. Over the course of three hours, we received only two rounds of sandwiches and one of desserts, despite being ready and willing to enjoy more. For a high-end afternoon tea experience, this is simply unacceptable.

The Dorchester is undeniably beautiful, and the staff we encountered prior to the tea were courteous and professional. However, the Promenade’s afternoon tea service failed to meet even the most basic standards of attentiveness and hospitality. I regret not choosing another venue in London, as there are many offering both excellent food and exceptional service for a comparable—or even...

Amazing experience! The service was outstanding. I had high expectations due to the price and location and I wasn’t disappointed at all.

I believe our server’s name was Kelly. He was quite tall and slender. I have a dairy allergy and they took it very seriously. Anything I was served was brought out completely separately on different trays.

I ordered the Ali Shan tea which was extremely flavorful and served at the perfect temperature. My wife’s Yunnan Peony tea was very good as well but mine had a more robust flavor that I prefer.

The sandwiches were all pretty good as well. Smoked salmon and ham were my favorite. The cucumber sandwich was surprisingly good. I didn’t think I’d like a sandwich with cucumber as the star.

The scones were my favorite by far. I could’ve eaten 10 of them if I wasn’t so full from the sandwiches.

The service pacing was perfect. Our server was working more tables than the other servers and he was still extremely on top of everything. He asked us if we wanted extra sandwiches and refilled our tea right away when requested. Everything was finished at 1 hour 45 minutes giving us 15 minutes to relax and pay the bill.

Atmosphere and decor were just beautiful. It was grand but not overdone. I really enjoyed the live piano. All the staff we interacted with inside were very pleasant as well. The outside doormen could be friendlier though. They were extremely cold. Maybe because we weren’t hotel guests.

If you’re worried about dress code, they’re relatively lenient with it. There were people wearing t-shirts, sweatshirts, and polo shirts. No need to dress formal. I’m guessing just no shorts or sandals.

We originally wanted to go to Claridge’s but they had a strict dress code requiring jackets for men. I’m very glad we chose the Dorchester in the end. It was posh without...