Afternoon Tea at the Old Course Hotel — Restaurant in Scotland

After receiving a gift voucher, myself and partner booked The Old Course for Afternoon tea. We found the food and service fantastic. Due to being moved from the conservatory, we recieved complimentary fizz which was a nice touch. After this experience I decided to book afternoon tea for myself and two family members for a special occassion. Unfortunately, this experience could not have been further from my first... firstly we we put up into the restaurant/grill area, not an ideal setting for afternoon tea in my opinion; with the inevitable noise of cooking and prepping in the kitchen area but fair enough. We were then shown to a table next to a very large party of at least 15 people, despite multiple empty tables; due to the close proximity to the party (which were obviously quite loud due to the number of people) we asked if it would be possible to sit by the window. We were told "they were a bit stretched" but would see what they could do (despite area being empty with the exception of the 2 big tables...), we ended up round the corner which was fine and a bit quieter... until the noise from the powersaw from the next room and banging of tools began echoing through the wall. We decided to stay put, not wanting to ask to be moved a second time. We were then served some water. When we asked for a carafe of still water just to sit on the table a few moments later, we were told again "we are a bit stretched but will see what there is"... surely a 5* hotel has a jug or carafe? No, "a function was on downstairs" we were told, so they couldnt give us a jug with water, but topped up the glass, which was again, "fine". The tea and coffee was then served, but after a long wait and considerably more noise from the workmen, i asked politely could we please move to another table as the noise was very off-putting. We were put through to the main bar area. After another very long wait, the food came. Sandwiches overpowered with chutney which actually softened the hard curled bread. Nobody asked how the food was, and we had to ask for more tea, lots of staff passing and lots of others waiting it seemed. I asked for the bill and was told "we don't take cash", totally fine and understandable, but a quick "how was your afternoon tea?" Would have been nice. Instead another lad who came over, asked us when he was providing us a doggy box for the leftovers. At this point, we were honest but polite, and I explained how let down i felt compared to the previous experience, i didn't mention the poor service in detail as it wasn't his fault. We were provided with a complimentary glass of champagne, and under the circumstances, i felt this was a nice gesture as I had already paid the bill but it didn't make up for the previous hour of poor service. A very, very disappointing exerience and certainly not one I would expect from a 5* hotel. Felt like an afterthought throughout and as a result will not be returning. Such a shame as my first experience was first class. The other 2 ladies in the party were also totally underwhelmed by the service and food which left me feeling disappointed and embarrassed since I had aimed to plan something a bit special. Sorry, but in my opinion, the food and service were no better than one would expect from a budget hotel offering afternoon tea, redeemed only marginally by the cheery barman and young lad we spoke...

Not great at all! The star is for the scones and the window view only.

The sandwiches tasted old and barely had any filling. Even tesco meal deal sandwiches taste better and are cheaper. A little bit of uniqueness for the sandwiches would have been very nice. The sandwiches tasted dried out and as if they were sitting outside all day.

The tea was served in an unwashed teapot that had residue inside the teapot wall. We were able to scrape it off and see the clean white part. It also tasted bitter and not strong. It felt like they reused even the tea leaves.

The desserts were the worst part. They were either too sweet, too sour or too bitter. The lemon cake was unbelievably bitter to the point that it made me feel sick. The macarons were definitely too sweet. And the eclair (one thing you would assume you can't mess up) had a very intense sour orange filling. Less is sometimes more!!!! They just over complicated the desserts. They definitely looked better than they tasted.

The staff members were lovely but there weren't enough for the amount of people there were there. Thus, it was difficult to find someone when we needed something.

One tiny thing they should definitely change is the following: They had the bowl of jam and cream just sitting on every table (before any lid or so) before the guests even arrived. It felt very unhygienic. Who knows what landed in those bowls. Also a little bit more generosity would have been nice in regards to the jam. We were given 1 tiny bowl for 4 people. 1 bowl should have lasted more for 2 people than 4. They were however nice and gave us more after we asked. The same thing goes for the milk for the tea which needed more of. This was also sitting outside even before we arrived.

Overall, I would suggest not going there for their overpriced food which tasted horrendous. I really hope the hotel looks into customer feedback and improves the quality...

Traveling Scotland for two weeks was a blast and we had been looking forward to tea here at St. Andrews for so long! We made reservations long in advance. No greeting, there was no one anywhere to be found near the stand at the elevator, had to wander around to find someone to look us up and seat us. They were accommodating of a fruit allergy but otherwise the staff was rude, they treated us as though we were a bother when they acknowledged us at all. Could not get attention for a refill on anything, sat for over thirty minutes after going to find someone and asking for a bill before they finally brought it. Just an underwhelming and disappointing experience. Literally couldn’t get a simple glass of water, a second pot of tea, or the check. They weren’t very busy at the time and the few other groups were constantly looking around for staff as well. Sandwiches were older and dry, tea was not especially hot, seemed cheap bags of tea and not loose. Bathrooms were filthy! Both men and women’s. Found staff and when I told them they just shrugged and said “oh welll.” Skip, you can enjoy the view from outside and get a good...