Afternoon Tea At Dukes London

Quaint and lovely

Upon entering the staff were incredibly welcoming. You feel very intimidated thinking you’re going to a posh hotel for afternoon tea in jeans and Dr Martens but the staff made me and my friend feel welcome.
We were seated maybe 10 minutes after arriving which was no issue as we were in no rush. The ambience was lovely, very high end very cosy. I really loved it
And given the menus to pick
I am a vegan so I immediately knew what I was getting. However Dukes do not have the vegan option on any of their menus which was a little weird
So we had to wait for staff to come over to enquire for the vegan option.
Fortunately they were doing it. But due to no menu being present for the vegan option we had no idea what we were getting and even when asking the staff member it wasn’t very clear what we were eating
But hey ho. Something Duke can improve for next time

The food overall was a 3/5. I wasn’t overly impressed, I’d say the cost was more for the amazing service we received. Very friendly staff and very attentive.
I particularly enjoyed the ‘cheese’ and pickle sandwich which we ordered for some more because it was so lovely
One of their sandwiches with cucumber and something else I didn’t know was quite bland and weird tasting so left that. The scones were unfortunately not the best. They were dry and tough :( Sad because I was looking forward to those the most. Out of the sweet treats the Orange Cake was the only nice thing on there. The rest had their faults. Especially the blueberry cake, very dry. It’s a no from me

I loved the tea, I had the white tea from Nepal and it was really good

Overall I’d give my experience a 3/5. You couldn’t do a high end service like that just anywhere. Maybe I’ll make afternoon tea a regular so thank you Dukes London

Lovely venue, quiet, pretty and nice staff, but if you are expecting a quality afternoon tea you will be disappointed. The sandwiches were bizarrely cold (I'm assuming not made to order but prepared and stored in fridge), the scones were dry and there was a fairly limited tea selection. However, compared to other afternoon teas in the area it was more affordable.

A lovely quiet and cosy afternoon tea. Would definitely recommend

Special afternoon tea on London. Highly recommended - off the beaten path, beautiful Drawing Room, impeccable service.

It was a rainy day when we arrived for our afternoon tea. We got to choose a table in the lovely conservatory. It was perfect to sit there and chat - it was quiet enough we could actually hear each other - and enjoy the rain as it struck the window panes. The setting was simply lovely and we would definitely do it again.

The best afternoon tea in London.

To be honest, I was very disappointed by the service this time. Our first experience was really nice and we wanted to show to our friends how great it was.
Bad luck as the service was very disorganized and it was very disturbing for us to follow.
We had a waitress at the beginning, all was good. We got our afternoon tea and were able to ask for a first sandwich refill. After that, our waitress disappeared. So we waited a bit to ask for a scone refill.
Another waitress came and removed my friend tray because it was empty. she didn't ask if everything was fine or if we wanted a refill.
We finally asked a scones refill just for 2 of us (so 2 plain and 2 raisins). We waited more than 30minutes. Just 2 waiters were here. It seems than one group needed more attention. At some point, we had to ask a waitress about our refill which was forgotten. We ended up with 2 extra plain scones instead of 4.
So we waited almost 40min to have 2 plain scones. We had to claim for more tea as well.
No smile, no attention, no one asked if we wanted more tea, not aware about our refill etc.
We had to claim for the cake of the day as our first waitress proposed to us at the beginning of our afternoon tea. We were very happy about the teas, the sandwich and pastries but the service was really bad from our point of view.
Of course, we don't need to have someone asking each 5 minutes if everything is fine but from my first experience, the waiter checked regularly to see if everything was fine.
We also know that some days could me more difficult or busy but we believed that the client shouldn't feel it. And it looked very disorganised and the waiters seemed overwhelmed.
Not really sure about recommending to a friend. Generally, you expect almost the same or better service from previous good experience. I hope you will use this review to improve for other clients as the Afternoon Tea menu is very nice.
Thanks

On arrival we were asked to take a seat in reception, we had to wait no more than five minutes before we shown into the conservatory where we were to be seated. Service was prompt and the staff were polite and friendly. Both the food and tea were lovely. Our sandwiches and scones were topped up as was our tea. We were not made to feel rushed and could therefore enjoy are tea at our leisure. The only thing that was a mere blip on the afternoon, was we were asked if we would like some water to which we said yes to as it was a hot afternoon, however on receipt of the bill this was charged to us. The cost irrelevant as I probably would still have had it but I would like to have known this was the case. Otherwise I cannot fault the hotel or the staff and am looking forward to going back.

Friendly staff. Relaxing and dont feel rushed. Sandwiches and scones were standard filling but really nice and you can ask for extras so we did. Sweet selection were non traditional, delicate styles and nice but ok. Martini combination was fun - mini but wuite strong. Tea selection was not extensive but sufficient. Shame the whole set did not come with the decorative cups as the images the hotel gives.

We have a very nice moment for the Afternoon Tea. The vegan option was excellent. Everything was perfect.

The perfect scone with vanilla butter and floral tea

We really enjoyed our Afternoon tea time here. The service is nice and take care of you.
The food was good and we had preferences for the sandwiches and scones!
The room was light and we felt like home.
Would recommend

Overall, a very nice experience! The food was lovely, with the sandwiches and scones playing the star of the show - the desserts left a little something to be desired however!

The only thing I would change about the Tea itself would be that we weren’t sat at such low tables, it was nice to be on sofa’s but the tables were just a tad too low!

The service was good overall but we did have periods of time where the servers were nowhere to be seen but when they were around they were attentive and friendly!

Nice afternoon tea with a good variety of pastries and sandwiches. A little bit overpriced but they can top up so you're not going to leave hungry! Nice and quiet atmosphere, good for a sharing moment with friends and family

I went with a friend to Dukes for a vegan afternoon tea. It was absolutely delicious. The drawing room was a really nice area to be in and the whole thing was a really relaxing way to start the weekend! The service was a bit slow but we weren't in a rush. Would definitely go back!

It was a great experience.

Nice and cosy place for afternoon tea. Staff was friendly but not really committed to looking after us - we had to ask several times for refills and our martinis, we were also not served everything that was promised in the menu.

Classy old-school hotel with a high-quality afternoon tea. The food was good with nice sandwiches, scones and cakes. I had the classic menu and my daughter had a fully vegan option that she was very happy with.
Request to the hotel - please explain the format at the start, especially that you will bring more sandwiches or more scones if we ask. That would have made all the difference to appreciating that we were in for a proper feast.

Duke's is one of those hidden gems - impeccable service and a most luxurious afternoon tea all in a quiet, intimate oasis in the middle of London.

Food was delicious and the ambiance was top notch would definitely come for afternoon tea again.

What a spectacular afternoon tea experience!! We had come to London on vacation and were hoping for an English afternoon tea. We chose this location for our tea due to dietary restrictions, since Dukes London has a vegan tea menu. We could not have chosen better!! The food was scrumptious (vegan menu consisted of sandwiches, scones, and several desserts), the tea was delicious, the service was really attentive and extraordinary.

The service and decor were lovely. Duke's is tucked away in a quiet corner, a tiny luxury oasis in the middle of Central London. The food was lovely and the tea selection was splendid.

Really great afternoon tea , me and my partner both had the vegan option and it was more than we could manage!
They also made a special plate to say happy birthday!

Whilst this is a great place to relax in comfort and the service was excellent, the food was well under par. I chose the vegan afternoon tea which was poor.

Four oatcakes with toppings are no substitute for good old fashioned sandwiches. The toppings were below average; roast peppers were ok, guacamole uninspiring, houmus (was it houmus?) tasted of nothing at all and the butternut squash topping was bland. All needed seasoning; a pinch of salt and pepper would have lifted them. The huge quienelles on top to each oatcake made them difficult to each without getting them all over your face.

The vegan scones were repellent. I make vegan scones at home and the rise, they are light and they are delicious. These were rock hard like stale shortbread. Totally inedible.

The four cakes were ok, nothing special. They looked the part but they all lacked any flavour.

The tea was excellent, but no top up was offered which for £35 you'd expect it to be.

Overall, not good at all.

Because I was going to Hamilton that night, and they say you have to line up at 6:30 pm, I thought afternoon tea would be both a treat and better than an early dinner. I've had afternoon tea at Brown's Hotel and the Ritz, and both were excellent. However, they are now priced ridiculously high. Dukes was more reasonable, though still a lot of money, at 35 pounds sterling per person. Dukes is certainly pretty, but serving tea on a coffee table in front of a couch is not very comfortable, as one must lean over to eat the food. The food was only average quality. The waitress poured our tea from a huge urn. When my tea cooled, I wanted to add more to heat it up, but I couldn't even lift the urn. Fortunately, my companion could. A normal-sized teapot would be much better. It was not worth the money. Better to have a cream tea in the countryside.

What a hidden gem for a nice afternoon tea
We just loved it there

A beautiful place to dine! I booked for Afternoon Tea for 2 on Valentine's Day and we had the most wonderful time!
The staff were absolutely brilliant and were very accommodating. I'm vegan and they provided us with a vegan afternoon tea. I wasn't fussed on the crackers/savoury snacks (cucumber sandwiches would have been a better alternative) , however the scones and desserts were absolutely delicious!

I would definitely come again and I highly recommend this place. Thank you so much!

Maybe going on a Sunday was a mistake. My previous experience (on a week day) was much better. The sandwiches were too cold (unfrozen?) and the patisseries average. But the scones... yummy!!!

Three friends and I arranged afternoon tea so we could have a catch up. We were seated in an alcove that was private. The food was delicious, especially the orange mousse and sandwiches and the service was perfect- attentive but not hovering. We were at Dukes for four hours and at no time felt pressure to leave, which some of us had experienced at other venues. We would definitely meet here again.

This was the first time I had visited Dukes for afternoon tea and I was really pleased with the exceptional service, the quality of the food and the ambience. I met with two friends and we opted for the afternoon tea with three mini martini's. They were really lovely and I would recommend this option to anyone looking for something different. All in all a really pleasant experience and we will be back at Dukes sometime soon.

I took my mum to Dukes for afternoon tea to celebrate her birthday. The hotel itself is very attractive and the staff were friendly (if a little inattentive) but the food was awful. I ordered the vegan option and it felt very much like an afterthought rather than a planned out menu. Instead of sandwiches, I was given oatcakes with either a blob of hummus, a blob of guacamole or some spiralised cucumber - all very simplistic and uninspired (and certainly not what you'd expect for £45 per head). The 'scones' were rock hard and didn't taste good. My mum's 'standard' afternoon tea was ok, but again her scones were rock hard. We also ordered two glasses of prosecco each were shocked at the end to find out each glass cost £13. I'd expect that for champagne but not prosecco. Our fault for not checking the price beforehand - but definitely not good value for money. Overall I was very disappointed.

I treated my British relatives to afternoon tea. The waitstaff was very friendly, but my brother-in-law actually had to ask them to bring our food, as the tables around us, all of them arriving after us, were served before us.

The food was fine, but certainly not outstanding.i have frankly had better scones at National Trust houses

Very fun festive classy environment with great little nooks and crannies so that every visitor has a unique comfortable and fairly exclusive table.

Amazing service and incredible food! Overall exactly what you expect when you go to afternoon tea in London.

We went to this place for an afternoon tea
The room is just fantastic. We were seating in a small veranda, witch make the experience very memorable.
Good service and food. We were able to ask for refills (sandwiches or tea) and took our time to appreciate this moment

Great lovely afternoon tea. Vegan options (pictured) very good, I loved the small savory “sandwiches”. Service good and it’s a nice room.

Good ambience and excellent service. The perfect spot for an intimate, elegant tea. The vegan option slightly underwhelming.

It was my first afternoon tea and unfortunately it was so bad....! This will make not to for afternoon tea in my life.

Nice to have Seasonal items included in the Afternoon Tea. The scones were beautiful. Best we have had, buttery like Shortbread = Yummie !!