Sorry. I wanted to be blown away, but I can only (generously) give 2 stars…read more
The room is very clean and bright and pretty. The table settings are adorable. The food was lovely - particularly the pastries (the sandwiches were fine but nothing superior). But the service was execrable.
All the wait staff were very nice. A couple of our servers in particular were sweet and tentative and touchingly young. After we initially ordered, however, were never approached by any member of staff again - except for the junior server, who gave us plenty of refills of tap water.
Despite ordering two glasses of champagne and a glass of sparkling tea, we were not asked if we would like to purchase any additional up-charge beverages. We were not asked if we wanted more sandwiches or pastries, although the party at the table right next to us was asked. We were not offered any additional pastries or scones.
PLEASE NOTE: The afternoon tea at Fortnum and Mason is VERY expensive. We paid £84 per person ($112.85 at today's exchange rate) not including the champagne and sparkling tea. It is also supposed to be "bottomless." It was not bottomless for us. We got one each, after which we were roundly - perhaps even deliberately? - ignored.
At the end of the meal someone came by and asked if we would like a box for the two scones that were left. Given that we were not offered any additional food, the offer of a box for the scones was particularly insulting.
In addition, I mentioned in the online reservation form that the occasion was our niece's 20th birthday. There was absolutely no acknowledgment made of that, prompting me to wonder why in the heck Fortnum's would ask unless it was to sell marketing information to someone.
I also specified in that reservation screen that one of the party was a vegetarian. The wait staff had clearly never been told that that was the case because they made absolutely no mention of it.
We were recently at Hawksmoor for my husband's milestone birthday, and I mentioned in their online reservation system that it was a special occasion. Hawksmoor went out of their way to make it special. The wait staff there were very attentive, and made us feel as though we were being attended to. The wait staff at Fortnum's were perfectly sweet, but as above, we were ignored after being served.
Not to belabor this, but again, one of the selling points of the afternoon tea is that it is bottomless. I have been told by many people that servers cheerfully come to the table and offer additional sandwiches and pastries. This did not happen to us and it was, frankly, embarrassing since this tea was supposed to be a special occasion for our niece.
My husband is not the kind of guy to strike out the server tip line on the bill, and he didn't do that on this occasion. The staff, when they bothered to appear, seemed to be trying. Regardless, we felt thoroughly ripped off. We paid an exorbitant amount of money for an absolutely minimal amount of food and a very non-special experience. It was not far off from a Tesco's meal deal and a couple of Bakewell tarts from Gail's, and I say that reluctantly.
I really wanted to love the experience. The store itself is gorgeous and Fortnum's goods are understandably legenday, but the afternoon tea fell extremely short of the mark.