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Real People. Real Reviews.®
Green Park (Jubilee, Piccadilly, Victoria)
Piccadilly Circus (Piccadilly, Bakerloo)
Mon-Fri 7:00 - 0:00
Sat 8:00 - 0:00
Sun 8:00 - 23:00
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YUM!!!!!!!
Goats cheese tart with the most delectably sensational tomatoes and stunning basil coulis ..... lordy
Gets better ....... Succulent, saucy, huge, orgasmically satisfying lamb chops ........ mint peas on the side ..... gooooooooodneessssss me! The portion size was fabulous!
I cannot fault a thing. even the price was reasonable for the experience. (reasonable in a posh restaurant sense).
Really impressed. Will defo go again to treat someone or myselfor just for a special girly afrernoon tea.... it really is a treat.
And we got to eat by Hugh Edwards ...... i mean ... not every day you get to sit next to a welsh news reader! ;)
What could be more appropriate after a tour of the Buckingham Palace state rooms than lunch at The Wolseley?
The grandeur of the place hits you the moment you walk in. Black and white marble, gilded accents, and the chinoiserie. At 2pm, the place was abuzz with chatter. The staff were flitting about taking care of everyone's need.
To start, a bottle of Chateau de la Mirande Picpoul de Pinet from the Languedoc, and Dorset rocks. By this time, I had gotten used to calling oysters, rocks. They were fresh and briny. But also had subtle richness and creaminess, almost like slight hints of sea urchin. The wine was the perfect complement with its minerality. Next, soupe de poisson. This is not going to sound good, but when I looked down the soup bowl, this dark and murky liquid stared back at me. The first spoonful exploded with the taste of the sea. This was one intense seafood broth, however unappealing it looked.
For mains, Lobster & Dorset Crayfish salad, and Salade Nicoise. Meaty chunks of lobster and crayfish in a light creamy dressing. The potato salad at the bottom of the plate was just as good, and did not felt like a filler. The Salade Nicoise was pretty classic. There were grilled artichoke hearts that brought a nice smokiness to the dish.
Why 4 stars? The food here is pretty solid, just as you would expect from a good brasserie. The atmosphere and surroundings scream posh and luxe London. The service is top notch. During our meal, there were no Madge or Gwyneth sightings. Although, we did have a big Hollywood star in our midst.
I see little point writing an extensive review of this place, because all those wise Yelpers before me have covered it well.
Personally it's all about the Champagne Afternoon Tea, it is gloriousness. The tastiest little sandwiches, Chicken Tarragon was super tasty I even swapped it out with a friend. Freshest little cakes, the pistachio macaroons were beautiful in both taste and appearance and would give Laduree opposite a run for their money (unless they come from there). And the warm (well kind of we did eat slowly) scones were divine.
Food aside (rarely said by me) the service is professional, courteous and friendly. And the ambiance is like something out of an Agatha Christie novel, I could have stayed there all afternoon.
Nice food, and delightful afternoon tea. I really like the clotted cream here for some reason...
Menu is crazy overpriced (probably like a 200-300% profit margin per item) and full of tourists (suppose those things go together), but at least the Wolseley does not compromise on quality of food. Even a simple toasted chicken, bacon, avocado sandwich is beyond what you can get at EAT or Pret. Worth it for the experience, at least once.
I've heard that The Wolseley is very "hit or miss" depending on what chefs are working. I must have gone on a good night (Friday) because the food was excellent. My place of work employed a chef from the Wolseley who would cook us the most spectacular lunches. The Wolseley is a lesser place without his cooking. Nevertheless, it's not the food that let this review down.
The architecture (marble pillars, arches and stairways and Venetian and Florentine detailing) is beautiful. The building was originally a Wolseley Motors showroom in the 1920s and has been maintained as such. I suggest dressing well to fit in. It wasn't the architecture or atmosphere that let this review down either.
The drinks however, are what stopped me from giving them five stars. Nobody in this establishment (including the bar manager apparently) knew how to make a Cocktail Vodka Martini. My table agreed. Despite being as specific as possible regarding the details of my desired poison (extra dry, over ice, one cocktail olive) they still brought me vodka in a cup.
Dinner is wonderful. The bar is dreadful (if you drink Vodka Martinis). I hear from others and the posts below that tea is great.
I am a huge fan- love it for breakfast and brunch. First time I went to try the Wolsley was for dinner; on their website they mentioned there is no need to call for booking, but when I went there I was asked if I have made a reservation and therefore had to wait at the over-crowded bar for over 45 minutes. the selection of food wasn't helpful that evening and staff were very distracted.
I pass by frequently during morning times and find it very shinny and welcoming. it is queiter as well, so you can enjoy your coffee and newspaper.
Love the place even though none of my friends like it :(
Quite Grand and trendy, but I feel this place is just missing something. Can't put my finger on it, it just leaves me a bit cold. It is good enough, but there is more hype then substance. Like a super model, beautiful, exciting for 15 minutes, but not always interesting.
Not to say this spot isn't worth a visit, and I like the idea of it for an occasion or special night out, the Wolseley does fit the bill for atmosphere. On bustling Piccadilly, the sweeping dining space has the feel of old world style dinning room, but more New York then London.
In my hours-long research sessions while planning the cuisine schedule of my trip to London (museums? shows? don't be silly) I came across one piece of advice that was too persistent to be ignored: you must go to breakfast at The Wolseley. Alright then, I'm not one to ignore advice from fellow Yelpers, let alone the entirety of London dining-out sites.
So I came, hopes in hand, for a delicious gastronomic experience. I even skipped dessert the night before in preparation for my croissant basket. The decor is brilliant, as my mother commented, reminiscent of Balthazar in NYC. The menu required some interpreting but eventually I settled on the bread basket (essential) and the gruyere omelet.
Sigh. The basket came with plain croissants, pain au chocolate, and almond croissant, a rich chocolate cakey deal, and one other unidentifiable pastry. It was alright. The pain au chocolate was undeniably the winner.
My omelet was...boring. I could have made it at home and it didn't come with any extras. No potatoes, no fruit, no bacon or fat-laden sausage. I was unimpressed.
What I will say for The Wolseley is that it is a fantastic people-watching arena. Located in Mayfair, just east of the Ritz, there is an air of importance about its diners. Business being conducted. Socialites putting ketchup on their pancakes. Dirty youth who could only be assumed to be massively successful rock musicians that I cannot identify because I am not posh enough.
If anything, go for the atmosphere. Or the poached eggs, which my co-diner thought were "perrrfectly cooked."
This has to be my most favourite restaurant for treats,special occasions whatever.
Breakfast is wonderful, lunch iand dinner too.... In fact, if I could live here I would!
Christopher Corbin and Jeremy King just succeed everytime, I cannot falut this place!
LOVELY!
I came here for my leaving dinner in a large group of family and friends. The decor and ambiance of the restaurant is absolutely stunning - very stylish and art deco. The building used to be a bank in the 1920s, a post box and a stamp machine are still in the restaurant.
We enjoyed multiple bottles of wonderful white wine and Prosecco with our raw oysters on the half shell. They were SO delicious, probably some of the most fantastic raw oysters I have had and were perfect paired with the white wine we chose.
To this day, the Wolseley remains one of my favourite restaurants in London and I cannot wait to return.
Listed in: You MUST dine here
I might be accused of only choosing the finest places around, but hey, the fussy and picky guy I am deserves it, right? :)
So here we are, another 5 star for Denis.
Having spent quite a lot of time around London, I must say that this city is full of great places, however, outstanding places like the Wolseley are more rare though!
The Wolseley is based in the heart of London, a stroll away from the Ritz, on Piccadilly Street. The first thing that will blow your eyes away is the splendor of the building; very high ceilings, really stylish deco, well, everything to make you feel in a nice and posh place.
When you come in, a smiling staff welcomes you and makes you feel like you are a regular customer; that is priceless!
Then, the food... OMG!!! Breakfasts and brunch have been scaled up to a whole new dimension since I had them there!! The attention to the details is amazing. The pastries are just out of this world!! :)
My recommendation: if you want to go for a lunch, make sure you book before to avoid disappointment.
I can swear, once you've had your breakfast/brunch there, you will not want to go anywhere else!
The Wolseley is somehow bringing a true French touch and blends it with perfection with the British sense of luxury.
The menu didn't seem that interesting, until we asked what a couple of words meant (pardon the lack of British vocabulary).
I had breakfast here.
After an almond croissant, double-chocolate brioche, kedgeree, and minced pork with fried duck eggs...we were a pair of very full, happy eaters. Get the fried duck eggs. The pastries were also very nice - excellent texture. Almost like a real French patisserie/boulangerie.
Oh, and they let us share a pot of tea, which I thought was nice for such a potentially stuffy/inflexible venue.
Was staying on St James Place in December and ate breakfast here every day.. LOVED it. Great prices, at least for breakfast, and great food. The atmosphere was very posh and the food was fantastic. Great way to start the day.
The Wolseley...my London Love!
We tried to go somewhere else for afternoon tea, but they tried to shove us in this tiny table, so we decided to leave. We walked by The Wolseley on our way back to the hotel and decided to stop in. We were dressed pretty crappy (like typical tourists, hey, at least we were warm) and asked if they had a table for 4. They said we would have to be out by 6:30, which was almost 2 hours, plenty of time!
We did the 19 pound/person afternoon tea, which came with a pot of tea for each of us, scones with clotted cream & strawberry jam (that was my favorite part), tea sandwiches (cucumber, roast beef, egg, cheese, salmon), and assorted pastries (my favorite was the battenburg cake).
The atmosphere at The Wolseley is awesome, it used to be an old car showroom, then a bank, and now a restaurant. The interior is black and white kind of art deco style, but not. Very hard to explain, but very classy looking.
We came back to The Wolseley for dinner a few days later and like before, the staff was very friendly, but the dinner food just wasn't as good as afternoon tea. I would highly recommend afternoon tea, dinner, not so much.
I love The Wolseley, the staff is SUPER friendly even if you are dressed crappy, they will happily seat you. The afternoon tea is awesome and the food is just ok.
Please come here for afternoon tea. The scone with clotted cream and strawberry jam is unforegettable. Forget those scones that are dry and hard on the outside. The Wolseley will introduce you to a buttery, soft scone that will leave you wanting more....a few more...in one sitting. I wish I could frequent this establishment at least once a week. Guess I will have to move to London.
I love afternoon tea! I think the Wolseley is a good place because it is much easier to make reservations here than at places like the Ritz-Carlton or Brown's.
Afternoon tea comes with a pot of tea, two freshly baked scones, five finger sandwiches, and an assortment of desserts. The scones were my favorite part, and I drowned them in clotted cream and jam.
The price is actually not bad compared to some other places I've been to for afternoon tea.
Went here with some friends and family over from Ireland. Great looking place, more of a dining experience than just going out to eat. Everyones food was good with the exception of mine, I order schnitzel for some reason, which was average, I was left feeling a little cheated by myself for ordering such a stupid meal. . . . but that was my own fault! Would go again, but, this time for breakfast as many other reviewers state.
This place never fails me for a good breakfast. I have been there so many times on various occasions, weekdays & weekends for breakfast, the customer services is excellent. They are very attentive, friendly and helpful.
The first time my friend told me that we're going for breakfast at this really great place she knows, I thought of a good old greasy cafe. I dressed down (really down as I was tired on a night out the night before) so when I arrived at a place like The Wolseley, I felt like a tramp! =) They didn't treat me any different to the other well presented customers.
I've always gone for the Egg Benedict. I've had others Egg Benedict in various different places but I have to say that it is incomparable to the one done here. The hollandaise sauce was perfect. It can't get any better.
Their croissants & other pastries are very delicious too. Their hot chocolate is not made from syrups unlike many places I've been to and chain coffee stores.
If you would want to try this place out, you should make a reservation online. You might end up having to wait in the bar until a seat is available as it does get busy. Fear not! They will still get you tea/coffee/fresh juice whilst you wait to be seated. There is a turnaround of 2 hours per table.
I love this place! Great food, great customer services and great interior design. It is pricey but not over priced.
I've had numerous breakfasts here and have enjoyed them immensely on each and every occasion. If I had the time and the appetite I would work my way through the menu, I would even try the kedgeree. The coffee is wonderful and I'm assured by my wife that the tea is equally superb. The service and ambiance is second to none, fast, efficient and pleasant. I now ensure that I book a table every time I'm in London.
PS: You must try the The Wolseley Imperial coffee, it can set you up for the morning.
What a wonderful place to have afternoon tea! The scones, jam and best of all clotted cream is a "I've died and gone to heaven moment". The finger sandwiches and pastries are pretty good too!
Of all the places you can go for afternoon tea in London, The Wolseley is by far the best. Let me list the ways in which it reigns supreme in the realm of all things tea:
1. The building is incredibly elegant, with high ceilings, beautiful floors and amazing ambiance.
2. The service is impeccable. We were sitting upstairs on the balcony. They pointed out a little buzzer that we could ring for service at any time so that we wouldn't feel neglected, but that never happened as the waiters constantly came up and down the stairs to refill our pots, check our cream and take away empty plates. The manager came twice to make sure we were doing okay.
3. The quality of the tea service is incredible. They offered six different types of sandwiches, perfectly baked warm scones and an assortment of small desserts. We polished them off as though we hadn't eaten in a week.
4. For all this you would think that the price should be outrageous, but it's not. Afternoon tea will set you back £20 per person, but it's more than worth it for several hours of delightful chat and more than a full meal of food and goodies.
In all my other reviews for afternoon tea spots, I've ended with "in a city known for its tea, you can do better." Doing better is going to the Wolseley.
*Note: you MUST make a reservation, and likely more than a week in advance. They fill up very quickly and it's next to impossible to walk in for tea.
Listed in: Tea for Two
You come here for the very British atmosphere, the food was nothing to rave about. Although I came here for lunch and I suspect afternoon tea would be a much better option (as other Yelpers seem to suggest).
The first time I was invited to dinner at the Wolseley, I had an image in my mind of a restaurant where people would greet each other using phrases like "pip pip you old bean", and that dinner would be occasionally be interrupted by a table standing up, pumping their first in the air, and yelling "huzzah." The food is very British, but this is a surprisingly laid back place. The staff might be dressed like they are serving the Governor-General of India, but they are all very friendly and the overall feel of the place is excellent.
Unless you are craving Black Velvet and oysters, the only reason I'd really want to come here is because of the atmosphere and the decor, which is impressive. Apparently this used to be a car dealership; if that's the case, they certainly don't build 'em like they used to. I've been told this is frequented by celebrities, but I've never seen anyone I could recognize. Then again I'm not British, I don't read the Sun, and I don't really care if the guy sitting at the table next to me was the bisexual midget from season 3 of big brother.
I've been here twice now, and I don't think I'd choose to come back of my own volition. I mean, £18 for wiener schnitzel, without any vegetables? £9 for a Guinness and champagne? Get real. But if you get a seat in the main dining room, it can be a lot of fun. Just make sure you aren't the one paying.
Coming in off the street, one is calmed by the lowered noise level of this quiet room. Greeted and sorted and led to a table or booth, a menu is presented. Nice food offerings, prompt service.
A moment after I came in some tourists came in dripping cameras and stuff. Even they were sorted (into the bar area) and the calm returned.
So nice a place to grab a few minutes of peace before plunging into Piccadilly. Enjoy!
My friends and I discussed that we must have afternoon tea when we are in London, and one friend suggested The Wolseley. We didn't make reservations, so they seated us in the smaller area of the place (the bigger area is for actual dining?). The Wolseley definitely is a place with lots of history, and one of the wait staff certainly did not hesitate in educating us with the history of The Wolseley (I remember that the building used to be a Chinese restaurant at one time and a car dealer place at another time?).
The wait staff was super friendly and nice. They helped us whenever we had hesitation in selecting what to eat/drink. Some even joked with us.
I had a banana caramel tart, and OMG, it was delicious! But my favorite was the Earl Grey sponge cake. It was amazing, not too sweet and you can taste the Earl Grey in the cake. My other friend had a chocolate cake (forgot the name...), which was also very good!
Of course, the tea was nice and pleasing to drink. The wait staff did not give us problems with refilling our individual pots (which were quite ornate and pretty). We stayed there for 1.5 hours and truly had a pleasant time!
Highly recommend this place for tea or even a nice meal!
Listed in: What's there to eat in London?
Steps away from the Green Park tub station, the friendly and classy Wolseley is definitely a much better choice than the snobbish neighbor Ritz. No they didn't judge what I wear, after I was rejected by the Ritz because of my jeans and backpack. Right, I should know better, but I'm just a clueless tourist.
I follow the Timeout London guide, and this is an excellent review. The service was superb. I was seated right away with a nice window view. The staff gladly made recommendations on the menu upon my request. They even switched another red wine for me because I thought it was a bit too acidic . My dinner was perfect:
Calf's liver wrapped with bacon and sprinkled with crispy green on top (£ 18.25)- Tender and tasty, each bites melts in my mouth; Snaps and beans side dish (£3.75) - a bit too salty and buttery, can skip; Glass of Rioja Spanish redwine (£9.75) - SUPERB!! Rich and full bodied, compliment very well with the main dish; English Rhubarb and Apple Crumble (£7.25) - dessert TO DIE FOR. Hot custard sauce on the side, and it is just.... heavenly. Finished dinner with a cup of Darjeeling tea, and I am now the happiest person :)
The total was £47.5 with 12.5% service charge included. Yes, it is worth it. I am already thinking about going there again for afternoon tea.
Like this place needs a review to show how good dining here is, but er I am on Yelp so here it is anyway. Ladies and Gents I introduce you to the pride of Piccadilly, the Wolseley.
This is my third visit here, the first two for a spot of breakfast and now for my birthday luncheon. This restaurant is perfect to mark a special occasion, and serves classic British cuisine.
The interior looks lovely and the building is Grade II listed. Once a motor showroom for bankrupt Wolseley motors, and then later a Barclays Bank, the Wolseley has retained it's beautifully high ceilings and Japanese lacquered style from the twenties.
The atmosphere is great, the staff are helpful and not too pretentious. They did accidentally mix up my chicken soup with chicken salad, but all is forgiven as they were so apologetic and quick to rectify. They also gave me free chips with my yummy fish main-course to make up for it (I am blatantly so cheap to win over - probably should have asked for free champagne right?). The chicken soup was a nod to Jewish cooking with matzah balls, and to add to that you could even get it served with a salt beef sandwich if you desired. The soup was pretty good, but sadly not as good as grandma's.
Fantastic place. It is quite pricey but if you order carefully and forgo the alcohol you can eat here without the need to sell off the silver.
Best birthday evs.
I walked in and was immediately taken with the beautiful interiors as well as the energy of the place. The place reminds me of Balthazar in NYC with a little more posh to it so I had relatively high expectations. It wasn't stuffy at all, as one might surmise from the entrance..and the eye roll from our cab driver when we told him where we were going.
We had the crayfish avocado salad..which was just okay. The steak tartare was delicious, although my friend thought it was bland. I may not be the authority on steak tartare because I'm not a fan of mustard or onions so I prefer mixing tartares myself. However, the Wolseley's take was already mixed, but not a whole lot of dijon mustard to contend with. Very good. There was also the chicken liver and foie gras terrine, which was an enormous bloc served with the thickest brioche I've ever seen. Not big on the thick brioche, but considering how much terrine they gave, it was nice to have enough bread to put it on. We also had the oysters which were fantastic.
The bulk of my meal is always the main course and my roasted pheasant was sadly, very dry and quite bland. Another friend ordered the same thing and was sadly poking her poor little bird while we eyed our friend's plate of calf liver. It was definitely the tastiest dish on the table, if not a little heavy and over-bearing as a main course.
My coffee was lovely. They took enough care to shape the froth prettily and serve it on a lovely tray served sugary syrup instead of sugar cubes. A nice touch as I really needed the coffee to gear up for a loooong night at Movida.
I really want to like the Wolseley more, but I feel like we just didn't quite order the best dishes. However, it is a such a pretty place with impeccable service, I would come back to have the afternoon tea everyone's raving about in the reviews the next time I'm in London.
I highly recommend eating here. I had breakfast with a friend from high school. Had a delicious kipper - with mustard sauce and poached egg - along with plenty of toast and tea. Loved it.
One of the classic English Afternoon Tea place. Their afternoon tea starts at 3pm so don't get there too early.. although I heard brunch is good there too.
My friend and I ordered some combo which comes with dessert and your choose of tea. the place is very elegant and classic.
Price is reasonable.. the combo my friend ordered was only 20gpd ( typically it cost 30gpd-40gpd) for a place like that. Keep in mind this is a famous place so you may want to make a reservation in advance
I had great experience here.. i think Americans should start this afternoon tea tradition too
I'm so in love with this place! I was meeting a friend staying at nearby Brown's and their afternoon tea was fully booked so we ended up here instead. It's a grand cafe/restaurant in a beautiful space that was originally a car showroom. The service is surprisingly unsnooty and the menu has a great range of selections (including a wide range of prices). We spent a very leisurely afternoon drinking white wine and snacking on oysters. I can't wait to come back here!!
My sister loves the Wolseley and I love my sister.
When I'm visiting London, she insists we go here for brunch. The brunch, mind you, is quite decent. The coffee is excellent. The brioche, quite tasty. And hey, finding American bacon in the UK isn't easy to do... but there it is, available for all, at the Wolseley.
The Wolseley isn't so much a restaurant as it is a place to see and be seen. It is a scene. My sister likes to point out famous English people that I've never heard of when we're there. Boy George? Nope. Russell Brand? Um, nope. An Osbourne or a McCartney? Nope. Seriously, it's people I've never heard of......
Alas, it makes for a fun brunch out, some good (overpriced) fuel before a day of shopping.
Vacations in London fall into two camps: shoestring or splurge. The Wolseley is meant for the latter.
I had lunch (steak frites) here several years ago and I finally had my chance to come back for another dining experience today. This time, it was afternoon tea. For £19.50, you get tea of your choice, finger sandwiches, an assortment of delectable pastries, and scones with strawberry jam and CLOTTED CREAM! I recommend adding either a glass of champagne or a champagne cocktail to round out your experience. I chose the French 75 (champagne and gin).
Other reviewers have mentioned the rather grand space. If you eat here, spend some time to look at the chinoiserie detail. The bathrooms (through the door to the rear of the dining room and down one flight of steps) are very nice too. I love the solid fixtures here.
Overall, the Wolseley is a great stop for a trip to London. Given the type of clientele, it could be slightly intimidating to walk in here. However, the service I've experienced has been truly fantastic. I highly recommend it for lunch or afternoon tea.
Want the best breakfast in London? Go here. Want to pretend you're ridiculously wealthy, if only for an hour or two? This is the place. Trapped in a dreadful Piccadilly club and need to refresh your refine-ometer with an Einspanner in the dead of night? Yer only man.
The Wolesley is a cafe, but not in the style of the traditional greasy spoons or sickly sweet orange frappe chains. Instead, its one of London's only Viennese grand cafes, replete with high ceilings, fine porcelain, tastefully polished brass fittings and a real-life maitre'd. For a reference to the price range, all you need to know is that the Ritz is next door.
But that price buys you real quality. Top-notch, finger-snapping service; platters of viennese pastries; a wide range of authentic coffees; an atmosphere of hustling breakfast business deals being struck on the upstairs tables; perchance, even, a celebrity sighting. On my last visit I spied Nigella Lawson, and that can't be bad.
Try the pastry platter with a friend, then the haggis with scrambled duck eggs, some fresh orange juice and maybe an Einspanner to finish. And dress nice.
Feels like a buzzy European bistro set in a stately bank with extremely high ceiling. Not cosy but not fussy, either. Unless you're a regular, you won't get the best people-watching tables but the service is brisk and the menu is simple with something for everyone - like many other establishments founded a few years ago, they specialise in new British International cuisine, which is a euphemism for upmarket comfort food. I have always enjoyed the Wiener Schnitzel. They also do an afternoon tea in a more congenial, less lugubrious way than some of their colleagues in the neighbourhood (The Ritz, Dorchester, Browns, etc). Still, if high afternoon tea is what you want - and nothing else - I'd recommend the Dorchester or Claridges, because they are more glamorous without all the pretension (of the Ritz).
Went there this a.m. to meet an old friend. The atmosphere was lively and pleasant. The service was excellent, attentive but never aggressive. The food was delicious from start to finish, we tried pastries, eggs benny, kippers, Viennese coffee. This is a new fave and I will do my best to return whenever I'm in town!
YUM!
On our 15 day visit to London in '07 we visit the Wolseley twice. Both times we were happily fed, happily served and went on our merry way.
The eggs benedict is phenomenal. The full English breakfast is too! The coffee was great... the service was top notch, the ambiance just what we expected.
On our second visit, I ordered the roast beef... as an American, I didn't know that British roast beef is actually PRIME RIB! And it was PHENOMENAL!!!
I dream of going back to London for a visit... and I dream of meals at the Wolseley.
The Wolseley strikes you as the type of place to go for a classic afternoon tea. It's got this gorgeous old-fashioned black and white decor inside. It's really very beautiful. It's also pretty well-priced compared to the other high-end afternoon tea places (e.g. Lanesborough). The only thing I didn't like was how they didn't give individualized dessert for two - meaning that there was for the finger sandwiches and scones but you had to share all the desserts together if you wanted to try everything. The other thing I didn't like about the restaurant itself was that it smelled kinda funny.
Still, the tea is excellent, of course. I also like that it's not overly pretentious. Highly recommended.
quick note as to why i'm not giving it 5 stars: the server misheard our order and we got the small afternoon tea instead of the large afternoon tea (= we didn't get sandwiches and pastries, iirc). which i guess was fine, really, since i don't understand how you can eat so much so close to dinner time. (damn yankee!)
my friend and i came here for afternoon tea on the suggestion of (and in the company of) her friend who frequents the wolseley for the same. a wonderful space that isn't stuffy but harkens to a bygone era of sleek style and class. incredibly friendly service, too!
the clotted cream was so yummy as was the strawberry jam, and the scones weren't dry at all. and, of course, my earl grey was oh so yummy.
as melanie k. said, apparently you do see famous people there, but umm, i had no idea who they were. apparently we were in the company of someone who owned a soccer team [err, football club?] or two.
great location -- get off at green park, head towards the ritz (the building with the flags sticking out) and go past it a block or two. easy-peasy.
p.s. umm, they seem to not really have a strict dress code--i spied a guy in there in a sleeveless shirt (tho, to his credit, he was wearing chinos... O_o), which is kind of disappointing. i hate dressing up, but i say at least put a little effort into it! (guys, a nice button-down and jeans would be fine, imho)
Yes, it is a little posh, but I love nothing more than to get my good weekend threads on and come to the Wolseley to enjoy breakfast or brunch with the girls on a special occasion.
This place is just delightful - decadence in abundance but minus the pretentiousness. It is apparently popular among celebrities and the fashion elite but when my boss (who falls into neither of these categories) requested that I book him and a client here for brunch as it was 'just amazing' I thought it could also be the sort of place that I may try as my boss has great taste when it comes to London haunts. When I did take the girls there, we didn't actually spot any celebs or fashion elite (they would probably still be in bed actually), just a group of nice, seemingly normal folk who probably mix in the media circles but keen to keep themselves to themselves.
The Wolseley makes fantastic, strong coffee and beautiful freshly baked croissants for breakfast. It also has a coffee room which stays open on weekdays until 12pm. The other menus range from good old fashioned English tea type delicacies such as Eggs Benedict and muffins, right through to American style burgers in addition to a good selection of snacks.
Definitely book ahead on the weekend as it is extremely popular. If you are looking to step up you usual breakfast meet with the girls, they will love this. Uber chic.
Listed in: Top Restaurants
Neighborhood: Marylebone
Neighborhood: Farringdon
Neighborhood: Soho
Neighborhood: Soho
Neighborhood: Spitalfields
Some of my favorite dining destinations in the…
Researched a little bit on the London cuisine…
In a city renown for its afternoon tea, here's…
Some of my favorite dining destinations in the…
