London Cafe

I went here for their so-​called High Tea after getting the groupon… It was awful. The tea was brewed weakly, we couldn’t get more hot water, the staff was under-​trained and inattentive, the surroundings were crowded and uncomfortable… and the value was a scam. Usually you go to tea, there is one of each item for each of the guests (like 4 people = 4 scones, 4 ham sandwich, and so on). This was not the case here.
So as soon as the food came it seemed like a HUGE SCAM… but more so when some random guy came out of the back and was riffling through an envelope of cash at the counter.
Never go here.

Came in here for high tea using the Groupon, as many before us had. It was very mediocre. Nothing terrible but I would have been annoyed if it cost more than what the Groupon was. The food and tea was fine, but the thing I didn’t get was this tiny area with a few tables, and a giant room in the back, empty, where you have to awkwardly stand and wait for the bathroom and watch them make sandwiches. Why not have more tables back there? Why not use the space in a much better way? I don’t know.
After getting the tea and food the staff disappeared in the back room. I think we spent a good 5 minutes trying to wave someone down, and when we did, they said «oh you gave us the Groupon already» so we left.
Next time we want high tea, we would go elsewhere.

This review is for a visit at the end of August, after Margot D’s experience. Like many others, we had gotten the Groupon deal and then later read about every single Unilocal reviewer’s experience. Since we already had the Groupon, we went anyways.
This was my husband’s first time having «high tea» and as you might gather, it was underwhelming but not such a bad experience.
The service was decent. When we mentioned the Groupon deal to the server and asked her to articulate exactly what we would be receiving, she seemed well versed in conveying the limitations and what to expect. (She probably has had to placate many a diner before us.)
As part of the deal, we ended up getting 2 pots of tea instead of just sharing one, but weren’t able to have our first choice because it had run out. I agree with a previous reviewer that the tea pots were just too big for the amount of tea leaves they put in: the tea was weak but we wanted to drink as much as possible, just to get our money’s (and bathroom’s) worth.
The sandwiches and pastries we received were filling enough, but their quality was just so-​so. If I were to do this again, I would try somewhere else where I know I’d get something special and deserving enough of the title «afternoon tea.»

My daughter and I went here on the «tea for two» groupon, and it was pretty much exactly what I expected.
The food was nothing super special, but there was plenty, served on a double decker tea tray — between the two of us we had 4 white bread sandwiches, (whole sandwiches cut into bits), cheese, cucumber and butter, ham and cheese, and chicken salad), 4 scones, 2 cream puffs, 2 apple cream thingies, 2 custard tartlets and 2 chocolate mousse tartlets.
burp. plenty, believe me.
Service was fine and friendly.
The room is small, 6 tables I believe, and pretty old newbury style. Lots of dark wood, paintings, and an old coal fireplace.
I enjoyed the 20s jazz playing, and we blessedly left right as it was switching to new age piano crap.
We had the China Red tea, which was very good. (there was a choice of about 7 teas)
It was all presented on pretty things (my daughter turned them over and found crate and barrel printed there, and wanted to go there. We like pretty things).
We got whipped cream for the scones, and butter, jam and honey for whatever we wanted to do with them.
I think that if one wanted super high end everything, was a tea connoisseur and needed lots of choice, one would not go here.
Itt’s clear they DO NOT HAVE A KITCHEN. They have a small food prep area, in which they assemble your pretty tea presentation and heat water for tea. Which is fine, if Tea is all you’re serving.
I would have to look askance at their claim on the groupon that this spread was worth $ 75. I think it was worth the $ 35 we paid.
I won’t be making a special effort to come back, but it was a fun afternoon treat for us and fine.

We went with a groupon expecting the worst given Unilocal reviews, but it turned out to be fine. But, given the price, there are simply other, better options. If it will cost $ 30 for some sandwiches and pastries, then they had better be amazing or the service /​ambience should be superb.
We were a little concerned about the unrefrigerated mayo.
All in all, we wouldn’t go back unless the prices changed.

Came here with a groupon. We were a little wary after reading all the negative Unilocal reviews, but the experience turned out not to be a disaster at all. We got a pot of tea, an assortment of sandwiches, scones, cream puffs, and other pastries. The pastries weren’t bad, though not exceptional. I actually quite enjoyed the sandwiches, particularly because they gave us 4 varieties to try.

If I could have zero stars I would have chosen that.
I have been meaning to write a review on this restaurant. I was there with 3 other people back in June and like other reviewers, the Groupon was very tempting. I would not go back. Portions were too little for 4 people and the Groupon price did not justify the tiny portions.
Food was not good and everything was store bought. I know because I saw all the pastries and sandwiches in the fridge. One particular pastry was in a package of 9. In the prep area, I saw the honey was from BJ’s and the jam was Smuckers.
If this is what I wanted to eat, I would just stay home and make it myself.

I am agreeing 100% with Karen and Katie who wrote about their visits on the 20^th (and what seems like almost everyone else who has posted). I am just home from London Café, and actually stopped to get food as soon as I left because I was STARVING. I know that «tea» is supposed to be more of a snack than a meal, but here is what I had: one little sandwich (white bread cut in quarters, so ¼ piece), one scone and one mini-​éclair. No, it’s not as if the three people I was with had more than their share… that was everyone’s share!
My friend paid $ 60 for her Groupon, which is supposedly a $ 100 value. Had I paid $ 25 for half-​pot of tea and three morsels, I would have wondered how they could survive one day in business without selling lots of Groupons?
The table behind us questioned the Groupon as well: if you add up the a la carte prices on the menu, you are actually PAYING MORE WITH A GROUPON! MORE!!! So much for the concept of a deal ~
The sugar bowl was scraped down when we got there, and only some granules were stuck to the bottom in that creepy way that happens when it is humid. When I asked for more and we got a bowl of sugar, I was then stuck wondering how many people had stuck their spoons in, then stirred their tea, stuck it back in the bowl and perhaps a few little kids had even licked their spoon along the way?
My scone was DRY; even the butter did not help. Éclair was OK, and probably from Trader Joe’s as someone else suggested. However, it was cold, so they might want to defrost these longer. As for my «tea sandwich», white bread with one piece of ham and a slab of American cheese (and they probably didn’t spring for the Kraft Singles either!). Really??? Oh, and if someone from the London Tea actually reads this, please note that if you are serving «warm scones», they should be warm. Please don’t tell me something is warm when it is not. Just tell me you are serving «dry scones».
Note: when the table behind us questioned that people are actually paying MORE for the Groupon, the girl working simply said «that’s the way it is with the Groupon». No «sorry», no offer to get a boatload of food for them… just «that’s the way it is».
I understand that people want to try something new and add to their business, but this is NOT what Royalton Suites (the rest of the building) should be doing. They operate an inn, so just stick to the inn (although the reviews for that on Trip Advisor aren’t so hot either). Some water might have been nice, but perhaps my getting up from the table to get a pink lemonade in a plastic cup was the signal that we all might want water in the water glasses?
Please, do yourself a favor and just avoid! If you have a Groupon and really feel the need to go, eat and drink beforehand (the tea was something like a store brand anyhow). Better yet, give it to the homeless so they can go and have a little snack.

Well, this is going to sound an awful lot like the other reviews, but sadly, it still holds true. Like others, I got the Groupon when it came out, and was wary after reading the bevy of negative reviews. Still, having spent the money, we were willing to give them a chance.
The whole experience was an embarrassment, from start to finish. We (a group of 6) arrived about 10 minutes before our reservation. 20 minutes later, we were still crammed in the entryway, and the hostess went into the dining room to make another table move so that they could push two together for our group. Thankfully, the seated group was a good natured lot, but we hadn’t asked for the staff to move them, and subsequently felt a little humiliated.
The dining room itself isn’t bad — some nice original features (ceiling medallion, fireplace tiles, etc), and a cozy feel. That said, when your table is crammed up against the curtain that separates the kitchen from the dining room, it tends away from the «cozy» end of the spectrum and more towards cramped and uncomfortable. (Also, note to staff: that curtain may be light-​blocking, but it sure isn’t noise canceling. You might want to reserve your bitchy comments for the backroom. Or, barring that, whisper).
But the food. Oh, the food. I could go in to the Arnold-​bread-​slapped-​together-​with-​butter-​and-​a-​slice-​of-​rubbery-​cheese sandwiches, or the gummy, raw pastry shells, or the fact that they only brought out enough food for three people, instead of six (even we when asked for more), but instead, I’ll leave you with this: if you’re charging $ 35 a pop for a quarter of a sandwich, half a pastry, and half a pot of tea apiece, it should be quality stuff.
Prices are on par with some of the best tea places in Boston (the Taj, Bond, Boston Harbor Hotel) — save your money and hit up one of those, instead.

Bought the Groupon and was extremely excited because I have always wanted to try afternoon tea. What a disappointment. The tea was underwhelming, the food was stingy, the service was mundane to say the least, the atmosphere & surroundings were easily forgettable. Even at the Groupon price it was a rip off. Never, ever going back.

(I don’t ever write a review on a place before, but I had to start an account to write this review so that people would know to never come here and give them your money).
HORRIBLE HORRIBLE HORRIBLE time and a waste of money! I only went here only b/​c the Copley Library Courtyard was closed for an event. I should have just avoided it after hearing a friend spoke poorly of this place, but it was the closest for me to take out a mentor from work. I would give a zero star if possible.
The service was terrible to say the least! The hostess had us waited while she was on the phone and wouldn’t sit us down when we had called for a reservation before.
Cups were stained with previous tea mark. Forks and knives were still water stained from milk or whatever. Isn’t it disgusting?! Unwashed utensils would have looked cleaner! (When I went to the bathroom I learned why…)
I should not have stayed to order. I was there bc I wanted to take my mentor out for an afternoon tea and didn’t want to drag her out of this place, but thinking back on this I should have done immediately.
Sandwiches were dried and tasteless from being left on the counter. Nasty ingredients b/​c cheese and ham also were dried up. Selection was poor and classless (ham&cheese, egg salad, and cucumber). Scones were at least warm but we left more than half of the pastries UNTOUCHED.
The waitress was nice to greet us but her apron was covered in disgusting stains that’s a sign of how dirty the kitchen must be. Clearly shows that she is the waitress, sandwich maker, and tea cup washer.
This should be a fancy event and deserved to be presentable. When I went to the restrooms which was behind a curtain section of the café (they don’t have have doors). I saw that tea cups were left of the FLOOR in a corner next to a dust pan! I felt sick in my stomach! Bread was on the counter left open.
I used the word «disgusting» many times already, but I cannot emphasize it enough. I felt disgusted by the place, I felt grossed out by the tea cups, I was annoyed by the hostess who didn’t even come to collect our check when we just wanted to pay and leave! The bill came out to be $ 53 for two people with two pots of tea. THAT’S A WASTE OF MONEY … A LOT OF MONEY for a disgusting experience.
Take your money and time to the Copley Library Courtyard Restaurant for high tea on Wednesday-​Friday from 2pm-​4pm. You will love the décor of an European courtyard in the hidden magical walls of the library, the wonderful service staff and the amazing sandwiches made to order. It’s cheaper and has more class than this horrendous place.

To say that service was poor is an understatement. A reservation was made over a week ago for 4 people for 4pm. We arrived early and waited. We were seated by 4:15, which was not so bad. We asked to be switched to a different table and that seemed to cause some attitude with some staff. We were finally ready to order and we were told, we can only order 2 teas to share. We weren’t given choices what to order after that.
After much going back and forth with the waitress, then later with the receptionist, pointing out the verbage on the groupon saying it was $ 60 for up to $ 140 and tea, etc for each person, she decided to allow us the 4 teas. We assumed that each of us would also receive the other things (pastries and finger foods) for each person to try. VERY wrong. We were served the usual condiments, along with half sandwiches that were cut into two — 4 wheat bread pieces and 4 white, including ham and cheese, turkey and cheese on wheat, cucumber and chicken salad on white (equals to 2 sandwiches). 4 scones (2 each of a kind) a pastry that was cut into halves, 3 other individual ones (i will post the pic). all of this was supposed to be $ 140 value.
The teapots were $ 4.99 each, and other patry items were listed as $ 10.99. You can also buy the set for each person at $ 25, listed on their menu.
We tried as we might to figure out how did we spend $ 140 on their products. Assuming regular price, we paid $ 20 on the tea. so we paid $ 120 for the pastries. that also means each scone, finger sandwich worked out to about $ 10 a piece.
During the entire time we were there, we were completely ignored. No one came back to ask if we wanted anything else, or refilled drinks. We had to call the waitress each time.
It was one of the worst experience we’ve ever had. Not because of poor service which is usually the case in some establishment, but also because of lack of quality and bad business practices.
And to add insult to injury, folks around us that were two, also using a groupon, had the same amount of pastries/​sandwiches as we did. So we paid double the Groupon value and got the same amount of food, with the exception of tea. Another table that had 4 also used a groupon and had the same amount of food. What is wrong with this picture?
Please do yourselves a favor, do NOT go to this place. You’ll be ripped off big time!
And like someone else mentioned, in order for you to use the restroom, which is only one, you’d have to go through the prep room. The sandwiches were all cut up and left in the open, the scones were from the fridge. The only thing hot in this place is the tea, and their prices (and not in a good way).

After reading the reviews, I was very wary of the «tea experience» here.
However, I bought the groupon as a birthday present for my 6 year old niece. Thought it would be fun for her first tea. My mother had never been to tea either, so it ended up being the 3 of us.
While it wasn’t the Ritz (yes, I’ve been there too), this tea was a wonderful evening for a 6 year old, my 62 year old mother and myself. The service was great — we didn’t have to ask for anything — and the waitress made my niece feel like a princess. Our waitress came back a few times to ask if we needed more of the sandwiches, scones, pastries, hot water or cold water. And we were seating in the front table, which made my niece feel even more special.
New places tend to have growing pains, and it’s wonderful to see that they have been listening to the reviews.
And on that note, it needs to be said again that we had a great time.

Like the other before me, I was lured here by the Groupon deal. At the time of purchase, there was no reviews on Unilocal or basically anything about this place. I bought it anyways and waited for the reviews to come in. And having read them, I was preparing for the worst…
The food was not freshly made. On the way to the bathroom, we would walk past the prep area. I could see that all the desserts and pastries came from the refrigerator. Scones were cold and stale, not warm. The clotted cream was like flat whipped cream. We were given 5 finger sandwiches, 1 of each kind. I was able to try 2 (egg salad and chicken salad). They were very plain and not particularly good or bad. I was unable to try the others. Tea was good, but how hard is it to screw up tea?
I have no complaints about the service. Our server was great. She was very helpful with tea recommendations and was attentive. Someone in our party who was not part of our Groupon ordered the plate of pastries. She even threw in some scones, although we did not end up finishing them. The host was super nice too. I had just arrived from the pride parade and was a hot sweaty mess. I was completely dressed down, in jeans and beads a-​swinging. I apologized for looking awful and he told me it was OK and to not worry about it. Not pretentious or snobby at all.
Although, I would not downright condemn this place, I would return if they improved on their food prep and menu.

While they are clearly listening to the reviews and feedback they still have a long way to go. I went with the $ 60 Groupon for four people but the Groupon claims it’s a «$ 140 value» (while their menu lists a price of $ 25 per person). At any rate, it was well worth $ 15 per person but definitely not $ 25 or $ 35 per person.
First, the amount of food. They serve a plate of sandwiches cut into quarters. There are eight of them (do the math, that’s two sandwiches) for four people. And there are four different types of sandwich, so doing the math again, that’s ¹⁄₈ of a sandwich per person (if you all want to try each type of sandwich). So, I would eat half of a quarter sandwich and pass it on to my girlfriend, while the couple that came with us did the same.
When we finished the sandwiches, the waitress then asked if we wanted more. It would have been nice if she had told us that up front so we wouldn’t have spent 20 minutes playing the «bite in half and pass it on» game.
I’m not sure whether they’ve changed their policy officially or whether we got special treatment because we were there later in the day and they were trying to get rid of leftover stuff, but not only were we offered extra sandwiches, we were also offered extra scones and sweets as well. Again, it would have been nice to know that at the start.
Although the tea is «bottomless» you can only choose two varieties of tea for four people, so you’d better agree on your choices! Most afternoon tea lets each person choose their own. It wasn’t a problem for us, though.
As for quality, the sandwiches were tasty, but how do you screw up a sandwich? There were four types: cheese, egg salad, tuna salad and ham and cheese. The bread seemed like store-​bought sandwich bread with the crusts cut off. The cheese was pretty good. Again, it’s hard to make a crazy good sandwich; these were solid finger sandwiches.
The scones were very good. They served a traditional scone with raisins and a «cinnamon» scone that was flaky and really delicious. For sweets, there was a custard tartlet, raspberry/​cheese tartlet and a chocolate mousse tartlet. There were only two each of these items so again we had to cut them in half so that each of us could taste. That was before we were offered seconds… All of the tartlets were excellent. There was also a puffy apple pastry that was nice, but the tartlets and scones were really very good.
Regarding the clotted cream… there have been reviews stating that clotted cream was not served which apparently is a high tea crime for strict traditionalists. I’m ambivalent on the whole clotted cream affair… I’m happy with butter. However, I can confirm that we did not get clotted cream when our food was served. We got a dish with butter, honey and jam. One small dish for four people. We asked for a second dish and they brought it to us. But no clotted cream. Until… we finished our first plate of scones/​pastries and were offered more scones. They then brought out a plate with four more scones together with a dish of clotted cream! So, why didn’t we get the clotted cream with our original plate of scones? It remains a mystery to this day.
Finally, we come to the service. I don’t know how it’s possible to have bad service in a café with only six tables and two waitresses, but they managed it! My girlfriend finished her glass of water and asked for a refill. Ten minutes later she asked again. Five minutes later she asked a third time. Finally, about a half hour after she had asked, she got her water.
The same thing happened with our «bottomless» tea. We ran out of tea and asked for more. Normally at high tea they just bring a pot of hot water and refill your teapot. In this case, though, they took the pot away and we assumed they’d be right back with a new one. 15 minutes later, still no tea so we asked again. Ten minutes later we asked again… you get the picture. We didn’t get our second pot of tea until over 30 minutes after it had run out. And our waitress was chatting with a friend in the entrance lobby the entire time. At least the tea was good.
I must say the staff was very friendly, smiling and genuine (not haughty at all).
In conclusion: decent sandwiches, excellent pastries & scones, excellent tea, nice location and cozy interior… BUT terrible service. Not unfriendly service, just incompetent. Why does it take 30 minutes to refill a glass of water in a café with only six tables? Same goes for our tea refill. And why not tell us in advance that we can have seconds so we’re not «rationing» our meager portions? And what was up with serving us clotted cream ONLY with our SECOND dish of scones?
To be fair, it’s newly opened and they’re still working out the kinks. I’ll try back again in 6 months. If they work out the issues with the clueless staff and food quantity it should be a nice place for a reasonably priced afternoon tea. Even at full price, it’s less than half what the Four Seasons charges.

My boyfriend and I live in Back Bay, and he got the Groupon. We were wary after the very poor Unilocal reviews.
Overall, do not prepare for a fancy hotel «high tea» at the Four Seasons. This is best described as a 6 table front parlor of a cheapish hotel on Newbury with 5 cute little college girls who could be my little sister playing tea time. If you’re prepared for that, you’ll be fine.
Though there are 5 skinny cute little girls at the front desk who are super nice, trying hard, but still cute and clueless; there is only one waitress with no formal training serving the tea and pastries. She’s responsive, but slow, cute and clueless. She doesn’t refill water, forgets the refill of tea, brought the clotted cream as we were paying the bill, looks very shaky with the platters, etc.
Given the poor Unilocal reviews, the Clueless group of girls is trying hard, smiling, asking if we needed anything. They were excellent in bringing out a 2^nd plate of sandwiches for our group of 4.
I’m not a food snob, and I’m generally happy with a $ 45 dinner in Back Bay. And after bracing for the possibility of really crappy food, the sandwiches were fine, probably good. We ate a full 2 platters – egg, tunafish, cheese and ham, and cheese. The scones were very tasty (raison and cinnamon), though I was prepared for cold rocks after the reviews. The small pastries were fine – little pie crusts filled with chocolate of white cream.

For the groupon discount, the high tea was a fun experience. I would, however, never pay full price for it — but I’m extremely frugal, so that’s not necessarily a reflection on London Café.
They are obviously listening to feedback from customers and trying to improve their service, because my visit on Wednesday with my mother was really pleasant. The best part was the service — the waitress was an absolute doll and the hostess was nice, too. I had very tasty iced tea, and I thought the pastries were delicious. The sandwiches were fine, but a bigger selection — with brown bread! — would be nice. They offered more of everything until we couldn’t eat any more. The setting is really cute, and I appreciated the music they played.

My friends and I grant the London Café’s afternoon tea one star for the lovely setting and location. The service was sweet but rather naïve, seemingly unaware of what poor food and experience they were offering their customers. The tea itself was fine (we tried two different teas) but nothing remarkable. The food was embarrassing, the sandwiches were neither fresh nor tasty, the pastries were so unappetizing that the youngest among us (an 11-​yr-​old niece) refused most of them. Perhaps the fact that the amount of food is minimal was a blessing in disguise. The china was clearly labeled «Crate and Barrel,» some of it even had the sticky tags still attached. It’s unbelievable that the establishment claims that this was worth $ 35/​person. It wasn’t even worth the $ 15/​person we paid via Groupon.
The ownership/​management of the London Café has a real opportunity to make the afternoon tea a pleasurable experience, the setting is lovely. We truly hope that they take the time and effort to correct their failures and turn their afternoon tea into the delight that it should be.

It’s not worth it.
I only checked out this afternoon tea location due to the Groupon deal (4 people for $ 60). The teas we got: Victorian Rose and Eastern Gold, were both very unremarkable. The sandwiches they served us was hard and stale, and the cheese inside the sandwiches looked like Kraft cheese slices. The scones were hard and tasted worse than what I can get at Shaw’s. And the clotted cream was a disappointment but there is no surprise there. Also, the amount they provided you for what is suppose to be for 4 people is ridiculously tiny! One of my friends, who was somewhat of an afternoon tea connoisseur, actually thought they were planning on bringing out more food when the waitress brought us the tray. What this place provided doesn’t even amount to enough for two people at any other respectable afternoon tea places like the Taj.
On top of all of this, we felt rushed by the waitress, who keeps coming by and asking us if we want them to take the leftovers to go. We’ve only been there for 1.5 hours at that point. It is afternoon tea! You are suppose to sit and chat leisurely with your friends for a few hours. Finally she got impatient and just took the rest of our food without asking, and did not even pack it up.
Basically, yes on the surface, this looks like a good deal. But the quality AND quantity of the food, tea and the service is so subpar that I’m questioning if $ 60 dollars is even worth it.

There are hotels that due «High Tea» much better than this,
by having an inviting atmosphere and in-​house pastry chef.
ATMOSPHERE: 4 – 5 large tables stuck across the hall from
the base of the hotel’s stairway, which exits onto Newbury Street.
Only one table is by the window, with a view of the street.
The tiny hall entryway felt dark and intrusive of the exiting guests.
The few tables felt uncomfortably squished together.
FOOD SELECTION: Very limited in both taste & variety.
The pastries seemed ordered out and a day old (or two).
The menu includes your choice of 1 pot (fo 2 to share), from 12 teas,
and a variety of scones, pastries, and tea sandwiches.
We got only 4 mini pasties (2″), forcing us to cut them in half (1″),
and only 4 basic ¼ sandwich varieties: cheese, ham&ch, egg, ?.
Result = 1 thin, wonder bread sandwich, 1 small pastry (2 mini),
1 regular scone (2 mini) and ½ pot of tea for $ 35!
SERVICE: Also very limited, but pleasant with a smile.
IE. She did not even pour our 1^st cup of tea, or any other.
An original idea for celebrating something, or someone, special,
is to take them to «High Tea» on famous Newbury street! *smile*
High tea is from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. daily.
TIP: High Tea regularly costs $ 70 for 2 people, BUT…
The often run HALF PRICE DEALS on Groupon & Living Social!