The Goring Hotel

Utterly disappointing, a sad 2/10.

My family came to London for a city break and I flew in from Dubai. From previously living her, we have tried a lot of renowned afternoon tea’s in many prestigious places, however, never tried The Goring.

From the moment we walked in, the lobby was lovely. We asked a chap in front office where to go, who ended up pointing us into the direction of the dining room to the left.

We stood at the hostess desk, to which the girl just left us stood there. 5 minutes later she asked for the name and couldn’t find the booking (which confirmed that morning). Eventually we were told we were in the wrong place and she told us to go down the corridor.

We were greeted for afternoon tea and sat down. We ordered 4 champagne brut afternoon tea.

We were given an amuse Bouche, a little veggie tart. Very surprised for such a prestigious place to bring us tarts all cracked and falling apart. Surprised, chef let them go out like this.

Tea selection was good (although I was given the wrong tea) and we advised we had one veggie with us (but would eat cucumber and egg sandwich - she wasn’t a vegan). The afternoon tea came and with all normal sandwiches. We said again one should be veggie and shared the sandwich preference, a short while later all new sandwiches came and looked like someone rushed the job - different sizes, rough edges, uneven and soggy. Disappointing.

Scones were nice and the cakes were nice.

I understand the hotel is very traditional, but the room was looking very tired. Lacked atmosphere and the staff, just didn’t seem to have much of a clue. Asides one young waiter who was the only friendly one and I could see this across several tables.

Paid £80 for champagne afternoon tea and I would recommend elsewhere. The landmark, Claridges, Mandarin Oriental, are much better.

Such a shame.

On my most recent visit to the UK, I wanted to visit 3 quintessential, traditional British hotels for dining and drinks. The Goring scored the lowest of the bunch in my book.

I give it high marks for atmosphere and cocktail preparation. The food, while I tasted only one dish, was disappointing - the reason for low marks overall. However, I do wonder if that was because I was seated at the bar and not the dining room. Same kitchen right?

The Day Boat Fish was not available the evening of my visit so Sea Bass was substituted. The Kale element of the dish was also not available and I was told grilled vegetables would be the substitute when in fact they were green peas from frozen. Yes really. You can tell by the by the skin of the pea before you even taste the chilled preservation method. New potatoes? Nothing new about these potatoes unless under cooked and under seasoned have become culinary trends.

So, stop in for a drink but don’t make it the last stop of your night.

Visited for afternoon tea. The hotel itself feels special. The decor is expensive and very tasteful and it has a quiet and private grandness to it. The garden is charming and lovely to sit and have a drink in. The service was very good. The afternoon tea was tasty and they offered more of anything but it wasn't special. It looked very ordinary and the cakes weren't great. The scones were the best bit of it. For the price, it certainly didn't stand out as one of the best afternoon teas I have had.

Absolutely stunning, luxury 5* hotel literally 30 seconds walking distance from Buckingham Palace, Victoria Train Station and St James's Park.

I can really see why the Royal Family are reported to enjoy staying here on special occasions as every aspect of the hotel is of a royal standard.

Special thanks to the incredibly friendly, helpful, professional and efficient Concierge "Jack" who really went over and above in assisting me - phenomenally impressive.

My experience was so amazing that I'm already planning my next visit (for Afternoon Tea) with guests from overseas to show them the best hotel in London.

6* Service. Highly recommended 10/10

Perfection. Best part was that, after a week of being unable to access my suitcase, the concierge took it on my behalf to Rimowa to be fixed while my husband and I enjoyed cocktails and tea. We had one slight issue where we were inadvertently charged for caviar we didn’t order but it was immediately removed from the bill without dispute upon checkout. It was handled as a five star property should and this was also remarkable. It is rare the property that gets it all right but they did it.

We stayed in two London hotels on our trip last month because when we were scheduling the trip we couldn't decide between the two so we thought, why not both! The Goring Hotel was the more traditional of the two and was absolutely lovely. Our room had a sitting room and the bathroom had a shower with a stand alone tub that was the the perfect size for a soak (I don't love an overly large tub). When you check in to your room they introduce you to Barbara the sheep and encourage you to take her home with you. Each night during turn down service they moved her to a new spot in the room which I was delighted by and I imagine children would be even more so! They had a very traditional afternoon tea that we really enjoyed and a beautiful display of flowers on the entry as we were there during the Chelsea Flower Show. My only critiques would be that some of the downstairs common spaces could use a bit of an update, particularly the dining room and the breakfast in the morning left something to be desired. All in all though we really loved our stay hear and I would definitely recommend the hotel.

My Wife and I came here for evening cocktails and bar food. We found the atmosphere to be very genial, relaxed and strangely like we had been here before (we haven't). There were some young children around but they were very well behaved and added to the homely vibe. The hotel facilities are very clean and well maintained. All Staff were very welcoming and helpful, with the explanation of the drinks being particularly good. The signature cocktails were beautiful, complex and varied and the food was very high quality. Drinks can be taken in the garden until 9pm. Will definitely be on our return list when in London.