Afternoon Tea at Le Méridien Piccadilly Hotel in London, England UK
While in London, Scott surprised me with an afternoon tea service at the Terrace Grill & Bar in Le Méridien Piccadilly Hotel, which he had booked via Groupon. Upon checking in with the hostess, Scott was asked to show the Groupon voucher which took a little while to pull up since he didn't have it on hand. Since we had been shopping before, it was nice that the restaurant offered a coat check so we could leave any belongings with the hostess.
The afternoon tea seating area was in a bright, glass conservatory part of the restaurant which provided a sense of openness and was well lit with natural light. The hostess quickly reviewed the menu options and asked of any dietary restrictions (Scott has a nut allergy) before being greeted by what seemed like a manager that asked if we were celebrating anything special or using a special deal? That seemed strange to me as many of the other guests seemed very casual and this was not a fine dining dinner service. I had never been asked at a restaurant if I was celebrating a special occasion unless that restaurant specifically catered to showcasing moments like that. We figured maybe he was inquiring if we were using a promotion deal, so we clarified that we had pre-booked a specific afternoon tea through Groupon. Scott had actually wanted to propose to me here during afternoon tea but the plans fell through as the reservations team became unresponsive. I'm glad that he didn't ask here as it didn't seem as romantic or special.
The rest of afternoon tea unfolded with a disjointed experience. I must say that for what I thought was a proper afternoon tea in London, the restaurant hit the nail on the head with the tea and bites. The service itself wasn't terrible but just seemed awkward; one or two servers were being trained and it took awhile to get all the items out to the table. The server did bring out a separate nut-free dessert plate for Scott which I thought was great so he could thoroughly enjoy the sweets as well. The scones were warm and tasted delish with the clotted cream and strawberry jam. There were moments where the dining area felt unattended, I could tell as I looked around and the other guests seemed to be waiting for a server to come back. We did have what seemed like another restaurant manager ask us if everything was going well, and at that point we had received everything for our afternoon tea.
Overall, the tea was in a beautiful location and so close to Piccadilly Circus; had a variety of treats to enjoy with tea, however one finger sandwich seemed questionable to me (not as fresh, like it had been sitting out since morning); and a great selection of teas, Scott and I really enjoyed our Moroccan Mint and White Rosy Fig teas. See if you can catch Scott's nervousness (as he battles his frustration with having to change his mind at proposing to me during tea) in my vlog below.
Terrace Grill & Bar at Le Méridien Piccadilly Hotel
21 Piccadilly · W1J 0BHLondonENGB
Phone +442078513085
Email piccadilly.terrace@lemeridien.com
Business Hours
Breakfast (Weekdays) 7:00 to 10:30
Breakfast (Weekends Only) 07:00 to 11:00
Brunch (Weekends Only) 12:30 to 15:00
Lunch 12:00 to 14:30
Dinner 17:30 to 22:30
Afternoon Tea 12:00 to 18:00
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