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Café Royal

Hotels, Luxury hotels Piccadilly
4 out of 5 stars
(7user reviews)

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Regent Street's historic Café Royal reopened as a hotel in 2012 with a look that stayed true to its glamorous French roots from when it first opened in 1865. It now stands as a 160-bedroom boutique hotel with luxury suites available. Cafe Royal is also the site of restaurant and bar offerings hoping to mirror the building's hospitality heritage - these include The Oscar Wilde Bar and fine dining in the Domino restaurant.  

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Details
Static map showing venue location
Address: 68
Regent Street
London
W1B 4DY
Contact:
www.hotelcaferoyal.com Call Venue 02074-063333
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Users say (7)

4 out of 5 stars

Average User Rating

4.4 / 5

Rating Breakdown

  • 5 star:4
  • 4 star:2
  • 3 star:1
  • 2 star:0
  • 1 star:0
LiveReviews|7
2 people listening

Hotel Cafe Royal is definitely a favourite of mine for Afternoon Tea. The staff were super attentive and the Oscar Wilde Bar has been beautifully restored which creates a very regal but relaxed ambience. The afternoon tea itself was heavenly - really inventive selection and generous portions, they even let me boyfriend have second helpings of pretty much everything. Wonderful way to spend a Sunday afternoon!

Tastemaker

I once snuck in here to use the bathroom. Best luxury bathroom decision I ever made - I think there were solid silver tap handles, and my hands were dried by a warm bundle of soft puppies. Or that's what it felt like. If I ever wanted to impress someone who liked either Oscar Wilde or gold and decadance, I would bring them here. Imagine walking into an opulent golden mirrored palace, and you'll be close to imagining it.


By far the most grand afternoon tea I have visited, I was taken here by two lovely friends as a birthday present and it was most definitely very fancy. The intricate and detailed architecture and decoration in the room made for a very sophisticated feel. The service was very good and the food was delicious, I was utterly stuffed! Loved the jam that were given to take home, that was a really nice touch.


What made it all very special was the pianist in the middle of the room who played throughout the afternoon tea but in particular there were several birthday's in the room and he played Happy Birthday on the piano whilst they brought us out a treat. I have never had Happy Birthday played to me on piano before, it was a first and made the experience all the more special.


Wow what can I say but I went along to The Café in Hotel Café Royal to experience their desserts that they sell and what can I say but WOW. I went along with some Yelp friends which made the whole experience even better as the company alone was great. Now about the desserts what can I say but wow wow wow the desserts that was served was amazing looking alone with lego brick type moose and lollipop looking dessert made out of strawberry moose but the taste was a massive explosion on the tongue with its tanginess and sharpness all what a girl expects from a dessert. Not bland at all super sweet and tangy I highly recommend if you want a dessert that is tangy and not bland and gives you a explosion of taste sensation in your mouth. Go along!

Tastemaker

Seeing ladies in ball gowns in front of the entrance to the Hotel Café Royale, I shivered inside thinking I would look totally out place there in my blue Doc Martens and mermaid dress. Luckily, despite its cold marble decor, The Café itself is very accessible and welcoming for ‘the common people’ while keeping the service at the highest level.


We visited the place with my partner to try the Sarah Barber dessert only menu.


We were asked whether we have any preference in the order of dishes being served, but we decided to go with the order suggested by the chef.


I started with the Rhubarb Crumble, which actually was rhubarb in three ways. The crumble was served in a little jar accompanied by a cute tub of vanilla cream. Next to it were two deeply pink sliced of poached rhubarb served with a small doughnut with rhubarb filling, which was OK, but I think it’d be much better if it was served warm.

My second course was The Queen of Hearts, which didn’t look the most tempting to me when I had checked the menu beforehand, but was by far my favourite dish that evening. Fresh raspberries and lychees, with rose creamy balls, lemon sauce, rose petals in sugar, finished with delicate white chocolate cards with rose filling and sherbet sprinkles, complimented with a gin, rose and Prosecco cocktail, was a ruling combination for me.


The deconstructed Jaffa Cake was served in a pot with a lid decorated with chocolate toadstools, edible flowers and edible soil peppered with hidden popping candies. Inside, you’d find a cake slice covered in glossy chocolate with moist almond and orange filling. Definitely, the classiest jaffa cake I’ve ever tried!


Eat Me Drink Me, ie. deconstructed Snickers bar was again a slice of layered cake with all the familiar flavours, golden peanuts on the top and a malted mini shake served on a side. The best part of it was the little dollop of salted caramel.

My boyfriend balanced his selection with 2 of the savoury desserts, which were equally sensational.


All the food was served with perfectly matching alcohols (which is optional, but I personally recommend) at very reasonable price. We’ll definitely be back as we haven’t exhausted our curiosity; the Mad Hatter is left for me at another tea party.


Its all a bit mixed here.

Its a hotel , a cafe , a restaurant and a club - oh and a bar (two in fact)

The bit that really works is the old Grill Room.

You can picture Oscar Wilde drinking there.

The rest is OK , but over-priced and sort of betrays the elegance and glamour of what was here in the past.

The Club Level upstairs is a great place to meet , and has interesting art exhibitions. Just a pity its private.

I hear there is a bedroom suite with a private balcony that overlooks Piccadilly Circus. Now that's cool , but I suspect the price tag is a little beyond me.

Here's a picture I took from the Club Level 

Staff Writer

I'll be honest with you, afternoon tea is not really my thing, but wow, if you're going to do it, the Café Royal is delightful. Although very formal, the atmosphere is very relaxed, a few tourists, but mainly people out for a special afternoon's tea. Tea was served in The Oscar Wilde Bar, a beautiful room, with gold leaf in abundance. The pianist quietly playing in the background, tea is served with a flourish of beautifully presented sandwiches and canapés with a typically British theme, we had an incredible multi-coloured Spitfire lollipop, which was made from a gorgeous rich chocolate. All washed down with a glass of champagne and tea, of which there are 25 to choose from. The staff are attentive, but suitably discreet, interspersed with the odd announcement and humorous Oscar Wilde anecdotes from the master of ceremonies. Very enjoyable, definitely go, you won't be disappointed.

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