I recently visited the Great Court Restaurant for Afternoon Tea during a day out in London. The restaurant is on the top floor of The British Museum, under the impressive arched glass roof. The Afternoon Tea was very nice, featuring a selection of sandwiches, scones and cakes. I was slightly disappointed with the cake selection as a couple of them were a bit tasteless, and it would have been nice to see some chocolate on one of them. The service was friendly and efficient, and our waitress was always happy to help. The only problem I had with the restaurant was the ambience. As it was a busy Sunday afternoon, the noise of thousands of people exploring the museum was rebounding around the entire restaurant, and after an hour, it was getting harder to tune it out. I think potentially if the restaurant were a bit more enclosed, it would make it a much more enjoyable experience. Overall, it was a nice Afternoon Tea and a nice way to spend an hour between exploring.

Really gone down since the last visit, overly expensive afternoon tea. You get about half the amount of food you'll expect for the price. This was voted one of the best in London in Timeout and used to be great value for money but it really is worth avoiding Service is slow, nothing is prioritized, no baby change It was clean though and staff friendly. If I was you, I'd leave and visit numerous better food places in the area and come back

Had an excellent Sunday lunch with friends - was quite surprised by just how good the food was. Had the asparagus and crab tart to follow and a delicious perfectly made panacotta with strawberries for dessert. One of our party had fish and chips which they said were excellent. The only off putting thing was the calories listed on the menu. Staff were friendly and helpful. I would definitely recommend it for a special lunch after a day’s sightseeing.

Afternoon tea at The Great Court Restaurant was very nice. After booking, I looked at more reviews which were mixed. I have to say I almost set myself up for not having an enjoyable experience, but I have to say the sandwiches, scones and cakes were delicious. We had a generous amount of clotted cream with our scones which was pleasant as sometimes you don’t have enough. Everything tasted really good. If I was going to make a slight criticism, (and my reason for 4 stars not 5), it would be that the staff were slightly standoffish with their attitude and didn’t make you feel overly welcome during service of our tea. We asked if we could have another choice of tea if we ordered more but to our disappointment, there were to be no added top ups for the price. I think given the amount we paid. another teabag wouldn’t have cut into the profits!! On the whole I would recommend and advise to book a table not just take chance of getting a table on the day

This was a really delightful and unique place to have afternoon tea in London! Do plan ahead and make a reservation in advance as it can get busy. It was a terrific break and I had tea as my lunch, after I spent the morning walking around the museum. I loved the Burleigh china service and the selection of sandwiches and petite desserts was nice. The sandwiches seemed a bit nicer than the desserts. I am a vegetarian and they easily adjusted the sandwiches to meet my needs. The Lea Valley cucumber with the black truffle crème fraiche and the Portland crab with why the dill and seaweed mayonnaise were both lovely and tasty. The scones with Devonshire cream and jam were delicious. Of the desserts, the Guinness black velvet cake was the most delicious. The Yorkshire rhubarb and strawberry tart tasted lovely but was an odd color—the filling was a bit brown and unappealing. I didn’t like the carrot and quinoa cake or the English sweet green pea and lemon cake the flavors and textures seemed a little off to me. Tea at the Great Court Restaurant probably falls between four and five stars as the desserts could be better. Service was good and polite but did slow down as they got busier. However, the location is outstanding and very convenient if you are going to have a morning/afternoon at the museum anyway.

Very nice place and food is delicious!

Lovely venue for some afternoon tea and a break from visiting the museum. Only downfall is the staff and how it’s run. You’re rushed to finish your meal and once the last sandwich has left the plate, a bill is placed on your table. Poor service, shame at its at a nice location

Ok for clearly tourists place. Waited for like five or ten minutes at entrance. Food is fine. It's under roof and no air conditioning, so a bit hot at summer warm day. May recommend if you are at the museum and want something more serious than sandwich.

13/9/2023. London with Leng Great court restaurant is big, we booked high tea together with museum tickets 2 weeks before. The service is great, handsome waiter checking us out a few times if everything was alright. The sandwiches must have been laid out on trays too long, the bread is dry . The fillings are unusual to us, interesting. The scones are also cold. It would be nice to heat up a bit just before serving.

Afternoon tea is a must here, but to avoid the lines and ensure a table, it's best to reserve ahead of time. We were seated promptly and were treated to a nice selection of teas and a delicious assortment of sandwiches and desserts. I was always under the impression that afternoon tea would not be filling, but we felt so stuffed towards the end that we actually couldn't finish our food! Service was very nice, and the ambience was quite soothing, due to the openness of the space and the light from the magnificent glass ceiling of the atrium. The cost of 33 pounds per person was a little steep, but given the amount and quality of the food, as well as the setting, it was worth it.

I booked a £30 per person afternoon tea. The sandwiches bread were dry. It felt it was out for a while. The scones were lovely The cakes were good but not particularly special. It is a very busy restaurant inside British Museum. The service was slow. We sat for a bout 5 mins to get waitrose's attention.. The tea didn't come hot enough. The tap water jar was not clean with water stain.

Sadly had to give such a low rating. The food is good (although we would have prefered it to be served warmer) but the service is shocking (hence no point asking for the food to be warmed up). Management are overheard complaining to staff who are sadly offering such a poor service to customers paying a high price in a venue that should be able to offer the British high standard of food service, everyone was aware of what was going on, tables upon tables of people needing assistance from the manager, staff forgetting simple things and orders messed up. We were in good spirits so we just tried to make the most of the poor service to the point that when one of us found a hair in the cheesecake and the replacement came back sprinkled with watercress enough was enough and all we could do was laugh. We know the cheesecake doesn't come served with liberal sprinkles of watercress for two reasons 1) no one else's on the table or the first one with hair had watercress and 2) no one even in forward thinking London serves cheesecake with a salad dressing of bitter watercress. Could be a perfect venue... The setting is beautiful the food you could tell has potential but there is a major staffing issue. Such a disappointment.

Food was fair so the price was relatively high. The problem was we wait for nearly 40mins for 2 mains, staff was not enthusiastic to help and just told us to wait. We waited for another 10mins for the bill. Unexpectedly we spent 1.5ht for a lunch. As a restaurant mainly serves tourist, it would be quite inefficient.

I had lunch in this place and I wouldn’t recommend you to go here, the service of this restaurant is terrible especially the man who deliveres the food. Not even mention that you need to pay 10% service fee for this experience. I would not come back to this place again.

We visited the museum and got hungry. When we got to the restaurant, we were informed that they can only serve coffee and cakes, no actual meals. Also, if you’re vegan, you have to order your food 24 hours in advance, because they apparently have no demand for it. The staff were extremely unpleasant too - the manager basically told us not to bother. We wouldn’t recommend it at all!

We were at the museum and desided to had the afthernoon tea wile we are there. There service is really bad. The person who took our order write it down, then a very mixed order arrived. Then another person stop by to confirm the order and then another. After a while we were served everything pretty much one by one. The food wasn't anything impressive, the sweetest as well. You will be better of to find food pastry please and have tea there. All tea pots were stained with tea, the cups as well, they looked dirty. This place is not worth it at all.

Service was disappointing. Slow in service, waiters stood there chatting for 15minutes even though they saw us wanting to get the bill. The waitresses attitude were arrogant as well. Food was good though.

NOTE: I bought the “two courses for £15.50” Group-On, so the review is based on that price alone. The lamb was tender, bordelaise sauce was great and the ice tea (drink, not part of the lamb dish) was refreshing. The decor of the place (the British Museum) was beautiful. Large stone walls, curves and quaint tables. Would recommend eating here, especially for the Group-On price.

Really tastey food. Nice rabbit terrine and great fish and chips. Friendly staff and timely service. Bit pricey but the location is great.

Between Christmas and New Year, we had a most disappointing Afternoon Tea experience. The first table to which we were shown was too small and cramped. The second was a little better, larger but still located in the curving corridor between the servicing area and the restaurant, just by the steps down to the gents' toilets. The service was spasmodic, some of the staff were surly and unfriendly. They were very quick to take our orders and very slow in responding to any follow-up requests. They managed to get the number of sandwiches wrong: four diners should equal four of each filling. Not too difficult, surely? Tea was in tea bags and served in tiny teapots. Should we really have had to ask for milk to go with our tea? Should they then have brought one small jug of milk for three of us to share? Tiny pots of jam, no butter and a splodge of cream for the scones. We deducted the service charge that had been added to the bill. No one asked why. What should have been a memorable family occasion in a lovely setting was, but for all the wrong reasons. We have eaten here before and recommended to our friends. We shall be doing neither from now on.

I highly recommend afternoon tea here, it is affordable. Food & staff are great.

We were going to the New Year's Eve lunch at BM with some shyness. There were a lot of visitors and customers. A table was found for us very quickly. The menu is not extensive but it's easy to choose something for yourself. The service is quick and kind. The kitchen delivers the order quickly. Everything beautifully presented and tasty. To be honest, we left the restaurant fully satisfied and full. Thank you for a wonderful meal and we wish the chefs and staff a Happy New Year.

Wanted something more than a sandwich so tried the restaurant at the British Museum. Was greeted courteously but then had to wait for a waitress to take my order, eventually the person who told me to wait for the waitress took my order; things seemed a bit " unsure ", they weren't busy yet movement was slow. Ordered the traditional Fish and Chips with a home-made lemonade drink which was great . A couple of ladies seated nearby sent their Fish and Chips ( quite popular) back complaining that it was nice but cold. Maybe this was an off-key kind of day for the restaurant but I would go again, just to make sure and give them a 5☆ review.

Had the afternoon tea here with my 6 year old son. The lady in charge was amazing! I had emailed the evening nieces and she had organised a table for us and a special tea with different sandwiches as he is really fussy. Food was great and enough for two to share with left overs. He also loved the fresh lemonade. Highly recommend

Food quality was not good. Seating not great even though reserved a table for lunch. Food came cold and when told nothing was done about it apart from they will mention it to the kitchen. Disappointed as was really looking forward to it.

(Translated by Google) The price was rather expensive but the bakery was delicious. (Original) 가격이 다소 비쌌지만 베이커리는 맛있었다.

Located in the British Museum. The best thing is that it accepts reservations. The service is relatively good, so we have to wait a long way. Food is a traditional British and is nothing special.

Really nice staff and atmosphere. Food was good balance between fine dining and causal food a s quality was great. Table was a tad small.

It remains an extraordinary place to eat. Besides the beautiful museum, this place in the vast atrium is also a place to be overwhelmed. And the food, too, actually delivers. It is a nice change between traditional English choices and some modern ones—more than worth a stop.

The place would be an ideal choice for enjoying a quintessential afternoon tea experience or a three-course lunch within the stunning British Museum atmosphere. The Afternoon Tea menu offers a selection of sandwiches, scones with Cornish clotted cream and Wilkin & Sons Tip tree strawberry jam, and delicate cakes along with the choice of flavored tea/Prosecco.

Avoid if you can. One of the worst restaurants I've been to in London. The food doesn’t taste like anything. The portions are small and WAY overpriced. The service that we had was lousy. Waited for 10 minutes for water after reminding the waitress about it 3 times. She was too busy chatting with other colleagues. Barley risotto looked more like a soup, than a risotto, and the taste was bland. The fish in Fish & Chips had about a dozen of bones in it. All the sauces were under the chips, so the chips were soggy and not crisp. The salmon main dish was the size of a tablespoon and was overcooked. Next time when we're in the museum, we'll try Pizzeria. Surely it can't be as bad as this place.

Afternoon tea was good for the price. I really like the scones. They were buttery and and not dry at all. I also enjoyed their hot chocolate that came with the afternoon tea. Service was good although a little slow. Doesn’t seem like they have enough staff for the area. I like their other entrees as well. We ordered the duck leg and the ribeye and they were both great (even though they were pricey). It’s definitely a pricey restaurant for its portion size and quality, but it’s really convenient since you can get lunch and check out the museum after

First time in London and first time having tea service. The food was very very good. The clotted cream and scone were the best bite of the day. We did experience some difficulty with staff. It could have been avoided if I had known I would need the reservation/receipt for the prepaid tea service either printed or on my phone. Since I didn’t have a roaming data plan and the wifi at the museum was bogged down, it took awhile to download the attachment/pdf receipt. In hindsight I should have screen shot it (as I did with the tickets), but I truly thought they would have my reservation information by using my last name. They weren’t super friendly about it so I get the feeling it happens a lot. Lesson learned. The tea service was very touristy but I highly recommend it.

A pleasant location for lunch whilst visiting the Museum. Menu is ok. Food we had was very good. Although, I’m not sure tartar sauce hidden underneath the chips and the fish is the best way present the fish accompaniment. Sadly our waitress Claudia wasn’t very attentive. Happier chatting with the chefs and fellow colleagues than serving on tables. She was ‘transactional’ in her demeanour than friendly. She needs more training in customer service. To top it all a 10% service charge is automatically added and the receipt states ( that’s after you’ve paid !) the service charge is optional. So there no motivation for Claudia to be any different is there?

Food very average , service was terrible. The young lady who was serving us had no idea what to do , she didn't speak clearly so was difficult to hear, offered no response to our requests and was clearly in need of instruction in regards to how to deal with other humans. My wife is gluten free and the choice is very limited on a limited menu. We have been before some years ago and it was great, not sure what's happened but improvementnis required as it was the best part of £90 for lunch for two adults and a child.

Had afternoon tea - rubbish - cold scones, poor service, weak tea, dry dry sandwiches. Then got charged 10% for service! Waste of 100 quid. Avoid

Much better than expected at a reasonable price point.

Food is good, the lunch line is long, make reservation, the service needs improvement .

A beautiful space and worth the extra price compared to the cafe downstairs. A gear IPA and Prosecco to begin followed by a lovely risotto and tortellini and finished off with Bakewell tart with coffee. Faultless

Food is incredibly bland, despite it looking good and being on the fancier side. No flavour at all in the watery risotto or the dry cake. Service is fine and coffee was good. Maybe simplify your menu, add some spice or just throw it all out and keep the coffee machine.

We booked a table for 1pm because we wanted to guarantee eating early and leaving early as we had a visit in the afternoon. Well, we nearly missed it because the service was horribly slow. We had to ask for the bill twice and when it arrived, it was wrong because the 2-course menu offer hadn't been applied to it. On the other hand, I have to say that the food was good. However, I won't go there again.

Booked the afternoon tea as all other hotels etc serving were fully booked. Sandwich bread was dry, like they had been made in the morning and sat there all day waiting to be served. You really can't make sandwiches fresh? Not that hard. Absolute shocker. Scones are served cold but at least were edible. Didn't even try the sweets but they probably aren't fresh either. Not worth the £30 pp charge. Go elsewhere for afternoon tea.

(Translated by Google) Very bad service. For afternoon tea from 3:00 p.m. you must not sit down at 2:55 p.m. (although everything is free). The waitress completely ignored us. The scons were miserable. (Original) Sehr schlechter Service. Für den Afternoon Tea ab 15:00 darf man sich um 14:55 nicht hinsetzen (obwohl alles frei ist). Die Bedienung hat uns komplett ignoriert. Die Scons waren miserabel.

Poor service . Booked for a special event my daughter's 13th birthday . Waited a long time . Staff not chatty or engaging. Struggled to get service . The tea was ok . Disappointed really

It's like watching a Gordon Ramsay restaurant before he shows up to yell at people that badly need yelling at.

The hostess was far from friendly, luckily the waitresses were nice. We were told the only option is the afternoon tea when we arrived, while other guests arriving after us got to order form the menu. Our guess is that the hostess wanted us to decide to not come in because we were with a baby, but we cannot be sure of course. We agreed to the afternoon tea, but that was very disappointing as well. The only lovely thing on it was the scones. The sandwiches were very dry, like bread you leave out for a day or two and were not especially tasty either. The cakes lacked any particular flavour beside being sweet and they brought out the 4 teas in 2 tea cans that had 2 and 2 filters in each... Not too elegant after ordering 4. It has potential to being nice, but it has to improve.

Food is not at par with decorum and fancy naming. For example the "Norfolk free range chicken (title in bold), leek & mushroom pie"... Guess what? It's a pie with some chicken and leek and mushroom. Poorly cooked from frozen. Unless they forgot to serve the chicken that day? So in summary food is terrible (safe choice: cheese board, nothing can go wrong there, it was decent and the best dish we had) but the location is very very nice, and relatively quiet, which is definitely on the plus side.

Vastly overpriced. Lied about vegan menu - I should report them to Islington council for blatantly claiming that their milky gnocchi were vegan. Uncomfortable seating. Rip-off.

Do better, British Museum. For your customers. For British food. Please Great location in a fantastic space. Shame the food was substandard and awful value for money. I don't have an issue paying £6.50 for a starter while enjoying a lovely day out with my friends. However barely five slithers of aubergine, blandly seasoned, burnt (seriously, I consider myself a fantastic cook and this tasted charred and I was picking carcinogenic back bits off), plated like someone was having a bad day is just so disappointing. The gnocchi mains we shared was ok but one could find better off in an oven ready meal. The only 2 saving graces that brings this review to a grudging 3 stars were the carrot cake and the very sincere, polite, apologetic waiter. If it weren't for the fact I really wasn't up for any confrontation that day, the manager would have had a sturdy complaint from me. Perhaps tea and cake here would be decent enough. Stay clear of the savouries in that case and go get a sandwich or salad from elsewhere.

Rude staff.

Just fancied a light cream tea. Loved the atmosphere, good quality for money. Staff were very friendly, and we were surprised we didn't have to wait for a table! Would definitely come back!

A relaxing environment at one corner of a museum serving authentic Mediterranean cuisine. The restaurant is a better option rather than the cafe in the Great Courtyard. The taste of food served is good. Loved it. The service was nice except some delays during the peak lunch time.

Not sure which restaurant other reviewers were at recently. Service was excellent, just made it before it filled up, friendly and attentive staff, really nice food. Constant refills of water jug. Nothing to fault

The best carrot cake we’ve ever had: nutty and fruity every bite. Perfect proportion of butter and sugar. Only complaint is, the dessert bar does not have any glass cloches to cover the cakes, which exposes them to the natural elements and the crowd that passes by the museum foyer every hour. There are even school kids who come so close to sneezing on the cakes :P

Excellent choice when you plan to cruise the museum for more than two hours. You'll get easily tired you don't know how. I made payment in advance with no problem. The payment included 2 course lunch - either starter + main course or main course and a desert. I chose traditional fish and chips with no regrets. Of course it's good to have something to drink. Service fee £5. Payment at the cashdesk. Waitresses and waiters was hurried a little. Rush hour (came around 1 PM). For me a favourable experience.

Very good food and price considering this is in London and inside a major tourist attraction. I'm very confused with the negative reviews here. I have paid more for a simple hot dog at Disney land for example than a nice and somewhat refined dish at this location...

Very good meal, good service and a good glass of wine. Coffee reasonable

Nothing special, but inevitable if visiting the British Museum for the day - this is the Great Court Restaurant at the British Museum. This was one of a few options, if we wanted to safe time for visiting the British Museum instead of wondering around the quarter to look for a decent restaurant. There are huge queues at lunch time, so better make a reservation beforehand.Service is relatively fast, even during the most visited hours, but food is nothing special, and is not as cheep as its quality would suggest. Nevertheless, - a good choice to rest for an hour after - and before - walking around the millions of artifacts inside the museum.

(Translated by Google) dynamic and friendly staff abundant portions good the price. (Original) Personale dinamico e gentile abbondanti le porzioni ottima la qualità prezzo.

Good afternoon experience with good location, tea, and price.

A lovely menu, attentive helpful staff and wonderful setting.

Food was decent but service was very slow.

Quite the amazing facility within this astounding museum

Staff very attentive. Food good.

I quite enjoyed my meal here , food was of good quality but nothing outstanding , the staff were professional , was asked several times how I was . I would eat here again .

Very pleasant place to grab a coffee

Ridiculously expensive!

Very good food for the price. The fish and chips was excellent, particularly the light crispy batter. I also quite enjoyed the coffee.

(Translated by Google) Well (Original) ດີ

Delicious tea cakes and scones with an amazing atmosphere however service is a bit slow but was a nice experience.

(Translated by Google) Excellent cost benefit (Original) Excelente custo benificio

The Great Court Restaurant at the British Museum is a "go-to" for tourists, locals and people from all over the world. The restaurant serves a fresh, seasonal menu that changes daily providing your dining experience with plenty of exciting dishes. It has become known as one of the best restaurants in London for fish and fish dishes.

Did not expect the greatest since after all it’s in a museum. Service was rather poor and completely inattentive. You wait a while till you are even asked. Then you get the dish and that’s it, except if he has forgotten to bring the plates. The Afternoon Tea is not really worth it. The toastbread is dry and some of the ingredients have no taste or not the one you expect. Sweet are mainly sweet. I think they know it because they’re not surprised if you leave stuff and they definitely don’t ask. Tea excellent. But no second. If you feel like having a small bite, just do that, get one or two small dishes. But don’t waste it a set tea.

Food was lovely and for location it was great. Not the cheapest though

Went to the British museum for high tea. Fairly easy to get a reservation and was decent. We had a glass of bubbly and had a good selection of scones, sandwiches and sweets. The tea was also very good. The only downside is they will kick you out when the museum is about to close. So give your self time.

Great Location, friendly and attentive staff with great food

Great food and service at reasonable prices for central London.

(Translated by Google) Delightful place, characteristic dishes and delicious home made desserts (Original) Posto delizioso, piatti caratteristici e dolci home made deliziosi

Been here for the third time and from the appetiser down to its desserts, it never failed my tastebuds. Great customer service and chastely perfect tablewares.

Here, desired place is not possible! Service Employees unfortunately very inflexible and unsympathetic. We wanted to drink something and were sat next to the barbecue area where it stank. Actually 1 star but since we were allowed to sit after the discussion but still on our desired place 2 star

(Translated by Google) Service and food are good. There is a children's menu. It was full after 12:00. (Original) サービスと料理は良い。子供メニューあり。12時過ぎると満席でした。

The soup is too salty, waitress was good but other staffs' service is terrible.

We did afternoon tea here. The staff was friendly but i have to say i enjoyed it more when i was here a couple of years ago. The sandwiches where not to our liking and we could see, the people around us left them on the plate as well. The scone was good. In future i would only get the cream tea with the scone, it is cheaper and you can’t go wrong with a scone.

"My experience at the British Museum BENUGO’s restaurant was truly delightful. I opted for the 3 courses meal and also indulged in the afternoon tea. Each dish was a burst of flavors, but the lemon tart stood out with its perfect balance of sweetness and citrusy notes. Furthermore, the variety of options and the quality of the food exceeded my expectations. The reasonable pricing makes the experience even more satisfying. I highly recommend this venue for anyone seeking an exceptional culinary experience in the cultural heart of London."