The Delaunay Reviews

Really disappointing , I live in London and eat out a few times each month. Over a number of years The Delaunay has been, for me, my default "go to" place for meals with friends family and for business dinners; I have recommended it to many friends and business colleagues so it is with enormous disappointment that I write this review of my most recent dining experience there.

I booked a table to celebrate a birthday with some friends. I asked to keep the table for as long as is possible in the booking notes. We arrived on time, the restaurant was busy and we were all excited in anticipation of excellent food and service The food arrived and we were busy chatting when we could smell a strong waft of cigarette smoke behind us. We turned to see one of the diners on the table behind trying to furtively drag on an e-cigarette and then hide it in his pocket !

Finding the head waiter I asked if he could tell the diner sitting on this table (and, for reasons which will become apparent) accompanied by, and next, to a "one time" famous Hollywood actress to stop smoking so we could enjoy our meal / evening. He agreed and did so but the smoking continued. We complained another three times but the head water seemed unable or unwilling to resolve this issue so we stood up and moved ourselves to another table further back in the restaurant carrying our now cold food with us without assistance (in fact a number of the waiting staff told us we couldn't move tables) and finally one member of our table had to leave our party to ask the individual who was smoking to stop, at this point the head waiter returned saying this was putting him in the "middle" of a difficult situation....

We tried to return to our evening, however, the drama continued as the diner who continued to smoke left the table and was "comforted" by the head waiter with his arm around him as he left the establishment, one of my party caught his attention and demanded an apology, finally we arrived at his apology but it was really far too late as our birthday celebration was ruined.

Shortly after we were asked to leave our table, however, "one time" famous Hollywood actress whose guest had continued to smoke was still being entertained "royally" as we left for drinks at a nearby hotel and continued our evening.

In conclusion, our food was cold, my meal was definitely not the same quality as I had come to expect. However my overriding memory is the terrible discriminatory service we received, not only did I speak to the head waiter but a number of staff who were happy to smile and do nothing.

Despite being regular customers it was clear our patronage and our many recommendations were meaningless and in that moment we did not matter. A bitter disappointment and let down.....

Such a lovely place to have brunch, a wonderful atmosphere

Lovely setting but slow service really ruined it. And at that price!! Not really acceptable - we had to get a waiters attention for each course

Word of caution... It s a little intimidating coming here for breakfast as a tourist. You ll be surrounded by magic circle firms, guys talking high finance, etc. You get it. That said, we still found a table, and I got myself an English breakfast with perhaps one of the better blood puddings and thinly sliced buttered sour doughs.

Fabulous food, great staff, convenient to local theatres

Food was good and service excellent.

Mains- sausages selection of two - best sausages I had.
Kedgeree - tasty and portion good.

Atmosphere and service excellent. Very spacious. Good for business meeting or informal dinner with other half.

Prices are high at this restaurant.

Great location super menu good food great service well worth a visit

A classy brasserie perfect for pre- and post- theatre.

Love this place, bit pricey but great food and gorgeous setting. Can get noisy and difficult to hear dining companions!

Good service and food - marred by appalling child/parents a decent meal spoiled by very rude child/adults. Staff excellent.

Beautiful bar and restaurant in Alwych in the heart of London. Had an early breakfast with a client. Food was excellent as was the service. Recommended.

Very nice atmosphere, okay service, good food, but the espresso macchiato tasted cheap and burnt.

Step back in time to an age of effortless elegance and refined service. There's nothing exciting or challenging in the menu and it certainly isn't a budget establishment, but what they do is done simply and very well indeed. Go for an experience, stay for the ambience and hospitality.

Nothing special about their dishes. The services is not of very high quality. It was a bad experience that I will not repeat

Amazing place, service excellent, highly recommend.

Delicious breakfast cakes and coffee in the coffee bar.

My husband and I went for breakfast here on Sunday and just couldn't put our finger on why we didn't like it. The service is efficient (cold and distant), the atmosphere is fine, nice cutlery, bathrooms - we just didn't enjoy it. I wasn't hungry, so ordered a 'crispy bacon roll' with a fried egg while my husband had the full English. My bacon was black and tasted burnt and the roll was too light to hold bacon and egg, so just crumbling everywhere, so I left my food. My husband's breakfast was fine, so I thought I had just chosen wrong but when we were back on the street 35min after walking in, we both agreed - it was not a nice experience at all.

I liked it so much . Going back this Saturday night.

I've lived in London all my life and have passed by countless times without ever registering this place. The Austrian theme is well executed with a nice food and drinks menu. I ordered the sachertorte, which was super chocolatey with a nice citrus touch. Dense and tasty!

I came for lunch with a baby and a pram and they were super nice accommodating the pram beside a table. Nice environment and delicious food.

I had just returned from Vienna, I already missed Viennese pastries! Fortunately, The Delaunay is here to fill this desire! This place really makes us travel directly to Austria, with its woody decor and vintage movie posters written in German. Plus, the pastries are really good! Next time, I will try their restaurant!

Nice and buzzy atmosphere. Only went for coffee which was good but pricey.

Very nice Austrian cafe. Good for a light meal and excellent cakes. Very pleasant atmosphere.

Excellent food and very good service. Reasonably priced. Lovely setting, but very noisy when full - not great if you're hard of hearing.

Lovely place for delicious afternoon tea with affordable price. Highly recommend.

Quintessential London space especially good for breakfast. Service however is patchy.

Lovely place with a great menu and excellent service. Prices are medium-high but worth it for the quality and service you get. And of course the location can't be beaten, right in the centre of London and just a short walk to so many other interesting places.

Lovely classy place and great food. But the main draw is the brilliant staff. I took my 7yo daughter for her birthday last year for afternoon tea and she loved it so much she is insisting on going again this year for her birthday over absolutely anywhere else in London!

Very nice cafe. I sit only outside, enjoying the busy city traffic.

I ordered the chicken schnitzel with ham and cheese was excellent. It comeswity a small sald.


The menu selection is nice!

Beautiful food and coffee. Well worth the money. Great value and lovely, calming decor.

Ideal for a quick snack before the theater. English cuisine.

Excellent venue with first class service and great tasting dishes from a wide menu. Expect to pay London West End prices especially from the wine menu. But the place has a wonderful ambiance both in the restaurant and the bar area. Plus there is the Bistro section next next.

An Austrian place in a busy location with great food and staff.

Sophisticated and chic decor with attentive and kind staff. We booked a table and were very impressed with the food and service. Portions are generous and the location is perfect!

Super classy and traditional restaurant. Very british. Great for fine dining but also some reasonably priced dishes too. Service is classy and attentive. Wines and champagnes are reasonably priced. Breakfast of delicious with lots of nice pastries. Open late and always busy so recommend booking!

Excellent restaurant. Quality dishes and for French flavors. Some dishes are inspired by German cuisine.

Stunning, absolutely stunning.
Great staff, truly great staff. Food was wonderful, the German red I had was incredible and all at a fairly decent price. If in the area and you fancy a treat, go here!

Came here as part of a special girls family day out on a Sunday and had really bad service. I wasn't even sure who was looking after us. Very unhelpful with advice of menu options. Everyone seemed rushed off their feet and yet not doing anything. The food was fine but not great. We didn't even bother having dessert as we anticipated more disappointment. Will not return until the service has improved.

Quite possibly the best bacon bun in London - although I assume that most people drop in for Schnitzel or Strudel.
It's just a wonderful place to start the day, whether on your own watching the world wake up or with friends. Lovely ambience and efficient, smart staff.

Lovely ambiance, great selection of teas and pastries, reasonably priced Austrian fare.

I order the NY hot dog (6.5), Americano (4.75), Flat White (3.75), Omelet with all items (9.25) and Assam tea (4.25). The price is high but the service is very nice. The atmosphere of restaurant is very cozy. Full of people, you can hear people giggling, family laughing, chatting friends and couples dating. I like and enjoy here very much and will definitely back again. ^^

Nice decoration which seems to be the only justification to the bill. Food was not impressive even tasteless while expensive (I haven't tried pastries and viennoiseries though). The service is very professional but lacks warmth. A good place for an afternoon coffee, that's it!

Just a fantastic restaurant with a delightful menu and brilliant service.

Only stopped in the cafe, but very crowded and tables squashed together. Very ordinary

So art deco. A great and reasonable place for brunch.

Great breakfast, poached eggs, avocado mash on toast and great coffee.

Ambiente is great. Waiters very professional and polite. The downside is the food. No presentation whatsoever and the taste is boring.

Don't bother, sorry!

Good old breakfast service is good as well. Nice for a breakfast meeting

classy but very noisy brasserie - with a wide array of food to be found on the menu to satisfy all - service is ok - ambience is just about right if verging on touristy/pre-theatre - worth going for lunch more than anything else

The cheese cake is amazing, just like I use to get from a bakery in Austria, my all time favourite. Will be definitely coming back for more when I go back to London.

This place was marked by the lonely planet then after seeing the pictures we decided to go and we were pleasantly impressed! We ordered 2 English teas served with cold milk separately and two desserts, I got a very good slice of sacher and my boyfriend a fruit dessert ....! All great! Perfect atmosphere! The guys near us were eating and the dishes were beautiful! The staff were very polite, we got a very nice Chinese waiter! This was the side we say "bar" but through a door there was just the restaurant! I recommend going there for breakfast if you can otherwise get a desser accompanied by a good tea !!!

Visited this place for afternoon tea, and it was great. The place is beautiful, service is friendly, and the quality of sandwiches and cakes you get is on par with places twice as expensive.

One of my favourite cafes in Central London. Excellent coffee & brunch in a Viennese coffeehouse style environment

Had the afternoon tea option. So convenient for being so exceptionally nice. Twenty pounds for all those options, with great quality and amazing atmosphere. Also the staff is incredibly professional. Recommend it!

Delightful Austrian themed afternoon tea, with lovely sweet and savoury treats

An excellent restaurant with a very nice cafe section. Perfect to have a wide range of different coffees, desserts or other meals, such as sandwiches, hotdogs or soups either individually or with family, friends and/or colleagues. The ambiance and decor is charming and service has always been great. The menu is also quite extensive and the Counter is spacious enough to find a seat even during busy hours making it my favourite lunch break location.

Beautiful patio on a sunny Saturday! I loved the spinach quiche - great service!

Good show - larger and more modern than most London Theatres

One of the rare (and excellent) places to serve omelette Arnold Bennett

Favourite for breakfast, great portions, attentive service

Very nice casual restaurant. Service great, tolerant staff, lovey decor.

Great service, but pricey and uninspired food. I'm guessing folks come here for the status and luxury, not for the cuisine.

Nice pastries for afternoon tea, although portions were very small.

What a great restaurant! The food was perfect (I'd recommend the fillet beef stroganoff which is the best I've ever had) and the service was impeccable. We'll certainly be returning again soon.

A wonderful venue, with great ambience and excellent service, I eat here regularly

A very nice Viennese coffee, very nice and delicious things you have there, also that staff is friendly

Fabulous silver service all day menu from Afternoon Teas, 3-course meals or Viennese Deli counter with pavement seating.