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What reviewers say about The Wolseley

Generated with AI from 2,025 reviews on Trustburn · updated 18 days ago

Customers describe The Wolseley as having attentive, impeccable service, a bustling and elegant atmosphere in its striking former bank building, and delicious food such as breakfasts and coffee, though a few noted isolated issues like salty mains or slow handling of a phone-charging request.
What does The Wolseley do?

The Wolseley is a café-restaurant in Mayfair, on London's Piccadilly, serving breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea, dinner and weekend brunch.

What are the most common complaints about The Wolseley?

Looking at the critical reviewers, the most common complaints were about the food quality and value for money, with one reviewer calling the venue overpriced and dirty and another saying the food was not so good and that it may be living off its location and name.

AI-generated from reviews on this page. Verify anything important with the company directly.

Emily Smith
Reviews 1

Staff was friendly and was not too busy on a Monday night. Food was good. White onion soup and quail egg starter were both fantastic. We thought our mains, coq au vin and veal meatballs were a little salty. Meatballs were wrapped in bacon which we didn't remember on the menu. We were having a little celebration and they brought over some lovely macaroons. Building was decorated nicely as well.

Meetun Sharma
Reviews 1

Great service, love the bustling atmosphere, varied clientele, something for everyone... Did I mention the service? Incredibly attentive without being overbearing, managed my fellow diner's dietary requirements with understated efficiency.

Drew and Carla Woodcock
Reviews 1

Christmas hamper nightmare. We placed our order for a number of hampers and other gifting for our clients.They sat on our order for a week and did nothing, meaning we missed our deadline. Half the order went out at the eleventh hour, the rest got cancelled. We had to contact all our clients explaining why they didn t get their hamper this year. Instead they will be getting a Fortnum & Mason hamper in the new year.

Elmsy
Reviews 1

Wonderful decor. Easy to get to. Green Park and 3 min walk. Had a reservation. There were people being turned away at the door so I wouldn't bother without reserving. Pleasant staff at door. I was a few minutes early but they gently More

Gary Andrews
Reviews 1

Decadent would be the first word that springs to mind with the Wolseley. Not to mention classy. And expensive, albeit reassuringly so (and far more that Stella Artois could ever hope to be). And let's not forget sumptuous and, if you're that way inclined, positively gluttonous. And that's just breakfast. Actually, breakfast is the only thing I've ever eaten at The Wolseley, partly because I have far less patience than Job when it comes to waiting months for a table, and I'd require several extra jobs and possibly a mortgage on my house to afford it. But I digress. This is not about the virtues of patience and frugality, it's about one of the most incredible breakfasts you're likely to experience. Obviously the decor helps. The grand dining area is designed to resemble a Viennese coffee house, albeit one that makes Starbucks resemble Poundland. Possibly because posters and trailers for the movie are currently ubiquitous, it has a Great Gatsby feel to it, although I'm well aware I'm talking wrong eras and country here, We're quite entitled to make a fuss over the food though. A potato rosti was elevated to a prince among breakfasts thanks to some of the best Worcestershire Sauce tasted by mankind, while duck egg and haggis was melt-in-your-mouth perfection. And as for the chocolate brioche, it could have easily made a whole lunch by itself. If you're going to be a proper London tourist and see The Ritz, Buckingham Palace, a minor royal stumbling out of Mahiki, and so on, then you really must add The Wolseley as a must-visit destination. If just just want one of the finest breakfasts known to humanity, then that's just dandy too.

Young Oh Wee
Reviews 1

Having breakfast in hotels could be ridiculously expensive in London. But Wolseley is great place tonhave English breakfast. I dont think they take reservation but the wait was relatively short and the food served quickly. It is somewhere I would recommend visitors to London to try.

C. Hauser
Reviews 1

The nicest of all was the receptionist. I was a walk in so got a table at the less fancy section near the entrance. Not sure if that's the cafe. The waiters were very cold, not welcoming, and looked like they came out of a funeral. Especially this lady who just dismissed my presence. Not that the restaurant cares about walk-in's like us anyway, even we drop the same amount of cash. Disappointing attitudes, mediocre food. Whoever said this place has the best Benedicts, they are LYING. 9 pounds for an egg. Come on.

Ken Liu
Reviews 1

The Wolseley oozes charm from a bygone era of London, ironic considering it launched in 2003, not 1923 - but somehow gets away with it. Luxurious building, an old car showroom apparently, and favourite haunt of minor celebs if you're into that sort of thing. Food is defiantly old fashioned. Think heavy souffles, steaks and tartares. Priced at the high end somewhat so the occasional treat rather than a regular haunt, unless you have an expense account. Worth it once in a while for the experience

David Oliver
Reviews 1

Excellent place! I choose it to have my first brunch of the year 2018 and they gave me some gifts on the Christmascrackers (first time for me!), they kept my luggage safe in some place where I would not worry about it and the quality of the food was perfect, they serve it quick.

Adam Lancaster
Reviews 1

Don t believe the hype. Went expecting great food and impeccable service. The food is good but oy vey the service is mediocre - flagging someone down to order, forgetting one of our drinks, a general lack of attention. Charges a premium but you d get better service in a diner. Forget The Wolseley and head to Fischer s instead.

English Gent Esq
Reviews 1

This was our first visit to the Wolseley to celebrate my wife s birthday. The interior is wonderful, especially the high vaulted ceiling and impressive chandeliers leading to the sense of a special dining occasion. The standard of food and service is equally excellent. We also had the pleasure of meeting and briefly chatting with the co-founder of the Wolseley restaurant, Mr Jeremy King, whilst he was circulating amongst the diner s tables, which was a pleasant surprise. Our thanks go to our indefatigable waiter' Neme. Origin of the Wolseley name: The Wolseley restaurants name is a homage to the architect William Curtis Green who designed this architectural gem for Wolseley Motors in 1921 as their regional offices. The ground floor restaurant was originally the car showroom.

Leah Allegoria
Reviews 1

The Wolseley rarely disappoints, the grandiose surroundings and the staff as well as the entire decorum is grand and makes you feel so just by being there without ripping you off. They are so classy and offer the full spectrum of a restaurant: a bar, a restaurant and a booking free space... imspired by Austrian brasseries, it is much better than any experience im Vienna or Austria i have ever had. Brasserie style menu, good wines and friendly staff. I put it a 4 but only because the quality of waiting staff has been a bit lower than usual in the recent past months and i hope this is a temporary management (or lack thereof) issue. They'd better not rest on their laurel after so many years of impeccable service . Just go, you won't regret.

Valerie ELDENMALM
Reviews 1

One of the most impressive surroundings: beautiful and never disappointing, the Wolseley is everything you want in a brasserie: affordable dishes, a very wide carte and great wines as well as a bar. The afternoon tea is also a delight as well as brunch Nothing to criticise they even have an area for drop ins ... recommend booking but if not, wait for a table while having a drink at the lovely bar ... one of my favourites

Saban Feratovic
Reviews 1

A quick look at the menu thinking it was expensive and was complete surprised. its a nice place to go to get the old London feel, waiters were nice and made you feel as important as the rich there. the food was also amazing and delicious.

John M. Pearson
Reviews 1

I love the old world brassiere buzzing atmosphere of this Mayfair restaurant. It s a little loud at times but the food, service and historical charm of the place wins you over. The lighting is spot on. It is certainly good enough for a special occasion to impress ,but also for a quiet breakfast and a leisurely read of the morning newspapers.

Richard Colchester
Reviews 1

Amazing brunch. A little bit pricey but worth every penny. The whole experience was fantastic. Excellent staff, who were really attentive and helpful. Lovely dining experience, with silverware placed out in a beautiful setting. Not pretentious either. And most importantly, the food was incredible. Fluffy bouncy pancakes with fresh berries, the best French toast ever (I'm not kidding), and lovely fresh pastries. This was a great experience. Perfect brunch.

John McMahon
Reviews 1

Lovely restaurant at great location , can get very busy, as its popular but not usually a long wait, great variety on the menu reasonably priced, very helpful and efficient service and nice friendly staff, I can t recommend this restaurant enough I will certainly be returning for both business and personal events

Bami Dele
Reviews 1

Usually a favourite of mine. We didnt book in advance so had to wait for a walk-in table, which didnt take too long actually. Food was good as usual. The pancakes were not as good as i remember. Unless the ones I had at Riding House Cafe were that much better

Sarah Lee
Reviews 1

Had afternoon tea. Delicious selction with scones, cakes/pastries, and sandwich paired with tea. However, it lost 2 stars because of VERY DISSAPOINTING service. The waiter was not attentive and made me feel like I was causing them trouble. I had to ask for hot water multiple times for tea. It was really challenging to grab their attention. Also, it was disheartening to hear the waiter refusing to let 2 elderly customers with hard of hearing in a corner 'because it is for 3 people seat.' I really did NOT want to give 12.5% service charge they added automatically to the bill because they did not deserve that at all. It's just too bad since this restaurant has great food and ambience but has low standard of service.

Sean Boyle
Reviews 1

Very elegant place. We went for breakfast. The Eggs Benedict were fabulous, freshly squeezed juice and you can request ginger as and add on which i loved. The tea and coffee served in silver pots. Just a really nice place to start your day. Reasonably priced for what you get.

Aly B
Reviews 1

fantastic experience! I was concerned it would be an expensive tourist trap from the reviews seen online, however this was not the case in our experience. Professional but friendly service, absolutely faultless. The afternoon tea was simple (limited range of teas being my only slight niggle) but beautifully executed and delicious. We were offered a second plate of sandwiches, which we accepted as they were so gorgeous! After this we somehow managed to clear our platter of scones and pastries, for which again we were offered more but had to decline as we were so full! there were 6 pastries/cakes to share between the two of us, I do usually prefer to have a cake each as sharing can get messy (!) but these were so rich, that half of each was more than adequate. Excellent value, in stunning surroundings. Its quite a noisy place but I liked that, as it created a vibrant unstuffy atmosphere and it was great for people watching.

Nara Auapinyakul
Reviews 1

Perfect place to take chic-loving, foodies, first time visitors to London or the place for locals to go for brunch and lunch. The Wolseley has its good standard, if you haven't been you should check it out. Their Beef tartare is quite nice and the Banan Split for dessert, simple but great!!

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About The Wolseley

The Wolseley is a café-restaurant located in Mayfair, on London’s iconic Piccadilly serving breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea, dinner and weekend brunch.

The Wolseley is a café-restaurant located in the heart of Mayfair, on London’s iconic Piccadilly. It is one of the most popular dining destinations in the city, serving breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea, dinner and weekend brunch. The restaurant has a rich history and has been an integral part of London’s social scene for over 100 years.

The Wolseley was originally built as a car showroom for Wolseley Motors in 1921. In 2003 it was transformed into a café-restaurant by restaurateurs Chris Corbin and Jeremy King. The duo had previously owned some of London’s most successful restaurants including The Ivy and Le Caprice.

The restaurant's interior is grand and opulent with high ceilings, marble pillars, chandeliers and art deco features. It exudes an old-world charm that transports diners back to the glamourous era of the 1920s.

One of the highlights at The Wolseley is their breakfast menu which includes classic dishes such as Eggs Benedict, Kedgeree and Full English Breakfast. They also offer lighter options such as fruit salad or granola for those who prefer something healthier.

For lunch or dinner guests can choose from a range of European-inspired dishes including steak tartare, Wiener Schnitzel or grilled sea bass with fennel puree. Vegetarians are also well catered for with options such as roasted butternut squash risotto or wild mushroom tagliatelle.

Afternoon tea at The Wolseley is an experience not to be missed. Served on tiered cake stands it includes finger sandwiches filled with smoked salmon or cucumber & cream cheese; freshly baked scones served with clotted cream & jam; and an array of delicate pastries & cakes.

Weekend brunch at The Wolseley is another popular option where guests can indulge in dishes such as blueberry pancakes with maple syrup; avocado toast with poached eggs; or smoked salmon bagels served with cream cheese & capers.

In addition to its food offerings, The Wolseley also boasts an impressive wine list featuring wines from around the world including France, Italy and Australia. They also have a selection of cocktails which are perfect for pre-dinner drinks or after-work gatherings.

Overall, dining at The Wolseley is more than just eating out - it's an experience that combines great food with impeccable service in stunning surroundings steeped in history. Whether you're looking for breakfast before work; lunch during your shopping trip on Oxford Street; afternoon tea after visiting Buckingham Palace; dinner before heading to the theatre; or weekend brunch catching up with friends - there's something for everyone at this iconic London institution!

Categories
Hospitality