Reviews of The Orangerie

Had afternoon at the pavilion as the orangery was under renovation. The service was good. Plates were beautiful (the tea pots could match the plates though). While it was overall a very enjoyable experience, I'm not sure the foods were worth the price of 30 pp. The sandwiches were OK, nothing outstanding about them at all. Scones very dry. You could get more fluffy and better ones. I'm starting to think maybe it's the overall food standard in the UK. In Australia, you could easily throw together a plate like these with supermarket foods, but hey, it's more about the ambience right.

We had the English Orangery afternoon tea for £28.50 and a rhubarb creme brûlée for £6. It was a little pricey, but the setting was lovely and the room was spacious. The afternoon tea set was average with some slight hits and misses, but no stand out bites. The creme brûlée was nice, but didn't taste of rhubarb. The first server we had that took our order was great, but the one who did most of the service was very slow and inattentive. The bathrooms are outside the building and are not a pleasant experience. Overall, if you want a nice ambience this is a good place, but not necessarily a place for amazing food.

Hidden away in a maze of greenery in the garden of the modest Kensington palace (official residence of Duke & Duchess of Cambridge). The Orangery boasts a subtle grandeur; classical 18th century decor with spacious interior and delicious simple food, surrounded by the elegant and symmetrical gardens. The crisp white table cloths, stark white walls, Royal tableware and smartly clad staff add to the aristocratic sophistication. <br/><br/>Built especially for Queen Anne, the Orangery is renowned for the ritual of afternoon tea/ high tea. This ritual was born as a snack time to bridge the long gap between breakfast and dinner- as these were the only two meals consumed during the day. It slowly then developed into a long conversational social courtship meal amongst the noble. <br/><br/>The 3 tiered platters consisted of savory (mini sandwiches, bagels, brioche rolls & wraps), scones with clotted cream and jam and the sweet platter (custard cream desserts, tart, macaron & a sponge cake). All items were fresh, the breads were soft, textures & flavors were subtle & elegant to bring out the flavors of the excellent quality tea selections. <br/><br/>I am glad we visited the Orangery on our first trip to London! Dining where Royalty once dined is an honor! But to experience the serenity and peacefulness of the venue and surrounding gardens is a blessing! : ) <br/><br/>

Now I am rating my review based on all aspect of this experience. So the orangery was lovely very simplest decorated but it was a lovely experience of afternoon tea and the service is lovely. The food came out just on time and the China was so pretty but as far as quality and taste go I have to say every single thing I ate was bland and unexciting which is such a shame. I've had better sandwiches and deserts from marks and Spencer's and at the price they charge I expected much more.

The range of tea was a plenty and what you would expect of such a place, but the cake was not. A dry and lack-lustre red velvet arrived, possibly due to nearing closing, however this should not be the case as the price would not be reflective of this. The scones were warm and were accompanied by jam and creamy clotted cream, this did slightly save the mini afternoon tea but disappointment soon loomed when the bill came and the dry cake had costed more than at first thought. Settings Review: Located alongside Kensington Palace overlooking the grounds, makes it a stunning location. Albeit it was raining and sitting outside was not the greatest choice, especially as the interior consisted of stunning Georgian with its white stone and kept in line with its royal surroundings. Positives: beautiful surroundings, nice, simple scones Negatives: expensive, dry cake 3 words: pricey, beautiful, lack-lustre Posted by heebstar

What: The Orangery<br/><br/>Where: Kensington Palace<br/><br/>Value: £20pp<br/><br/>Food Review: upon entrance you are given only one menu, even though four exist. In the we ended up ordering from two menu's, rushed to the terrible weather. The range of tea was a plenty and what you would expect of such a place, but the cake was not. A dry and lack-lustre victoria sponge arrived, possibly due to nearing closing, however this should not be the case as the price would not be reflective of this. The scones were warm and were accompnied by jam and creamy clotted cream, this did slightly save the mini afternoon tea but dissappointment soon loomed when the bill came and the dry cake had costed more than at first thought. <br/><br/>Settings Review: Located alongside kensington palace overlooking the grounds, makes it a stunning location. Albiet it was raining and sitting outside was not the greatest choice, especially as the interior consisted of stunning georgian with its white stone and kept in line with its royal surroundings. <br/><br/>Positives: beautiful surroundings, nice, simple scones<br/><br/>Negatives: expensive, dry cake<br/><br/>3 words: pricey, beautiful, lack-lustre

A pretty place to stop by when you are visiting Kensington Garden on a summer afternoon. We wanted to go for afternoon tea but July was scorching in London and we settled for a chilled ginger beer and ice tea instead. We were seated outdoors with a pretty view. Service is impersonal, the decor isn't to die for. Come, rest your tired feet, yes! Go out of your way to visit, no!

I usually stop by at The Orangery for a cup of coffee and sometimes a cake whenever I am visiting Kensington Gardens. On a sunny day, it's bustling with tourists and it's tough to get a seating outside. But I have managed it a couple of times. On not very sunny days, it's usually locals (very upmarket) and even some tourists lunching or having a high tea. <br/><br/>The mocha is average and so are the cakes, I do like their orange scones though, but quite expensive for what you will find in other bakeries. The service is good, waiters are usually popping by to check if you are okay. <br/><br/>Although I do not have the pictures of the place itself I am attaching some pictures of Kensington Gardens which is well, where the eatery is ;)

Prince Gastronome. Originally built as a greenhouse, the designers of the Orangery quickly realized the flaw of adding an opaque roof. So what do you do with a conservatory where nothing can grow? You put down tables and charge an exuberant amount of money for tea.<br/><br/>The Orangery lacked any competition, located next to Kensington Palace in the namesake park with the only rivals being trailer vendors serving fish & chips and soft serve ice cream. The building was a baroque masterpiece, with a serving area towering three stories to the roof. Light beamed in from the ground-to-ceiling windows. When they built the AMC Pacer, the designers must have looked at the Orangery and said, "Yeah, like that." <br/><br/>Ivory walls, Greek pillars, and natural sun offered us the illusion of sitting outside without being moistened by overcast clouds. Like the Tower Brasserie, the amount of glass offsets any need of décor inside the restaurant. The one glassless wall was bare of any adornments. Nothing hung from the ceiling. The tables were simple with wide open spaces between the chairs. A shrewd businessman would double the covers and hang menus from the walls. The Orangery was classic and inoffensive. It asks that you sit back and enjoy a proper rest in a way only the English are proficient with. <br/><br/>My mother and I were guided to a table, and menus were delivered. Simple, with little variety of food, the Orangery balanced that limited selection with a vast ration of tea. As proper with all menus in England, there was a lunch special, offering three courses for one price. <br/><br/>Our default.<br/><br/>Hanging under the header "Afternoon Tea Menu" each option included a tea, sandwiches, pastries, and some additional treat. Both of us ordered the Signature Orange Tea for 15.15. With that, you got an assortment of finger sandwiches (cheese, cucumber and salmon), an orange scented scone with Cornish clotted cream and strawberry jam, and a pair of "dainty" (their word) afternoon tea pastries. The recommended tea was orange rooibos. Surprising value given the ambience and prestige of the location coupled with the amount of food.<br/><br/>If you assumed the tea would be a paper bag with disheveled bark and synthetic flavor grains, then you are just a dirty, ignorant philistine. Assorted white and brown sugar cubes in a dainty (dainty?) cup were placed alongside two colorless ceramic kettles filled with scolding water and loose leaf tea. That's loose leaf, no bag, just large fragments of dried flora. The metal filter is placed over your cup when you pour. Unlike the one I brought from England at the end of the trip, the one supplied by the Orangery wasn't a very effective, and several smaller grains slipped through. Even with that, this was the best tea I ever had in my life...well, I can't say that. Typing that was a knee-jerk reaction even though in truth, the tea I had in China was better, but these two instances share an echelon in heaven with the bulk of competition falling far below into a level of hell usually reserved for bureaucrats and telephone solicitors.<br/><br/>Although you would imagine the plates to be served staggered, one after the other in ten minute intervals, you'd be mistaken. And yet, you can't believe that all three plates, six total, would somehow fit on one table at the same time. You would also be mistaken. The answer is a curate stand (yeah, I looked it up; get stuffed!). This is both elegant and traditional. Looking like a stripped bird cage, we are served three stacked plates, inches from one another, each dedicated to one course. Sandwiches were on the bottom, with the scone in the middle and pastries on top. Everything sans probably the sandwiches was made fresh that day. We sat back and slowly enjoyed our meal against the sun breaking out of drying clouds. I drank my tea with an upright pinky. I nibbled rather than devoured. I could feel a posh accent brewing in the base of my throat. I suddenly felt superior to all my neighbors. Last week, we had a pub lunch, and now we were enjoying a proper English tea. <br/><br/>After, we both decided to purchase a box of the orange rooibos tea to take home, the first time we purchased anything on this vacation. They were offered in loose leaf and in bags. We took the bags (should have gone for the loose leaf). At 7.50, it was a good value, better than some of the gourmet boxes I'd seen at home. Having an English tea at a location like the Orangery is not a maybe. If you happen to find yourself in the Palace Garden or Hyde Park, you simply must try it. You have not had tea until you had it in a 300 year old conservatory a hundred feet from where Princess Diana's coffin once laid.<br/><br/>Food: 5/5<br/>Service: 4/5<br/>Presentation: 7/5<br/>Value: 4/5<br/>Recommendation: 5/5

They have 4 different tea options, and the roommate and I both decided to get the "Enchanted Palace Tea" £18.35 which came with a Chocolate Ganache Slice and a Heart Shaped Raspberry Shortbread along. I loved the ganache slice and the heart shaped raspberry shortbread was not to bad considering I am not a huge fan of raspberries.

Converted from an old green house, The Orangery was built in 1704-05 for Queen Anne. Since the tea house is next door to Kensington Palace, I'm just going to go ahead and assume that it was a regular hangout for Princess Diana. The Royal watcher that I am, I was also half expecting to see Prince William sitting at the table next to me. Kensington Palace was one of the former homes of Princess Diana. She spent the most time at this home, and was the last princess to live there before the building was converted into a museum. The Orangery, Kensington Palace, London, England Called The Orangery because it was winter shelter for oranges and other fruits and flowers from hot climates, the inside of the converted greenhouse is breathtaking: high

Go for the afternoon tea.. Enjoy the Kensington Gardens and then come have a pot of tea at the Orangery! There is always a wait around tea time but not for very long. Wonderful atmosphere with statues and gilding makes you feel like a millionaire. I only wish the tables were further apart. Vast selection of teas and delicious deserts. I have gotten the afternoon tea several times and really enjoyed my dainty finger sandwiches (on yummy fresh bread), scones with proper clotted cream and jam and other treats. Only draw-back is the ladies room is not located very conveniently. Can't wait to return.