Overview

Brown's is a luxury hotel in Mayfair. It is known for its discreet, understated elegance. Afternoon tea is served in the wooden panelled Drawing Room. There is a single step into the hotel, and if required a ramp can be provided. The Drawing Room and accessible toilet are on the ground floor and have step free access. If you're looking for a traditional English afternoon tea experience, with excellent quality food and impactable service, Brown's is the perfect choice. This is a review for afternoon tea in the Drawing Room of Brown's Hotel. I did not stay in the hotel so unable to comment on its accommodation.

Transport & Parking

The nearest tube station to Brown's is Green Park, which has step free access. If you exit the station via the lift, you will come out on the Green Park side, so you will then need to cross the road to the other side of Piccadilly. Alternatively there are several bus routes stop on Piccadilly. Brown's entrance is on Albemarle Street, which is a quiet road directly off Piccadilly. The road is between Green Park and the Royal Academy, so either bus stop would do. Albemarle Street is a flat road with drop kerbs. When you turn into the road from Piccadilly the hotel is on the left hand side.

Access

The hotel's entrance has a single step with no handrail. I use a crutch and I didn't find any problem with this. Staff confirmed that they have a portable ramp that they can use if required. At the hotel entrance there was a doorman who welcomed me and opened the double doors for me. The Drawing Room is the first door on the right as you enter the hotel. The door was already opened when I arrived. The Drawing Room has movable tables and chairs. The table was ready when we arrived. There is two type of seating. There are sofas without arms and there are armchairs. I sat in an armchair but before I did the waiter, offered to get me a cushion. I ended with two, sitting on one and having one at my back. The chair is very comfortable but also firm, I felt very comfortable and my back was well supported. I was a little stiff when it was time to leave, but we moved the table, rather than my chair and it was very easy to get up.

Toilets

The accessible toilet is round the corner from the Drawing Room, next to the lift. It's really convenient and there is level access to it. The toilet itself was slightly raised which made the transfer easier. There were grab rails both side of the toilet. There was no grab rail by the sink, sorry my photo cut off some of the sink area. The emergency cord had been cut and was in the corner. I spoke to a member of staff about this and they said they would get it fixed. The accessible toilet was engaged when I arrived to use it, as the cleaner was inside, and it was spotless when I went in.

Staff

The staff were impeccable, truly outstanding. The level of service was amazing. I was welcomed into the hotel by the doorman when I arrived. The waiting staff were so helpful but also unobtrusive, the perfect balance. Cushions were got for me when I arrived. We all had afternoon tea. The tea was brought, poured and topped up for us. Then came the cake stands with just the sandwiches. Then this was replenished without asking. Then we were offered more, which we all declined. We then were given a plate of Canelés, little scalloped cakes which have a crisp, caramelised coating with a slightly chewy and soft, custardy centre. Then came cake stands with scone, jam, cream and pastries. We were then offered cakes from the trolley, and we brought slices of Victoria sponge and lemon drizzle cake. The table was booked for 1.5 hours but we were not rushed to leave. Plus we had a live pianist who played throughout our visit.

Anything else you wish to tell us?

Regarding covid precautions, some of the staff wore face masks. We took our masks off in the Drawing Room and put them back on when we left. Apart from the staff we didn't interreact with anyone else, and the other visitors kept themselves to themselves. Excellent standard of hygiene and cleanliness in the hotel. It felt the nearest to normality I've had since March 2020, but I also felt safe while I was there. The food was amazing and plentiful. The cakes that we couldn't manage were boxed up for us to take home. There was a traditional afternoon tea menu and a plant based afternoon tea menu, this comes without scones, jam and cream. However, the pastry chef specially made my friend some vegan scones, and she was very happy with her menu. I had the vegan sandwiches and traditional cakes and scones. Then there was the cake of the day and the cakes from the cake trolley. Everyone was very happy with their food and it was plentiful. It was such as treat to visit and we felt comfortable being there. We loved our visit, it felt very special. Very happy to go back and highly recommend. Thank you to all the staff, you are amazing.

Photos