Overview

The Charlie and the Chocolate Factory themed Afternoon Tea is so much fun. The food in delicious, plentiful and playful, as it is inspired by the novel. The hotel in Covent Garden has step free access and an accessible toilet. This review is only for the Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Afternoon Tea at the hotel, One Aldwych. I did not stay there.

Transport & Parking

The nearest tube stations are Covent Garden or Holborn, neither of which are step free. However there are several buses that go along Strand and stop on Aldwych, very close to the hotel. From step free King's Cross Station you could get the 91 bus to Aldwych. Alternatively from Victoria Station you could get a bus to Aldwych.

Access

There are two steps with no handrail at the hotel entrance. To the right of this is a permanent ramp. It's next to a flower pot, see photo. The restaurant were afternoon tea is serve is in the hotel's basement. There is a flight of stairs with a handrail on both side. Alternatively the step free route is by lift, which has raised buttons. The lift brings you out into a corridor. When you exit the lift you come out into a corridor with brown textured walls, and there is no signposting to tell you where to go. Look for the green and white fire exit sign, see photo, and the door immediately to its right. The door is manual. The door leads into the restaurant. There is a wide corridor where you can stand while you are waiting to be seated. There is no chairs by the entrance for anyone who would not be able to stand while they waited to be seated. The seating in the restaurant is a combination of free standing chairs and fixed sofas. Although it is popular and busy there is plenty of space between the tables. We were seated on the side in our own corner sofa, which was very comfortable.

Toilets

The toilet and the accessible toilets are reached by heading back towards the lift. The accessible toilet has a manual door. The toilet has plenty of grab rails but the one attached to the wall was a little hard to reach. There is an emergency alarm and this was hooked to the wall. Although it reached the ground reached due to the toilet cistern jutting out, it could be quite hard to reach if you needed to use it. The toilet was clean and tidy.

Staff

My friend had arrived before me so had already found out from the staff the step free route. When we arrived in the restaurant there was a short wait before we were seated. Staff service was exceptional. The perfect combination of attentive but discrete. Time was taken to go through the menus with us, one vegan, one vegetarian and there was checking in if we needed anything in addition, how we were finding it.

Anything else you wish to tell us?

This is a fun afternoon tea. While it looks very Instagram-able the food is not gimmicky, it's excellent quality with a creative and tasty menu. The savouries included a macaron and roly-poly not just sandwiches. This was my vegetarian option and everything was delicious. SPLENDID SAVOURIES Coronation cauliflower sarnie Soft herb quiche with saffron mayonnaise Egg mayonnaise and watercress sarnie Spinach roly-poly Not quite as it seems beetroot macaron SCRUMPTIOUS SWEETS Scrumptious strawberry and pink champagne sweet ‘All the beans’ ganache (tonka, coffee and jelly) Fizzy lifting lemonade cake ‘Hair toffee’ mousse Caramel chocolate milkshake (mixed by waterfall) Fabulous fluffy floss (strictly not for dentists!) Raisin with fudge and plain scones with ‘snozzberry’ jam and ‘all the creams’ ALL THE TEAS CHOCOLATE NOIR A velvety smooth tea with decadent, dark chocolate notes CARAMEL NOIR A delectable blend of a deep rich black tea scented with soft, sweet caramel LEMON VERBENA Elegant, pale green leaves, bursting with playful notes of lemon sherbet BERRIES & HIBISCUS An entirely natural, caffeine-free infusion of juicy hedgerow berries and ‘snozzberries’, hibiscus and liquorice LYCHEE & ROSE A scarlet explosion of intense forest fruits I had the caramel noir tea, delicious. We both has mocktails which were served from a teapot. The whole experience was fun and enjoyable. While it has to be pre-booked, we were not rushed to leave, it was very relaxing and pleasant. I received a birthday cake, see photo, as my friend has told them it was my birthday, which was a lovely touch to a brilliant day. Thank you. We loved it and took our left-overs home, as there was plenty of food, in their take away boxes. Highly recommend, especially if you are looking for a contemporary twist to a traditional afternoon tea.

Photos