The Orangery Restaurant in West Oxfordshire

We went here for the luxury afternoon tea and was sorely disappointed. We were very clearly toldnthatbwe had the table for 1.5 hours but what followed was very slow service. The sandwiches were dry and the food was at best average. The waiters had the craft of avoiding eye contact down pat and short of waving a flag it was very difficult to attract a server's attention. My 4 year old nephew was wearing a birthday badge but not one waiter wished him happy birthday. Considering how amazing the rest of the Blenheim experience was, I am at a loss as to how the very expensive afternoon tea can be this bad.

Food was incredibly disappointing! No expected ‘selection’ of sandwiches! We asked if this was ‘it’ for sandwiches (only a simple turkey slider and one stale cheese and cucumber sandwich each!). We were told no, you have the 1 turkey slider, 1 cucumber sandwich, 1 mushroom sausage roll and 1 penny sized quiche (looked like the only proper afternoon tea item yet tasted like sawdust!). So yes, it was just the 1 sandwich really. The desserts were exceptionally sweet and as such we left almost all of them sadly. The room itself is quite nice but very draughty! Toilets were horrendously dirty - muddy with tissue all over the floor. Staff were pleasant but not the standard I expected from Blenheim especially at Christmas. Out of all afternoon teas we have had, this certainly ranks very low. The (thankfully unlimited) tea was lovely however, maybe to minimise their guilt about the other poor areas of the experience. Such as shame about the whole thing…better off going to a garden centre cafe!

Food fine, service bad. We attended on sunday for the xmas event. My 2 year old had an accident when playing, whilst this is no fault of the staff at all, their response was bad. He had split the back of his head open and blood everywhere. I was using a napkin to stem the flow, my friend asked a waitress for help, we had to ask 3 different people, they said they would call the on site paramedic but that was it. No immediate assistance given, noone asked if we were ok, I was about to pass out myself from the shock and blood, baby was hysterical and the staff were nowhere to be seen. No immediate first aid given. Paramedic could have been anywhere on that estate with it being massive. Really shocked. Noone came back to see what had happened, or even check if there was a health and safety risk. Really poorly managed and i dont want to come back as they didnt give a crap. Bad bad service and for God sake get some first aid training.

My husband surprised me Friday 29th Nov for my big 60th birthday There was 6 adults and 2 children. How disappointing, the food was rubbish , sandwiches hard, and not enough. apparently they had run out of sausage rolls, so supplied some think that tasted awful, none of us could say what it was, rock hard scones and the top layer of cakes looked like they had been brought from pound land, and tasted awful too. My grandchildren love cakes, but they didn't even eat them. I could see the disappointment on my husbands face, I found out how much he paid per head, can't believe you have the nerve to charge so much. I looked at the advert for cream teas at blenhiem, and they look nothing like what we were served. Will not be recommending to any friends, or family. Very disappointing.

Excellent luxury afternoon tea in comfortable surroundings on a sunny November early afternoon. Food delicious, staff courteous.

Had Christmas afternoon tea. Very disappointed in quality of food.Scones and sausages rolls were not fresh and salmon and lobster items not flavoursome.

Bitterly disappointed. Below average food, we had afternoon tea and it really didn’t taste fresh at all, except maybe the scones. No additional sandwiches offered and they didn’t give us enough cakes to start with so we had to ask for that to be corrected. In comparison to other teas at a similar price point, you’re not getting a premium tea here. Service was okay. Parking is ridiculous, it was 15 minute walk to the entrance through a muddy field. Our elderly grandmother parked closer with her blue badge but it is still a distance from the entrance and there were no shuttle busses running or help offered from 3.30pm, (which is not mentioned anywhere) leaving a 90 year old lady with walking difficulty to trexk back to the car. Would not visit again in this capacity. Pretty unhappy.

We came here for afternoon tea for my birthday and it was a wonderful experience. The food was delicious and surprisingly filling (scones were warm), tea was hot and fresh, and service was good (they were prompt and polite when we asked for things, but no one checked in on us and we had to flag someone down for more tea). The birthday card was also a sweet added touch. For the price I would highly recommend

A very long wait for pre-ordered lunch for a bigger group of us. Staff appeared to be run off their feet trying to cater to a full restaurant. Might be a case of understaffing perhaps. Seafood (fish) with fennel was very tasty. Noisy with the crowd. Classy interior. If you prefer quick takeaway or Cafe- there are other options at the forecourt entry of Blenheim Palace.

The food, service and ambience were all outstanding. This was our first visit and we look forward to returning soon.

Delightful afternoon tea for a friend’s special birthday. The staff were very nice and kept the tea flowing for us all afternoon. The room is beautiful too.

Came here for my partner’s birthday. Firstly, Blenheim is always an amazing venue, as you’d expect it’s a wonderful setting with a lovely dining hall and fantastic views of the gardens. Secondly, the quality of the ingredients? Fabulous! Some of the ingredients sourced from their own gardens and the meats we had were clearly good quality. share starter of flatbreads with pesto, hummus and olives - didn’t arrive until the very end of our courses having had to point out that we hadn’t been served the dish. The waitress then came over to our table to question whether we had been served the dish or not as one of the starters was served on the same board (Charcuterie). I wouldn’t recommend this dish, although the hummus and olives were lovely! Starters Deep fried brie with chutney, an interesting dish and the chutney was amazing! Cobble Lane Charcuterie, lovely salami and ham with a tasty sauce beef roast - Again, ingredients were lovely, a very tasty sweet potato puree, along with a rich gravy, the carrots and parsnips were to die for!! Roast potatoes not fully cooked through unfortunately so quite a firm bite instead of soft and fluffy on the inside. sea bass - The fish itself was amazing and made a nice dish overall. billed incorrectly - We came with a £100 voucher gifted to my partner, of which £90 was taken off our bill. Having already had to make a bit of a fuss about the starter/sharer that didn’t arrive, I didn’t question the waitress, which would have of course made my partner uncomfortable. Overall, a wonderful setting with great quality food. A nice meal but awkward service was frustrating at times.

Beautiful surroundings, helpful friendly staff, delicious tasty food in just the right portions. A fabulous afternoon tea experience. Thank you.

The afternoon tea here was delicious, beautiful, and at a good price compared to places in London! A beautiful view of the palace gardens from the windows of the restaurant, comfortable seating, and great service.

Good service, good food, unique location.

Perfect, just perfect!Managed to bring our booking time forward at short notice.Recognised our anniversary with a lovely card.Attentive, friendly service.And most important of all - beautifully presented and tasty food.

Turned us away since we only wanted to have tea and scones. More than half the tables are free but they gave us a silly excuse that the chef is busy with an event. Snobbish host.

Very friendly staff with caring attitude and pleasing demeanour.. Spacious and comfortable seating arrangement. Warm and luxurious ambiance. Food was ( fish) excellent. Enjoyed it very much.

Just renovated and serving delicious options, this is a great place to enjoy a peaceful lunch or tea during a visit to beautiful Blenheim.

Amazing room and decoration. Excellente food and wine. We loved it and will come back

Lovely afternoon tea in the Orangery. Has been recently refurbished. Lovely setting, afternoon tea tasted great and all fresh. Would happily go back.

Stunning setting for afternoon tea. The food was delicious but what stood out most was the excellent service. We had the loveliest server and were very well looked after. Highly recommend.

Lovely Afternoon Tea spent with Hubby ..Service fantastic, Atmosphere Great,Food was so Lovely to

All in all a pretty good experience. Staff was nice but the wait for food was a bit long even though I love a good restaurant visit. Great wines and lovely desserts.

We had a delicious anniversary lunch in the stunning Orangery staff were polite, helpful and friendly .... the Anniversary card from staff was a really nice touch...Thankyou 🌟

Aniversary woe. Waited forever for substandard fare. No meat sandwiches at all, stale bread, no seasoning at all. Children serving us. More savoury please and 12.5% service charge??

We went for afternoon tea which quite frankly was abysmal. The sandwiches taste stale as though they’ve been made the day before or even before that! I’ve been to cheaper and better afternoon teas in small cafes in comparison to what The Orangey offer. The staff are hit and miss, some are friendly some don’t want to be there and affect the service and experience. The service is again hit and miss due to some staff caring and others not bothering. The atmosphere is ok, the room is pretty but it was cold! I know we’re in a cost of living but sitting in a cold place is not ideal.

Unfortunately, when I arrived, the receptionist greeted me but was ambivalent and made me wait whilst she laid a table. Her attitude was very unwelcoming and put me off a little. Thankfully the head waitress - RITA came to the reception desk and took my details and whispered to the receptionist about my booking. RITA gave me a first-class 10 OUT 10 service but as for the receptionist she did not even apologise for initial behaviour although she laid my table. POOR SHOW!!!! Treat customers fairly and equally as we are PREMIUM paying customers and deserve the best. PLEASE GIVE HER ADVICE ON WHAT A RECEPTIONIST ROLE IS????

Nice restaurant onsite serving a good variety of meals for lunch. Seemed they also do afternoon tea. Staff were friendly and attentive. Reasonably priced. Pictured French Onion Soup and fries.

Really attentive staff, wonderful roast lunch

Staff is amazing, and together with the high ceiling and nice views, it really makes the afternoon tea a wonderful moment. I recall the food quality used to be slightly better and with more variety a few years back, but tea/coffee/chocolate and food refills is absolutely worth the price.

My partner went there for her birthday, which is valentine's day. From beginning to end the service was brilliant, everyone was extremely helpful and friendly. The food was delicious, I can only compliment everyone involved. And the birthday card was a lovely touch. I would like to thank everyone.

Trust the other bad reviews for afternoon tea, very overpriced and underwhelming, taste is bad, portions are bad, quality is bad, service is great but if you are serving S*** then it doesn’t make much difference, for £130 I expected much better, never coming back

Had an afternoon tea as part of the Christmas Lights Trail at the Blenheim Palace. We thought that food was average, staff ended up getting our drinks messed up a couple of times and tried to serve us a cocktail that they took away from us 20 minutes earlier (all ice was melted)

Exceptional service from the team, made a 92nd birthday a very joyous and memorable experience. Delicious sandwiches and cakes. Thank you!

Amazing Afternoon tea with lovely staff. We will definitely go back.

A lovely experience and a very special day for my Mum's 90th Birthday. Thank you all, the staff were amazing.

Absolutely divine food with excellent service, made very welcome from the moment we arrived. First class in fact with a beautiful atmosphere and the whole environment is just perfect. Comfortable seating, table’s nicely laid and spaced out. No one is crammed in and the decor is beautiful. Felt very relaxed and plan to come back again, definitely.

Complete rip off for sandwiches made the day before at another location and defrosted brought in little cakes.

Great afternoon Tea… perfect scone!

This is a self service Cafe. I had a slice of carrot cake which was excellent.

We had a wonderful time with you and the afternoon tea was superb, all our needs were meet and more. Nothing was too much trouble. Everyone was friendly , kind and attentive. Thank you for enabling us to make wonderful memories for our 30th wedding anniversary.

Excellent in every way. An elegant setting, especially since we were in a temporary structure, Clementine’s On The Lawn. We appreciated the Palace view across the lawn. We can not wait to return to the refurbished Orangery in the future. Service was exceptionally friendly, professional and we were happy to pay the additional charge as it was definitely deserved. The complimentary glass of fizz to celebrate my partner’s birthday was much appreciated. The afternoon tea was absolutely delicious. We were impressed by the care and attention to detail regarding my partner’s intolerance of eggs. Overall, we had a lovely visit and will definitely be back. Thank you

Problem with wasps when sitting outside unfortunately.

The visit was for my sister's 77 Birthday who is disabled. I can praise the Service by the Staff enough a Big Shout out for them! The rest of the Blenheim Staff members were also brilliant so thanks to ALL for a Wonderful!

Was surprised at how nice the food was and the great value for money - often at places like this food is poor quality and overpriced but this was most definitely not the case. We had the filled baguettes which were delicious and the coffee device. Followed up by the Rocky road slice for desert. For three meals and pudding and drink it cost just over £30 which was great value. Staff were helpful and friendly despite being a colleague down and the queue were managed quickly. Highly recommended

The only one negative comment is that the sign for the final footpath to Clementines was missing. Unfortunately because of this we ended up at the Water Cascades! It was a very long walk on a very hot day! We stopped a buggy to ask the way. We were quite shattered when we arrived for our tea but we were revived by a really delicious tea and your wonderful staff.

A really lovely and very special experience. Delicious and perfectly balanced food, excellent service and the most amazing setting. I can't recommend it enough.

Really delightful lunchtime experience in the Clemantine. Great presentation and delicious food, lovely Chef with interesting ideas and ambitious dishes. Excellent service with friendly and interested staff Great for that "special occasion" which we shared with our friends

Just not good at all. Service mediocre, food nothing special, expensive and lacking that special atmosphere we had hoped for. Avoid.

Had afternoon tea in this restaurant. The staff were very attentive but not over bearing. Lovely food and great surroundings, would recommend a visit to anyone.

Not extraordinary but not bad either.

Good wheelchair accessibility, car park is a long way from the restaurant though. Good was good, service was really good.

Afternoon tea here was really quite subpar. The teas are basic tea bags! At least use looseleaf? You have a choice of only 4 teas, or coffee or hot chocolate. The stand of savory and sweet goodies are decent. Staff is nice but the service is slow. The room itself is very underwhelming - needs more decor to fill in the empty large feeling of the room. Chandeliers had cobwebs everywhere on them.

Was busy due to the Christmas production so our 3:15 timed ticket was really good for a 3:30 sitting. A lovely Christmas Eve Afternoon Tea. Surprising that more people didn't dress up just a little bit for such a classy venue on a holiday. The finger sandwiches tasted great and the sweets were delicious. The scones were small but dense so I could only eat one which is a good thing since you are only provided enough jam for one.

The scones were tiny, all the portions were on the small side, and to put a 12.5% service charge on a £64 afternoon tea is a bit of a mickey take when we weren't really checked on, the teas were wrong twice, and the extra milk we asked for never arrived. The afternoon tea at Oakley Hall was much a much better all round experience.

Excellent it was our second time and really enjoyed it. Staff was very polite and food very good.

Had a lovely afternoon tea, and the staff were really friendly and helpful

Really lovely afternoon tea, bottomless tea and coffee and excellent tea.

Went for afternoon tea the room was beautifully decorated the staff was friendly and very professional and definitely worth visiting

Very pleasant overall experience with polite, attentive staff.

Booked for a Birthday meal and the food was very good however the service let it down massively. Staff not very attentive, forgetting what we ordered and had to ask for the dessert menu a few times. We arrived at 12 and didn’t leave until gone 3pm, luckily we didn’t have anything booked. The room could be beautiful but felt like a care home with white table clothes and old padded chairs and the windows need a good clean! Lots of dust and leaves on the floor where we were sat. Overall I would come back to the Orangery as the food was very tasty and good value but the service and ambience needs improving!

Fantastic venue and a phenomenal experience for a high tea. The food and service were impeccable. The team created a wonderful atmosphere that was enjoyed by all. We are all looking for to our next visit.

Una tarde de te con pasteles fabulosa. Un lugar precioso donde apreciar en todo su esplendor la cultura inglesa del té.

We wanted to eat here when we came last year but they were fully booked we were so glad we were able to go this time and on our anniversary! It's such a beautiful setting in a beautiful place. They even added the lovely touch of giving us a card for our anniversary. We ordered the pork belly while my fiancé ordered the venison ragu with tagliatelle both was amazing! The pork belly was so succulent! For dessert we ordered chocolate pot with almond brittle which was very rich and nice I think I could possibly have ordered a more ornate dessert though the other dessert is rhubarb and apple crumble with clotted cream custard. The custard could have been thicker but that's just personal preference. Overall we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and would recommend when going to visit bleinham Palace

friendly but very unorganized. we were there 12pm, 2nd or 3rd group, but had sea bass served at 1:15, we also ordered early and saw the dish got served to many other tables who clearly ordered later than us.

We had am afternoon tea today for my sisters birthday. Its a fantastic restaurant with wonderful staff who make your experience delightful. Other guests were having food from the menu which look fab We will definitely be back .

Afternoon tea and sandwiches. Yum

Not a great experience at all. The service was incredibly slow. Not a full restaurant in the slightest as we were there for lunch service on a Monday and our soups took 20 minutes to be served. I ordered a steak burger and it was inedible. Probably the worst I’ve ever had the misfortune to taste. Once I had managed to cut through the lumps of rubbery fat I placed it in my mouth and had realised the chef had refused to leave any moisture in the meat and the moment it touched my lips, displaced all moisture from my mouth. The chef had also forgotten the relish and all the other extras it was supposed to come with. I was also only given 6 chips. Needless to say, I did not pay the £18 it was supposed to be. My partner and his mum paid £32 EACH for afternoon tea of mediocre sandwiches (one I was horrified to realise was only filled with cream cheese and chives?!?!) and lukewarm tea. I really hope I never have to come back.

We had Sunday lunch here today, 21st August, to celebrate our 51st wedding anniversary. The food and the staff were, as ever, absolutely superb in all respects. After my wife mentioned the reason for our visit to the lovely lady looking after us the card and anniversary gift received were both unexpected and welcome. Though we have been on many occasions in the past this is our first visit for some years. We will return, soon, even though it's an eighty nine mile journey for us. Thank you to all at the Orangery for making this day special for us.

Loved visiting here for my birthday. Staff were very friendly and the afternoon tea was delicious. Cater for different dietary requirements and good value for money. The room itself is stunning.

Had a most enjoyable delicious lunch. Staff were great. Would thoroughly recommend.

My wife and I booked the afternoon tea for our wedding aniversary. The service we recieved was not great, I had to get up and chase the waitress to get a tea refill / food order. Food was not great as well, cakes tasted shop bought. table cloth was dirty, only saving grace was that the building itself is nice but we will definetly not be coming back.

Had a booking as part of my visit to Blenheim palace, food was really good had the lunch time menu, had brucheta and the grilled seabass and both were amazing picture speak for themselves.

We were 1.5 hours later than booked but the team still served our afternoon tea. Everything was very delicious.

We had a delicious Sunday lunch today. It was extremely tasty and the portions were very generous. The setting is of course second to none. The service was friendly but a little haphazard, hence losing a star.

Wij hebben hier een platinum jubilee afternoon tea gehad. De kwaliteit van het eten en de thee is uitstekend. Helaas lette de bediening niet altijd goed op. We werden door verschillende medewerkers aangesproken, maar uiteindelijk duurde het toch erg lang voordat het eten en de thee geserveerd werd.

Beautiful venue. Food is well prepared.

Fantastic service, Fantastic food!!

Lovely food, the staff are very attentive and polite. A nice relaxing ambiance. I recommend a visit.

We had an excellent Sunday lunch here. Friendly staff.

Lovely afternoon tea venue with friendly and attentive service at Blenheim Palace.

Great venue to celebrate my Mums 80th birthday lunch. Delicious food, friendly staff, wonderful setting, a real treat for a special occasion. Recommended friends and family. Returning in June to celebrate 10th wedding anniversary.

Really nice place, bright airy, polite staff and afternoon tea was superb. Would definitely recommend complimented by the lovely grounds.

Poor value for money, very overpriced

Lovely afternoon tea. The staff were outstanding, extremely welcoming and attentive throughout. They ensured we had regular top ups of drinks and food. Great venue, tables well spaced out and felt really special. Definitely one of the best afternoon experiences at a good price. They packed up the items we had left to take away. The other food coming from the kitchen all looked really nice and checking the menu the prices were reasonable. Highly recommended for a special treat.

Although it is quite expensive (considering afternoon tea+ bleinheim ticket fee) the place is well taken care of and very impressive. Staff is super friendly and helpful. I would recommend!

Request to seat near window got denied because they were “fully booked”, yet nobody used those 3 free tables for an hour. What a “coincidence”. Afternoon tea was good.

Lovely meal and location. Staff were friendly and helpful. Would recommend.

Really lovely experience. Very friendly with the toddler too.

Big portions and tasty food. Burger was very generous, but bit on the dry and firm side. Caesar salad was very good! Staff were very friendly and helpful. However, we had to send back our water a couple of times as it had some black dirt it them.

The afternoon tea in itself was okay but the heating had broken down in the morning and nothing had been done to remedy this. The orangery has large sash windows which had freezing cold wind blowing through them. I have never been so cold whilst having paid nearly £30 per person for a tea, this is unacceptable some elderly diners must have been suffering badly. I personally had to sit there with a woolly hat, overcoat and my hood up. I accept that a part might need to be ordered but with the temperatures being so cold heaters should have been hired and bought in by the afternoon and evening.

It's very lovely in here . The only reason for 4 Star is the gluten tea was not good the scones where more like biscuits then soft cake, but gluten free is hard to get right .My partner loved his afternoon tea .

A pleasant experience we had having afternoon tea.

Had lunch for mums 98th. Could not fault anything. Food was lovely. Stafff were friendly. Beautiful place. Thoroughly reccommend. Thankyou.

Fantastic afternoon tea in a lovely setting. All of the food was excellent, good choice of teas and alcoholic drinks also. The Orangery is a really nice room and we thoroughly enjoyed our experience.

Yes Great for Sunday Lunch, The sirloin steak and the roast vegs, were melt in the mouth, I would walk 100 miles for a repeat serving, many Thanks Mike

Very nice surroundings and excellent food.....apart from the entree. Shrimp terrine was very poor. Tasted like the shrimp flavour had to be enhanced with anchovy essence and unfortunately was then set in butter giving a very hard fatty texture. Not at all enjoyable.

Wonderfully English setting for classic English afternoon tea. The service was excellent and the selection of items served was first rate. But two details jarred a little. The jam for the scones was in mini-jars instead of a dish. And the big disappointment was the lack of a table cloth to cover the veneer table top damaged at the edges. Oh dear! To be in the best of the best it is these little things that count.

Lovely afternoon tea - food was delicious especially the savoury bites. Canteen style tables a bit odd - why not white tablecloths?