Great Court Restaurant

Excellent cafe. Always freshly made and served at reasonable prices, optimal hygienic conditions and with a really friendly and professional staff not to mention the prompt and punctual service.

I'd booked a restaurant/ticket package which combined a
ticket to the exhibition with a three course lunch. 

 

At the end of 2013 the restaurant underwent a significant
refurbishment which took three months. I hadn't visited the old restaurant, but
apparently the redesign was to make the restaurant more welcoming to visitors.
It now boasts an open kitchen and a charcuterie counter in the centre of the
restaurant and is run by Benugo.

 

Although there is an a la carte menu, our package included a
Colombian inspired lunch from a set menu. We settled down for drinks as we
chose our Colombian inspired dishes. There were three choices for each course.
As a starter I opted for the beef carpaccio, shaved fennel, caper and parsley
salad.

 

While my boyfriend chose the soup. It was supposed to be
avocado soup according to the menu, but apparently there wasn't any so it was a
decidedly less Colombian tomato soup. I did try some though and it was
delicious.

 

For our mains, my boyfriend chose the roast hake, tenderstem
broccoli, capers and parsley butter. However, they were out of hake, so it was
cod instead, so a minor substitution. He thought it was nice for a simple dish.

 

I chose the chargrilled sirloin steak, chimichurri and yucca
chips. Only, they didn't have sirloin so it was rump. We really didn't hit a
good day for substitutions. Also, I'm not sure what yucca chips are but these
were bog standard chips. It was nice but a fairly standard steak and chips.

 

Dessert was where I couldn't make up my mind as to what to
have, I was slightly torn between the roast pineapple carpaccio and coconut ice
cream and the churros. My boyfriend was more decisive and opted for the plum
and apple crumble with creme anglaise.

 

Having had one carpaccio already, I ended up opting for the
churros with chilli chocolate sauce. Have you ever had food that is really hot
when served but you can't wait to dig in so you end up burning your mouth or
fingers because you just can't wait? The churros were that food for me. They
were boiling hot but I just couldn't wait to dig into the chilli chocolate
sauce.

 

I wasn't too sure what to expect from the chilli chocolate
sauce, but it mostly just tasted of chocolate, the difference was that there
was a residual warmth and depth to it from the chilli. Delicious, although I
did need some help with the churros (there were five!), so we shared, taking it
in turns to dip into the little pot of chocolate.

 

I loved the idea of pairing an exhibition with food inspired
by the exhibition's subject. This is definitely an idea which should be taken
up elsewhere.

I recently visited the Great Court Restaurant for Afternoon Tea during a day out in London. The restaurant is on the top floor of The British Museum, under the impressive arched glass roof. The Afternoon Tea was very nice, featuring a selection of sandwiches, scones and cakes. I was slightly disappointed with the cake selection as a couple of them were a bit tasteless, and it would have been nice to see some chocolate on one of them. The service was friendly and efficient, and our waitress was always happy to help. The only problem I had with the restaurant was the ambience. As it was a busy Sunday afternoon, the noise of thousands of people exploring the museum was rebounding around the entire restaurant, and after an hour, it was getting harder to tune it out. I think potentially if the restaurant were a bit more enclosed, it would make it a much more enjoyable experience. Overall, it was a nice Afternoon Tea and a nice way to spend an hour between exploring.

It remains an extraordinary place to eat. Besides the beautiful museum, this place in the vast atrium is also a place to be overwhelmed. And the food, too, actually delivers. It is a nice change between traditional English choices and some modern ones—more than worth a stop.

Afternoon tea is a must here, but to avoid the lines and ensure a table, it's best to reserve ahead of time. We were seated promptly and were treated to a nice selection of teas and a delicious assortment of sandwiches and desserts. I was always under the impression that afternoon tea would not be filling, but we felt so stuffed towards the end that we actually couldn't finish our food! Service was very nice, and the ambience was quite soothing, due to the openness of the space and the light from the magnificent glass ceiling of the atrium. The cost of 33 pounds per person was a little steep, but given the amount and quality of the food, as well as the setting, it was worth it.

This was a really delightful and unique place to have afternoon tea in London! Do plan ahead and make a reservation in advance as it can get busy. It was a terrific break and I had tea as my lunch, after I spent the morning walking around the museum. I loved the Burleigh china service and the selection of sandwiches and petite desserts was nice. The sandwiches seemed a bit nicer than the desserts. I am a vegetarian and they easily adjusted the sandwiches to meet my needs. The Lea Valley cucumber with the black truffle crème fraiche and the Portland crab with why the dill and seaweed mayonnaise were both lovely and tasty. The scones with Devonshire cream and jam were delicious. Of the desserts, the Guinness black velvet cake was the most delicious. The Yorkshire rhubarb and strawberry tart tasted lovely but was an odd color—the filling was a bit brown and unappealing. I didn’t like the carrot and quinoa cake or the English sweet green pea and lemon cake the flavors and textures seemed a little off to me. Tea at the Great Court Restaurant probably falls between four and five stars as the desserts could be better. Service was good and polite but did slow down as they got busier. However, the location is outstanding and very convenient if you are going to have a morning/afternoon at the museum anyway.

Despite the gorgeous setting amid millennia of history, what really made this restaurant stand out was the outstanding service we had from our waitress Emma. She was attentive without being obsequious, she was informative without being intrusive, and she showed the utmost professionalism in attending to our table. Despite being one of the last tables for the day, she still took the time to track down the name of a delicious tea brand for me. A wonderful server can make or break even an excellent meal. She is fantastic! We had high tea, and the sandwiches, scones, and desserts were all delicious. The scones and pastries were inventive, delicious, and fresh. The tea was excellent. Truly, the eating experience added a whole new layer of enjoyment to a most memorable day at the British Museum.