Harden's survey result
Summary
“What a special place The Dining Room at the Goring is” – “You can take your boss, your granny and your lawyer… all at the same time and it will be to everyone’s taste!”. Amongst London’s most blue-blooded of hotels, this proudly traditional venue between Buckingham Palace and Victoria is the only one that’s still family-owned. (Opened in 1910 by Otto Goring, it is nowadays run since 2005 by Jeremy Goring). Its comfortable period style and well-judged service help make it “a real treat that takes you back to an age of class and perfection which you will share with your partner for a wonderful occasion”. It’s particularly “excellent for business meals because the tables are adequately apart for privacy, and the service is efficient and discreet”. Rather gratuitously, Michelin gave it a star in 2016, which might suggest it’s a foodie haven: in fact its “classic” Anglo-French fare is almost the antithesis: “some dishes have barely changed for years but that builds a kind of security. The approach is rather old-fashioned and a little rich but it is not the sort of place you go often… so enjoy!” Top Tip – “Since the delightful Catherine and family used this hotel in the lead-up to her marriage to Prince William in 2011, it has become a ‘go-to’ establishment for proper English teas. The great staff are all trained to look after overseas visitors who flock to their doors for one of the best afternoon teas in London. Delicious sandwiches, homemade scones with jam and clotted cream, cakes to die for and myriad teas ensures that every taste is catered for. This is a quintessential British experience”.
Summary
“A wonderful room that’s very light and with well-spaced tables” – this “quintessential” traditional hotel dining room, just around the corner from Buckingham Palace, is well-suited to a special occasion and is popular for business, romance or “a pricey family treat”. Opened in 1910 by Otto Goring, it is part of the only five star hotel in London still to be run by the family who opened it (Jeremy Goring is the current CEO), which has always lent the whole establishment a more personal style than its corporate competitors. Historically, the dining room’s British fare has been more notable for its traditional values than its finesse, and diners in our survey acclaim it as “reliable” if rather “undemanding”: perfect for traditionalists, but less ‘haute’ than its Michelin star might suggest. Breakfast, for example, is a big attraction here, as is one of the “best afternoon teas in the UK”. When it comes to lunch and dinner service, dishes like “first class lobster” excel. The old school service is well-rated but “not what it was” a few years ago, in the opinion of some regular guests. In May 2024 the space reopened, complete with an opulent new interior, care of Russell Sage Studio and a new kitchen for Executive Chef Graham Squire: hopefully all the new kit for the kitchen will mean this year’s food rating is on the cautious side.
Summary
Very often recommended as an “expensive but reliable” venue for a “perfect business lunch”, this “decorous”, family-run hotel near Buck House (where the Middletons stayed before Kate & Will’s big day) has won renown as a “very classy”, traditionally British affair, where “everything is done perfectly”. Post-Covid, however, its dining room’s performance seems to have been on the slide and the downward trend noted last year continued in this year’s poll amidst gripes that it was “not as good as previously”, serving “bland food” and with “too many high expectations dashed”. Top Tip – “a quintessential English afternoon tea” in the lounges here is still a popular event.
Summary
“Hooray for The Goring!” – this “enormously charming” and “quintessentially English” hotel, just behind Buck House, remains, for most reporters, one of London’s most treasured bastions. Built by Otto Goring in 1910, Jeremy Goring is currently at the helm, and its unchanging style and popularity with royalty have done nothing to harm its following over the years. For a business occasion in particular, the “delightful” dining room complete with “old-style, classy, traditional fare” is ideal and “never fails to impress a first-timer”; and for “afternoon tea done to perfection” look no further than its “lovely and calming” lounges. “The pandemic seems to have hit them hard, though, including the loss of their Michelin star chef”. To be honest, it always seemed a slightly strange idea that fancy haute cuisine was key to its success, so no immediate need for panic there. What is more concerning, though, is the decline in rating for what has always been a benchmark level of “discreet and professional” service: “it has sometimes been rather offhand lately – an unwelcome development they would do well to reverse…”
For 34 years we've been curating reviews of the UK's most notable restaurant. In a typical year, diners submit over 50,000 reviews to create the most authoritative restaurant guide in the UK. Each year, the guide is re-written from scratch based on this survey (although for the 2021 edition, reviews are little changed from 2020 as no survey could run for that year).
Have you eaten at The Goring Hotel, Dining Room?
15 Beeston Pl, London, SW1W 0JW
Restaurant details
The Goring Hotel, Dining Room Restaurant Diner Reviews
"Beautiful room. Set menu was very good (crab crumpet with caviar, beetroot and goats cheese, monkfish) until the dessert which was disappointing. Mandarin segments with meringue and citrus sauce suzette. waiter was very quiet so couldn't hear everything he said. "
"Under-rated in the guide despite its Michelin star. Lunch there is excellent value generally. Portions are not huge but they include lovely bread (with astonishing Marmite butter!) and a few other bits ending with chocolates even if you do not have coffee. We had all 3 course for £49 and I paid extra for a crab starter which was full of crab and lobster. The other starter was a small but delicious beetroot salad, cooked to perfection. Main course was monkfish for both. decent portion with good if modest vegetables. Last was the least impressive, maderine meringue with tinned fruit and lovely ice cream . Wine was Sancerre which was amazing but at £18 a glass, should be! Good for lunch, perhaps dinner would be too pricey. "
"Privacy assured"
"Poor quality main courses. Turkey tasted of nothing; roast potatoes of oil / fat; bread sauce looked awful; lukewarm lobster omelette served in very hot dish. What a shame, the kitchen used to be reliable but has slipped badly in recent years."
Prices
 Drinks |
|
|---|---|
| Wine per bottle | £0.00 |
| Filter Coffee | £8.00 |
 Extras |
|
|---|---|
| Service | 15.00% |
15 Beeston Pl, London, SW1W 0JW
Opening hours
| Monday | 7 am‑2:30 pm, 6 pm‑9:45 pm |
| Tuesday | 7 am‑2:30 pm, 6 pm‑9:45 pm |
| Wednesday | 7 am‑2:30 pm, 6 pm‑9:45 pm |
| Thursday | 7 am‑2:30 pm, 6 pm‑9:45 pm |
| Friday | 7 am‑2:30 pm, 6 pm‑9:45 pm |
| Saturday | 7 am‑3 pm, 6:30 pm‑9:45 pm |
| Sunday | 7:30 am‑3:30 pm, 6 pm‑9:45 pm |
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