St Pancras Grand

Had to wait in foyer for 5 minutes before member of staff came to see us. No apology for benig left in foyer. Ordered afternoon tea and when it arrived at the table we had to ask for the sugar and ask for teaspoons. Sandwiches were tasty but not enough of them. No teaspoons available for the clotted cream or jam and scones were hard and looked like shop brought scones. One scone had no fruit in. The pastries were very poor, the 2 sponge cakes were very dry and the fruit tart with custard filling was very poor as custard was still runny. Overall the experience of eating at the St Pancras Grand did not live up to expectations. Poor food and poor service. Have written to the companies head office but to date have had no reply.
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Mark Russell
2 Overall rating
Food 2 | Service 1 | Atmosphere 2 | Value for money 1
Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Good atmosphere. Staff friendly and efficient.

Went for lunch and the place was quite busy. Wanted to chat and we were not hassled in any way we we stayed on.

My starter of doubled baked souffle was excellent. The soup was poor (watery and lacking in taste). Mains were ok. Fish and Chips plentiful and not greasy.

No room for dessert.

Overpriced for what it was but not absurdly.
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Jeremy - View all reviews by this user
7 Overall rating
Food 7 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 5
Sunday, December 11, 2011

Booked afternoon tea in this beautiful restaurant. Staff friendly but the tea was mean - sandwiches dry as dust, small portions of cream & jam so could not recommend.
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Pearl
4 Overall rating
Food 1 | Service 6 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 2
Friday, September 02, 2011

Stunningly incompetent and mediocre. Went here for breakfast. There were about half a dozen people eating so hardly taxing for the staff. We had to make the point that we were ready to order. My dining companion very clearly ordered scrambled egg, sausages, bacon and mushrooms. After quite a long time the waiter turned up with my scrambled eggs and smoked salmon (correct) and a bacon sandwich. My fellow diner said: "I didn't order that. I very clearly asked for..." and reeled off the list. They then came back with a bacon sandwich with a tomato in it and a couple of sausages on another plate. My companion then said again that this wasn't what he ordered and what's more he hated tomatoes so he'd like fresh bacon and not in a sandwich. They asked how he'd like it all and he said "On one plate is normal." Finally they brought the food. I just about managed to eat slowly enough to have some food left when his arrived. Quite incredible given that they charged £13 (plus service) for my dish which was dull and had one slice of toast. Don't bother.
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Sean Farrell
2 Overall rating
Food 5 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 3 | Value for money 0
Monday, April 04, 2011

While I think some reviews are over-critical, it is slightly hard to avoid a lingering feeling that this is an expensive station buffet. This is of course due to the location alongside arriving and departing Eurostars because the layout and decor would fit in well in any city centre.

Having said that, our table was rather cramped for three people and very close to others, and service strayed towards the haphazard. Nothing to complain about when the food started arriving and value not bad for central London, but this wouldn't have a high priority for a return visit.

Incidentally, I agree with anyone who questions the boasted "longest champagne bar ......" The seating area is certainly long and narrow but the central bar itself is small. And the stink from nearby East Midlands diesel trains ticking over at the platform takes the edge off any attempt to savour the subtle nuances of the wine!
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Kentishwanderer
6 Overall rating
Food 7 | Service 5 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 5
Monday, April 04, 2011

Go to Le Pain Quotidien just underneath... much better.

Decided to go for brunch here with my family for a special treat, and to check out St. Pancras station as my father was jumping on a train at lunchtime. Arriving at 10am, firstly we were told we could not sit at one of the tables outside because they do not serve there (no idea why not). Went to a table inside; very quiet - no atmosphere for what you would expect to be a busy time on a Saturday brunch. Ordered fresh orange. NO FRESH ORANGE JUICE. So they brought us something cheap out of a carton - almost sick. By this point we had waited 10 minutes to get them. Anyway, rude waitresses. Not what you would expect at what should be a top notch establishment...

We decided to leave, and scouted out what was a fabulous breakfast WITH FRESH ORANGE JUICE at Le Pain Quotidien downstairs. They had no qualms about serving us outside, and it was far more reasonable and a very pleasant experience.

Also, apparently Searcy's has the "longest champagne bar in Europe". UNTRUE , unless you count the "bar" as the length of the establishment, rather than the actual bar.
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Ramsays
2 Overall rating
Food 3 | Service 1 | Atmosphere 1 | Value for money 1
Friday, February 18, 2011

Went to the St. Pancras Grand using an offer which, although cheap, was a bit lacking in inspiration - normally I can find something to please me on a set menu. Going a la carte ramped the cost up massively. I wouldn't have minded if the meal had proved to be special but the whole experience was a bit anti-climatic. The potted prawns were ordinary, not helped by the slightly burnt sourdough toast which then overpowered the flavour of the prawns.

My main course of calves' liver - while executed well - was very expensive for what it was. It was served without vegetables so my addition of a portion of green beans took it beyond £20, which I thought was excessive for a standard dish that is found pretty much everywhere.

The endive, stilton, walnut and apple salad was an enjoyed starter: the combination of ingredients worked very well and the dish exceeded expectations. While the mushroom, spinach and pumpkin wellington looked terrific and seemed like a great idea, it was nothing out of the ordinary.

Whilst service was pleasant and polite, it was pretty poor. After the initial pouring of our wine, we had to look after ourselves for the rest of the bottle. My husband was trying to attract attention for a good 2 minutes in order to ask for more water. Nobody brought our coats for us at the end of the meal so, after a couple of minutes of just hanging about, we went and helped ourselves, leaving our cloakroom tickets on a nearby chair. Obviously, this shows that the security of garments handed over are compromised somewhat. There were no apparent issues with short-staffing: the restaurant probably wasn't even one-third full and there was always a member of waiting staff in sight... they just didn't seem that interested in us.

Finally, the ladies' bathroom was odd. While it was new and shiny and clean, despite two visits I could not find any apparent method for drying hands! No towels, no paper tissues, no hand dryer...
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dawnage - View all reviews by this user
6 Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 5 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 5
Sunday, January 16, 2011

The décor in this restaurant may just about deserve the description of grand, but the food does not.

My portion of fish was so small and thin that the herb crust on top of it was thicker than the actual fish itself. Described as a fillet, it was full of bones and was served luke warm. That was the main course.

Stepping back to my starter, I had opted for a crab cocktail. Strange design. The crabmeat was hidden under a little bed of green salad. Like my main course this was of miniscule proportions which was a pity because it did taste good.

My lunch companion opted for a shepherds pie. He quit halfway through it with comments about how dehydrated the dish was and how any self respecting shepherd would probably prefer to chew on the leg of one of his herd.

Pay the bill time was a fiasco with problems over the credit card being accepted. We were told to call our card provider. But hold on, another member of staff had made the cardholder work.

Did we have a grand time in Grand…what do you think?
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Warthog
3 Overall rating
Food 2 | Service 2 | Atmosphere 5 | Value for money 1
Friday, October 01, 2010

I was looking for a venue to take some overseas family out for an Afternoon Tea experience. When my boyfriend suggested the St Pancras Grand, I wasn't at first thrilled by the idea of having tea in a train station. This said, once arrived, I was pleased to see that the bar wasn't just full of travellers. In fact, a group of ladies were actually having a hen party there. The four of us ordered the Afternoon Tea with Champagne, on the 2 for 1 offer. I was certainly not disappointed! The food, despite the look, was plentiful and was stuffed, and that was pretty much all i had to eat that day! The finger sandwiches were delicious, as were the cakes! Other venues in London would offer the Afternoon Tea for the same full price without champagne, so this really was a bargain! On top of this, the place was lovely, really posh looking and service was good. I will definitely be going back for another Afternoon Tea fix! Highly recommended.
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JTH - View all reviews by this user
9 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 10
Monday, April 26, 2010

Competent yet ordinary.

Great surroundings, however the service is rather relaxed...but not in a good way.

My fish starter was small and uninspiring; the main consisted of a well cooked piece of Bream, some very ordinary sautéed potatoes and greens. There was a tomato sauce, but it was no more complex that some cooked onions with tomato purée added. Another butter & chive sauce was fairly anaemic.

The Cheese board, looked like the highlight - it was certainly the largest course (weird). Unfortunately the cheeses were both dull tasting and cold.

Given the lovely surroundings, this was a major disappointment.
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Nicholas Finlay
4 Overall rating
Food 5 | Service 3 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 2
Saturday, April 03, 2010