The Grand Lobby - 1 Beach Rd

Having staycayed twice in the past two years at Raffles for a total of four nights, today’s afternoon tea visit was quite disappointing. I realised treatment for residents had been somewhat far better than that for dine in guests. Today I was just a dine in guest to have afternoon tea in The Grand Lobby and to be honest, I felt offended on a few occasions. Of course, once I mentioned that I had stayed at the hotel twice before, treatment became different. All the staff became very cordial and swift in providing service. What double standards. The lady who is supposed to “greet” us upon checking our reservation was very cold and unkind. The worst service I have ever received within Raffles. The looks she gave us were very unpleasant. Serene was not seen around, so I could not comment this to her, but I really do think the lady who checks reservation status has some attitude problems. Chadi apparently has left Raffles. Very sad to find it out today through JY. All other members I could not say hi to are missed in this space (Yujun, Grace and Kith). Food wise, it is not worth the price tag ($88++). Went for the Sicilian themed tea. Good points: Cannoli was one of the better ones I’ve had. Arancini was tasty. Scones were average- fragrant rose jam and clotted cream made it taste better though. But the rest, phew. Just sub-standard..have tried so many afternoon teas in Hong Kong. Today’s food made me miss Mandarin Oriental, Four Seasons and so on in HKG. But overall I would say for someone it could be a special experience. If you have never staycayed in Raffles, it gives you a good chance to experience its aura. Just to have a cup of tea in an elegant setting would make you feel very good. Definitely it’s not great value for money but it is great value for memory. I don’t want to explain where I come from every time I visit Raffles. So I would not revisit The GL going forward to avoid feeling offended. FYI, Tiffin Room & Yi by Jereme Leung are better in terms of food quality. Since breakfast experience in The Grand Lobby as resident was amazing, today’s experience as non resident was not satisfactory. It lacks hospitality and attention. (Had I not mentioned I have stayed twice, would I have received the same level of service? I doubt.)

Came for the special Sakura high tea.. atmosphere - great, service - great, food - not too sweet to my liking. Only comment is only get to dine for 90mins for high tea as they need the table for turn over. Its too short to really enjoy and felt it was a rush to finish the food rather than enjoying it given the price paid for..

Truly a classic way to experience Raffles Hotel. If you love architecture and appreciate good service with beautifully presented food, then this is quite an experience. The newly restored Raffles Hotel is just such a beautiful place to be at. It's very fitting that the place is simply called The Grand Lobby, because quite plainly put, it is rather grand indeed! I loved that it was a very understated luxurious feel, rather than a in-your-face opulence. Service was impeccable. The minute I got off my cab, I was promptly ushered in to the lobby after the iconic Raffles doorman, Mr Narajan asked if I was there for high tea. I do have to say all the staff were warm, poised and professional, which speaks volume of the dedicated training Raffles Hotel invests in their staff. They also noticed that I was trying to balance my bag on the seat, and immediately scurried to get a small stool for my bag. I love the attention to details like this. My friend and I went for the classic Afternoon tea menu and it was nothing basic like some have stated. I don't usually go for traditional scones, but I thought these were not too dense, and I really love the rose petal jam. It was fragrant and paired really well with the butter cream. The tea selection is not too bad, and I loved the Orange Pekoe Ceylan. The afternoon tea was beautifully presented in a three tier silver stand. I did feel like I was transported back to the Victorian era for that afternoon, in a place steeped in history. The savoury finger sandwiches, while seemingly simple, were really light and balanced. Loved the curry with crab, the squid ink and cucumber and even the humble egg sandwich tasted so good with their house-made bread. Sweets were all very well-balanced as well and I noticed they do rotate the sweets once in a while as it differs from other reviews that I have read. All in all, I highly recommend spending an afternoon here if you get the chance to take a break from work during the weekdays! Weekends, you'll definitely need reservations in advance. I'll be back again, but perhaps trying one of their themed afternoon tea menus!

We went there for afternoon tea and had nice time since atmosphere was nice. HOWEVER, there are several issues I faced that made me this comment. Note that you are paying 90++, for afternoon tea so you should have high expectations from the place. Even though desserts are not the best it fits okay in high tea setup but savouries are not acceptable and did not prepared well. Feels like "chef" quickly spread some ingredients on low quality sandwich breads. You can get better sandwiches from bakeries or 7eleven... Most of the teas weren't included in the afternoon tea set price. We ordered two of these pots (we didn't notice any price from the menu at first so we casually pick) and waitress didn't warn us before so it was frustrating for us to see additional 30+ for tea pots. Also you cannot change your tea pot if you don't like the taste and if you want refill they just pour some hot water. So in my opinion, the afternoon tea in grand lobby overcharges people, sells fake premium and it is definitely not value for the money.

Visited The Grand Lobby to celebrate a friend's birthday with their afternoon tea spread and the top-notch Raffles service! Both the savouries & sweets were well prepared - interesting selection of sandwiches (incl. squid ink bread, curry bread?, crab filling of sort), and the desserts were well balanced (not too sweet, and perfectly light!).

Had the afternoon tea several times here and tried their Sakura afternoon tea which was pretty good too. Somehow they changed their scones recipe as it tastes different, wish they could bring back the old recipe. Their signature home made jam is such a delight though, very delicious!

Tried their Heritage Dinner. Food was okay - nothing too fantastic but still good. Dinner came with a few starters, 2 mains (chicken rice and laksa) and a dessert. Had a pot of tea each as well. However, the service here is impeccable. After-all it’s Raffles Hotel and I expect no less. Love the decor and architecture style of Raffles Hotel. Overall, enjoyed my dinner here.

had the best experience! was my first afternoon tea, we had a variety of delicious ginger sandwiches, some fruity desserts and sweet delicacies which were all so yummy! they afternoon tea also came with some super fluffy and tasty scones w homemade jam and cream! overall, 100% worth it, great selection of tea and really good quality food!