Afternoon Tea At Vienna Woods Hotel, Cork ♥

Afternoon tea is one of my absolute favourite things in life. It's such a simple thing - nice sandwiches, scones and cakes on a stand, but it's always such a lovely thing to go for and something I always enjoy - scones and cake c'mon... how could I not?


Yesterday my friend Louise and I went to a place we had both never been to before - Vienna Woods Hotel in Cork, to enjoy a spot of afternoon tea, as it looked really nice on their website.

The decor in the bistro where afternoon tea (and other meals) are served is lovely. The table was laid out nicely with lovely china and fresh flowers and the place had a real cosy vibe. We also noticed a little snug on the way down which was set for two too and we were kicking ourselves that we didn't ask to sit there as it was really cosy and comfortable looking.

The staff were incredibly friendly and very attentive to us throughout our stay in the bistro, the only thing I found odd is that we weren't given an 'afternoon tea' menu or asked if we'd like any substitutes with the sandwiches or if we'd prefer white or brown bread before the afternoon tea arrived - I've always been given and asked this in other places, so just be aware if there is something you don't want in your sandwich!

I don't drink traditional tea or coffee but was able to ask for a peppermint tea instead, which I thought was great as it meant I was able to enjoy a proper afternoon tea experience, only with a tea I actually liked!

On first impressions of the afternoon tea it look delicious and we couldn't wait to get stuck in - we were actually starving! The sandwiches, if I'm honest, were a bit of a let down. There was only one brown option and the egg mayo filling was really the only one I liked. The others were chicken and cheese and ham salad (I think, Louise ate that one!), but there didn't appear to be mayo or anything in the chicken filling. The bread was also a bit hard, as if the bread packet had been left open air had gotten to it.

The scones were a little small (not a full-size scone) and came pre buttered and with jam, which was a little odd I thought, but they were absolutely delicious!

The rest of the pastries and cakes were delicious too and it was great to have such a wide selection of things to eat. There were squares of chocolate fudge cake which tasted amazing, fruity jelly, dark chocolate cups with mousse, vanilla cheesecake, a cookie sandwich which was amazing and a profiterole type cake which neither of us ate (I don't like profiteroles).

The dessert selection was a real treat and we were left stuffed after our afternoon tea.

We were offered tea and coffee refills and I think it was really good value at €22 - the only 'downside', if you could call it that, being the sandwiches, but other than that everything was lovely and so delicious. I'd definitely go for afternoon tea there again.

Hopefully this is the first of many afternoon teas in 2019!