Medieval Banquet

Quick disclaimer, this is long, the best advice is in the last paragraph

In the US, we have places like Medieval Times and more local to us, the tournament of kings. We saw this place on a map and did a little investigating and booked before we flew to London. Their partnership with the London Pass team helped even more since we purchased a London Pass as well. Here are my thoughts...

Booking - The Medieval Banquet website was pretty easy to use and insert the code needed to use our London Pass. I am glad we did not wait to get to London to book.

Checking in - We got there about 30 minutes early, didn't really need to but just gave extra time for the tube during rush hour and such. So basically you gather around the door, there is no real order to a line to check in. Once your checked in, you walk downstairs by the bar and are taken to your seat.

Theatre - The theatre is laid out as a long tube with caves off of the tube. The caves are where you sit with everyone assigned to your kingdom. This kind of gives you that feeling your eating in a dungeon (for lack of a better term) or in some secret underground facility back in the day. I thought it was pretty cool, but depending on where you are sat, it could be hard to see everything so be aware if you want to see the show, ask for front seating.

Food - Food was pretty good, you get pea soup, cold cuts, main course was chicken (chicken was excellent) with potato's and you finish with pie. Again I thought the food was good no real complaints.

Service - The service was really good. The waitstaff did well but please keep in mind they do tend to be part of the show so if you need more wine, beer or something else, you may have to wait.

So in closing, why only did I leave the last star out? I think simply the venue makes it hard to see everything happening and you have to get up out of your table area which can be challenging if your table mates are staying put. I would see more of a banquet hall making sense, again thou the location does have a cool feel to it as well, just my 2 cents. I also think the venue makes it hard to check people in. Again just my opinion and would still recommend this place for a fun night out

Okay I know this is long, but honestly what makes this experience is not only the staff, but your table and kingdom mates. If you get a good group like we did, you will have great fun. We ended up having some really lively and awesome folks in our kingdom/village and we all ended up continuing the party after the show and dancing for a while until closing. We may have not all spoke the same language but it honestly did not matter as we all had fun and this will be a great memory for all of us.

Maybe not the best use of your money, but if you're reeeaaallly into the Medieval Times period, there are worse places to go. I'm sure.

Seeing as I was here for the Halloween season, I can't speak for how it is throughout normal times of the year. And I don't know if the performers were just really into character or if they actually hate their jobs, but the atmosphere didn't feel overly friendly or welcoming until the booze really started flowing.

The show started late and seeing as I was really hungry, it was rather hard to enjoy the pre-meal show until the food finally came out. The wine and ale came first; and while I wouldn't suggest drinking on an empty stomach... hey, at least that was free, and endless throughout the meal.

I wasn't expecting musical theatre, but that's what we got a whole lot of, so if you're not a fan, be prepared to be annoyed. Some parts were great, though. I particularly enjoyed when everybody was able to get up and dance along with the performers in the spirit of olden times. At that point, everyone was enjoying themselves, audience and performer, alike.

The food is 'Meh,' but what can you expect from a Medieval recreation meant to serve dozens of people all at once? And while, I'm not a fan of the modern-day music they were playing, I think throwing in Michael Jackson's 'Thriller' for the Halloween party was a nice touch.

Honestly, though, I would say that if you can get tickets to this thing on discount somewhere, do so.

It was our first time to London, and this was the last place we went while we were there. We couldn't of had been more pleased or entertained. What an amazing experience, coming to enjoy this spectacularly unique, down under the ground, for a night of bewildering entertainment. There were trapeze artists, there were opera singers, and there were costumes galore. Also, as well, The food, was positively superb, served for a whole table, medieval style! It was just astonishing and marvelous, just splendid. What a thrilling adventure.
We would love to come again!!

Also, I lost my eyeglasses while I was there, and I wanted to give a HUGE shout out to JANETH HERNANDEZ, who found them and shipped them to me, back in Germany!! Thank you so much Janeth!!!! Your card is on the way!!
Thanks AGAIN! Dawn

If you're looking for the most authentic medieval experience then look elsewhere. Yes the show has LEDs and the costumes use polyester and fake jewels! The king isn't even a real king! If you're a fussy eater that thinks you'll get a 5 star meal with a wench that is only serving you, go else where. The staff was very accommodating to our dietary needs as especially they are serving probably over 200/300 people at the same time.

If you're looking for a fun evening full of tons of food, drink, lovely performances with a group of friends then I'd highly recommend it.

It was a great adventure. Pea soup really warm with bread.. soup was really peppery I liked it. We were able to see the entire show from our table. Second plate was vegetables and meat, we got broiled chicken, which went well with the veggies and potatoes. Then we got dessert.. and honestly by then we got up to dance...
the walk back to underground station was lovely. The Tower of London with all its splendor was a sight to be seen. It was cold for a Californian resident.. but my whole little body shrank with the coldness and I truly enjoy my time at this place.
I love the last song that made us all get up and dance.
Many Thanks.

I had no idea what it would be like inside this place. I have seen this place from the outside several times and looked like one of those London dungeons thing. Didn't realise that it was an actual banquet serving real food.
So we went there for a little department specific Christmas party. And it was brilliant!
Staff was in costumes and guests too have the choice of picking costumes and wearing them on top of their clothes. And it does get hilarious!
What I loved the most was the live performance, they sang, danced, did some acrobatics, juggling, hoolahoop dance, a bit of rope dance, such talent!
Now for the food. If you are a non vegetarian, you will love it here. The meat was lovely is what I have been told.
But I am a vegan, so I didn't really have many options. The starter was a vegan soup! Tasted lovely and we all had giant bread rolls on our tables. So that went well.
Then came the main course. Vegans and vegetarians got their stuff late. But that wasn't really an issue.
Then there was salad with plum tomatoes, onions, croutons and leaves.
The main was not something I understood, I think it was some kind of risotto. It tasted pretty good. However, as it came in later than other stuff, I got busy stuffing my mouth with roasted vegetables served earlier with the meat.
To top it all off, in the end came the fruit salad. The non vegans had cheesecake!
Throughout the dining experience the table was topped up with continuous supply of wine and ale.
The rules of dining here are simple, if you need the waitress, shout witch! If you like a performance bang on the table! I forgot the third one.
Kudos to the team behind this place! Makes it all look so easy!

We had a fantastic night here (it is amaaazing for theatre/performances) but the food was pretty rubbish, and not even very medieval...so I guess it should average out at about three stars.

The good bits:
- So much drink! We didn't make the most of the all-you-can drink as we were all tipsy before we arrived...but the wine, ale and cheap bubbles flowed freely.
- The singing, dancing and acrobatics were really fun to watch
- The apple pie at the end of the meal was lovely
- It was really fun. They encourage lots of drunken banging on the tables, and you're meant to shout "wench" whenever you want some more ale/wine.

Bad bits:
- If you love medieval history then you'll probably be a little disappointed as it's not authentic... at all.
- They try to get more money out of you as you're meant to pay for costumes...
- The starter was chunks of cheese, tomato and pate (with no bread...) we waited for ages to see if bread was coming, then attempted to spread pate on tomatoes or cheese(!) Only after we'd finished our weird concoctions of pate did the bread appear. Doh!
- Also, there tomatoes and potatoes in Medieval London!?
- The soup was okay, but not particularly well seasoned or tasty...
- The main meal was chicken legs in a pot + veggies. It wasn't terrible, it just wasn't good.

It's a shame about the food,
there are so many really cool historical medieval recipes they could have tried... if the food was a bit better/more interesting, this place would be a 5 star touristy experience.

A really fun evening! Don't go in expecting gourmet food, the food arriving at each table in cauldrons is part of the experience, also don't expect a show throughout the meal, this is experiential and you are in the court of king Henry the 8th watching the jesters, contortionists and jugglers while speaking with people at you table so bring someone you want the chat with and chat with the others at your table- I have been twice now and recommend it

I'm a sucker for anything that involves playing dress up and being in an atmosphere where you can let your hair down and the Medieval Banquet allows you to do just that.

I've been here on two occasions - both times to celebrate birthdays - and neither time disappointed.

Think Tudors meets the circus peppered with some Glee. As you're being served your typical medieval four-course meal (which, for me, was good, but not great tbh), your eyes are either drawn to the circus performers, sword duals, impromptu group dances with your wench (that's the lingo you're supposed to use for your waitress for the night!) or a realistic-looking Henry VIII belting out Greensleeves. In other words, they pull out all the stops to make sure you're fully immersed into the Middle Ages - minus the blood and guts, of course!

FYI - to hire a costume from the rack it's an extra tenner per person. Also I would look out for the constant online deals for the banquet rather than pay the full amount otherwise you'll end up having to dig very deep into your pockets!

We ate at Medieval Banquet on Wednesday, July 17th, 2013. Because we were there with a group, instead of as individual diners we were served large platters of food that was pre-selected. First we had salad, then fish and chips and lastly vanilla ice cream. We were served room temperature water, with an option to purchase alcohol or soft drinks.

Although this place is touted as a costume-dining experience, we must have been there at a time when the staff were not changing into costumes and doing a show. So, several of our diners were left asking, "What was the point of us eating there?"

The salad, fish & chips and vanilla ice cream were just average...not great, but not bad.