Ratings are out of 100, with 100 being the highest standard and 0 being the lowest
- A modern styled hotel by Tower Bridge
- Offering a breakfast style buffet when staying at the hotel
- A selection of gluten free options including gluten free toast and cereal
- Included in the room stay
- Location: London, Tower Bridge
For a work trip away I had the opportunity to stay at the Tower London hotel, sitting right by Tower Bridge in London. This hotel had a few bars and restaurants attached called the Vicinity, VU from the Tower, and The Lawn. My room also included a free breakfast for both mornings I was staying there.
The breakfast was a buffet style, where I was seated right by the window to look out onto the river. And I was asked straight away if I had any allergies. I told them I was coeliac and could not eat gluten, so the lady explained that each food item had a card next to it which stated the allergies it contains. I was also asked if I wanted gluten free toast, to which I quickly replied with ‘yes!!!’ as I always like to try the different gluten free breads whenever they are offered.
When going around the buffet, most options were gluten free. There was a toast area with pastries and cereal which all contained gluten so I avoided that section. But for a cooked english, everything was gluten free other than the sausages. Obviously, buffets aren’t an ideal setting for coeliacs as there can always be a risk of cross contamination, so I wouldn’t recommend trying any type of buffet if you’re really sensitive. I did risk it as I am not normally sensitive with cross contamination, but it is definitely a consideration for anyone who has an allergy, intolerance or are coeliac. If you do stay at the Tower London Hotel, and you know buffets are too risky, I would request if they could serve your breakfast in the kitchen before any guests can get their hands on the food.
The cooked breakfast included: mushrooms, tomatoes, fried egg, scrambled egg, bacon, sausages (not gf) and baked beans. My favourite part of the breakfast was the bacon, it was well cooked and had a sweet taste as if a tiny drop of maple syrup was put on them.
The gluten free bread came toasted and I was presented with 4 different circular toasts, two white bread and two brown and seeded. It was toasted enough and didn’t fall apart, however, the white bread did taste a bit too processed for me. The buffet had homemade strawberry and mixed berry jam as well as jams, nutella, butters and other spreads in pre-packages to give a variety of spread choice.
On the second morning, I was also taken to the window seat with a lovely view of the water. However, on this occasion, I wasn’t offered any gluten free bread, even when asked about allergies. I would have requested the bread, but I actually wasn’t too hungry and I knew I only wanted some fruit and yoghurt. The fruit included whole fruits such as apples and pears, as well as a large bowl of berries, dates and orange slices.
Overall, I’d recommend the hotel for a breakfast, especially if you get it included with your room stay. But definitely expect the typical hotel buffet style breakfast! At least they offer gluten free bread to us coeliacs though!