An Actually Honest Guide To The Best Afternoon Teas In London
Let’s be real: most afternoon teas in London are a bit of a scam. I should know – for the last three years, I’ve been reviewing them for British Vogue and, more often than not, this involves arriving at an incredibly swanky venue only to be ignored by snooty staff members, and then being served stale, wafer-thin finger sandwiches that taste like they should be part of a Tesco meal deal, flavourless English Breakfast tea, dry and crumbly scones, and dense, refrigerated pastries that make you feel a bit sick. After all that, you’re usually handed a bill for a few hundred pounds.
It’s outrageous when you actually think about it – the cost of ingredients for the likes of coronation chicken sandwiches and lemon cakes is low, the mark-up eye-wateringly high, and the emphasis nearly always on Instagrammable interiors, panoramic views or gimmicky live performances (orchestras, ballerinas, I’ve seen it all) over the basic quality of food and service. But, with so much money to be made, and with an endless stream of tourists flocking to the capital for this quintessentially British experience, it also makes perfect sense that every hotel, restaurant, café, museum and theatre within the M25 would now be clamouring to launch their very own afternoon tea menu.
Thankfully, though, amidst this vast swathe of mediocre to bad offerings, there are still a handful of places – some historic and some new, some supremely fancy and some wonderfully casual – which are reliably excellent and go some way to restoring your faith in this whole practice. Read on for a painfully honest guide to the nine best afternoon teas in London.
Read more: explore where to find the best brunch in London.
Bread Ahead1/9For incredible value: The Tea House at Bread Ahead
Want to linger over a pot of Earl Grey and plates of delicate pastries without shelling out close to £200? Head straight to this serene, fairly-priced tea room, set just above the bustling Bread Ahead café on Chelsea’s Pavilion Road – all warm lighting, teal banquettes, golden accents and William Morris-print pillows – which feels like a closely-guarded secret. Order a pot of rose pouchong and then work your way through the simple but masterfully executed menu: mini rolls filled with smoked salmon and lemon butter, coronation chicken, and Burford brown egg mayonnaise with truffle and mustard cress; warm fruit scones with homemade strawberry jam and clotted cream; an Eton Mess Swiss roll; apricot and almond tarts; and rich slices of chocolate cake. From the bread to the air-light sponge, everything is baked to perfection.
From £35
The Dorchester2/9For moreish sandwiches: The Dorchester
On most afternoon tea menus, the focus is firmly on the patisserie, meaning the sandwiches are frequently cold, under-stuffed, unimaginative afterthoughts – just a thin slice of cucumber on unbuttered bread, say, or egg and two sprigs of cress. Not so, though, at The Dorchester’s luxurious Promenade: an expansive salon bathed in golden light, where verdant palms flank curved cushioned seating nooks and side tables overflow with fresh roses, as you’re served a truly knockout afternoon tea. The raisin scones are delightful, as are the dessert trays teeming with pistachio and apricot swiss rolls, citrus possets, raspberry bakewell tarts and chocolate profiteroles, but it’s the generous sandwiches that are something to write home about, particularly the Dorrington ham with truffle and parmesan, and the Burford brown egg with mayonnaise, mustard and cress. I always order seconds – and always leave with zero regrets.
From £95
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Steve Ryan3/9For people who hate sandwiches: Theatre Royal Drury Lane
You might assume that hating sandwiches means the entire concept of afternoon tea isn’t for you, but this playful, Regency-inspired treat proves that’s not the case. Masterminded by baker extraordinaire Lily Vanilli and presented in the historic Theatre Royal Drury Lane’s Grand Saloon – catnip for Bridgerton fans, with its sugary pink walls, green marble panels and crystal chandeliers – it features mouthwatering mini coronation chicken pies with caramelised onion chutney, madeleines layered with whipped feta and pickled heritage carrots, and crumpets piled high with smoked salmon and Earl Grey-infused cream cheese instead. Then come the mint chocolate chip ice cream sandwiches, sticky toffee puddings and an airy vanilla and passionfruit cake finished with intricate piping and a chocolate cupid. It’s the attention to detail that keeps us coming back to this one, from the soundtrack (classical covers of pop songs, of course) to the fine china designed by Kit and Willow Kemp, which bears costume design illustrations from the theatre’s past ballets and operas.
From £59
Patricia Niven4/9For the most fragrant teas: Rosewood London
Everything about this grand Holborn hotel’s beloved Art Afternoon Tea is sensational: its setting, in the glamorous Mirror Room; the perfectly baked scones; and the jaw-dropping, artwork-inspired creations the menu is centred on. The latest offering is a magical tribute to Japanese artist Katsushika Hokusai, featuring three exquisite pastries: a Japanese roll cake with cherry jelly, an ode to “Cherry Blossoms and Warbler”; a lemon chiffon cake with white chocolate, strawberry compote and lychee vanilla cream, which nods to “The Great Wave”; and “Thunderstorm Beneath The Summit”, a chocolate mousse and miso caramel cake. Better yet, the savoury offerings are Japanese-inspired, too (a BBQ beef brisket bun with wasabi coleslaw, sake-marinated smoked salmon with yuzu kosho mayo, a refreshing scallop crudo), and the tea selection is just unparalleled. You can’t go wrong with the subtle Vanilla Supreme, the sweet Truffle and Pistachio or the divine Jasmine Oolong, but the star of the show is the Emperor’s Seven Treasure, a royal favourite once served in Beijing’s Forbidden Palace, whose recipe was a closely guarded secret for generations before being lost for centuries. A delicate blend of green and black teas, which tastes slightly different with every sip, it’s simply sublime.
From £80
The Ritz5/9For a special occasion: The Ritz
Whether it’s a birthday, anniversary or any major milestone, if you choose to celebrate with an afternoon tea, it simply has to be at The Ritz’s show-stopping Palm Court. On my last visit, on a cold, mid-week evening no less, there was a moment when the resident pianist began tinkling “Happy Birthday” and more than a dozen waiters seemed to appear out of thin air carrying miniature cakes for delighted guests. In truth, the charming staff here always go the extra mile, and the ornate interiors – gold walls, twinkling chandeliers, ivory accents – are as impressive as the classic menu: remarkable sandwiches (try the ham with grain mustard mayonnaise on brioche, the smoked salmon with lemon butter on sourdough, and the egg mayonnaise roll with chopped shallots and watercress), fabulous fruit scones and elaborate desserts. There’s nothing else quite like it.
From £79
Addie Chinn6/9For a cosy, bookish atmosphere: Zetter Marylebone
Behind an unassuming pale blue door on sleepy Seymour Street, just steps away from bustling Marble Arch, lies a tranquil Georgian parlour, decorated to resemble the home of an eccentric aristocrat. There are stately grandfather clocks, porcelain vases, oil paintings and cabinets lined with first-edition books, as well as two afternoon tea menus on offer, named after two of the building’s (fictional) former residents: the well-travelled and worldly Aunt Wilhelmina, and the rakish Uncle Seymour. The former’s offering consists of ladylike finger sandwiches – smoked salmon, pickled cucumber, whipped crème fraîche and dill; Wensleydale, candied orange and rocket – while the latter’s is slightly more substantial: think honey-glazed Cumberland sausages; a wild mushroom and truffle quiche; and Ribblesdale goats’ cheese and caramelised figs. Both then proceed to pillow-like scones, a chocolate and tonka bean roll, poached pears with white chocolate mousse, and slices of winter berry crumble. It all goes down a treat with a Pink Floozy – a heady concoction of gin, watermelon tea leaf cordial and sparkling wine. For an old-school, quintessentially London experience, it’s pretty perfect.
From £45
Tim Charles7/9For a sense of ceremony: The Rosebery at Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park
I’m not sure if it’s the hushed calm of this plush, Victorian-inspired Knightsbridge tea room, the high-backed velvet chairs, the masterful service, the wonderful live violinists or the hanging birdcages in which your afternoon tea is served, but it’s a space which will make you sit up straight and savour every bite. The latest menu, a collaboration between the hotel and its Manhattan counterpart, from chefs Francisco Hernandez and Emmanuel Bonneau, is glorious: you begin with a prawn cocktail (served with crackers and caviar, naturally) – a staple on both sides of the pond – before digging into Scottish smoked salmon on beetroot bread, and Cotswold egg and black truffle sandwiches, alongside Reuben pastrami with sauerkraut, and lobster rolls with bisque mayo. Then come the perfectly baked scones and a selection of exceptional pastries: a glossy green apple stuffed with spiced confit apple chunks, a cherry profiterole with zingy orange custard and pistachios, and a New York cheesecake topped with strawberries. Bliss.
From £89
Carol Sachs8/9For canapés that look as good as they taste: The Cadogan, A Belmond Hotel
Elegance is the watch word at this supremely refined afternoon tea, meticulously crafted by none other than the two Michelin-starred Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons, A Belmond Hotel’s head pastry chef Benoit Blin. Inside the tranquil lounge of the stately hotel, a stone’s throw from Sloane Square, you’ll find yourself cosied up in a squishy armchair and sipping on a chilled glass of English sparkling wine while perusing a menu that’ll take you from artful open sandwiches to pastries which are almost too beautiful to eat. There’s salmon gravadlax with quail egg and cream cheese, corn bread with cured Wagyu beef, and egg mayonnaise with winter truffle, followed by a coffee and cardamom religieuse, warm scones, and a delightful dessert trolley which holds a wide range of treats to choose from: a hefty slice of the pistachio, raspberry, lychee and rose cake, perhaps, or a miniature Bramley apple pie. The service, too, is impeccable. Most afternoon teas offer style over substance, but this is the ideal marriage of both.
From £75
