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As quintessentially English as the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace, taking afternoon tea is a treat loved by tourists and Londoners alike. London has all manner of great places to take tea, so how do you choose? We've rounded up the city's best classic and contemporary afternoon teas for you.
The Lanesborough
Belgravia - Hyde Park Corner, London SW1X 7TA
The Lanesborough has always been highly regarded for its afternoon tea and makes the most of its Regency-era styling by hosting the official Bridgerton-themed afternoon tea. The menu pays tribute to the characters in the latest Queen Charlotte series. There are vegetarian and vegan versions too.
How much: Starts at £75.
Brown's
Mayfair - Albemarle St, London W1S 4BP
Well if it was good enough for Queen Victoria... yes Her Majesty used to enjoy taking tea in The Drawing Room at this classic London hotel. This is a place to enjoy cucumber sandwiches and fruit tartlets and you can even try Cornish tea grown in the gardens at Tregothnan.
How much: Traditional tea starts at £75
Claridge's
Mayfair - Brook Street, London W1K 4HR
Take tea in the art deco foyer of Claridge's and you could easily be a player in any Agatha Christie novel - it's so glamorous. The sandwiches are twists on classics and the fruit pastries change according to what's in season. There's also an inventive children's menu too.
How much: Starts at £85
Fortnum's Diamond Jubilee Tea Salon
St James - 181 Piccadilly, St. James's, London W1A 1ER
There are a couple of places around London you can enjoy a Fortnum's tea but this is the main place, named in honour of The Queen's visit in 2012 when she opened the salon. As the shop is so well known for its teas, you'll be sure of something special here and if you're swerving cakes, you can make it an all-savoury affair.
How much: Starts at £70
Bentley's
Piccadilly - 11-15 Swallow St, London W1B 4DG
This afternoon tea offering is the first in the restaurant's 106-year history but Bentley’s cream tea was worth waiting for. As you'd expect from one of the city's great seafood spots, the savoury element includes treats like Cornish crab mayonnaise and Pickled cucumber with seaweed cream sandwiches. But there are also scones and craquelin choux buns filled with raspberry compote and lemon curd.
How much: From £42
Petersham Nurseries
Richmond - Petersham Nurseries, Church Lane, Off Petersham Road, Richmond, Surrey, TW10 7AB
This Garden afternoon tea at Petersham Nurseries' Richmond location is served on the weekends and includes classic options like egg mayonnaise and watercress sandwiches alongside twists like leek and cheese scones. On a good day, you can enjoy it outside, otherwise it's inside their heated greenhouse.
How much: £45 (£55 with glass of their rose petal Prosecco)
More about Petersham Nurseries
The Orangery at Number Sixteen
South Kensington - 16 Sumner Pl, London SW7 3EG
The tranquil garden at this Firmdale hotel just around the corner from bustling South Kensington is a perfect spot for afternoon tea on a good day. With tables nestling surrounded by Mulberry trees and beside the koi pond you can enjoy smoked salmon and lemon harissa finger sandwiches and saffron and cardamom cream milk buns.
How much: From £45.
More about The Orangery at Number Sixteen
Book The Orangery at Number Sixteen
The Ritz
Mayfair - 150 Piccadilly, St. James's, London W1J 9BR
The Ritz is probably the best-known place to take afternoon tea in the world. It's now so popular you can have it all day long. They're also the only place to have a certified Tea Sommelier whose job it is to source their 18 different types of tea. Don't forget there's a dress code too - jacket and tie for blokes.
How much: Starts at £72 per person.
The Wolseley
Mayfair - 160 Piccadilly, London W1J 9EB
Aside from the odds-on chance of a celeb-spotting, The Wolseley lives for its viennoiserie so you can expect the pastries that come with your full afternoon tea to be particularly good. FYI - you can now buy that tiered stand (complete with cloche to keep your scones warm) to use at home.
How much: Starts at a very reasonable £18.50 for a cream tea and £39.50 for a classic afternoon tea
Also try:
- Parisian tea experts Mariage Freres have a five-storey tea emporium in Covent Garden offering tea-infused cakes and pastries You can book it here.
- Enjoy a jaw-dropping view over London when you take tea at Ting at the Shangri-La London right at the top of The Shard. Is there a Shard-shaped pastry on the menu? You bet.
- You don't often find bargains in Knightsbridge, but the afternoon tea offering at Harvey Nichols' Fifth Floor Café & Terrace is a very decent £40.
Cakes & Bubbles
Piccadilly - Hotel Café Royal, 70 Regent Street, London W1B 4DY
The afternoon tea at Albert Adria's Piccadilly cafe is in their words "a dessert and Champagne experience". You'll get to try all manner of fabulous desserts like their Golden Egg Flan or 'the Cheese Cake' made with Baron Bigod. It's definitely one for Insta.
How much: £45 without Champagne, £60 with a glass of Veuve Clicquot.
Pret a Portea at The Berkeley
Knightsbridge - Wilton Pl, London SW1X 7RL
Coming somewhere between classic and contemporary is the famous Pret a Portea at The Berkeley where the cakes change as often as the fashion seasons. Each season, expect a new range of cakes and pastries inspired by the latest catwalk creations.
How much: Starts at £80.
Cedric Grolet's Goutea
Knightsbridge - The Berkeley, Wilton Place, London SW1X 7RL
For a Parisian patisserie master's twist on afternoon tea head to The Berkeley where Cedric Grolet's Goutea is an eight-course tasting menu of sweet and savoury pastries, finishing with his take on scones and paired with your choice of tea or coffee.
How much: £85
More about Cedric Grolet's Goutea
Nobu Hotel Portman Square
Marylebone - 22 Portman Square, London W1H 7BG
This central London Nobu hotel has a Japanese-themed afternoon tea in the lounge. Expect lots of twists on a traditional afternoon tea, including sushi to start and Hojicha cheescake to follow.
How much: Starts at £65
More about Nobu Portman Square
Bbar
Victoria - 43 Buckingham Palace Rd, London SW1W 0PP
If you've ever wondered what a South African take on afternoon tea would look like, then head to this restaurant and cocktail bar in Victoria to find out. Instead of finger sandwiches, you'll find mini bunny chows along with Amarula scones and flavoured Rooibus tea.
How much: £30
China Tang
Mayfair - The Dorchester, 53 Park Ln, London W1K 1QA
Created in honour of its late owner Sir David Tang, this Cantonese dim sum afternoon tea serves up single-origin teas with butterfly prawn toast as well as a basket of dim sum and custard tart.
How much: Starts at £48.
Cinnamon Bazaar
Covent Garden - 28 Maiden Ln, London WC2E 7JS
Afternoon tea at Vivek Singh's restaurant is High Chai. The menu includes must-have masala fish finger sandwiches, a selection of chaat plus sweet treats like saffron macarons and coriander pistachio cake.
How much: Starts at £27.50.
Lyaness
South Bank - 20 Upper Ground, London SE1 9PD
The Sri Lankan High Tea at Lyaness, one of the best bars in London taps into mixologist Ryan's childhood memories of high tea in his parent’s hometown of Galle. Best of all it comes with their amazing paired cocktails.
How much: It's £55 for the cocktail tea (£35 for the booze-free option).
Rosewood London
Holborn - 252 High Holborn, London WC1V 7EN
The afternoon tea offering at this luxury Holborn hotel has been voted Best Contemporary tea twice now. Pastries are inspired by art, with the current offering specifically inspired by David Hockney so this will look very different from your standard afternoon tea.
How much: The adult tea starts at £75
Also try:
- The Rosebery in the Mandarin Oriental lets you have an afternoon tea with wine, beer, sake or even sparkling tea.
- At One Aldwych their Charlie and the Chocolate Factory tea is particularly good for family tea outings.
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