Saying the British quite like tea is like saying The Ritz is quite a nice hotel. Because we don’t just like tea – we drink over 36 billion cups each year and have even created an entire lavish ceremony around it. The tradition of afternoon tea dates back to 1840, when the Duchess of Bedford began to feel peckish at 4pm every day. Her solution was to host tea gatherings with fellow aristocrats to bridge the gap between lunch and dinner.
And thank goodness she did. Since then, this quintessentially British custom has spread across the world, with afternoon tea – sometimes referred to as high tea in places like Los Angeles – becoming increasingly popular. For now, though, here’s where to find the most luxury afternoon teas in London.
In this article:
From £80 per person | 252 High Holborn, WC1V 7EN
Rosewood London
Best for: picture-perfect pastries.
It doesn’t get much more photogenic – or should we say, picturegenic – than the Rosewood London’s The Monet Art Afternoon Tea. Pinky promise. The spread marks 100 years since Claude Monet’s death, transforming some of his most famous works into edible masterpieces. Exhibit A: The Water Lily Pond: a petite, green patisserie crafted from whipped pistachio ganache and matcha chocolate.
rosewoodhotels.com
Raffles London at The OWO
Best for: an espionage-themed afternoon tea.
Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to enter the Old War Office’s Drawing Room and sample cakes disguised as British Intelligence paraphernalia, including an edible briefcase, a three-blade propeller, and a rotary dial telephone – references to Operation Mincemeat during WWII. Top secret: there’s a hidden Morse code message on the saucers beneath the teacups – see if you can decipher it.
raffles.com
From £87 per person | 57 Whitehall, SW1A 2BX
From £75 per person | Whitehall Pl, SW1A 2BD | Credit: Brave New World
Corinthia London
Best for: a fashion-focused feast.
We’ve got to take our hat off to the Corinthia. Or rather, the hot-pink, wide-brimmed hat on the hotel's summer afternoon tea collection. To tie in with the theme, the Crystal Moon Lounge has been kitted out with fascinators. There are, of course, classics like Coronation chicken and smoked salmon, but if you really want to shell out, there’s a caviar course starting from £190.
corinthia.com
Goûtea at The Berkeley
Best for: edible illusions.
It’s common knowledge that The Berkeley’s afternoon tea is led by French pastry chef Cédric Grolet. What’s less well known is the contents of the menu – it’s a surprise – with clues such as ‘sculpted fruits’. Spoiler alert: this means fruit-inspired optical illusions, with glossy tarts masquerading as mangos and apples, are on the cards. Délicieux.
maybourne.com
From £85 per person | Wilton Pl, SW1X 7RL
From £92 per person | Hyde Park Corner, SW1X 7TA
The Lanesborough
Best for: a Bridgerton-inspired afternoon tea.
You’re cordially invited to The Lanesborough Grill to experience its Bridgerton-themed tea, a menu jam-packed with sweet references to season four, such as chocolate and tonka mousse crowned with a miniature buttoned shirt and masquerade mask. Another real treat is spotting the hotel’s resident cat, Lillibet (Lady of Lanesborough), who is often found snoozing on The Library Bar’s piano stool-turned-throne.
oetkerhotels.com
The Savoy
Best for: theatrical afternoon tea.
The Savoy is synonymous with old-school glamour. No wonder, then, that the Gallery’s elegant glass dome shelters silhouettes waltzing across the walls – a subtle nod to the hotel hosting its first dinner dance in 1912. You have all the usual suspects for afternoon tea: three-tiered cake stands, polished silver teapots, and neat sandwiches, including the yuzu and dill cream cheese with spinach bread.
thesavoylondon.com
From £90 per person | Strand, WC2R 0EZ
From £75 per person | 15 Beeston Pl, SW1W 0JW
The Goring
Best for: finger sandwiches fit for royalty.
Fact: The Goring is the only London hotel to have been granted a royal warrant by the late Queen Elizabeth II. Fact: the classic afternoon tea is taken in The Veranda. Fact: it comprises an army of uniform sandwiches like Clarence Court egg mayonnaise with cress on butter-yellow crockery. Fact: it’s even better with a glass of Bollinger or Nyetimber.
thegoring.com
The Georgian at Harrods
Best for: a post-shopping pit stop.
Yes, Harrods is home to designer heels and handbags, but you can also fill your boots with unlimited blends of tea and one or two thin-stemmed flutes of Champagne. With drinks accounted for, move on to refreshing refillable sandwiches like cushion-soft cucumber with a hint of mint. Though we’d recommend pacing yourself for the jam trolley, wheeled to your table with four varieties to choose from.
harrods.com
From £87 per person | 87–135 Brompton Rd, SW1X 7XL
From £95 per person | 150 Piccadilly, W1J 9BR
The Ritz Restaurant
Best for: a quintessentially British experience.
“Afternoon tea is a truly special experience,” says Head Chef Deepak Mallya. And he’s right: at The Ritz, it’s served amongst the golden statues and glittering chandeliers of Palm Court. All the classics – cucumber sandwiches and crumbly scones – are present and correct, as well as 20 types of loose-leaf tea. So special, in fact, that the last sitting is at 7:30pm – a rarity for this tradition.
theritzlondon.com
The Langham
Best for: the birthplace of afternoon tea.
Victorian aristocrats invented afternoon tea as we know it, so it’s only fitting that you receive the royal treatment in the salon where it all began 160 years ago. The Langham’s white-glove service and glasses of Champagne make it fit for a king. And chef royalty Michel Roux Jr. told us the mulled cider and apple crème fraîche tart is his cup of tea on the winter collection.
palm-court.co.uk
From £85 per person | 1C Portland Pl, W1B 1JA
From £95 per person | 53 Park Ln, W1K 1QA
The Dorchester
Best for: an old-school, lavish spread.
Some things are a crime. Like putting the jam before the cream on a scone... or never stepping foot inside iconic London hotels like The Dorchester for afternoon tea. To get our facts straight, it’s been a favourite amongst film stars and royalty since opening in 1931. Plus, its afternoon tea is overseen by award-winning pastry chef Michael Kwan who whips up creative sandwich combos.
dorchestercollection.com
Fortnum & Mason
Best for: ticking off a British rite of passage.
There’s a reason afternoon tea at Fortnum & Mason is high on the hit lists of London tourists. It's been serving traditional sandwiches, scones, and sweet treats for over a century – but since 2012, tea has been taken in the glitzy Diamond Jubilee Tea Salon. There’s another reason, too: there’s also a savoury-only menu with smoked trout profiteroles for those who don’t have a sweet tooth.
fortnumandmason.com
From £84 per person | 4th Flr, 181 Piccadilly, W1A 1ER
From £95 per person | 1 Brook St, W1K 4HR
Claridge’s
Best for: a traditional afternoon tea.
A big giveaway for how seriously Claridge’s takes afternoon tea is the length of the menu (it’s over 25 pages long). Each element of the tradition has been carefully outlined for diners – from the thickness of the sandwich bread to top tips on tea pairings for each course. You’ll also be serenaded by tinkling piano music: if you want a traditional experience, this is it.
maybourne.com
sketch
Best for: design-led dining.
Sketch is a restaurant that thrives on eccentricity – from its whimsical pod bathrooms to its interactive website. The same goes for its afternoon tea in the Gallery, which joyfully puts a French twist on the English classics. The joy doesn’t end there: the webpage even allows you to pile artsy items from the menu such as cocktail stick-pronged salmon sandwiches onto a virtual plate.
sketch.london
From £85 per person | 9 Conduit St, W1S 2XG
From £85 per person | Hamilton Pl, W1J 7DR
Pavllyon London
Best for: innovative flavours.
If there’s a Frenchman we’d trust to say, “let them eat cake”, it’s Yannick Alléno. When we sat down with one of the world’s most Michelin-starred chefs, he exclusively told us the secret ingredient to his success is “inventing what has never been seen or tasted before.” That's certainly true of his afternoon tea, which features unexpected flavours such as an aloe vera and olive oil compote.
