12 of the best afternoon teas in London
The capital’s afternoon tea scene is hard to beat – here’s the cream of the crop
- 1. Oblix East at The Shard
- 2. L’oscar London
- 3. Jurassic afternoon tea at The Ampersand Hotel
- 4. Diamond Jubilee Tea Salon at Fortnum & Mason
- 5. Palm Court at The Langham
- 6. Grand Saloon at Theatre Royal Drury Lane
- 7. The Drawing Room at Brown’s Hotel
- 8. Fortnum & Mason at the Royal Exchange
- 9. Lyaness at Sea Containers London
- 10. The Landmark London
- 11. Roast
- 12. Botanica at 100 Queen’s Gate
1. Oblix East at The Shard
31 St. Thomas Street, London, SE1 9RY
Oblix East must win the award for having the highest afternoon tea in the country – and perhaps with the best views as well. Situated on level 32 of The Shard, you will sip cocktails and eat finger sandwiches while gazing for miles over London and beyond.
This is a modern twist on a traditional English classic. The humble egg mayo sandwich has been elevated into a truffle-infused, buttery brioche creation, and the prawn and lobster roll is absolutely stuffed with delicious seafood. The standout savoury was the avocado, tomato and buffalo mozzarella tart, which was fresh and flavourful. Diners are encouraged to ask for seconds but, of course, there is more to come.
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You are given two types of scone, the classic and a cranberry version, both arriving warm under a towel. They are paired with raspberry preserve, clotted cream, fresh honeycomb, and chocolate sauce, so you can be as traditional or as inventive as you fancy. Oblix’s sweet course is the perfect full stop to the meal. Its own super-sized version of a Ferrero Rocher is stuffed with chocolate and nut flavours, which are perfectly contrasted with the sharp passion fruit, mango and pistachio bar. The rhubarb, raspberry and buttermilk tartlet is like spring on a plate.
There are varying types of drinks to choose from, including soft drinks, teas, coffees, wines, cocktails and champagne. The tea menu also has a classic black tea that has been exclusively blended for Oblix with leaves from Malawi. But those wishing to indulge in something more alcoholic can enjoy bottomless glasses of deliciously dry Duval Leroy champagne, spicy Bloody Marys, or bitter Aperol spritzes.
Jaymi McCann was a guest of Oblix at The Shard. Available 12pm-4pm, Thursdays to Sundays. Prices start from £58 per person for a classic afternoon tea (soft drinks, teas and coffees) to £108 per person for a champagne afternoon tea (bottomless champagne, wines, selected cocktails, soft drinks, teas and coffees).
From £58 per person; oblixrestaurant.com
2. L’oscar London
2-6 Southampton Row, London, WC1B 4AA
This boutique hotel is in Bloomsbury, London’s spiritual home of literature and academia, making it an area that’s seen plenty of intellectual conversation over the years. Presumably much of it has been over a cup of tea, but whatever your subject matter, have a gossip with L’oscar’s delectable assortment of treats and tipples in the sumptuous surroundings of its baroque home.
Choose between the classic or champagne afternoon tea, both of which proudly showcase London’s acclaimed Newby teas. You won’t just get a list of the ten blends they’ve curated, but a book containing vials of them for you to waft in their complex aromas. Finger sandwiches are luxurious twists on the classics, so a humble egg and cress is a rich and moreish egg mimosa with black truffle. Even so, the cucumber and mint mascarpone is a reminder that the finest sandwiches are sometimes the simplest.
Crumbly mini scones, both fruited and plain, come with jam, clotted cream and a crowd-pleasing lemon curd. Those with a sweeter tooth will be in paradise with L’oscar’s patisserie, whose colour, gloss and exquisite decoration will leave you reaching for your camera before making a dent with your cake fork. “La Vie En Rose” – strawberry confit and lychee mousse on a lime biscuit – is the sort of treat that will satisfy both your sweetest desires and your Instagram needs.
Dominic Kocur was a guest of L’oscar London.
From £49 per person; loscarlondon.com
3. Jurassic afternoon tea at The Ampersand Hotel
10 Harrington Road, London, SW7 3ER
Between the release of the latest Jurassic World film and the return of Dippy the Dinosaur to the Natural Science Museum, London’s palaeontology fans have had plenty to celebrate. And what better way than with a Jurassic-themed feast? Located just round the corner from Dippy’s South Kensington home, The Ampersand Hotel is taking a culinary trip millions of years back in time with a dino-tastic afternoon tea.
Served in the hotel’s Apero restaurant, the prehistoric blowout includes a “volcanic eruption” of raspberry and lemon crèmeux, with dry-ice rocks adding extra drama. Guests can test their excavation skills by finding chocolate “fossils” hidden under edible “soil”, as well as digging into dinosaur egg nests and Jurassic mountain mousse.
Savouries include T-Rex cheese straws and mini hot dogs for the kids, and roast beef brioche for the grown-up carnivores, with vegetarian and gluten-free menus also available. Scone lovers of all ages should get their teeth into the white chocolate and cranberry versions being served with optional toppings of freeze-dried fruit and crunchy caramel. And to toast Dippy and his ancient pals, cocktails on offer include a gin-based Dino Sour that is liquid dynamite.
£49.50 per person, £35 per child; ampersandhotel.com
4. Diamond Jubilee Tea Salon at Fortnum & Mason
181 Piccadilly, St. James’s, London, W1A 1ER
At Fortnum & Mason’s flagship store on Piccadilly, the Diamond Jubilee Tea Salon remains one of the most popular spots for afternoon tea in the capital. The low-ceilinged salon, a vision of Eau de Nil – the blue-green colour strongly associated with the brand – was opened by Queen Elizabeth II in 2012 and certainly has a regal air to it.
More than 500 pots of tea are served every day at Fortnum & Mason and guests can choose from a range of menus: afternoon tea, savoury afternoon tea, high tea, vegetarian afternoon tea or gluten-free afternoon tea. To go with classic items such as finger sandwiches, pâtisseries, and scones, the drinks menu includes Fortnum’s champagne, cocktails and sparkling tea. Fortnum & Mason will also be serving its new coronation afternoon tea until September.
From £78 per person; fortnumandmason.com
5. Palm Court at The Langham
1C Portland Place, Marylebone, London, W1B 1JA
What could be more quintessentially British than nibbling the nation’s favourite biscuits in the birthplace of the afternoon tea? Located just off Regent Street, The Langham became the first hotel to serve afternoon tea to the public, in its elegant Palm Court, back in 1865. Now, this fine tradition has a modern twist in the hotel’s offering from executive pastry chef Andrew Gravett, who has put his own spin on classic British bickies and bakes in a collaboration with Michel Roux Jr.
In the expert duo’s hands, the humble custard cream is transformed into “Crème de la Crème”, a chocolate shell filled with Madagascan vanilla cream and caramel sponge. The French fancy gets fancified with camomile cream, baba and Bramley apple compote, and pink wafers and mini rolls get mini makeovers too. But top marks go to the “Tiffinesque”, a Tiffin-style sharing cake of chocolate sponge, caramelised white chocolate cream, marshmallow and hazelnuts.
The equally top-notch savouries are more traditional, with finger sandwiches including cucumber, roast beef and smoked salmon, as well as three types of scones (plain, raisin and cheese). And a tea sommelier is on hand to pick the perfect brews to accompany this biscuit-inspired feast. Just resist the urge to “dunk”.
From £75 per person; palm-court.co.uk
6. Grand Saloon at Theatre Royal Drury Lane
Catherine St, Covent Garden, London, WC2B 5JF
Period drama fans longing for a little Bridgerton-style living are in for a treat if they head to the Theatre Royal Drury Lane. Baker to the stars Lily Vanilli is winning rave reviews with a Regency-inspired afternoon tea served beneath the glittering chandeliers and ornate ceilings of the theatre’s Grand Saloon.
The playful menu swaps traditional sandwiches for savoury pastries including canneles with whipped ricotta and beetroot, plus hearty puff pastry sausage rolls. Traditionalists are catered for with superb scones accompanied by salted butter, jam and cream. But the real scene-stealers are the sweets, which include pink lemonade tarts decorated with gilded chocolate cherubs, and mini sticky toffee puddings with a custard and salted caramel filling. And in a grand finale that nods to the Regency era’s trend for exotic ices, a trolley is rolled out to deliver scoops of intoxicatingly delicious absinthe mint choc-chip ice cream. Even Lady Whistledown would be impressed.
£59 for adults, £35 for children; thelane.co.uk
7. The Drawing Room at Brown’s Hotel
Albemarle Street, London, W1S 4BP
Few places lend themselves to an afternoon of genteel refreshment like the wood-panelled Drawing Room at Brown’s Hotel in Mayfair. Reputedly the inspiration for Agatha Christie’s 1965 mystery At Bertram’s Hotel, Brown’s has been serving afternoon teas for well over a century – so it’s no surprise they’ve got it down to a fine art.
The finger sandwiches – cucumber, smoked coronation chicken, salt beef with horseradish mayonnaise, and prawn cocktail – are simply unbeatable, especially when paired with a selection from its lengthy tea menu (try the Cornish Tregothnan, the only tea grown in England). An inventive vegan afternoon tea is also on offer, proving that Brown’s isn’t content to rest on its well-earned laurels.
From £75 per person; roccofortehotels.com
8. Fortnum & Mason at the Royal Exchange
The Courtyard, The Royal Exchange, London, EC3V 3LR
The grand atrium of the Royal Exchange provides a striking (and eminently Instagrammable) setting for afternoon tea, which is surely why Fortnum & Mason has chosen the City landmark as the first place to offer the experience beyond its flagship Piccadilly store.
It’s a quintessential tea, with sandwich fillings including Norfolk ham and mustard, coronation chicken, smoked salmon and cucumber with mint cream cheese all served as you relax on plush banquettes upholstered in the store’s trademark eau-de-Nil green. As are two perfectly-baked scones and a trio of decadent patisseries.
As you might expect, these are accompanied with Fortnum’s own teas. Its green tea with elderflower, for example, is a sweet and refreshing brew, while the Fortmason blend exudes a heavy aromatic bouquet of florals and orange blossom. And if you fall in love with selection, you can find a tin to take home in the Fortnum & Mason outpost just a few steps away.
From £35 per person; fortnumandmason.com
9. Lyaness at Sea Containers London
20 Upper Ground, South Bank, London, SE1 9PD
Sea Containers London, a design-led hotel on the south bank of the Thames, offers a “spirited tea” in its Lyaness lounge bar, a beautifully furnished room with views across the river to St. Pauls. It can be paired either with champagne or – as its name encourages – a series of cocktails. Alcohol-free mocktails are also available, along with the customary selection of green, black and floral teas.
The food is a collection of successfully updated classics: the cucumber in the sandwiches is pickled, for example, and lemongrass takes the place of lemon in the meringue tart. All of which adds a summery note to proceedings, and pairs very nicely with fruit-forward cocktails like the rock melon gimlet, a blend of Grey Goose vodka with melon, cacao and seeded vermouth.
From £35 per person; seacontainerslondon.com
10. The Landmark London
222 Marylebone Road, London, NW1 6JQ
Once one of London’s grand railway hotels – it opened in 1899 as the Hotel Great Central – The Landmark London serves a “high palms high tea” in its Winter Garden, a high glass-roofed atrium at the heart of the hotel, in which tables are interspersed with improbable palm trees. A harpist provides serene musical accompaniment.
The sandwiches, sometimes a neglected part of the meal, are excellent – especially the coronation chicken on walnut bread, and soft white bread filled with lapsang souchong smoked salmon. Scones come with an adventurous choice of jams, alongside the traditional strawberry. Gooseberry and elderflower is a beguiling blend of the sweet and the sharp. The pastries, too, are a winning combination of the classic (a crisply perfect miniature strawberry tart) and the modern (a sweet, gooey salted caramel macaron). Innovation extends to the tea selection too, where a blend enriched with chunks of caramel sits alongside the bright, fresh infusions of Assam and Darjeeling.
From £65 per person; landmarklondon.co.uk
11. Roast
The Floral Hall, Stoney St, Borough Market, London, SE1 1TL
Not only is Roast’s dining room gorgeously grand and airy, with high ceilings and a fabulous half-moon window, but it also boasts a magnificent view, perched as it is above bustling Borough Market. And as you watch the world go by, you can tuck into the trendy restaurant’s afternoon tea offering.
Like the rest of Roast’s highly seasonal menu, the selection will vary throughout the year, but you should expect a classic selection of sandwiches, scones and strawberry jam – and more adventurous patisserie. You can also choose an afternoon tea with bottomless prosecco served for 90 minutes.
From £35 per person; roast-restaurant.com
12. Botanica at 100 Queen’s Gate
100 Queen’s Gate, Kensington, London, SW7 5AG
If you’re a seasoned afternoon tea pro looking to go beyond the classics, there’s not a profiterole or a lemon drizzle in sight at Botanica, part of the 100 Queen’s Gate hotel in South Kensington. The hotel has recently undergone a multimillion-pound refurbishment but retains much of its 1870s architecture, including the beautiful double-height atrium in which afternoon tea is served. Natural light pours in through the glass ceiling, falling on mirrors and pristine white shutters along the walls.
Highlights from the botanical-rich menu include a cinnamon tartlet filled with punchy lime mousse and elderflower glaze – and a choux bun filled with white chocolate infused with orange blossom and roasted walnuts. The cherry and bergamot scones come with cherry jam, ginger and orange marmalade and subtly flavoured pink-peppercorn clotted cream. The tea is curated by Whittard of Chelsea – and each teapot comes with an egg-timer to ensure a perfect brew.
From £46 per person; 100queensgate.com
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