The Best Afternoon Tea in London 2024

Afternoon Tea in London | These Top 30 Spots Have Got It In The Bag…

There’s a lot of debate when it comes to afternoon tea.

Is it better to put the jam or cream first? Should you say scone like ‘cone’, or scone like ‘gone’? And where can you find the best afternoon tea in London?

The answers to which, of course, are a) cream, obviously b) it’s pronounced ‘scone’, and c) these places right here, in our fully comprehensive guide to afternoon teas in London (which we’ve also organised by budget, and whether they offer gluten-free and/or vegan afternoon teas).

We’re talking afternoon teas inspired by fashion, contemporary art and musicals; teas where you can ice your own biscuits; and quirky afternoon tea featuring miniature volcanoes and dinosaur fossils. Plus, you know, a couple of really classic afternoon teas served in some of London’s most palatial and glitzy settings.

Behold our 30 favourite Afternoon Tea spots in London….

NOTE: Regarding whether gluten-free or vegan afternoon teas are offered, it’s worth noting that while most places are likely to be able to offer this you should still contact them at least 48 hours in advance to confirm any allergies or dietary requirements.

First, The Most Affordable Afternoon Teas In London (£) ––

1) The Wolseley | Mayfair

The Wolseley is a lovely place to visit at any time of day. But it particularly comes into its own for afternoon tea, when the waistcoated waiters glide across the marble floors with trays of Champagne and silver cloches. The menu comes with all the usual sweet and savoury trimmings, enormous scones and an array of teas to choose from… including their chocolate and caramel tea.

Details: Served Mon-Fri 3-6.30pm, weekends 3.30-6.30pm | Cream tea £19.50pp, afternoon tea £44.50pp | +£13.50 for a glass of Champagne | Veggie, vegan, nut-free and gluten-free options available | Book here
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2) Dean Street Townhouse | Soho

You’ve got friends in town. They are (understandably) confused at the concept of an afternoon ‘snack’ that somehow replaces dinner, and costs £100pp. You need to take them to Dean Street Townhouse. The open-to-all restaurant at the base of Soho House on Dean Street is suitably lavish enough to impress, all tasseled cushions and plump velvet armchairs, and embraces tradition without feeling fusty (your neighbours will probably be swigging picantes, after all). And with three tiers of finely prepped grub for under £30 a head, it’s one of the best value afternoon teas in London.

Details: Served Mon-Sat, 2-5pm | £28pp | +£13.50 for a glass of Champagne | Veggie, vegan, nut-free and gluten-free options available | Book here
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3) The Zetter Townhouse | Marylebone & Clerkenwell

Packed with Chesterfield sofas, a roaring fire and a clutch of eccentric Victorian trinkets from candlesticks to stuffed animals; the two Zetter Townhouse hotels look like afternoon tea could have been invented there. There’s two menus to pick from; dainty finger sandwiches filled with the likes of Coronation chicken and brie with fig jam, or ‘hearty treats’ of ox cheek croquettes and goats cheese tarts. Then everyone gets to enjoy the scones, sweet treats and array of teas.

4) The Soho Hotel | Soho

Justin De Souza

The Soho Hotel serves up an afternoon tea that’s as colourful as the setting. You’ll enjoy fancy takes on the usual sandwiches with cucumber & hummus on granary, cheddar & pickle on tomato basil bread, and chicken & tarragon mayo before moving onto scones with clotted cream, and envelope-pushing patisserie like blood orange & Earl Grey choux buns and green apple mousse with ginger shortbread.

Details: Served daily, 12-4pm | £45 | +£12 for a glass of Champagne | Book here

5) The Ivy Chelsea Garden | Chelsea

There’s a buzz about this place, and it’s not just coming from the beehives in the back garden. The Ivy‘s more relaxed, leafy West London outpost is a beautifully verdant spot for a traditional afternoon tea al fresco, featuring grilled chicken & truffle mayo brioche rolls; freshly baked scones; and madeleines drizzled with chocolate sauce…

Details: Served daily 3-5pm | £34.95pp | +£10 for a glass of Champagne | Book here
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6) Millie’s Lounge | Bank

The Ned fills its enormous former banking hall home with a mere six restaurants, a cocktail bar and a central bandstand stage – so statistically speaking, it would be surprising if you couldn’t go for afternoon tea here. You’ll find it served in Millie’s Lounge, a pretty section of the double-height hall with pink banquettes, chintzy crockery and sheer curtains diffusing the light over the room’s imposing green marble pillars. The afternoon tea stand is just as lofty, with traditional treats layered over three tiers, and plenty of tea & coffee choices.

Details: Served weekdays 2-5pm, weekends 12-5pm | £50pp | +£13 for a glass of Champagne | Vegetarian & vegan menus available | Book here
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7) Charlotte Street Hotel | Fitzrovia

The colourful Kit Kemp-designed restaurant at Charlotte Street Hotel, Oscar, offers an alternative afternoon tea ‘with a twist’. You’ll get three mini cocktails – alcoholic or non-alcoholic – paired with an assortment of sandwiches (cucumber & mint, smoked salmon & cream cheese, ham & mustard), gratifying sweet things like a strawberry and prosecco mousse cake, and those mandatory homemade scones with clotted cream and preserves.

Details: Served weekdays 2.45-4.45pm, weekends 12-4.45pm | £40 | +£15 for cocktails | Book here
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8) Biscuiteers | Notting Hill & Belgravia

Biscuiteers are known for their incredibly detailed, hand-iced biscuits – but you’re about to get to know them for their mandarin & chocolate choux buns, ruby chocolate macarons and raisin-studded scones, too. It’s all served alongside their personal house blend of Tregothnan tea, and you can even tack on your own DIY biscuit icing experience…

Details: Served daily, 11am-5.30pm | £45-68pp | +£7.50 for a glass of prosecco | Vegan and gluten-free options available | Book here
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9) No. 16 | South Kensington

Number 16 (a jewel box of a hotel in South Kensington) has an unbelievably beautiful orangery and garden. And frankly, it would be a crime if they didn’t offer afternoon tea here. But thankfully they do, and it involves pitch-perfect sandwiches; a choice of elegant patisserie; and the option to go for hot chocolate instead of tea.

Details: Served daily, 1-4pm | £45pp | +£12 for a glass of Champagne | Gluten-free, sugar-free and vegan options available | Book here

And Now, More Expensive Afternoon Teas In London (££) –

10) Rosewood London | Holborn

The Mirror Room at Holborn hotel Rosewood London has been repeatedly awarded Best Contemporary Afternoon Tea in the UK – which is fitting, since it’s inspired by contemporary art. Their current menu is a kind of afternoon tea all-stars, bringing back some of their most impressive creations from the past few years. Munch on an iced white chocolate cube inspired by Banksy; an edible Campbell’s soup can paying tribute to Warhol; Dali’s Lobster Telephone (transformed into chocolate); and a dotty creation in the style of Yayoi Kusama.

Details: Served daily, 12-5.45pm | £68 | +£10 for a glass of Champagne | Book here
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11) NoMad | Covent Garden

In case you were wondering, NoMad boasts some of the most impressively gorgeous interiors of the city. So it was only a matter of time before the hotel put aside its NYC roots aside to adopt this most British of traditions. Seated in the triple-height atrium, surrounded by glass lanterns and cascading greenery, you can now enjoy a (quite reasonably priced) afternoon tea with all the trimmings: elegant twists on the classic finger sandwiches, exquisite miniature tarts and cheesecakes, and rum & raisin scones.

Details: Served Thursday – Saturday, 2-4pm | £65pp | +£18 for a glass of sparkling wine | Book here
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12) Theatre Royal Drury Lane | Covent Garden

The beautifully restored Theatre Royal on Drury Lane serves up a suitably theatrical afternoon tea in their peach-painted, emerald-green marble pillared Grand Saloon (as well as on the balcony, in the warmer months). It’s all been designed by legendary Hackney baker Lily Vanilli, and features miniature crumpets with Earl Grey cream cheese; tiny little coronation chicken pies; frilly pastel-piped cakes; and ice cream sandwiches stacked with strawberry syrup and marshmallow. We would say it’s the most delicious afternoon tea ever created… but we’d hate to be dramatic.

Details: Served daily, 11am-5.30pm | £59pp/£20 for kids | Add a glass of Champagne for £10pp | Gluten-free & vegan menus available | Book here
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13) The Orchid Lounge at Pan Pacific London | The City

The Orchid Lounge’s setting is as neutral and inconspicuous as you’d expect a lounge in a sleek City hotel to be, but that’s by the by when the plates are loaded with so much colour. In a nod to the hotel’s Singaporean roots, there are two afternoon teas on offer: a traditional version with finger sandwiches and scones, and a kopi tiam version which features baskets of delicious siu mai and freshly steamed buns. And they’re both capped off with some exquisite patisserie inspired by floral flavours.

Details: Served Thurs-Mon, 12.30-4pm | £58 | +£21 for a glass of Champagne | Vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free options available | Book here
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14) Rotunda at Four Seasons Hotel at Ten Trinity Square | Tower Hill

Directly overlooking Tower Bridge and the Tower of London, the Four Seasons hotel’s lounge has an impressive tower of its own – one stacked with elegant afternoon tea treats. Traditional scones & sandwiches are capped off by patisserie inspired by the crown jewels held under lock and key down below, with strawberry confit & yuzu chocolate crowns and a miniature Victoria sponge with Darjeeling mousse (apparently the king’s favourite tea). And it all feels like a bit of an occasion thanks to the soundtrack by live musicians.

Details: Served Friday-Sunday, 2-5pm | £65 | +£10 for a glass of Champagne | Book here
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15) Petersham Nurseries Richmond | Richmond

Sit down to tea in the beautifully bohemian surroundings of Petersham Nurseries Richmond, where, underneath a canopy of flowers and vines, hand-blown Florentine glass cake stands (doubling as vases) are loaded with gruyère & cranberry gougères, chive & gorgonzola scones, sticky ginger cake and spiced apple choux. Plus there’s the option to tack on a glass of sparkling wine, if you trust yourself around all that priceless glass.

Details: Served Fri-Sat, 10am-4.30pm, Sun 11am-4.30pm | £55pp/£25 for kids | +£10 for a glass of prosecco | Vegetarian & vegan menus available | Book here
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16) The Gherkin | The City

The Gherkin takes high tea very literally. Panoramic views of the London skyline and unlimited Champagne combine with a menu of smoked salmon & caviar sandwiches, Jersey fruit scones, and elegant patisserie.

Details: Served Fri & Sat, 12-4pm | From £55pp, inc. a glass of bubbles | Bottomless Champagne for £99pp | Book here
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17) The Ampersand Hotel | South Kensington

Amy Murrell

Taking inspiration from the nearby Natural History Museum, afternoon tea at The Ampersand hotel arrives in a swirling cloud of dry ice, under which you’ll find T-rex footprint macarons; dark chocolate & caramel dino egg nests; biscuit fossils to excavate from chocolate soil; and themed teapot-tails to boot…

Details: Served daily 12-6.30pm | £54.50pp/£37.50 for kids | +£15 for a glass of Champagne/tea pot-tail | Vegetarian and gluten-free menus available | Book here
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18) The Landmark | Marylebone

Afternoon tea in an 8-storey high atrium – it might sound like a tall order. But The Landmark makes the most of its insanely elegant palm conservatory by filling it with tinkling piano music; a huge spread of teas; and Lapsang Souchong-smoked salmon sandwiches.

Details: Served weekdays 3-5pm, weekends 1-5pm | £70pp | +£13 for a glass of Champagne | Book now
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19) The Stafford Hotel | St James’s

Duck down a passageway off Green Park to emerge onto a quiet, genteel cul-de-sac where you’ll find The Stafford, hotel of choice for WWII spies, Hollywood stars… and those in pursuit of an exceptional afternoon tea. The hotel’s Game Bird restaurant is a lavish setting that befits its elegant menu, where freshly cut red roses accompany triple-tiered silver stands. Those stands come bearing gifts like truffled egg brioche buns; smoked salmon sandwiches and a trio of scones (plain, raisin, and cheddar – to be enjoyed with cream cheese, rather than cream). And just as you start to think you’ve reached the peak of high society living, in comes a bespoke cake trolley loaded with coffee choux buns, vivid green macarons, and slices of their earl grey and honey layer cake. Your only task? To narrow them down to five…

Details: Served daily from 12-5.30pm | £70 | +£17 for a glass of Champagne | Book here
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20) Aqua Shard | London Bridge

Aqua Shard serves afternoon tea on the 31st floor of one of the most iconic skyscrapers in London. And frankly, they could have let the view do the talking. But instead they’ve created a Peter Pan-themed extravaganza that includes “an enormous mushroom chimney”, an absinthe cocktail shimmering with golden fairy dust, and Peter’s hat crafted from choux pastry, all of which is delivered to your table via this smoking pirate ship.

Details: Served daily, 12-3.15pm | £70pp/£50 for kids | +£20 for a glass of Champagne | Vegetarian, pescatarian and vegan menus available | Book here

And Finally The Fanciest Afternoon Teas In London (£££) –

21) The Berkeley’s Goûtea | Knightsbridge

While The Berkeley’s couture-inspired afternoon tea will be returning (fashionably) later this year, it’s the turn of pastry superstar Cédric Grolet to step under the limelight. You can pop into his scleral-white patisserie fronting Hyde Park for a trompe l’oeuil pastry to take away, but if money’s no object (at least till next month’s credit card bill rolls in), book in for his take on afternoon tea: Goûtea. Sitting in the beautifully designed café space, all modern art deco with walnut wood and sleekly curving banquettes, you’ll be presented with wagyu croissants, truffle arancini, pistachio ‘flowers’, and more…

Details: Served daily 12-5pm | £85pp | +£12 for a glass of Champagne | No dietary alternatives available | Book here
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22) Seabird | Southwark

You might think that afternoon tea, with its scones and cakes, might look a bit out of place at a seafood restaurant… and you’d be right. So instead, Seabird serves up to three tiers of shellfish platters, starting with ten oysters hand-picked by the chef, and scaling up to banquets of razor clams, fresh langoustines and an entire half lobster.

Details: Served daily, subject to 48h pre-order | £40-220 | Bubbles & cocktails from £12 | Book here
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23) Fortnum & Mason | Piccadilly

The Fortnum’s store is a gourmand’s paradise of loose leaf teas, fancy biscuits and preserves. But the Diamond Jubilee Tea Salon upstairs has been serving it all on a plate since 2012, when it was opened by (who else but) the late Queen herself. It’s a quintessential London afternoon tea, executed to perfection: tuck into sugar-dusted scones with strawberry & Champagne jam, cucumber & minted cream sandwiches and a quintet of tiny little cakes to finish… until the cake trolley loaded with Battenberg rolls around, that is.

Details: Served daily | £80pp | +£17.50 for a glass of Champagne | Vegan, nut- and dairy-free options available | Book now
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24) The Carlton Tower Jumeirah | Knightsbridge

The Carlton Tower’s afternoon tea is tagged with some serious name-value. Jessica Préalpato was voted the world’s best pastry chef in 2019 by World’s 50 Best (it’s like the Oscars for pâtisserie people), and was head pastry chef under Alain Ducasse at Paris’s Plaza Athénée. Here she’s drummed up an afternoon tea menu inspired by nature, so handpicked teas, pear & lime sorbet, and apple & tamarind tarts all feature – alongside four different types of scone in what they’re calling ‘The Scone Experience’.

Details: Served daily 12-4pm | £75pp | +£15 for a glass of Champagne | Book now
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25) The Drawing Room | Mayfair

The Drawing Room is secreted away in Brown’s Hotel, a grand establishment taking up no fewer than 11 Georgian townhouses in Mayfair – a not insignificant part of which has been dedicated to the ritual of afternoon tea. In fact, Queen Victoria herself was apparently quite partial to taking it here. And she probably would have been quite partial to their new collaboration with the royal hatters, Lock & Co, for which they’ve created an array of millinery-inspired macarons, choux buns and more…

Details: Served daily, 12-6.30pm, 6th May – 31st August | £75 | +£10 for a glass of Champagne | Vegan menu available | Book here
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26) Claridge’s | Mayfair

Claridge’s is a classic for a reason – and that reason is a century-tested menu with deluxe takes on the classic finger sandwiches, cakes and scones. Expect honey-glazed ham with tomato relish on onion bread; freshly baked fruit scones; and a banana & caramel St Honoré – all served with Claridge’s own unique blend of tea – in supremely elegant art deco surroundings.

Details: Served daily between 2.45 and 5.30pm | £90pp | +£10 for a glass of Champagne | Vegan and gluten-free menu available | Book now
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27) Sketch | Mayfair

The city’s most beautiful restaurant has applied all its trademark style and form to its afternoon tea. Served up in the huge, very yellow Gallery room, you’ll be able to dine on dainty patisserie treats whilst admiring the Yinka Shonibare artwork, the live string trio, and the citrus sponge trolley being wheeled towards your table.

Details: Served daily 11.00-4.30pm | £95/£60 for kids | +£15 for a glass of Champagne | Vegan, gluten-free menu available | Book here
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28) Hotel Café Royal | Regent Street

HCR’s gilded, ornate dining room has, in its time, been frequented by Oscar Wilde, Elizabeth Taylor, The Beatles, Muhammad Ali and David Bowie. And it’s home to an equally gilded afternoon tea offering, including truffled egg brioche sandwiches, raisin scones with Earl Grey jam, and red apple tartlets.

Details: Served daily, 12-5.30pm | £75pp | +£10 for a glass of Champagne | Vegetarian & vegan menus available, other dietaries catered for with 48hrs notice | Book here
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29) The Lanesborough | Hyde Park

Served under a glass dome in a pretty pale blue dining room that looks like a cake in itself, The Lanesborough Hotel has to be one of the most elegant spots for afternoon tea in London, complete with a live pianist on weekends. For their new Bridgerton-inspired menu they’re rolling out dishes like tea-cured salmon sandwiches, fresh scones with clotted cream, and bittersweet patisserie in honour of Lady Whistledown.

Details: Served Mon-Thurs 12.30-4pm; Fri-Sat 12-4pm, Sun 3.30-4.30pm from 16th May | £90pp (inc. a cocktail) | +£5 for a glass of Champagne | Vegetarian, vegan & gluten-free menus available | Book here
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30) The Ritz | Piccadilly

The Ritz’s claim that the ornate ceiling, antique mirrors, chandeliers and golden statues “add a light and stylish flourish to the room” is like saying Liberace was fond of the occasional ruffle. As such, The Ritz’s Palm Court is one of the grandest spots in London to take a traditional afternoon tea, with harpists, pianists and the London Dance Orchestra to serenade you as you tuck into seasonal pastries, scones and smoked salmon sandwiches.

Details: Served daily at sittings from 11.30am-7.30pm | £75pp (£53 for children) | +£23 for a glass of Champagne | Book now

Like eating between meals? Then you’ll probably like this thing called brunch. Check out our ultimate London brunch guide

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