An Honest Guide to the Best Afternoon Teas in London

December 26, 2025

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Let’s be real: most afternoon teas in London are a bit of a scam. I should know—for the last four years, I’ve been reviewing them for Vogue and, more often than you’d think, this involves arriving at a swanky venue only to be served stale, wafer-thin finger sandwiches that taste like they should be part of a supermarket meal deal, flavourless English Breakfast, dry scones, and dense, overly refrigerated pastries that make you feel a bit sick. After all that, you’re usually presented with a staggering bill.

It’s outrageous when you 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-downright-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 will go some way towards restoring your faith in this whole ritual. Read on for an honest guide to the 10 best afternoon teas in London.

Photo: Courtesy of Bread Ahead
1/10
For 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
Photo: Steven Joyce
2/10
For those who don’t like scones: Maison François
This sun-dappled, honey-colored brasserie in St James’s is a picturesque hideaway at any time of day, but never more so than in the mid-afternoon, when you can sink into one of its high-backed cushioned booths and tuck into a generous but delicate French-inspired afternoon tea. Begin with a glass of fizz and the excellent sandwiches from chef Matthew Ryle—jambon beurre, vadouvan chicken, and oeufs mimosa, which will transport you to the cobblestoned boulevards of Paris. Executive pastry chef Jérémy Prakhin’s sublime patisserie follows—strawberry roulé, an orange blossom and pistachio gâteau, a hazelnut choux—but even better are the warm vanilla and chocolate babkas in place of scones, slathered with jam, clotted cream, and a rich hazelnut spread. Divine.
From £35

Photo: Courtesy of The Dorchester
3/10
For 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 £125
Photo: Courtesy of Rosewood London
4/10
For 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- (and now literature-) inspired creations the menu is centered on. The latest offering is a magical tribute to Charles Dickens, with executive pastry chef Mark Perkins dreaming up three exquisite cakes: “The Old Curiosity Shop”, a spiced gingerbread sponge with salted caramel mousse and pear and vanilla jelly; “Oliver Twist”, a lemon sponge with thyme crème, raspberry jelly and lemon mousse; and “A Christmas Carol”, a take on Ebenezer Scrooge’s top hat in the form of rich chocolate sponge and sour cherry jelly, topped with a (totally edible) lit candle. Better yet, they come with miniature mince pies and a hearty, savory first course (a prawn tart with baby gem lettuce and caviar; egg, mayo, chives and smoked eel in a brioche bun; turkey with pork stuffing and cranberry sauce), plus 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 Treasures, a royal favorite 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 £90
5/10
For 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 £81

Photo: Addie Chinn
6/10
For 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 caramelized 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
Photo: Tim Charles
7/10
For 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 that will make you sit up straight and savor 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 £98
Photo: Carol Sachs
8/10
For canapés that look as good as they taste: The Cadogan, A Belmond Hotel
Elegance is the watchword 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 cozied 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 that 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 £80

Photo: Courtesy of Fortnum & Mason
9/10
For the perfect all-round experience: Fortnum & Mason
Utterly delicious finger sandwiches, heavenly scones, and delectable pastries? Yes. An ice-cold glass of Champagne and an unbeatable collectsion of teas? Check. Warm and familiar service? Naturally. An unrivaled setting at the very top of the iconic department store’s Piccadilly building? Of course. Sitting down to a three-course extravaganza at the Diamond Jubilee Tea Salon, with its heavy white tablecloths and signature eau de nil china, is about as good as it gets—and it’s not even the most expensive afternoon tea on this list. Best of all, you can choose between a classic selection and a savory menu, where you get sundried tomato and rosemary scones instead of fruit ones; onion chutney and chive cream cheese in place of jam and clotted cream; and a Scotch egg with curry mayo, wild mushroom tart, and lobster cocktail with saffron instead of sweet treats. Either way, you won’t be disappointed.
From £70
Photo: Justin De Souza
10/10
For fashion history lovers: The Kensington
Few historical figures embody the spirit of indulgence quite like Marie Antoinette. And the original high-fashion icon is currently being celebrated at The Kensington’s Let Us Eat Cake afternoon tea, designed to coincide with the V&A’s major exhibition, Marie Antoinette Style, which is taking place just up the road. Guests are greeted with a gold-tasselled, fan-shaped menu before diving into a tier of refined savories, from a French chicken tarragon mini sandwich to a pink brioche bun filled with avocado and feta. The pâtisserie, however, is the true pièce de résistance, whether the Le Gâteau du Jardin strawberry genoise sponge or the Petit Trianon almond macaron, featuring raspberries and a decadent white chocolate ganache montée. If you want to try it, though, you’ll need to hurry: this limited-time afternoon tea service will conclude at the end of March 2026, when the Marie Antoinette exhibition closes its doors. — Liam Hess