Most large London hotels serve afternoon tea, but some are great and others are terrible. But don’t worry—we’ve selflessly gone through tier after tier of dainty finger sandwiches, scones, and delicious pastries and cakes to locate the best so we can bring you the best—no mushy cucumber sarnie in sight.
There’s plenty for everyone, with themed teas and breathtaking views of England’s capital city. So wear your loosest clothes and prepare to eat heaps of sweet and savory delicacies that would make Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood cry.
The best afternoon tea hotels in London are:
- Good for elegance: The Langham
- Fine for a special day out: Brown’s Hotel
- Good for old-school class: The Savoy
- Good for views of London: Shangri-La
- Good for impressing: Claridge’s
- Good for Culture: The Ritz
- Perfect for laid-back luxury: The Connaught
- Good for exuberance: The Landmark
- Good for fashionistas: The Berkeley
- Best for Children: The Ampersand
- Best for value: Strand Palace Hotel
- Best for tea with friends: Dean Street Townhouse
- Best for vintage: 11 Cadogan Gardens
The Langham for Luxury
Palm Court successfully blends traditional and modern. The centerpiece of this luxury hotel, which was the first London hotel to serve afternoon tea in 1865, wows with service. Finger sandwiches and plain and golden raisin scones were exquisite, and the raspberry sponge with raspberry confit and jasmine cream was one of several delicious cakes and pastries. The Wedgwood tiered plates with floor-standing silver frames save table space. If you don’t have room for cake, you can take it home. A tea sommelier selected almost 20 teas. Vegetarian and vegan afternoon teas are available.
Old London (the capital’s first hotel) at its best, with modern additions for panache. Original wood paneling, Jacobean ceilings, and roaring fires. On a frigid winter day, it feels like an embrace from a glamorous relative. The pianist also sets the mood with old and new favorites. Smoked salmon and lemon butter on the malted loaf, coronation chicken on onion bread, soft and buttery scones, apple and caramel choux, blood orange dripping cake, and lemon meringue pie are served on fresh-out-of-the-oven bread. Diet? Vegan delicacies are available on the plant-based menu.
The Savoy – Old-school elegance
After descending the black and white marble stairs into Thames Foyer, you’ll understand why you had to book in advance. The grand piano-filled formal room with tables around the gazebo is stunning. Our afternoon tea is exceptional in atmosphere, service, dinnerware, and food, yet it remains unpretentious. Finger sandwiches include pickled cucumber, chive and lemon cream cheese, eggs and watercress, and cured Dorset beef with celeriac remoulade.
Open sandwiches include smoked salmon with seaweed butter. Save room for seasonal pastries and jam, lemon curd, and clotted cream scones. Similar to The Ritz, the pianist plays “Happy Birthday” as waiters in pairs (one to stop the candle blowing out) bring individual celebration cakes to the relevant tables. We found it ritualized and impersonal, but the rest of the patrons appeared to like it. Vegan and vegetarian cuisines are offered.
Shangri-La at the Shard for London views
This luxury tea’s vista is its first impression. Ting’s panoramic views from the 35th floor of this magnificent structure are maximized by the low tables and sofas. Set aside a large piece of your schedule to absorb it all. The base tray covered our table with dry ice clouds, making our afternoon tea the best (and long enough to take some great photos). Smoked salmon and cucumber, truffle egg, and cress sandwiches are served with jam and cream on freshly baked scones. Pistachio profiteroles and white chocolate mousse are melt-in-your-mouth treats. There are intriguing teas and good service. Vegan food is offered.
Claridge’s: Good for impressing:
The 150-year-old afternoon tea at this exquisite Art Deco hotel has the longest waiting list in our roundup, except for A-list celebrities who are part of the furniture.
Anticipate beautiful tableware, gentle lighting, classical musicians playing familiar tunes, and the aroma of lovely floral arrangements. Seasonal sandwiches like a chicken with gem lettuce and tarragon and smoked salmon with crème fraîche on rye bread make you want to stay. Yet the ultra-soft and airy scones are worth it. Fruity pavlovas and almond-pear tarts are delicate and flavorful.
Ritz-Carlton
Feeding 450-afternoon teas in five sittings makes this a well-oiled machine. This is upscale London, with its formal dress code, top-hatted doormen, and Palm Court as the stage. The tea is delicious and conventional, with plenty of fresh finger sandwiches (smoked salmon, egg mayo, cucumber, cream cheese, plus ham, and mustard), three intricate cakes, and one tier for the warm raisin and plain scones, which arrive about 20 minutes in.
The Ritz Royal English tea (one of 18) was delicious and revived halfway through. We chose the rich and flavorful orange cake from the cake trolley, and for birthdays, the pianist brings out individual cakes. That felt the least intimate of the afternoon teas we tried. If you prefer opulent settings and old-fashioned etiquette, you’ll love it. If you don’t, the 90-minute time limit and crowded tables may annoy you.
The Connaught
Nicolas Rouzaud’s afternoon tea is appropriate for this Mayfair hotel. First things first: Jean-Georges’ stylish conservatory and laid-back London vibe merit special attention. The consequence is an occasion without ceremony. Our seasonal tea featured egg and truffle mayo on white bread, roast ham, sweet potatoes, and coconut with cranberry chutney on beetroot bread, and melt-in-your-mouth plain and raisin scones with organic mandarin and vanilla jam, strawberry jam, and clotted cream.
Our vanilla mousse and hazelnut praline on shortbread and lime gel, and coconut mousse with white chocolate are delicious, original, and the main reason to come here. Don’t take the fondue home. The tea list might be longer.
Landmark: For Exuberance
This hotel was built at the end of the 19th century around a wide central courtyard to allow horse-drawn carriages to deposit guests in the heart of the property. It is just a short walk from Marylebone station. This stately hotel’s glass-roofed patio provides a stunning venue for afternoon tea. Classic smoked salmon, egg mayo, coronation chicken, and cucumber finger sandwiches were tasty but fridge-cold (as was the Wedgewood plate). Following were warm raisins, apples, and classic scones with a variety of jams (including Bergeron apricot jam) and a magnificent display of small treats like choux and macarons. Our waitress was great, however, the glasses were more pub-like than crystal.
Prêt-à-Portea is for fashionistas. London Fashion Week inspires this Knightsbridge hotel’s pastry chefs, who serve their sweets on Instagrammable china in the Collins Room. The staff walks you through all the goods, based on everything from Jimmy Choo heels to Fendi coats, while you coo at the immaculate craftsmanship and taste. Finger sandwiches and heritage beetroot tarts are wonderful. Nevertheless, scones are only provided on request.
Ampersand: Kid-friendly
We’ve all seen them—the well-dressed kids who look like they’d rather be somewhere else, eating something else, than at a fancy hotel tea. This whimsical, inventive event is child-friendly but elegant for adults. Every table in the stylish drawing room was full of kids when we came. Inspired by the neighboring Science Museum, our kids’ science afternoon tea began with a DIY lemonade kit, test tubes, and small dinosaur cookie “fossils” in chocolate soil.
Little hot dogs, fluffy scones with a squeezy tube of zingy curd, and chocolate and berry “planets” with dry ice clouds were popular at the rocket stand. The adult science tea featured smoked salmon blinis, white chocolate and cranberry scones, and fruity macarons.
Strand Palace Hotel for Value
This hotel across the street offers a wonderful afternoon tea for a fraction of the Savoy’s price. Expect fresh, flavorful, and varied finger sandwiches and scones, with vegan and gluten-free alternatives. Raspberry and milk chocolate éclairs, lemon and strawberry macarons, and a blood orange caramelized tart are sweets.
For £8, you may add prosecco. The Art Deco-style 1920s afternoon tea salon provides attentive service and rich red decor. We recommend it for a cheap central London hotel afternoon tea.
Dean St Townhouse for tea with friends
The Dean Street Townhouse afternoon tea is the cheapest in our roundup, but it will fill you up with big amounts of neatly laid out sandwiches (egg mayo, smoked salmon and horseradish, and gin-and-tonic cucumber) and warm scones with homemade jams and fresh clotted cream.
The cakes aren’t as elegant, creative, or well-arranged as those at other hotels featured here, but they taste good. The tiny, darkly lit café has velvet chairs, a selection of loose-leaf teas, and gorgeous matching blue-and-white tableware. Everything for under £30—a steal.
11 Cadogan Gardens for the Best vintage
Afternoon tea at this quiet Chelsea boutique hotel is affordable. It’s a more private meal than most, served in the clever, cozy drawing room (or in Hans’ Bar & Grill), with personal, friendly service and plenty of pleasant details, such as the tallest, most delicate champagne glasses we’ve seen (watch those elbows) and attractive nature-themed bone china.
Our sandwiches were a little dry, but the scones and top-tier desserts like orange and cinnamon crème brûlée tarts and pistachio, white chocolate, and cranberry macaroons made up for it. If The Ritz and Claridge’s glitz and pricing don’t appeal, this might. The peaceful residential neighborhood conceals its proximity to Sloane Square.