Westminster, Afternoon Tea Restaurant Guide

2022 Review: On the site of the original Metropolitan Police HQ, this 100-seater hotel (owned by an Indian entrepreneur and operated by Hyatt) opened in December 2019. The comfortable, ground-floor lounge – with Raj-inspired decor – serves a contemporary take on afternoon tea, with added spice; there are spicy chai options and tea-based cocktails too.

Traditional, peaceful hotel brasserie, hidden away in a cute warren of St James’s streets, which has successfully upped its profile in recent years. It provides a “very good standard of food and wine that’s not expensive for the quality”. The only recurrent gripe is service that can be a tad “erratic”. Top Tip – “reasonably priced set menu”.

2022 Review: “The set menu is good value” at the National Theatre’s most salubrious in-house dining option, so it’s “always reliable” as a pre-show pit-stop. But critics would welcome a bit more ambition, saying the current effort is “a wasted opportunity” given the site and its captive audience. Top Tip: “the waiters are always a good source of play reviews”.

“Ignore The Ritz around the corner, for afternoon tea this is the place to go” according to fans of this St James’s bastion: “the scones are soft and freshly baked”, “the sandwiches and cakes are divine”, and the “famous Dukes ‘James Bond’ martini is an optional extra”.

“How can you ignore a proper English high tea at Fortnum’s… the grandness of their fluffly (raisin and non-raisin) scones, the beautiful desserts, the soft but tasty sandwiches, with an all-you-can-eat provision… oh and the choice of 100+ tea leaves”. Many reports hail this well-known, third-floor chamber (an “institution” that’s actually a relatively modern creation, opened as it was by her late majesty, Queen Elizabeth II, a dozen years ago in 2012) as a “quintessential English experience”; and “celebrating with high tea and Champagne here is hard to beat”. Criticism is notably absent in reports and fans claim this is “the pick of the capital’s high-end tea rooms”. “The cake trolley is great fun and while the whole experience is punishingly expensive, it does – just about – feel like good value”. Top Tip – “The savoury afternoon here is every bit as beautifully presented as any of the sweet options, a blessing for those who enjoy the extravagance and ritual of afternoon tea but prefer to avoid too much sugar!”

“London at its most decadent” – this is one of the capital’s top afternoon teas in the Café Royal’s stunning rococo grill room (dating from 1865): “an opulent chamber packed with history, as well as mirrors so you can see everyone else!” (not to mention endless nymphs and cherubs painted all over the ceilings). It’s “a traditional afternoon tea and all the better for it – a great selection of really fresh sandwiches, followed by scones (with the best strawberry jam ever) and, if you still have room, the patisserie options (and if you don’t have room, don’t worry as they will pack it up beautifully for you to take home). And to wash it all down, there is a tea menu and you can choose as many different teas as you would like to try. And you are helped through it all by charming and knowledgeable staff. A delight”.

This “absolutely beautiful” venue in Covent Garden’s pretty Floral Court development is the central London satellite of the famous garden centre-turned-restaurant on the edge of Richmond Park and Ham Common. You pay a high price, though, for cooking that ranges from “delicious” to “overpriced” and no more than acceptable – the latter view shared by too many reporters to ignore.

“A people-watching heaven” – this epic Grand Café near the Ritz is renowned for the “busy” and “buzzy” clatter of its “beautiful”, “high ceilinged” dining room and remains many a sophisticated Londoner’s “gold standard for business”; particularly early morning over one of its “legendary breakfasts” (it’s “a perfect way to start the day, with a client, a friend, or quietly in the corner with a newspaper”). However, its gigantic popularity has been won despite it being “nothing fancy in the food department”; and its broad menu of “traditional comfort food” has always been “tasty and well-presented… but formulaic”. Drama ensued in 2022, when its founders Corbin & King were ousted in a boardroom battle. But even those who feel the place has perhaps “lost a little bit of sparkle since the management shake-up” acknowledge that “on the ground, very little has changed”. Top Tip – also good for “a classic afternoon tea. Delicious finger sandwiches and plain and sultana scones and a selection of macarons and small cakes. It’s not a fancy themed afternoon tea as is all the rage, but all the better for that. You can order more sandwiches!”

“A special location for afternoon tea!” – the “beautiful” foyer of this celebrated hotel serves one of “the best teas in London”, which fans say is “as good as it gets”: “not too formal”, with “service that’s up-to-standard but not too stuffy” and “limitless sandwiches” amongst the “lovely and plentiful food, with no problems replenishing”. In August 2024, the site closed to relaunch in November 2024 – renamed from its former ‘Thames Foyer’ branding to this new moniker, with a new look and a new menu of ‘traditional recipes with a modern twist’ (which will maintain the ‘legendary afternoon tea’). Though likely a case of ‘plus ça change’, we’ve removed ratings for the time being.

“The benchmark to which all others aspire” – this hallowed institution is a “well-oiled operation” and “there’s no better place for afternoon tea”. Dud reports are practically unknown, and by nearly all accounts “everything is flawless”: “you will never leave hungry” as the cake and sarnies just keep on coming; service is “exceptional”; and “the spectacular decor” contributes to “one of the best experiences ever”. “My mother always says a visit here ‘suits me a treat’!”

“Hidden away in Soho”, this surprisingly “calm” hotel restaurant in a quiet courtyard just minutes from Piccadilly Circus is “a great place to take a visitor” to escape the hustle of the surrounding streets. “Efficient service” and a “high-ceilinged dining room” make it a decent option for a working lunch, pre-theatre dining or post-work drinks, although foodwise it’s a question of “pleasant comfort food”. Top Tip – recommended for afternoon tea.

2023 Review: “With window views of the back of Buckingham Palace and its comings and goings amidst refills of tea”, this plush lounge can make a good stop-off for an afternoon treat. Feedback is limited, but praises “a lovely stack of sandwiches, pretty cakes and scones with fresh flavours”. More substantial meals are available in the hotel’s very comfortable and traditional dining room (The English Grill), complete with oil paintings and leather banquettes.

“Convenient, if unexciting, medium-priced brasserie two minutes from the Royal Opera House” that’s worth knowing about in the touristy ‘minefield’ it inhabits. The Gallic staples are “fairly priced” (“in particular, the set menus are good value”) and “service is acceptable for such a busy, central establishment”. Top Tip – “great pre-theatre”.

“A wonderful room that’s very light and with well-spaced tables” – this “quintessential” traditional hotel dining room, just around the corner from Buckingham Palace, is well-suited to a special occasion and is popular for business, romance or “a pricey family treat”. Opened in 1910 by Otto Goring, it is part of the only five star hotel in London still to be run by the family who opened it (Jeremy Goring is the current CEO), which has always lent the whole establishment a more personal style than its corporate competitors. Historically, the dining room’s British fare has been more notable for its traditional values than its finesse, and diners in our survey acclaim it as “reliable” if rather “undemanding”: perfect for traditionalists, but less ‘haute’ than its Michelin star might suggest. Breakfast, for example, is a big attraction here, as is one of the “best afternoon teas in the UK”. When it comes to lunch and dinner service, dishes like “first class lobster” excel. The old school service is well-rated but “not what it was” a few years ago, in the opinion of some regular guests. In May 2024 the space reopened, complete with an opulent new interior, care of Russell Sage Studio and a new kitchen for Executive Chef Graham Squire: hopefully all the new kit for the kitchen will mean this year’s food rating is on the cautious side.

This “magical place” – “the best patisserie in town, magnifique!” – is a living monument to old Soho, having been founded in 1871 by a Communard exile from Paris. “Great scones, proper clotted cream, and the best cream cakes in London – still cooked on the premises” – reward visitors (but it “gets busy, and is very popular with tourists”).