London Afternoon Tea

[Pootimer]

Will be spending a few nights in London after our Canary Islands cruise and would like to enjoy a reasonably priced afternoon tea.  Am considering tea at either Royal Albert Hall or the British Museum.  Could anyone provide advice on the merits of either venue? Or any other location? £50 - £75 pp (i.e. Fortnum and Mason) is out of our price range!

[matamanoa]

Try the Orangery in Kensington Palace. Unfortunately I don't remember the price as it was many years ago but my husband and I enjoyed it tremendously.

 

Barb

[dogs4fun]

Claridge’s is our favorite but it is quite expensive.  

The Rubens (across from Buckingham Palace) offers a lovely traditional afternoon tea at a price more affordable (can’t remember the price in GBP but it was less than 40 - maybe around 35).

You might also check-out the Wolseley - it is located in Piccadilly like Fortnum & Mason (cost was about 30 GBP). 

Never tried Royal Albert Hall or the British Museum so can’t comment on those venues. 

For tea with a panoramic view of London,  I recommend the Oblix.

[Pootimer]

Thank you for your input. Forgot about The Orangery, and will certainly check out the other suggestions, as well! 

[tony s]

Fortnum and Mason have the best tea and no severe dress code

[nini]

Our daughter and SIL attended the one at Fortnum and Mason. They were totally blown away and still talk about it. They want us to go when we visit London.

[Harters]

I'm not really an afternoon tea person. My sister in law is and, on her trips to the capital, always makes time for Fortnums. It was only last night, she was telling us how nice it is and that, with Covid restrictions being relaxed, she's travelling in a week or so to meet with friends.

[saltshell]

Museum tea is / was a cafeteria sort of set up. Harrods was nice, but pricey. Suggest you Google it. If you have time, take the train to Kew. There is a tea shop there "Newens" that's straight out of Dickens.

[Harters]

Newens - better known as the Original Maids of Honour. 

 

In recent years, most of my trips to the capital have been to visit the National Archives, which is just a few minutes walk from the OMoH. I'd have to suggest that it's not really worth travelling to Kew just for afternoon tea. But combine it with a visit to Kew Gardens and it's a good day out.

[Pootimer]

Thanks for all your responses!  Being American, If Covid doesn’t improve in the UK in the next month or so, our cruise will be canceled, or we’ll cancel anyway.  If, however, it does work out ok, maybe it’ll be worth it to spend the extra £ and go to Fortnums. 

[geoherb]

When I lived in London back in the mid 1980s, I'd go to Fortnum and Mason frequently for tea and scones after work. It was just a couple of blocks away from where I worked, and I got off at 4. When we went back to London in 2017, I was amazed at how much more expensive it was. We had just scones and tea--21 pounds. Back in 1985, it was around 3 pounds.

We did not have time to eat at the Great Court Restaurant when we visited the British Museum. It looked very nice--it's not just a cafeteria. Plus there are so many things to see in the museum. The afternoon tea menu looks tempting as well:
BM_GCR_Afternoon_tea_web_Oct_19.pdf 

[Pootimer]

At over £60 per person, Fortnums is pricey, albeit quite elegant. I’d love to do it but we’ll see if Americans can travel to the UK in October. If not, we’ll be there in 2022, for sure!

[markeb]

We've only had tea in a hotel lounge, but even at  £60, I'd probably do Fortnum and Mason. Have to look it up and know what I was getting, but I LOVE Fortnum and Mason in general.

 

Of course, at tea time, I'm usually having a pint in a real pub, from the CAMRA app, if at all possible! 

[timbloom]

If you want the best afternoon tea in the UK if not the world, go to the Ritz. Very expensive but an experience you will never forget.

[FlaMariner]

We had tea at Parliament on a Saturday as part of our tour of Parliament.  It was at the restaurant that serves MP's and was located alongside the Thames.  Knocked out two experiences with one stop and it was over the top.

 

(This was in 2018....before the unpleasantness)

[WESTEAST]

We enjoyed a lovely tea at The Rubens at the Palace Hotel as we were staying there pre-cruise. As well, really enjoy Fortum and Mason for tea.  This Christmas, we treated ourselves to a F&M Christmas Hamper with an assortment of tea, jams, biscuits and chocolate!  Nice memory of our last trip to London in 2019.

[KBs mum]

Most of the 5* hotels do afternoon tea, speaking as a Brit it's edible overrated tourist tat. Good tea, scones, cakes and sandwiches can be found in lots of cafes and tearooms, it was originally   just a stopgap between lunch at 12ish and dinner at 7 or 8ish,  not a meal in itself. Have a fry up for breakfast and you're set for the day

 

Edited January 8, 2022 by KBs mum