The Best Places for Afternoon Tea in London

Looking for the best places to have afternoon tea in London? This is a carefully curated list of some of our favourite spots – all places my husband, family and I know and love. Each visit has been paid for by us. This is not a sponsored post. I update this guide regularly as we discover new favourites, so please do bookmark or pin it if afternoon tea is one of life’s little treats for you too.

UPDATED JANUARY 2026 with new additions and photographs.

Some of the Best Places for Afternoon Tea in London

The Palm Court Restaurant at The Ritz

One of the most iconic places to enjoy afternoon tea in London, there really is nothing like the The Ritz. There is often live music and an elegant yet friendly atmosphere make this a truly special experience. After you have chosen from over 16 different blends of tea, you are served delicate tea sandwiches, followed by fluffy scones served with jam and cream and then gorgeous little cakes and pastries.

We can say from experience this is a lovely place to enjoy a birthday afternoon tea – we have celebrated here on many occasions – but it’s also perfect for any occasion. This year (2026) we are planning on enjoying the Christmas Afternoon Tea here – which we will need to book at least six months in advance.

Afternoon tea at The Ritz is a wonderfully traditional afternoon tea experience, with an elegant atmosphere and a formal dress code, so it’s the perfect excuse to dress up and make an occasion of it. Gentlemen must wear a jacket and tie and most ladies wear dresses or skirts although smart dress trousers are acceptable. No jeans, trainers or sportswear are allowed.

The Goring Hotel

Enjoying afternoon tea at The Goring could put you in very distinguished company – its proximity to Buckingham Palace means it is often frequented by the Royal Family. This was also the hotel where The Princess of Wales, her family and close friends spent the night before her wedding. It’s definitely one of my favourite places to enjoy afternoon tea in London!

On our most recent visit, we opted for the champagne tea. A first course of pink champagne and strawberries were followed by the arrival of this gorgeous tea tray. The middle layer is warm scones wrapped in a napkin to keep the heat in.

There was a huge choice of teas and we were offered refills on every layer of the tea tray. I was told that some of the pastries were favourites of Her Late Majesty The Queen, who was a frequent visitor to The Goring.

The service is incredibly attentive here but not at all intrusive. An equally elegant experience to The Ritz, the dress code is much more relaxed at The Goring. I would encourage stylish smart casual attire and you can absolutely dress up, but I even saw people in jeans.

The Lanesborough Hotel

Recently, my husband and I enjoyed a wonderful Christmas Afternoon Tea at The Lanesborough Hotel at the top of Park Lane, just off Hyde Park Corner. We are House Members at The Lanesborough, so we come here often but this was our first afternoon tea. A beautiful hotel all year round, at Christmas the lavish decorations make it positively magical. We booked late, so dined in the Withdrawing Room instead of the main restaurant, but our every wish was granted – including having the Bridgerton-themed afternoon tea.

The finger sandwiches had very creative fillings – I particularly liked the roast turkey, cranberry, chestnut and sage – and I loved the cute little mince pies tucked away on top of the sandwiches. The scones were warm and delicious and came with clotted cream, strawberry jam and lemon curd. All the little cakes were gorgeous – my favourite was the Bridgerton Festive Fancy, which I thought looked like a tiny handbag!

We had a choice of many different teas. I normally stick to English Breakfast or the house blend tea, but I was curious about the Bridgerton blend, which had fruit flavours and rose petals. It was lovely with a tiny bit of sugar and a dash of milk.

The set Bridgerton Christmas Afternoon Tea came with a choice of a cocktail or mocktail or you could upgrade to a glass of champagne instead. We almost always choose bubbles, and this time was no exception.

Servings were generous and the servers were happy to bring more of anything. We treated ourselves to more of the delicious sandwiches. The best bit is they were made to order so they could not have been fresher.

I definitely want to go back for afternoon tea here again soon so I can see what it is like during ‘ordinary’ times of the year, and so we can enjoy it in the dining room. We have eaten dinner there a few times and it is such a beautiful space.

Dress is business casual or smart casual, but you could absolutely dress more formally if you wanted to.

The Corinthia Hotel

The comfortable chairs under the stunning Baccarat chandelier in the Crystal Moon Lounge of The Corinthia invite you to an effortlessly elegant experience of afternoon tea in London.

Plates of sandwiches are offered to begin. After the staff have ensured that you have had as many sandwiches as you like (second helpings were encouraged when we were there), the scones and cakes arrive. On the day we visited, these are presented on large tea stands which sat beside us on the floor beside the table, one stand for every two people.

The scones were really lovely and the cakes very creative. My favourite was an exquisite Blackberry and Violet Cream Cake with delicate floral flavours.

As tea takes place in the elegant hotel lobby, the dress code is fairly relaxed but again I recommend a minimum of stylish smart casual.

The Georgian Restaurant at Harrods

This oasis on the fourth floor of the iconic Harrods department store, The Georgian Restaurant is another elegant place for afternoon tea in London.

There are so many different kinds of tea on offer here. When we last visited, the sandwiches, scones and pastries all arrived at once. When this happens, it is traditional to work your way from the bottom of the tea stand to the top. So you start with the sandwiches at the bottom of the tea stand, then enjoy the scones, jam, and cream in the middle and finally, the marvellous cakes and pastries at the top.

The Harrods Tea Rooms are located in the iconic department store of the same name in the Brompton Road. Dress code: Most people do dress up for afternoon tea at this location, but there is no official dress code.

Diamond Jubilee Tea Salon at Fortnum & Mason

The Diamond Jubilee Tea Salon fills the fourth floor of iconic London department store Fortnum & Mason. There are several areas to enjoy afternoon tea, as well as a private room that you can book for tea tastings or if you want to host an afternoon tea for friends or family.

Offering a relaxed but elegant afternoon tea experience, the Diamond Jubilee Tea Salon offers a large selection of single estate teas as well as their classic blends. Traditional finger sandwiches (the Coronation Chicken are my favourite) are served. Then tender scones arrive with your choice of jams or lemon curd. These are followed by pastries and a fantastic cake trolley. Gluten-free and vegan afternoon teas are available.

The friendly staff at the Diamond Jubilee Tea Salon are generally happy to refill the serving plates with your favourite sandwiches or scones. This is a great place for tea with family and friends in a relaxed but elegant atmosphere. We went home with boxes of scones and pastries that were left over from our afternoon tea, along with a few extra complimentary slices of special cakes as well!

Most people do wear smart clothes for tea at Fortnum and Mason, however there is no official dress code.

A Less Formal Afternoon Tea in London

The Parlour at Fortnum and Mason

If you have young children, consider enjoying a much less formal afternoon tea experience in The Parlour restaurant on the first floor at Fortnum and Mason. It may be a bit less traditional but their scones are delicious. There is a bit more choice with this afternoon tea. On the day I visited avocado toast and smoked salmon toast were amongst the options. There were also some very kid-friendly sandwich options.

The kids will absolutely love it, particularly if they are allowed to try one of the amazing sundaes on offer. (Sundaes are not traditional at Afternoon Tea, but in my opinion, a sundae is always a good idea!)

Afternoon Tea on a Double Decker Bus

For something completely different, try Afternoon Tea on a Double Decker London bus! Brigit’s Bakery offers afternoon tea experiences with a twist. From special occasion afternoon teas for events such as Halloween and Christmas to Gin Lover’s teas, there’s something for everyone. I haven’t tried this experience personally yet but friends have spoken very highly of it.

More To Come

There are so many wonderful places to have afternoon tea in London and I look forward to sharing more of them with you as we continue to explore them.

Everything shared in this guide reflects my honest opinions and the same recommendations I give to friends. None of our visits were gifted; we paid our own expenses throughout. Information is correct to the best of my knowledge at the time of writing, but details such as prices, menus and opening times can change.  Most venues will require advance booking — and for places such as The Ritz, you may need to book several months ahead. As with any restaurant experience, details can change over time, so I always recommend checking the latest information directly with the venue. 

If you would like your restaurant or tea room’s afternoon tea considered for a feature, email us at april@apriljharris.com.

More About Afternoon Tea

If you have ever wondered about what afternoon tea involves or the difference between afternoon tea, high tea and the meal called tea, I share all the juicy details in this post!

Afternoon Tea Recipes and Ideas

Easter Afternoon Tea

Easy Scones Recipe

Lemon Drizzle Cake

More Posts About London

Visiting Buckingham Palace

My Favourite London Restaurants

Making The Most of Your Stay at The Ritz

Visiting The Savoy

A Visit to The Dorchester Hotel London