Five Of The Best London Tearooms

London is renowned the world over for it’s tea rooms. And with so many amazing tea rooms in the capital, each offering a wide variety of quality teas and delicious snacks in an opulent setting, the tea lover is literally spoiled for choice. Here are five of the best places to enjoy afternoon tea in the UK’s capital.

Tea at the Ritz

No roundup of London tearooms would be complete without a mention of the Ritz, one of the most glamorous hotels in London. Afternoon tea at the Ritz is served in the luxurious Palm Court suite, with heavy curtains, marble pillars, fronded palms, and gilded gold aplenty. They offer no less than seventeen varieties of loose-leaf tea, sumptious scones spread thickly with strawberry jam and clotted cream, and a selection of delicious sandwiches with fillings such as roast ham and cheese, smoked salmon, and cucumber. Prices begin at £40 per head.

Sanderson

The Sanderson is a boutique hotel designed by Philippe Starck and Ian Schrager that first opened it’s doors in 2000. The Alice In Wonderland-themed Mad Hatter’s Afternoon Tea at Suka is a truly surreal experience, with unusual delights such as chocolate pocket-watches and temperature-changing blueberry lollipops. Afternoon tea starts at £25 per head.

The Athenaeum

If you are at all interested in gardening, then the Garden Room at the Atheneum in Green Park could well be the tearoom for you. Here you can enjoy local and exotic teas, such as their own-blended rose-petal tea, or the impossibly rare Keemun Hoa Ya A tea. Prices start at £28.50 per head, with speciality teas costing extra.

Fortnum & Mason

This historic tea room in the heart of Piccadilly can boast one of the largest selections of teas in the city, with more than seventy to choose between. The staff are all very knowledgeable about tea, and can advise you as to which teas will go well with the various snacks on offer, which include canapés, blinis, madeleines, and finger sandwiches. The table settings are nothing short of stunning, with their trademark aqua blue porcelain and silver tea strainers. Prices start at £34 per person.

Sketch

With its strange interiors, fashionable clientele, and pop-up art shows, Sketch is the tearoom of choice for art lovers in london. Their tea menu includes a cucumber and melon flavoured Silver Needle white tea, vintage puerh tea, and a classic Indian chai. Set afternoon teas cost £27 per person, or £52 for two people.