Afternoon Tea in London
 

Looking for input on good places to go for afternoon tea in London. I have reserved a time slot at the Orangery at Kensington Palace so I have something booked. If you have been there for traditional afternoon tea, what is your opinion? Would also like advice on other places. Thank you!

What sort of budget and ambiance are you looking for.

Casual, semi-inexpensive like the Orangery? Or posh/expensive like the Ritz or other up market hotels? Or just a yummy tea at a patisserie Valerie?

We have had afternoon tea at the Lanesborough, Harrod's, Wolesley, and the Orangery. My least favorite was the Orangery for the following reasons: too noisy; food not presented on the tiered tray; fine china was not used; and the experience seemed more like a lunch. I have to say it was probably ten years ago so maybe it could be different now. For our September trip to London we plan to have tea at Brown's or the Dorchester. The hotels are more expensive for afternoon tea but IMO they do it properly.

My favourite for inexpensive is the Wolesley.

The best I have had is the Mad Hatter Tea at Sanderson http://www.sandersonlondon.com/en-us...d-hatters-tea/

And Pret a Portea at the Berkeley http://www.the-berkeley.co.uk/fashion-afternoon-tea/

This is a good review website for tonnes of teas in London: http://www.afternoontea.co.uk/

Thank you for the links...I will take a look.

Since I will be with my husband and three children (21,18 and 15) and we will be in comfortable/casual clothing, the lure of the "casual atmosphere" in the description of the Orangery tea sounded like a good fit. Was just wondering how others felt.

You can't compare tea at the Ritz with tea at the Orangerie. Different experience, different price. I've been to the Orangerie with teenagers, and the casual atmosphere (and that it didn't take too long) was a plus.

I haven't had tea at the Wolseley, but it is a lovely restaurant. And they won't make you wear a jacket an tie, you can be casual.

When we lived in the UK, I had tea or lunch at the Wolseley about once a month. My husband, however, didn't like it as much as I did. The acoustics at the Wolseley often mean that it can get pretty loud when it's really hopping and it's hard to have a quiet conversation -- DH thought it was too noisy. When I was there solo, I enjoyed the lively buzz.

If you do opt for tea there, reservations are strongly advised. Ask for a table in the "inner horseshoe"

We had a wonderful afternoon tea at the Claridges Hotel. They refilled the food as many times as we wanted and it was all fresh and good and the tea selection went on for pages and pages. If you wear a nice pair of slacks and top you should be dressed fine.

We had a lousy experience at the Orangery. Whatever you do, don't order shrimp salad there. I think the mayonnaise might have been bad. We blame that as the culprit for our DS's food poisoning since he felt ill a few hours after eating it. If you stick to soup or simple tea and desserts you should be fine. It was a noisy place too. So Orangery doesn't get my vote.

I really like the Orangery, provided the weather is good. But for me the whole point of afternoon tea (actually coffee in my case) is the scone and clotted cream (scones if small). If I don't eat at the Orangery I eat at the V&A museum, which has excellent scones at bargain prices, and a truly gorgeous tea room to eat them in.

The V&A is free, and my favorite museum in London.

http://www.vam.ac.uk/

I like The Goring because you can sit on the veranda and it doesn't get many tourists

http://www.thegoring.com/veranda.aspx

It's rather intimate, and everything is correct, fresh and generous, with a nice variety of savoury and sweet, and pricewise it more affordable than the bigger tourist names. It is right behind Buckingham palace, if that is convenient for you (it was for me). It feels discreet, and like an insider's find.

http://www.thegoring.com/afternoontea.aspx

http://www.thegoring.com/afternoonteamenu.aspx

I met a friend and we were dressed very simply, as were others around us.

I should've added that no shorts at The Goring for men or boys. They mention this on their website.

We had a lovely afternoon tea at Fortnum and Mason on our last visit to London. Lovely china, choice of pastries, nice savory selection, a pianist and lovely decor.

http://www.fortnumandmason.com/c-209...and-mason.aspx

We plan on going there again as well as another restaurant.

Dmuller,

You got me curious about afternoon tea at the Orangery, since I've never been, so I looked it up on line. I came across this blog and I must say that if tea at the Orangery is as casual as these pictures show, I honestly don't see the point of doing it there, even though the room looks lovely

http://junglefrog-cooking.com/high-t...ardens-london/

One can get cakes and sandwiches at 3pm in lots of lovely settings in London, but the point of afternoon tea is to carve out a special moment where one does dress nicely, one does show one's best manners and dinnerware. The tradition of pausing for an afternoon tea injects a bit of formal civility into every day life, even if all hell is breaking loose. Presumably nothing is so urgent or hysterical that cannot be put aside for an hour to sit down and behave properly.

I'm not suggesting you should pay the highest price out there for the stuffiest and snootiest tea in London, but maybe you want to confer with your family and decide if you want to bother with the ceremonial nature of it. Even though the Orangery is cheaper, it is still a ridiculous price to pay to simply sit down in one's knockabouts and eat coffee-shop cake and drink tea from a mug. Not everybody enjoys the experience of afternoon tea (I myself can take it or leave it), but it is a bit like a japanese tea ceremony in that the point is not the tea, but the tradition itself. And the tradition is purposefully anti-casual. It is meant to ask people to not be casual for an hour or so and behave like civiized social creatures aspiring to something hire. Maybe silly, but it can also be charming and a nice thing to appreciate and consider.

What tradition? I grew up in England, and didn't encounter any such thing. Scones and clotted cream with tea on holiday maybe, but not a dress-up semi-meal. These expensive hotel deals are rook-the-tourist extravaganzas. And who really wants all that fattening food in the middle of the afternoon?

I just read the blog posted by stevewith. I have to say that the author's critique lacks some basic knowledge. It is afternoon tea not high tea and while the Orangery is very nice, I would never refer to it as "posh". The Ritz is posh. The prices at the Orangery are typical of London prices for a tea experience. It really depends on how much you are willing to spend. The Orangery is certainly in the mid- price range.

BTW! I've been going to the Orangery for years now and have never been served tea in a mug! I'm fine with the idea of other suggestions and realize that not everyone will like the Orangery and may think the prices are too high Offering an opinion is fine, but at least be truthful in your comments. I will also add that Fortum and Mason provide an excellent afternoon tea.

I have had afternoon tea at the Orangery and completely agree with Nini and Stevewith. Have also had it at Harrod's Georgian Room, Fortnum & Mason, and the Brahmah Tea Shop which I believe is now closed; but my favorite both for cozy-elegant and price is Richoux. There is one on Brampton Road across the street near Harrod's, one on Picadilly close to F&M, and one on South Audley Road not far off Oxford Street.

I haven't had tea as Janis suggests but have had pastries at Patisserie Valerie, and they were great.

The definitive post on what it's called:

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...omment-5623651

I am totally puzzled by the response of historytraveler to my post. The point of my post was to note that the Orangery is not offering posh tea. Nowhere did I talk about high tea, which is very different from afternoon tea. And it was plainly implied in my post that the issue was not about price.

Perhaps "mug" is too harsh, but looking at the pictures, and reading the comments of others, it does appear that the Orangery is not offering a fine-china experience.

Regarding thursdaysd's response, I can't, don't wish to, and won't argue with ideology.

What ideology? I was reporting experience. And where did you grow up?

Stevewith, I was referring to the blog you posted except for the mug part. I've always been served tea with China cup, saucer and teapot. You are relying on pictures and the comments by those who arguably don't know the difference. I am making comments from personal experience. You did state that ... " it is still a ridculous price."

Having traveled in Britain for almost twenty years and having lived there for a year, I'm convinced that the idea ( not idealogy) of cream tea/afternoon tea is embraced primarily by tourists.