Affordable Afternoon Tea in London

 
 
 
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Zetter Townhouse: Marylebone and Clerkenwell

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Zetter Townhouse: Marylebone and Clerkenwell
Zetter Townhouse: Marylebone and Clerkenwell
Ham Yard Hotel
Dean Street Townhouse
The Modern Pantry
German Gymnasium
Number Sixteen Afternoon Tea
Cinnamon Bazaar
 

 

A much-loved tradition for locals and visitors alike, London boasts some of the best afternoon tea experiences in the country. And, while nibbling on scones at The Ritz or feasting on finger sandwiches at Claridge's might be on everyone's bucket list, sometimes we all crave a more informal and, let's be honest, cheaper option. Read on to discover the best affordable afternoon tea in London, each of which is indulgent and stylish enough to do the British custom justice.

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Ham Yard Hotel

From £22 per person

One Ham Yard, London, W1D 7DT

Tube: Piccadilly Circus Station , Leicester Square Station

 
 

Awarded Best Afternoon Tea at the Harden's London Restaurant Awards 2016, the Ham Yard Hotel is a stylish and affordable option. Served all day, it's served in the hotel's bar and restaurant, the Orangery or, for hotel guests, the Drawing Room and offers an indulgent choice of afternoon tea savouries, cakes and scones with clotted cream and preserves. The tea is only £22 per person but diners can choose to add heartier dishes such as a chorizo hash croissant with aubergine yoghurt; a smoked ham, gruyere, mascarpone and thyme melt; and Ham Yard rarebit with baby watercress. Make it a boozy affair with a glass of champagne or opt for one of the 12 speciality teas and infusions. Additionally, there's the choice of ensuring there's something for everyone, savoury, healthy, sugar free, gluten free and vegan options.

 
 
 

Zetter Townhouse: Marylebone and Clerkenwell

From £33 per person

28-30 Seymour Street, London, W1H 7JB

Tube: Marble Arch Station

 
 

Both the Marylebone and Clerkenwell Zetter Townhouse serve traditional afternoon tea in their cocktail lounges. Step into Seymour's Parlour or Aunt Wilhelmina's Cocktail Lounge to feast on a range of indulgent bites alongside a cuppa, a cocktail or a glass of bubbly. At both venues, you can choose between Aunt Wilhelmina's selection of dainty finger sandwiches or Uncle Seymour's heart treats. Sandwich fillings include smoked salmon with cream cheese and dill, egg mayonnaise with watercress, and honey roast ham with mustard mayonnaise. Seymour's treats, meanwhile, include a truffled sausage roll with homemade brown sauce, a mini croque monsieur, and a devilled egg and espelette pepper. Plain and raisin scones come with Cornish clotted cream and strawberry preserve while the sweet conclusion comes in the form of a malted milk chocolate mousse and bitter chocolate brownie; a salted caramel and apple choux bun; and a lemon and elderflower cake with Chantilly cream.

 
 
 

The Orangery, Kensington Palace

From £28.50 per person

Kensington Gardens, Kensington, London, W8 4PX

Tube: High Street Kensington Station

 
 

Set in the perfectly manicured grounds of historic Kensington Palace, The Orangery offers an idyllic setting for afternoon tea for those who want tranquillity and breathtaking views. A great way to enjoy the refreshments on offer here is to first work up an appetite with a stroll through picturesque gardens open to the public and once a favoured retreat of Diana, Princess of Wales. When you're ready to relax and quench your thirst, head for the gleam of starched white linen glistening through the Orangery's spectacular floor-to-ceiling windows. Once inside shadowed by graceful Corinthian columns and sweeping arches and rows of orange trees in urns enjoy a traditional afternoon tea complete with finger sandwiches, orange-scented and currant scones with Cornish clotted cream with English strawberry jam, and an array of pastries. The afternoon tea is only £28.50 per person or opt for one of the boozy options, with prices from £34.50. 

 
 
 

Cinnamon Bazaar

From £25 per person

28 Maiden Lane, London, WC2E 7JS

Tube: Covent Garden Station , Charing Cross Station, Leicester Square Station, Embankment Underground Station

 
 

At his Covent Garden restaurant Vivek Singh invites you to step into the world of bazaars. For an Indian-inspired afternoon tea at Cinnamon Bazaar Vivek partnered with Great British Bake Off star, Tamal Ray, to give us a colourful spread of savoury and sweet treats. Savoury bites include Kolkata fish finger sandwich with tomato chutney; Chicken Kathi 'spring rolls'; and Vivek's signature Papdi chaat, crisp wheat chaat with yoghurt, tamarind and coriander chutney. Sweet treats come in the shape of cinnamon cream macarons; pistachio cake with rose meringue and Mishti Doi - a steamed Bengali yoghurt with mango curd. Indian spiced teas make the perfect finishing touch, and for £4.50 extra you can add a glass of prosecco.

 
 
 

Dean Street Townhouse

From £21 per person

69-71 Dean Street, Soho, London, W1D 3SE

Tube: Leicester Square Station , Tottenham Court Road Station, Piccadilly Circus Station

 
 

Everything about the Dean Street Townhouse is very British so there's no better place to enjoy the very British tradition of afternoon tea. Served in the elegant Dining Room, it offers a menu of finger sandwiches filled with cucumber and cream cheese, smoked salmon and horseradish, and Burford brown eggs and mayonnaise. Following the savouries, diners can tuck into fruit scones with homemade preserves and clotted cream along with traditional British cakes such as lemon drizzle and Battenberg. Alternatively, book in for cream tea, with which you can add crumpets, a selection of sandwiches, a slice of cake or a selection of cakes. There are ten types of tea to choose from, including all the classic favourites like Earl Grey, peppermint and fresh mint, as well as Collet Brut champagne. Priced at just £8 for cream tea and from £21 for afternoon tea, it's definitely one of London's better value options. 

 
 
 
 

The Modern Pantry: Clerkenwell and Finsbury Square

From £22.50 per person

47-48 St John's Square, Clerkenwell, London, EC1V 4JJ

Tube: Farringdon Station , Barbican Station

 
 

Both The Modern Pantry in Clerkenwell and Finsbury Square offer affordable afternoon tea menus, with two adventurous menus for just £22.50 or £27.50 with a glass of bubbles. At the Clerkenwell branch diners can feast on a feta, corn, mint and chilli filo tartlet; a chorizo scotched quail egg; and a roast courgette, pea and pecorino fritter with roast tomato curried yoghurt and pickled mustard seeds. Perhaps not one for traditionalists, the scones are savoury with cheddar, chive and garlic and basil and black pepper flavours while sweet treats include a pandan, vanilla and raspberry Battenberg cake, a mojito and gooseberry lamington, and peach marshmallow. In Finsbury Square, the menu features sweetcorn, polenta and feta fritters and a crab, avocado and lemongrass braised cherry tomato brioche bun. Scones are flavoured with chocolate and chilli and gochugaru and spring onion, and sweet indulgences include a pink peppercorn, rose and pistachio macaroon and a matcha and coconut lamington.

 
 
 

German Gymnasium

From £18.50 per person.

1 King's Boulevard, King's Cross, London, N1C 4BU

Tube: King's Cross Station

 
 

Despite its grandeur setting, the German Gymnasium offers one of London's most affordable afternoon tea options. Served in the Grand Café within the Grade II listed building, there are two teas to choose from - The German and The Austrian - both of which take inspiration from the venue's heritage. Priced at £18.50, with the option of adding a glass of sparkling wine for £4.50, both the menus include a selection of sweet and savoury dishes. The German includes three mini rolls - black forest ham, celeriac remoulade, egg mayonnaise and Atlantic shrimp -  as well as a black forest macaroon, nussecken (nut bar) and rote grutze (fruit compote) with vanilla sauce. The Austrian, meanwhile, features Tyrolean hay speck, smoked salmon with cream cheese and cucumber mini rolls as well as apple strudel with vanilla sauce and opera cake. 

 
 
 

Victorian Afternoon Tea at The V&A Museum

From £30 per person.

The Victoria and Albert Museum, Cromwell Road, London, SW7 2RL

Tube: South Kensington Station

 
 

Providing the chance to enjoy a quintessentially British experience within one of London's most beautiful buildings, Benugo has partnered with the Victoria and Albert Museum to serve traditional Victorian Afternoon Tea. The award-winning British food business and the renowned museum invite visitors to feast on sandwiches and scones within the lavishly decorated Morris Room, which boasts a historic interior that was part of the V&A's original refreshment rooms. invite visitors to feast on sandwiches and scones within the lavishly decorated Morris Room, which boasts a historic interior that was part of the V&A's original refreshment rooms. Curated by award-winning food historian Tasha Marks, the menu is filled with dishes inspired by 19th-century recipes, subtly tweaked to suit the modern palate. Think Mrs Beeton's cucumber sandwich, first seen on menus in 1859; iced orange cake, circa 1891; lemon and caraway poppy cake, circa 1895; and the traditional Victoria sponge which first appeared on Victorian tables in the 1800s. The feast is served with a selection of organic loose leaf teas and an optional glass of prosecco.
Discover London's best afternoon tea experiences here.

 
 
 

Number Sixteen Afternoon Tea

From £22 per person

16 Summer Place, London, SW7 3EG

Tube: South Kensington Station , Gloucester Road Station

 
 

Served in The Orangery or private garden, afternoon tea at Number Sixteen is a sophisticated affair. Housed within a grand Victorian townhouse in leafy South Kensington, the hotel still retains the feel of a private residence so guests can pretend they're taking tea in their very own home. Tuck into finger sandwiches filled with honey roasted ham and mustard, cream cheese and cucumber, truffled egg and watercress, smoked salmon, and Dorset crab. Both fruit and plain scones are on offer, served with clotted cream and preserves, while sweet treats include strawberry cupcakes, Battenberg cake, a chocolate brownie and raspberry cheesecake. The afternoon tea experience is £22 per person but guests also have the option to purchase one of the speciality teas and infusions or upgrade to a boozy afternoon tea from £29.

 
 
 

Dean Street Townhouse Afternoon Tea

From £21 per person

69-71 Dean Street, London, W1D 3SE

Tube: Leicester Square Station , Tottenham Court Road Station, Piccadilly Circus Station

 
 

Offering a well-priced menu within a lavish, exclusive setting, the Dean Street Townhouse Afternoon Tea is one of the best affordable afternoon teas in London. Served in the richly-decorated lounge area that sits just off the main dining room, the tea provides the chance to nibble on perfectly fluffy scones and tuck into sensationally sweet pastries while surrounded by velvet furnishings, floral prints and contemporary artworks by the likes of Peter Blake, Tracey Emin and Paul Noble. One of the best aspects of the afternoon tea is that it's served a la carte, meaning you can indulge in the whole afternoon tea experience or opt for a pic 'n' mix of cream tea, finger sandwiches, crumpets and cake. It's also fantastic for anyone more inclined to savoury than sweet with Welsh rarebit, scotch egg, sausage roll and fish fingers among the options. The tea menu is made up of ten different teas ranging from English breakfast to jasmine green while the sparkling alternatives include a range of prosecco and champagne.

 
 
 
 
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