Best Place for Afternoon Tea in London: Our Top 10 (2026)

Looking for the best place for afternoon tea in London? Our top 10 picks for 2026, one for every kind of visitor, with prices, dress codes and where to book.

If London is one stop on a longer UK trip, you probably have room for one afternoon tea there, maybe two, and you want to get the choice right first time.

Choose badly, and it is an expensive mistake. Top hotels charge £84 to £95 a head, the Ritz turns away anyone in jeans, and two of the themed teas that still show up in older guides have closed in the last couple of years.

We have been going to afternoon tea in London for decades, most recently on board Brigit’s Bakery bus, and we rechecked every venue on this page in September 2026.

Below are our ten picks, one for each kind of visitor, from the grand hotel classic to a tea that doubles as a sightseeing tour. If you want the full list, our London Travel Planning site has the deep dive: 26 afternoon teas in London with prices, dietary notes, dress codes and step-free access for every one.

Good to know: book before you leave home. Weekend slots at the hotel teas go weeks ahead and December goes by October, and most venues want 48 hours’ notice for gluten-free, vegan or halal menus.

TIP: If you only have a day or two in London, Brigit’s Bakery bus does afternoon tea and the main sights in 90 minutes. We most often recommend it to first-time visitors, and our review of the Brigit’s Bakery bus tells you which seat to ask for.

Afternoon Tea in London – Quick Picks

Sixteen more, including the Savoy, the Langham, the Mad Hatter’s tea at the Sanderson and the themed teas for every age, are in our London Travel Planning guide to the best places for afternoon tea in London.

🫖 The Best Place for Afternoon Tea in London: Our Top 10

One pick for each kind of visitor. All of these were still running, at the price shown, when we checked in September 2026.

🧁 The Ritz afternoon tea

• 150 Piccadilly, London W1J 9BR. Nearest tube: Green Park
• From £95 per person, £73 for children
• Gluten-free: on request when booking

If you are only going to do one afternoon tea in your life, this is the one. It is served in the Palm Court, once the ballroom, with a pianist or harpist playing, and there are five sittings a day from 11.30 am to 7.30 pm, so the early and late slots are the easy ones to get.

Pack for it. Men need a jacket and tie, and nobody gets in wearing jeans or trainers. Tell the hotel about dietary needs when you book, because they won’t change the menu on the day.

🧁 Fortnum and Mason afternoon tea

• 181 Piccadilly, London W1A 1ER. Nearest tube: Piccadilly Circus
• From £84 per person
• Gluten-free: yes

The Diamond Jubilee Tea Salon is on the fourth floor of the Fortnum’s store, opened in 2012 by Queen Elizabeth II, and it is the pick if you want to combine tea with an afternoon in the food hall below. The stand is the traditional three-tier setup, with gluten-free, vegetarian, and savoury options on the menu.

🧁 The Wolseley afternoon tea

• 160 Piccadilly, London W1J 9EB. Nearest tube: Green Park
• Cream tea £19.50, afternoon tea £46.50, champagne afternoon tea from £59.90
• Gluten-free: on request

Next door to the Ritz and around half the price, The Wolseley Piccadilly is the grand room on a budget, and the £19.50 cream tea is the cheapest way to sit in one. It is also the only tea on this page that keeps tables for walk-ins every day, so it is the answer if you have not booked. Tea runs 2.30 pm to 6.30 pm on weekdays and from 3 pm at weekends.

🧁 Claridge’s afternoon tea

• Brook Street, Mayfair, London W1K 4HR. Nearest tube: Bond Street
• From £95 per person, champagne versions £110 to £125
• Gluten-free: on request

Claridge’s is the Ritz without the tie. The Art Deco foyer, the green and white striped china and the pastry work make it the one we would pick for an anniversary or a big birthday, and there is a children’s menu and a run of seasonal teas through the year (Easter, Mother’s Day, Chelsea Flower Show).

🧁 Afternoon tea at The Rubens at the Palace

• 39 Buckingham Palace Road, London SW1W 0PS. Nearest tube: Victoria
• Gluten-free: yes; vegetarian, vegan and halal too

Opposite the Royal Mews of Buckingham Palace, so it slots in after the Changing of the Guard. Tea is in the Palace Lounge, every dietary version is available, and children aged 5 to 12 get their own Little Prince and Princess Tea. Smart casual, no sportswear or flip-flops.

⭐️ Click to book afternoon tea at The Rubens at the Palace

🧁 Bridgerton afternoon tea at The Lanesborough

• Hyde Park Corner, London SW1X 7TA. Nearest tube: Hyde Park Corner
• From £92 per person
• Gluten-free: yes, with 48 hours’ notice

The Regency mansion on Hyde Park Corner does the Bridgerton tea properly: served in the Grill under a glass dome, with a pianist at weekends and a Forbidden Love cocktail as the upgrade. Gluten-free, vegetarian, vegan and children’s menus all need 48 hours’ notice, and Sunday has a single 3.30pm sitting.

🧁 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory afternoon tea at One Aldwych

• 1 Aldwych, London WC2B 4BZ. Nearest tube: Covent Garden or Temple
• £75 per person, £90 with champagne or a cocktail, £55 for children
• Gluten-free: on request

Snozzberry jam on the scones and a chocolate shake mixed at a waterfall. It’s been running for years and is still the best themed tea for families with children old enough to get the jokes. Wednesday to Friday from noon to 3 pm, weekends until 4.30 pm.

🧁 Brigit’s Bakery Bus

• Departs from Victoria Coach Station. Nearest tube: Victoria
• Around 90 minutes
• Gluten-free: yes

Afternoon tea on a vintage red double-decker that loops past Westminster Abbey, Hyde Park, Marble Arch and Nelson’s Column while you eat. We have done it ourselves, and it is the one we suggest to anyone with only a day or two in London. Ask for the front seats on the top deck. Our full review of the Brigit’s Bakery bus has the details.

⭐️ Click to book Brigit’s Bakery Bus

🧁 City Cruises afternoon tea cruise

• Tower Millennium Pier, London EC3N 4DT. Nearest tube: Tower Hill
• Boarding 3.15 pm for a 3.30 pm sailing, 90 minutes
• Gluten-free: not stated; ask when booking

Sandwiches, scones, and cakes with unlimited tea and coffee, plus a bar on board, while the boat passes the Tower of London, the Shard, the Houses of Parliament, Big Ben, and the London Eye. The best afternoon tea in London for a view, and our guide to London boat trips compares it with the other cruises.

⭐️ Click to book an afternoon tea cruise on the Thames

🧁 The British Museum afternoon tea

• Great Court Restaurant, Great Russell Street, London WC1B 3DG. Nearest tube: Russell Square or Holborn
• Served 11.30 am to 5 pm, last sitting 4 pm
• Gluten-free: no

Tea under the glass roof of the Great Court, with free museum entry around it, makes it the cheapest way to make an afternoon of Bloomsbury. The kitchen caters for vegetarian, pescatarian and nut-free diets only, so pick somewhere else for gluten-free, vegan or halal.

⭐️ Click to book afternoon tea at the British Museum

16 more afternoon teas in London

The ten above are our picks, and there are plenty more to choose from.

The Savoy (now served in The Gallery), the Langham’s Palm Court, the Milestone opposite Kensington Palace, Ladurée in Covent Garden, the Zetter Marylebone, Sketch, the Peter Pan tea at Aqua Shard, the Monet tea at Rosewood, the Art of Afternoon Tea in Kensington, the Science tea at the Ampersand, Beatrix Potter at Grosvenor House, the wizard tea at the Georgian House Hotel, the Mad Hatter’s Alice in Wonderland tea at the Sanderson, the English Tea Bus, the Royal Albert Hall and afternoon tea at The Orangery at Kensington Palace are all covered, with prices and dietary notes, in our London Travel Planning guide to the 26 best places for afternoon tea in London.

Before you book afternoon tea in London

When to book

Weekend sittings at the hotel teas book up weeks in advance, and December is often gone by October, so book the tea before the rest of the day. Midweek and the early or late sittings are easier, and The Wolseley holds tables for walk-ins.

What to wear

The Ritz is the only one that will turn you away: jackets and ties for men, no jeans or sportswear. Everywhere else is smart casual, which means no trainers, shorts or baseball caps, and presentable jeans are fine. The bus and boat teas have no dress code.

Dietary needs

Every venue here caters for vegetarians and most for vegans, but say so when you book: the Lanesborough wants 48 hours, and the Ritz will not change a menu on the day. The British Museum has no gluten-free option. For halal, the Rubens is the safe choice.

How much you get

A full afternoon tea is a meal. Allow two hours, skip lunch and do not plan dinner until late. Most hotels will bring more sandwiches or scones if you ask.

Choosing your afternoon tea in London

If it is your first visit and you’re short on time, take the bus. If it is a once-in-a-lifetime trip, book the Ritz before you book the flights. And if you are still weighing it up, the full comparison of all 26 is on our London Travel Planning site.