"Taking Tea" in London - Suggested spots?

Albert.Tatlock · Jul 27, 2013

Any suggestions for a nice place for "Taking Tea", in old London town, planning a trip to down to the big smoke in August, light on the pounds, Both Stirling, & avoir dupios would be my ideal

GHT · Jul 28, 2013

Albert.Tatlock said:
Any suggestions for a nice place for "Taking Tea", in old London town, planning a trip to down to the big smoke in August, light on the pounds, Both Stirling, & avoir dupios would be my ideal

If you are light on the shekels, I would avoid Central London. Living in the Capital, my wife and I rarely indulge in the luxury of afternoon tea. But, if you can afford to spend anything between £25 to £50 each, then London is your oyster.
top place, without exception, is the Savoy. You will shown to your table by a footman, that's a flunky in white gloves and tailed suit. At table, your tea will arrive accompanied with a little cake stand, on which will bean array of finger sandwiches and assorted confections. If you consume everything, the stand will suddenly be replaced with another, and another. The Savoy wouldn't ever indulge in the tacky, vulgar practice of: Eat as much as you like. But that's what it amounts to. Not bad for a hundred quid, and you get to celebrity watch, and there's no shortage of them.
The Cafe Francais in Kensington Gardens is good value at £45 for two. The Caffe Concerto in Shaftesbury Ave is always popular, that will set you back about £25. Did you know that Harrods has a cafe serving afternoon tea? It's called Laduree. Tea for two, about thirty quid. Flemings coctail and tea rooms are quite famous, at about twenty quid apiece, it's the best price you will get.
But if you really are on a tight budget, then I'm afraid it will have to be Costa Coffee.
One last place though, if you like something a little naughty but nice, and this is definitely not Soho sleaze, then Afternoon Tease at Volupte is a must.

Albert.Tatlock · Jul 29, 2013

Thanks for the tips, I came across this which may fit the bill

herringbonekid · Jul 29, 2013

AT, i haven't been to that one but it looks good (and affordable) - similar to the Blackbird Tea Rooms in Brighton.
Maison Bertaux is also just around the corner if you fancy some French cakes.

Edward · Jul 29, 2013

Time for Tea in Shoreditch is an option for a private party, though I don't know what they charge:

http://www.timefortea.org.uk/

Slightly alternative vintage option is the Vintage Emporium, highly recommended, though can be very busy at peak times:

http://www.vintageemporiumcafe.com/

While I've never been to the Ritz for afternoon tea, I took the girlfriend there for her birthday dinner last night and it was outstanding. Raid the savings account time, but as an experience...

skyvue · Jul 30, 2013

We had tea at Fortnam and Mason and quite enjoyed it.

RegentSt1965 · Jul 30, 2013

Fortnum's is a good place for tea. Better IMO than the Ritz etc. Sure, it can be a tourist trap, but it sells the excellent tea and coffee that it serves inb the restaurants. We were lucky enough to call in on the day they opened the new Ice Cream Parlour - I often use it for informal meetings if I don't need the formality of one of the other restaurants. They do a great Banana Split. Pricy, but good! There are a few different restaurants in F&N.
Of course, if you do go to F&M you are in Jermyn St and close to Crockett and Jones (I prefer the old shop, not the new one at the east end of the street) , there's Bates Hatter who fortunately found space in Hilditch & Key when their original shop was "redeveloped" by the Crown Estates (I don't know how effective our petition and letters were, but I hope we encouraged the owners to persevere and not to leave the field wide open to Locks Hatters, good as they are), then there are the traditional clothing stores like Turnbull and Asser (and the pseudo-traditional stores trading on the location aswell!) BTW the Dunhill store is the rump of the old store when it moved to Bourdon House (Off Berkeley Sq.) Jermyn St was empty yesterday as the general tourists leave it to us regulars in the Summer

normanpitkin · Jul 30, 2013

Liberty's is still quite nice.

Dixon Cannon · Jul 31, 2013

Oh, come on mates!!!.... just go into the bloody Marks & Sparks Cafe and have a cuppa! -dixon cannon

RegentSt1965 · Jul 31, 2013

Yes, meant to mention the small, but very good, tea room at Liberty's. Somewhere else that serves great tasting tea properly, rather than the blended dregs of cheap teas wrapped in tissue paper that are ubiquitous in the UK. But, each to his own

Xenophon · Aug 8, 2013

For men and provided you like hearty rather than sweet snacks and don't need to watch either cholesterol, weight, liver function nor bank balance and like to have a smoke: Sanctum Soho Café

Check the menu: http://www.sanctumsoho.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/menu_afternoontea.pdf

But ditch that vile Villiger cigar that the cheapskates offer and upgrade to a Cohiba or even better, bring your own poison.

GHT · Aug 8, 2013

Could someone click on Xenophon's link for me please. Have a look at the Gentlemen's menu. Tell me, does it really say:
"Tankard of Jack Daniels?"
A TANKARD?

RegentSt1965 · Aug 8, 2013

Or, of course, there's Bar Italia in Frith St, Soho (http://www.baritaliasoho.co.uk/) . Squeeze in at a table outside and see the tribes of Soho glide past

. Just take a (very good) espresso and Panini and you could be back in the 50/60's. It was too far from my office in Regent St to get there easily every day. But Lina's deli (http://www.linastores.co.uk/) was just that bit closer and supplied the great little rolls that all the 60's London Trattoria seemed to serve!

Xenophon · Aug 8, 2013

GHT said:
Could someone click on Xenophon's link for me please. Have a look at the Gentlemen's menu. Tell me, does it really say:
"Tankard of Jack Daniels?"
A TANKARD?

Creative use of the English language I'm afraid. Or woefully inadequate vocabulary, good staff is hard to find, especially at discount wages. Volume wise I would situate it between a thimble and an italian espresso cup. Have to add that, though an assault on the system and the very opposite of a light and nutritious experience -not a beansprout nor a purifying tea in sight- the food was well prepared with quality ingredients.

Albert.Tatlock · Aug 15, 2013

Ended up at the strand palace , on the strand afternoon tea and champers for a tad under 25 quid

RegentSt1965 · Aug 15, 2013

Glad you had a good tea

BTW, back in the day the sister hotel, the Regent Palace Hotel (now closed) had a bar (Bobby's Bar) with a reputation for a) very upmarket service and prices and b) the priciest ladies in the area. It was a convenient Hotel to stop over in, but I never felt inclined to try Bobby's or the services on offer.

GI Joe · Jan 16, 2014

So Albert, how was the Soho Secret Tea Room? The ad looked very interesting!

Albert.Tatlock · Jan 19, 2014

The Secret Tearoom was so secret I was unable to find it but a few days later I was in Angelina's in Paris which was very easy to find

Edward · Jan 19, 2014

It's not labelled... You have to know the pub and go behind the bar to find the stairs to the tearoom above. It's like a reverse speakeasy.

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