London does a sweet line in afternoon tea, from fancy hotels to themed menus to treats for kids. It can be a pricey affair, but it doesn't have to be.
We've hunted out the best value and most affordable afternoon teas in the capital, so you can celebrate that special occasion/eat your body weight in scones and cakes/spend a couple of hours feeling fancy, without the price tag. These afternoon teas all come in at under £35 per person.
Prices are correct at time of writing, but do check with individual venues, in case prices have been recalibrated. And yes, we know, there's many a cream tea to be had for cheaper in London, but we're focusing on full afternoon teas here: think sarnies, scones and cakes — ideally served on a tiered stand. Many of these options give you the choice to add extras such as cocktails or prosecco for an extra charge. The prices listed here are the most basic (read: budget-friendly) options available. Now let's tuck in!
Afternoon tea at The Muffin Man: £38 for two (£19 each)
Do you know the Muffin Man? You absolutely should if you're in pursuit of a wallet-friendly afternoon tea. He lives on Drury Lane Wrights Lane in Kensington, in the sort of place time might have forgotten: beneath the green and white striped awning a three-tiered afternoon tea stand offers three sandwiches (choose your own fillings) along with scones and four mini cakes.
Priced at £38 for two, this includes a glass of pink prosecco each — and all just a couple of minutes' walk from the well-heeled (read: expensive) Kensington High Street. Bookings aren't taken, so you might end up queuing during busy periods
Afternoon tea at The Muffin Man, 12 Wrights Lane.
Chocolate Afternoon Tea at the Chocolate Cocktail Club: £27 per person
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Though sweet-toothed bar the Chocolate Cocktail Club is known for its eponymous drinks, it also offers a chocolate afternoon tea at a bargain price. The sandwich section (thankfully?) eschews cocoa, with the chocolate theme creeping in with the scones, which are served with Nutella (frankly a genius move). Strawberry preserve and clotted cream are also available for purists, but once you reach the dessert tier, there's no dodging the chocolate, which is stirred into cakes and macarons.
Unlimited hot chocolate, tea or coffee are included, but if your budget allows it, splurge a few extra quid on a chocotini chocolate cocktail.
Chocolate Afternoon Tea at the Chocolate Cocktail Club, 72 St John Street, EC1M 4DT.
Masala High Chai at Masala Zone: £27.50 per person
The Piccadilly Circus branch of restaurant Masala Zone serves a British-style afternoon tea with an Indian twist. The Masala High Chai includes the flavours of various Indian regions, with samosas and pakoras, along with mini beetroot croquettes. Traditional finger sandwich fillings are given a punchy makeover: chicken tikka, and cheddar pepped up with chutney.
Sweet menu items including a traditional nankhatai biscuit, a popular shortbread found in Gujarat.
Masala High Chai afternoon tea at Masala Zone, 224 Piccadilly, W1J 9HP.
Bazaar High Chai at Cinnamon Bazaar: £27.50 per person
Indian restaurant mini-chain Cinnamon Bazaar is another venue offering an Indian twist on British afternoon tea at an affordable price. Both its Covent Garden and Richmond branches serve High Chai, created by renowned chef Vivek Singh, where spice-infused dishes include masala fish finger sandwiches, spiced paneer rolls and a selection of sweets. All served in jazzy, Indian-inspired settings.
Bazaar High Chai at Cinnamon Bazaar, 28 Maiden Lane and 31-35 Kew Road.
Afternoon tea at the Tea House Theatre: £28 per person
If the tea part of afternoon tea interests you most, Vauxhall's Tea House Theatre (not to be confused with Fulham's Tea House, below) is the place for you. The charming independent cafe/restaurant/theatre has a staggering 60 varieties of tea to choose from, though caffeine-heads should note that coffee is strictly verboten.
Book the Royal Winsdor Tea, and sup your chosen brew in unlimited quantities, alongside a cake stand overspilling with finger sandwiches, scones with cream and strawberry jam, a cinnamon bun and petits fours. Time is an irrelevance in such a whimsical venue, with afternoon tea available the moment the cafe opens. Afternoon tea for breakfast? Don't mind if we do.
Afternoon tea at the Tea House Theatre, 139 Vauxhall Walk, SE11 5HL
The Angel of Bow: £28.95 per person
Afternoon tea in a pub? Stick with us. The Angel of Bow is a family-run place, where focus is on quality food, specifically local and well-sourced ingredients. To that end, afternoon tea is served on Friday and Saturday — somewhat incongruously on Royal Doulton, Wedgwood, Royal Albert and Worcester crockery.
Choose between 15 teas (or hot chocolate) to wash down your feast of homemade scones with jam and clotted cream, finger sandwiches (cucumber, smoked salmon, hummus and red pepper, prosciutto and cheese — though they can be changed to suit your taste with advance warning) and homemade cakes, usually baked by landlady Odette. Vegan and gluten-free options are available when booked in advance, and you can add a glass of prosecco for £8.95.
Oh, and if you need to sleep all that food off afterwards, the pub doubles up as a B&B, with five rooms upstairs.
Afternoon tea at the Angel of Bow, 171 Devons Road, E3 3QX.
The Tea House in Bishop's Park, Fulham: £29 per person
A lovely park, with the river running along one side, a palace on the other, a lake, tennis courts... what more could you want from Bishops Park? Afternoon tea? Oh go on then. The park's Tea House offers one of the best value afternoon teas in London. £29 per person (minimum of two people) gets you finger sandwiches, scones with jam and clotted cream and a selection of mini cakes, served on a traditional three-tiered stand.
Choose between tea or coffee to accompany it, and make sure you book in advance. Note that the area (though not necessarily The Tea House itself) tends to get busy on Fulham FC matchdays, as Craven Cottage is very close by.
Afternoon tea at The Tea House, Bishops Park, Fulham, SW6 6EA. The cafe is operated by Roots & Berries, with similarly good value afternoon tea available at several of their other London locations.
Afternoon tea at Browns: from £32 per person
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A classic afternoon tea is served at several branches of Browns Brasserie, and though prices vary by location, they all tip the affordable end of the scale. Begin with savoury items including a lobster roll, a ham sandwich and a ploughman's sandwich (veggie options include an egg mayo roll, and cream cheese and cucumber sandwich). Move up a tier to scones served with the traditional clotted cream and strawberry jam, along with blackcurrant jam, and finish your baked banquet with a selection of mini cakes and puddings.
Afternoon tea at Browns Brasserie. At time of writing, it's priced at £32 per person at Butler's Wharf and £34 per person in Covent Garden and Victoria.
Afternoon tea at Cutter & Squidge: from £32.50 per person
Renowned Soho bakery Cutter & Squidge usually has a themed afternoon tea running at any given time, but alongside that is the more budget-friendly Soho Signature Afternoon Tea: a selection of three classic sandwiches, two scones served with jam and cream, a slice of dream cake, a macaron, and a biskie (Cutter & Squidge's flagship product, a cookie sandwich similar to a whoopie pie), served with a pot of tea. Excellent value considering the central Soho location.
Soho Signature Afternoon Tea at Cutter & Squidge, 20 Brewer Street, W1F 0SJ.
Budget stretching to £35 or a jot above? Try these
🫖 Boulevard Brasserie's classic afternoon tea with a French twist: £37.95 per person
🫖 Afternoon tea at the Cellarium at Westminster Abbey: £39 per person
🫖 Afternoon tea on board the Sunborn London yacht, permanently moored in Royal Victoria Dock: £40 per person.
