Afternoon Tea
Afternoon tea in London, from the Ritz to the Goring, compared on what you actually pay once the service charge lands. Dress codes quoted from the venues themselves, because most guides get them wrong.
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The dress code is where the copying shows. A rule that changed years ago will still be repeated across a dozen guides that have taken it from each other, and the only source worth trusting is the hotel’s own page.
Afternoon tea in London is the comparison across rooms. The Ritz has a page to itself because its booking rules and its dress code are stricter than anywhere else, and the afternoon tea bus is the one that moves while you eat.
Book earlier than feels necessary. The rooms that matter tend to release tables a set period ahead and fill a good deal of that window on the day it opens.
Claridge’s Afternoon Tea: Prices, Times and the Festive Blackout
Afternoon tea at Claridge's is from £95. From 3 November to 3 January the festive tea is served exclusively, at £120 on weekdays and £130 at weekends.
The Afternoon Tea Bus in London: Is It Worth It?
A proper afternoon tea served aboard a 1960s Routemaster touring central London. The two operators compared, with prices, routes and what to know first.
Afternoon Tea at The Ritz: Price, Dress Code, Booking
Afternoon tea at the Ritz costs £95 plus service. The exact dress code, the five daily sittings, how far ahead to book, and where it is actually served.
Afternoon Tea in London: Where to Go and What It Costs
The best afternoon teas in London, with what each actually costs once service is added. The Ritz, Claridge's, the Connaught and the Goring compared.
Elsewhere in the guide
Questions we get asked
What time is afternoon tea served in London?
Typically between noon and 5pm, in fixed sittings of about ninety minutes rather than whenever you arrive. The good rooms book out weeks ahead at weekends and are often available midweek at short notice.
Is there a dress code for afternoon tea?
At the hotels, yes, and it is enforced more consistently than at dinner. No sportswear, no shorts, no ripped denim, and at a few rooms a jacket for men. Trainers are the usual reason people are turned away.