Most Londoners today don’t have the time to take a leisurely afternoon tea. They grab a ‘cuppa’ on the go or duck into one of the city’s many chain coffee shops. But proper afternoon tea is such an English institution that it would be a shame for visitors not to experience it at least once while they’re there. So New York Habitat has compiled a short list of tea rooms for you to enjoy—and you can always put the kettle on in your own private New York Habitat apartment in London.
One of the most charming, quintessentially British spaces for afternoon tea is a café called Still Too Few. Located in Notting Hill, This tea room is attached to the basement of an antiques shop on Westbourne Grove. It’s the perfect place to take a break from browsing the stalls on Portobello Road or the shops at Ladbroke Grove and tuck into tea, sandwiches, scones and homemade cakes (which are offered à la carte).
The Orangery behind Kensington Palace in Hyde Park offers afternoon tea in an opulent setting, which was once the site of Queen Anne’s sun room. For a real retro treat, order the Debutante’s Tea (still served the way it was in 1958), go regal with the Champagne Tea, or stick to the original Orangery Tea, which is still enough to cause quite a sugar rush. No worries—you can always walk it off in the park afterwards!
Of course, there’s always the wonderful and reliable standby: The St. James’s Restaurant in the Fortnum and Mason department store, straddling St. James’s Park, Green Park and Hyde Park, in Soho. Loyal customers come here for the ambiance, the live piano music, the view over Piccadilly, and the splendid selections for afternoon tea.
To stay a short distance from one of these top tea destinations, consider the following New York Habitat accommodations in London:
• A light and airy 1-bedroom vacation rental in Notting Hill, Kensington-Chelsea (LN-403) with its own street-level entrance in a pretty Victorian building on a quiet, residential street. This newly refurbished accommodation comes with a double bed, a double sofa bed, laundry/dryer, high ceilings, wooden floors and large floor-to-ceiling windows to let the sun in. A recent client raved: “The apartment in London was really good indeed, nicely furnished, clean and very well-equipped.”
• A comfortable, well-appointed 1-bedroom vacation accommodation in Notting Hill, Kensington-Chelsea (LN-622) on the second floor of a charming walk-up townhouse centrally located off Westbourne Grove.
Enjoy the relaxing settings of London’s beloved tea rooms—and a New York Habitat vacation rental.
Leave a comment to let us know your favorite place for tea in London—and whether you take one lump or two!
With TS ELiot, PUNK, 28 Days Later, etc etc, I had forgotten about this wonderful, quiet English tradition. I would love to attend a Debutante’s tea! Thanks NYH.
MMmmmm…that Twinning’s picture is awesome. I could so go for some Earl Grey right now…with milk and sugar.
Some people like it with lemon though…any lemonheads out there?
I recall in Paris a friend of mine would always drink tea in our apartment (we actually were subletting in Paris) and as soon as we went to London she started drinking coffee! I said “how backwards is that? you drink tea in France in COFFEE IN ENGLAND?!?”
It was amusing to say the least. But yeah, Earl Grey was a favorite of ours too.
Teatime in London! I have always put these two things together and would love to have the chance to actually have a real teatime when in London, which I am sure will happen, and I hope to have at least one tea party in my beautiful apartment!
I love tea Time with those little scones and sandwiches! This is absolutly lovely and so British. I wish I could go to London in just a matter of seconds and enjoy a darjeeling tea.
Yes, ’tis time for tea. Anyone have a favorite place to recommend? I’m going to visit London soon.
Earl Grey is really my favorite type of tea! I wish I could go to London more often and enjoy a cup of tea with some British pastries!
With all the mordern buildings going up and around London changing the face of the City, it’s nice to know that after noon Tea can still be had. I’m with a few of your client I prefer Earl Grey especially the one you can get at Horrods.
The lady I let my apartment from has this old ritual that she does every evening, she drinks a cup of tea , I on the other hand joins in when she has cookies.
I was chatting to my friend in London about this article and she was in awe of it, She claims that The Oragergy behind Kensington Palace is really the best place for tea. I think she thinks so because she loves to live out her old Engish high class fantacies and pertends that she is Royalty for a day.