In honour of Afternoon Tea Week, we've rounded up our favourite traditional high-tea venues around the world, because there really are few things us Brits like better than a cuppa and a slice of cake, right? Throw in some sandwiches and a scone or two and you’ve got one sweet (and savoury) combination that’s impossible to resist. So if you find yourself searching for a china teapot and a platter of posh cheese sandwhiches while on your beach or city break, sink your teeth into our delicious discoveries below...
TEA & SYMPATHY, NEW YORK
If you’re looking for a taste of home while in the Big Apple, Tea & Sympathy is a quintessentially English corner of lively Greenwich Village, NYC. Alongside the Heinz soup and baked beans on toast found on the lunch menu, is a traditional afternoon tea with finger sandwiches, scones with clotted cream and jam, cakes and a pot of steaming hot tea - ahhh. You can also pop next door to their English grocery shop and pick up a souvenir Tea & Sympathy loose-leaf tea tin, too!
If you really take your afternoon tea seriously then nothing less than five-star luxury will do, and it doesn’t get more luxurious than the beautiful La Galerie lounge in the Four Seasons, one of the finest hotels in Paris. Afternoon tea is served on silverware and fine china (naturally) and consists of finger sandwiches, scones with cream and jam, an assortment of flaky French pastries and cannelés (a pastry with an oozy custard centre) plus decadent desserts from the chef’s trolley. This is all washed down with plenty of tea and a glass of champagne, while a pianist tinkles the ivories in the background - very posh!
Feel like a King or Queen in the palatial surroundings of this restaurant located in The Palace Hotel, Downtown Dubai. There are both traditional and Arabic afternoon tea options available for those that want to experience a traditional taste of Arabia. The menu certainly suits the sumptuous surroundings with delicious scones flavoured with saffron and cardamom, a camel milk crème brûlée and plenty of sandwiches and tea, of course.
For something different to the usual hotel lobby or tearoom location, Caelum, in the Gothic Quarter of Barcelona, is a must-visit. Selling amazing cakes, cookies and candies produced by nuns from across the country, it’s a huge treat for those with a sweet tooth - and better still, you’re also giving back to this charitable community. Choose from a treat table heavily laden with delights including ‘Grandma’s Turron’, ‘Puff pastry filled with Angel’s hair’ and ‘Carolina brownies from the monastery’alongside a wide selection of teas, coffees, hot chocolates and other drinks. If you fancy a change from tea, this atmospheric eatery is famous for its ‘Blessed chocolate’ drink, try and you won't regret it!
ONE ALDWYCH, LONDON
Want something a little bit more magical than your average afternoon tea? One Aldwych has concocted a scrumdiddlyumptious Charlie And The Chocolate Factory-inspired afternoon tea you have to try. Be amazed by the ‘cracking’ golden eggs filled with cheesecake and mango, float away on a homemade candy floss cloud and sip on chocolate caramel milk that could well have come from Willy Wonka’s chocolate river! You’ve also got chocolate tea and a chocolately ‘Charlie Cocktail’ to enjoy if they too take your fancy.
You might feel a little like Augustus Gloop afterwards, but it’s worth it!
HIDDEN BAR, IBIZA
Hidden in Cala San Vicente, Ibiza
, 'proudly serves' England’s favourite afternoon snack by appointment. They call it a ‘high tea that the Queen would be proud of’, and looking at the gorgeous collection of china crockery and teapots, the magical Brit-inspired garden room and gorgeous Alice in Wonderland-style’ grounds, we’re inclined to agree. It’s a good choice if you’ve got kids in your afternoon tea-party as there’s a fun-loving play area, giant chess and mini golf.
PALACIO CA SA GALESA, MAJORCA
Visit for ‘Teatime at the Monet Kitchen’ at this five-star boutique hotel and you can daintily slurp your way through Harrods’ selection of teas and fine coffees from around the world. Your drinks are served alongside traditional pastries and treats, which is sure to satisfy your stomach until your next tapas feast.
RAFFLES SALON, DUBAI
Dedicated followers of fashion will love the combination of shoes and sweet treats that make up the Manolo Blahnik afternoon tea at Raffles, Dubai. Alongside a selection of very posh savoury sandwiches (including a lobster salad, cured salmon and roast beef), you have glazed lemon scones, chocolate cake and the piece de resistance, a chocolate peach praline designed to look like the iconic Manolo Blahnik shoe from Sex and the City. There’s plenty more on your cake stand too, plus tea to wash it all down with. Take a look at our 5 star hotels in Dubai and indulge in the most stylish sandwhiches around!
LA MAMOUNIA, MARRAKECH
This hotel is one of the best in Marrakech – with Winston Churchill being just one of its loyal guests. Take the opportunity to visit this grand palace surrounded by 20-acres of parkland by treating yourself to afternoon tea. Expect something slightly different to our English version, with gorgeous Moroccan pastries from the on-site chef pâtissier, fruity cakes, delicious macarons and traditional Moroccan mint tea, served the authentic way from shiny silverware. There’s also an amazing ice-cream parlour in the garden if you fancy finishing your experience off nicely with a scoop of almond milk ice-cream, lemon sorbet or a scrumptious sundae.
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