Afternoon tea in London is no longer a £25 indulgence. Today the average is closer to £80, and the headline spots tip past £150 once Champagne enters the conversation. So what does it actually cost in 2026 — and when is the price worth it? Here’s the honest breakdown from people who serve scones for a living.
We run the London Scone Workshop in Camden, which puts us in a slightly awkward position when people ask us about the city’s grand hotel teas: we serve against them. But we also eat at them, regularly, because we’re curious and because checking the competition is part of the job. What follows is the most honest price guide we can write — what every tier really costs, what you actually get for the money, and the places where the maths genuinely does not add up.
The short answer: what afternoon tea costs in London right now
If you want a single number, it’s £60–£95 per person for a proper sit-down afternoon tea at a recognised London venue. Add Champagne and you’re looking at £85–£135. The cheap end of the legitimate market starts around £40 at department stores and a handful of independents. The top end — Claridge’s, The Ritz, The Lanesborough — comfortably exceeds £100 per head before drinks.
Anything advertised under £30 in central London for “afternoon tea” is usually a half-portion, a weekday daytime promo, or simply not what most people picture when they think of the ritual. Real ones cost real money. Whether they’re worth that money is the actual question.
The four price tiers, broken down
Tier 1: Cheap (£39–£45)
This is the budget tier, and most of what sits here is honest if unspectacular. You’ll find afternoon tea at this price at Patisserie Valerie branches across central London (around £30 per person), at Bea’s of Bloomsbury for closer to £40, and at the Café at Sotheby’s on New Bond Street for £45.50 — a surprising hidden gem with very generous portions in an auction-house setting.
For this money you get a three-tier stand with finger sandwiches, two or three scones with clotted cream and jam, a small assortment of cakes or pastries, and a pot of tea with refills. The setting is usually a casual café or patisserie rather than a hotel lounge. You will not get live piano. You will not get a butler. The food will be perfectly nice without being remarkable.
Worth it for: first-time visitors, families on a budget, anyone who wants the experience without the ceremony. Skip if: you’ve come to London specifically for the afternoon tea ritual — this tier won’t deliver on that.
Tier 2: Mid-range (£50–£75)
This is the sweet spot for value, in our honest opinion. The Wolseley on Piccadilly does its standard afternoon tea for £69 per person and is widely considered one of the most reliable mid-market choices in the city. Fortnum & Mason’s Diamond Jubilee Tea Salon — yes, that Fortnum’s — starts at £75 per person and includes proprietary teas you cannot get anywhere else in London. Harrods’ Georgian Restaurant comes in around £74.
What you’re paying for at this tier is the room, the service, and the brand. The food is genuinely good — usually freshly baked scones, proper finger sandwiches with the crusts removed, a small assortment of patisserie made in-house. The teas are loose-leaf and you’ll get a small list to choose from. The service is attentive without being intimidating. You’ll be there for two hours.
Worth it for: a proper London experience, a birthday or anniversary that doesn’t need to be a £100+ statement. Skip if: you’ve been before and you’re chasing something more spectacular.
Tier 3: Premium (£80–£100)
This is where the headline names live. The Ritz Palm Court charges £85 per person for its standard afternoon tea (£105 with a glass of Champagne). Claridge’s in Mayfair charges £95. The Goring near Buckingham Palace charges £85. The Connaught in Mayfair charges £88. The Savoy’s Thames Foyer charges £90 for the standard.
For this money the room is the product. The Ritz’s Palm Court is one of the most beautiful afternoon tea rooms in the world — gilded mirrors, marble columns, a live harpist, a strictly enforced dress code that includes jackets for men. Claridge’s Art Deco foyer is similar in spirit. These rooms have been serving tea for over a century and the choreography is honed to within an inch of its life.
The food at this tier is technically excellent — every component made in-house, often with elaborate plating and seasonal menus that change monthly. The scones are typically the best you’ll have in a London hotel. The tea selection runs to 20+ varieties including rare single-estate options. You’ll be there for at least two hours, often three, and you’ll need to book six to eight weeks ahead.
Worth it for: a genuine special occasion, an out-of-towner you want to impress, the kind of memory you’ll genuinely keep. Skip if: you’re going alone or in a group of more than four — both extremes feel awkward in these rooms.
Tier 4: Champagne and signature (£110–£175)
Add Champagne and most premium teas land between £105 and £135. The Lanesborough’s signature afternoon tea is £105 plain and £135 with Champagne — and tops out at £175 for the “Lanesborough Signature” experience. Brown’s Hotel on Albemarle Street charges around £85 plain but its caviar tea reaches £155. The Berkeley’s Prêt-à-Portea — themed around the latest catwalk collections — runs to £110.
At this level you’re paying for novelty, exclusivity, or a specific gimmick. The food is no better than the £85 tier; what you’re really buying is either the alcohol, the theme, or the right to say you went. There is no afternoon tea in London where the food alone justifies £150 per person.
Worth it for: a milestone (40th, 50th, engagement), a corporate occasion where someone else is paying. Skip if: you’re paying yourself and you want value — you can buy four exceptional mid-tier teas for the same money.
What the price actually covers
Once you understand what you’re paying for, the tiers make more sense. At £45 you’re paying for food and a chair. At £75 you’re paying for food, a chair, an iconic London room, and proper service. At £95 you’re paying for all of that plus a piece of London history — the Palm Court has been serving tea since 1906; Claridge’s foyer since the 1920s.
The actual ingredient cost across all tiers is small — about £8–£12 per head. What varies dramatically is rent, staffing, brand premium, and the cost of running a kitchen that produces forty different patisserie items on a rolling daily menu. The Ritz isn’t gouging you when it charges £85; it’s covering one of the most expensive operating costs in central London.
Where the maths doesn’t add up
There are exceptions — places where you’re paying premium prices for an experience that doesn’t justify the cost. We won’t name them outright (we eat at most of them and don’t want a feud), but the warning signs are easy to spot:
- Pre-made scones. If the scones are uniform, dense, and don’t have that uneven, hand-cut look — they were baked off-site that morning and warmed for service. At £85 a head, that’s not okay.
- Tea in pyramid bags. Premium afternoon tea should mean loose-leaf in a strainer or a properly furnished teapot. Pyramid bags are a tell.
- An “afternoon tea” served in the hotel restaurant on a normal table. If they couldn’t be bothered to set the room properly, the rest of the experience usually matches.
- An assembly-line feel. The best rooms in London turn over each table once, maximum twice, per service. If you’re being seated at 4pm with a hard 5:30pm out, you’re not getting a proper afternoon tea — you’re getting a sitting.
Hidden costs to budget for
The advertised price is almost never the final number:
- Service charge: usually 12.5% added automatically. On a £95 tea that’s an extra £11.88 per person.
- Drinks beyond tea: any additional Champagne, cocktails, or coffee adds £8–£18 per round.
- Extras: some venues charge separately for additional scones (£4–£6 each), upgraded cakes, or take-home boxes.
- Pre-booking deposits: Claridge’s, The Ritz, and several others now require a credit card to hold the reservation; cancellation fees are typically £50 per person within 48 hours.
A “£85 afternoon tea” at The Ritz usually comes to around £110 per head after service, a Champagne top-up, and a coffee. Build that into your budget and you won’t be surprised at the bill.
The £34 alternative — and the honest pitch
This is where we have to be transparent: we run The London Scone Workshop in Camden, and our afternoon tea workshop is £27 per person (RRP £30) at launch. So we have skin in this game. Here is the honest comparison.
For £34 you get 90 minutes baking your own scones from scratch with our chef, a full pot of loose-leaf tea served properly, your warm scones with clotted cream and jam, and a take-home box with the surplus scones you’ve made. You will not get finger sandwiches. You will not get a marble-columned room. You will absolutely get better, fresher scones than 90% of London’s hotels serve — because you’ll have made them yourself, eaten them within five minutes of leaving the oven, and watched them rise in real time.
If your priority is the elegant hotel ritual, book The Ritz or Claridge’s and budget £110. If your priority is the scones themselves, or you want something a curious traveller will actually remember, the workshop is the better value by a meaningful margin. We are not better than The Ritz at being The Ritz. We are better than The Ritz at scones.
Book the £34 Scone Workshop here.
Honest recommendations by budget
- Under £40: Patisserie Valerie or the Café at Sotheby’s. Honest, well made, no airs.
- £40–£60: Skip this band — at this price you’ll be disappointed either way. Spend less and accept less, or spend more and get the room.
- £60–£80: The Wolseley or Fortnum & Mason. Best value-per-pound in the city.
- £85–£100: The Ritz Palm Court or Claridge’s. Once-in-a-lifetime rooms; do it once.
- £100+: Only if the occasion truly demands it. Otherwise, save the money and do two mid-tier teas.
- Best value overall: the £27 hands-on workshop in Camden — if you care more about the scones than the chandeliers.
Frequently asked questions
What is the average cost of afternoon tea in London?
Around £75–£85 per person at a recognised venue without Champagne. Adding a glass of Champagne typically takes the bill to £95–£110. Service charge of 12.5% is added on top at most venues.
What is the cheapest afternoon tea in London?
Patisserie Valerie offers afternoon tea from around £30 per person at multiple central London branches. Bea’s of Bloomsbury, Brigit’s Bakery, and the Café at Sotheby’s all sit below £50. For the very cheapest legitimate option in central London, see our cheap afternoon tea guide.
Why is afternoon tea so expensive in London?
Three reasons: central London rent is among the highest in the world; running a kitchen that produces 40+ rotating patisserie items requires a much bigger team than a normal restaurant service; and the established hotels charge a brand premium for serving in rooms that have been doing this for over a century. The ingredient cost is small; the rest is overhead and prestige.
How much should I tip for afternoon tea in London?
Most venues add 12.5% service automatically. You are not obliged to tip on top of that. If the service was genuinely exceptional, leaving an extra £5–£10 in cash for the team is appreciated but never required.
Is The Ritz afternoon tea worth £85?
If you only do one premium afternoon tea in your life, yes. The Palm Court is one of the most beautiful tea rooms in the world and the service is the equal of any hotel in Europe. If you’ve done it before, or you’ve done Claridge’s or The Lanesborough, the diminishing returns are real. See our honest verdict on every premium hotel here.
Are there any cheap afternoon teas under £25 in London?
Genuine sit-down afternoon teas under £25 in central London are now extremely rare. Most options at that price are either weekday-only promotions, half-portions, or “afternoon tea” in name only (a slice of cake and a pot of tea). For a proper experience, budget at least £30.