Mayfair, Afternoon Tea Restaurant Guide

“A great change to the ghastly chains” – Victoria & Grace Sheppard’s elegant, “friendly” café is tipped for its “terrific coffee”, as well as a quiet bite or their ‘bottomless brunch’.

The “quiet and stylish” wooden-panelled Drawing Room has changed little since this Mayfair hotel was built in 1837, and makes a “lovely setting” for afternoon teas that have been enjoyed by Queen Victoria and Agatha Christie, among a roll-call of the great and the good of the past two centuries. Despite the pedigree, fans feel it’s “not as stilted and pompous as some famous places”, and offers a “much better and friendlier tea, with delicious homemade-style cakes and scones”.

“The epitome of Best of British” – “nobody does afternoon tea like Claridges”: “it’s a casually elegant delight from start to finish”. “Everyone is made to feel like a VIP and the food is good without being intimidating” (“awesome cakes and a great range of sandwiches”). Top Tip – when you finish your tea, “don’t forget the jewel that is the tiny Champagne bar”.

“You just can’t beat the amazing old-world atmosphere, décor, service… and delicious afternoon tea” at this “world-beating” destination. “Yes it’s a cliché, but it never fails to impress”, “you feel like royalty for the afternoon” and “you won’t need to eat in the evening afterwards”. “You’re either putting on The Ritz or just don’t bother!”

“The sheer style of the room” helps create an “unbeatable buzz” at this “very classy and smartly located” Continental Grand Café by The Ritz, which has, for nearly 20 years, established itself as London’s premier venue for a “reliably impressive” business occasion; and as “the absolute go-to for a totally unrivalled breakfast” (“a cliché, but really it is the best place to enjoy eggs Benedict in London”). And “afternoon tea is excellent too, with a good choice of sandwiches and cakes.” Established by Christopher Corbin and Jeremy King in 2003 in an erstwhile Edwardian car showroom (which provided the restaurant’s name), it has perennially been “the permanent buzz not the average food that’s created the magic of the place”. The “simple comfort fare at West End prices” has often rated poorly next to the “sparkling” atmosphere and “star-studded people watching” carefully cultivated by its well-connected founders. So “whether the place will survive the recent departure of those same founders remains to be seen”. A shareholder battle post-Covid saw Corbin & King edged out by their financial backers, the Thai Minor group, and many reporters fear “a ravens-leaving-the-tower moment” (“fingers crossed they don’t let the money-men spoil this…”; “it’s wait-and-see time…”; “if they ruin it, we will revolt…”). The schism happened in April 2022, immediately prior to our survey, and ratings this year are significantly down across the board. It could be that Brexit-induced staffing shortages bear some of the blame, but already some reporters fear the reason is clear: “it’s lost its soul now Jeremy and Chris have been ousted”.