Best for: an iconic London experience
Harrods’ Tea Rooms first opened in 1911, the year of King George V’s coronation, and was initially named The Georgian, quickly becoming renowned for its tea dances on the specially sprung dance floor. Today, it is one of London’s most Googled afternoon teas, offering a truly idiosyncratic ‘English’ experience. The fourth-floor space is huge—it’s no surprise to learn that it was formerly the biggest restaurant in town, with a capacity for 1,200—and beautifully Art Deco: it has an intricate, light-splashing skylight with wrought ironwork, a mixture of lush booths and round tables, adjoining Perrier-Jouet Champagne terrace, and a long-haired pianist tinkling out classics perfectly on a grand. The vibe is completely calm no matter how full it gets, with friendly, unflappable staff who manage to be incredibly precise while putting you at ease. (Note: dress code is smart casual, which means no sneakers, shorts, sportswear, flip flops, or midriffs, thank you very much).
The menu, featuring sweet illustrations by Alice Nyong, has no less than eight pages of teas to choose from—classic, black, green, oolong, white, herbal, plus coffees and hot chocolates—accompanied by a unique little key showing how sweet, floral, woody, or astringent each is. There are also plenty of alcoholic options, such as interesting tea-based cocktails, and even really very good non-alcoholic rosé Champagne. The crustless sandwiches are all dainty and delicate, with the stand-outs being the classic English cucumber and mint cream cheese, the ‘King George’ salt beef, and the Faroe Island smoked salmon and lemon cream cheese with white chocolate sprinkled on top.
From the pastry selection, the meadow honey cake and chocolate pralines palette are just as pretty and indulgent as they sound—or you can explore the banoffee delice and Pink Lady apple crumble over on the entirely separate vegan menu. Don’t miss the Orient-Express style bathrooms or chic lounge heavy with Chanel tomes just next door, before working off your tea while languidly trying to find an exit in the world’s most famous labyrinth of a department store. Becky Lucas
Address: 87-135 Brompton Road, London SW1X 7XL
Website: harrods.com
Price: From £73 per person (around $96)
