We will be in London at the end of February and I'd like to enjoy an afternoon tea. Our 10 and 11 year old boys will be with us. I'm looking for someplace appropriate for "kids" but at the same time they don't need a children's tea. Any suggestions? The Orangery will be closed when we are there.
TIA
hey hey jleonardi
don't know what your budget in pounds or how many days you will be there but here's a few different options.
goliveyoung.com/ 7 amazing places for afternoon tea in london with kids
londonist.com/ london's best afternoon tea for kids
virginexperiencedays.co.uk/ afternoon teas in london
wowcher.co.uk this is a site like groupon, you register with email and it has 2 for 1 deals, search afternoon teas. this site is compliments of our poster emma from london, thanks emma
countryandtownhouse.co.uk/ best children's afternoon teas in london
stmartin-in-the-fields.org cafe in a crypt. your boys maybe fascinated by this, maybe even mom and dad.
walks.com lots of different types of walks, 10 pounds and kids are free
visitbrighton.com get away from busy london for a day trip on the train to this seaside/boardwalk town. dress warm
withlocals.com has kid friendly things to do and kids are free with an adult
have fun doing some research for your trip. enjoy
mele kalikimaka & hau'oli makahiki hou
aloha
We did the London landmarks tea at the Town House Kensington and loved it. It was delicious, and just as nice as any tea, but the iconic landmark shapes may be fun for kids? The setting was nice without being too stuffy and we noticed a few other tables with kids.
Your boys may enjoy the tea at Ampersand hotel , it is a science themed tea and across the street from the science museum. Or the B bakery tea bus. Or go to Ting which is in the Shard building and has wonderful views. The first two are more geared for children but the third, Ting has views of the city.
Hope this helps and if not those Fortum & Mason has a lovely tea.
To echo Ann, we had Afternoon Tea at Fortnum & Mason this October. It is all you can eat and the best i’ve ever had.
Thanks everyone. I will check out the links provided. I had done a google search, but tea with children brings up tea more meant for the 7 and under crowd.
Looking forward to this trip and will have many more questions as I dig into my planning.
I am also a big fan of Fortnum and Mason but the quiet elegant atmosphere there may not appeal to your boys.
I am also a big fan of Fortnum and Mason but the quiet elegant atmosphere there may not appeal to your boys. Wolseley would be less expensive and not as quiet and people say that they sometimes see celebrities there.
I don't have children, but I'm puzzled. When we go for tea in London, we don't want to have a "themed experience", we want to have something between tea in an episode of "Victoria" and tea in "The Railway Children", maybe at the economic level of "Josephine and Her Dolls" or a Dickens novel. I don't see any point in catering to imagined child preferences - it's, vaguely, an exercise in the history of a vanished empire, or a socio-economic (and cullinary) lesson. Opinion.
Our experience at Fortnum & Mason wasn’t what i’d describe as “quiet elegance”. It was classy, but there was a piano player playing a piano and a kid’s birthday party going on at a large round table near us. The children (8-10 yr olds, boys and girls) behaved well, but there was lots of talking and laughter from them and many other tables in the room (which is large, spacious, airy, and lots of windows), piano music, and many servers moving all over. It was not a stuffy, nose in the air atmosphere. But yes, i wouldn’t bring a kid there (or anywhere) that can’t behave appropriately. I think it’s helpful to give jleonardi many recommendations and they can pick which kind of experience they’re looking for.
I am not looking for a themed experience. I'm looking for an afternoon tea that is okay with jean and sneakers since we'll have been touring all day. A place that would not be put off by tweens. My boys are great in restaurants so I have no concerns about their behavior. I just want something more casual if possible.
If a planned afternoon tea doesn't quite fit, a good choice is the Cafe in the Crypt at St. Martin in the Fields. It makes a nice break from the nearby National Gallery (if that's on your schedule). Their cream tea is good and not expensive and the setting is great for kids and adults. You might be able to add a brass rubbing for the kids if they are doing them when you visit. Look at their website and comments on TripAdvisor to see if this might work for your family.
You may need to check the dress code carefully. I think Fortnum and Mason is business casual-collared shirt and khakis.
We had a lovely, casual Cream Tea at Hampton Court Palace. We actually preferred it to our pre-booked and far more expensive afternoon tea at Kensington Palace.
You can wear whatever you want to Fortnum & Mason. No dress code. We were in jeans and tshirts. Everyone else, same. It’s a department store, not The Ritz. I’m not selling anyone on F&M, but for anyone else reading this, it is not stuffy at all. It is expensive though. For us, worth every penny.
Here’s a thread from earlier this year with more suggestions:
Bea's of Bloomsbury has a nice cream tea.
Be sure you know what kind of tea you want--the full afternoon tea with savory as well sweet items, or the simpler cream tea, which I think is just a scone or two. The price difference can be massive.
You may need to check the dress code carefully. I think Fortnum and Mason is business casual-collared shirt and khakis.
If you ask a member of staff at F&M if khakis are required you may receive an odd look. Khaki is actually a colour but then moved on to refer to a type of military uniform worn by the British Army in India and subsequently most conflict in warmer climes. Chino's are the British equivalent of what Americans refer to as khakis. Anyway, there's no dress code for F&M.
I enjoy the Wallace Collection museum bistro on manchester square.Gorgeous green house casual dining room, it has always been included when visiting London. Museum is also a wonderful place to visit. Ck it out online, teas, lunch etc.
You have already received some great answers to your question, but I will just add one thing. You wrote,
"I'm looking for an afternoon tea that is okay with jean and sneakers since we'll have been touring all day."
I suggest the V&A Museum for tea. Their lunch room/tea room has a golden domed ceiling; a lovely room. Most people taking afternoon tea there have spent the day touring the V&A Museum exhibits, so are dressed casually, in jeans and tennis shoes/trainers/sneakers. They serve afternoon tea, or just tea and scones if your prefer. Or just tea and one piece of cake, which is all I usually want.
It is a great place to take a break, and then get back to browsing in the museum, or to go next door to the Science Museum.
I think afternoon tea with tweens in London would be nice, but it would be much better with scones, don’t you think? Make that fresh scones, not items that are already 10 or 11 years old, and most likely stale.
I’ve always been a fan of Fortnums for a more formal tea, but I really like the Wolseley, too.
On my last visit to the Wolseley at tea time, I noticed a British mother with two teenage sons having a great time: they ordered the regular tea with finger sandwiches etc, and then one of the boys also ordered a regular chicken sandwich from the Wolseley’s all day café menu. It arrived cut in 4 pieces (!). No eyebrows raised by the wait staff, everyone happy. Perhaps this flexibility would appeal to your family.
I am a huge fan of Fortnum and Mason but it may not appeal to your boys. Harrods offers a nice tea and sandwiches and sweets are very good. We took our Tweens to the Orangery and they loved it but sounds like it won't be open. The Wallace Collections sounds interesting for afternoon tea.
I was just at the Ampersand hotel in November with my kids. 10yr old girl and 8yr old boy. They really enjoyed the science themed tea. Real tea for my daughter and hot chocolate for my son. And cakes and such for kids - like a mini hot dogs. We were there in jeans and had no issues. It was $$$!
Thank you for all of the responses. I've been traveling for the past week +, so just getting to them now. Off to google the places mentioned.
