Report: Afternoon tea at The Savoy

I'd say the price is in line for where you went and received what is typical for food at an afternoon tea. Hopefully, you had a nice afternoon and experience; and then ran out for a hamburger after you left! (:

I love afternoon teas, but really for the ambience.

I am inclined to agree with KD. The variety and amount of food is in line with just about any afternoon tea, whether in the Savoy or a much more humble Tea room on a high street. You are paying an exhorbitant amount for the ambiance and the name.

By contrast, we paid £45 each for a very similar menu and white cloth service in a small Tea room. I'm sure there are people who would fnd the cost of the Savoy Tea to be a good value. But I find it a bit high for what amounts to a substantial afternoon snack.

Seeing this post reminded me of the lovely afternoon tea my daughter and I enjoyed at the Royal Albert Hall a few years ago. Many people don't know about this option and I recommended it highly. We timed the tea to follow an architectural/historical tour of the Hall (it was great as well). The room and service was elegant but not stuffy. I would describe our dress as casual-smart. There was plenty of food, so much that the waitress packed up some cake for us to take with us: she didn't want us to miss out on some of the British specialties.

I just checked the website and see that the standard afternoon tea now costs 57 pounds.

I’m glad to hear all of this! We definitely had a lovely time and the Savoy is gorgeous!

You pay for the whole experience.

A colleague went to the Savoy for afternoon tea recently and absolutely raved about it. She didn’t even mention the food - it was all about how posh the toilets were and how gorgeous the decor is. That’s really the whole point of going for a fancy afternoon tea like this. It’s cheaper than dinner at the Savoy and you sure can’t afford to actually stay there but you get to sample some of the glamour.

Our afternoon tea was very similar at Fortnum & Mason. We all loved the whole experience.

I wonder if there are 'experiences' on any of the travel concatenation sites where for similar cost you could have tea in someone's home?

@Helen - we LOVED the bathroom! I have quite a few pictures of the painting scheme in there:)

Too funny - we did tea last month at the Balmoral Hotel in Edinburgh -- and we also adored the bathrooms !!! This is making me laugh that the bathrooms in various establishments have amused so many of us !

It's funny, because I felt the tea was expensive, but it was for a special occasion, so I am glad that I went to the trouble of offering it to my friend and her daughter - but it was cheap compared to what you paid !! It was about 80€ a person (62£) . The food was so substantial that we ended up -- all three of us - having them box up ALL FOUR of the final dessert pieces to take back to our hotel. And I didn't have my fourth finger sandwich (because it was Coronation Chicken, which I don't care for).

We did forego the Champagne, as I brought us a bottle from Paris that we enjoyed in our hotel with a view of the Castle.

I am sorry you had a disappointing experience. Thanks for advising, as indeed, afternoon tea questions are frequent here. I highly recommend going in Edinburgh, but be sure to reserve in advance.

We have done tea at the Savoy once when we had the joy of staying there for the night. But that was when my husband was working for the same hotel group and we had a steeeeeeep discount on the room and either 25% or 50% off all food and beverage. But those privileges are long in the past, alas !

Coronation Chicken is one of the highest risk foods for food poisoning. I like the taste but that knowledge puts me off (although I’m sure it’s very safe at the Balmoral!).

It is expensive going for afternoon tea and teas are a huge moneyspinner for hotels. The ingredients involved are pretty cheap - bread, cream and sugar mainly- and it’s a set menu. But for a special occasion it’s really enjoyable.

Oh and I always have the glass of champagne. Nothing guaranteed to make you lightheaded more than a glamorous combination of caffeine, sugar, alcohol and glitz.