The Ritz is the grand old dame of afternoon tea in London. This outrageously lavish and opulent hotel has been open since 1906 and afternoon tea has been a quintessential part of its identity ever since.

With several sittings a day, and catering mostly to tourists these days, afternoon tea at The Ritz may seem like an old fashioned cliche. There are many other wonderful places to have afternoon tea in London, but something about The Ritz makes it the ultimate choice. If you’ve never had an afternoon tea in London before start your journey with The Ritz before moving on to other newer establishments that might be trying to reinvent the experience.

The Ritz sticks to the classics. Sandwiches, scones and cakes. In a luxury, high class setting. With a pianist. And a dress code. It’s expensive but it’s worth it.

The Hotel

The Ritz is synonymous with luxury, and the afternoon tea experience is no different. Held in the beautiful Palm Court, there’s a strict smart casual dress code here. Gentlemen are required to wear a jacket and tie and will be turned away if not adhering to this. In fact no jeans or trainers are allowed anywhere in the hotel’s restaurants or bars. Don’t let this put you off though, you have chosen The Ritz for a luxury experience and everyone has to play a part in keeping the traditions up.

The Ritz is a very expensive hotel. It’s likely you’ll never be able to afford to stay here. Afternoon tea gives you a little taste of the experience without worrying about the room rates (which are upwards of £1000 a night).

The staff play a major part in the sophistication of the hotel. From the bellman that greets you to the waiter that looks after you. You will feel pampered and indulged and that’s as it should be. For my international friends this will be an irresistible slice of classic British upper crust elegance that you will delight in telling everyone about when you get home.

So let’s talk about the food itself. It’s magnificent. It’s indulgent. And there’s a lot of it.

The Tea

To start with you will need to choose from one of the 40 teas on offer. The Ritz has a certified Tea Master who travels the world to various tea plantations to source the best teas. For a fine tea choice Darjeeling is a good pick. If you’re not sure where to begin with selecting a tea your very attentive and helpful waiter will guide you.

Of course you can have add-ons like champagne or sparkling wine if you want something extra. I mean you’ve come this far, why not push the boat out a little further.

The Food

Obviously it’s served on a classic tiered stand. There’s a particular order you should consume afternoon tea based on tradition. Start with the sandwiches, move on to the scones and finish strong with the cakes. I’m not saying that’s how you have to eat it, but we’re in The Ritz, let’s do it properly shall we?

Sandwiches

The sandwich choices are classic. There’s nothing groundbreaking here but they are old favourites – cheese and chutney, smoked salmon, egg mayonnaise and of course the classic cucumber sandwich. It’s a generous portion with six different sandwich types. All delicious in their simplicity. Classics done well.

Scones

The scones are also flavoursome with proper clotted cream and The Ritz’s own homemade strawberry jam. I’ll leave you to debate whether jam goes first then cream or vice versa. Why not try one of each and see what you like best? (The correct answer is jam first then cream if you want my opinion).

At this stage it’s worth mentioning that the waiters will offer you more sandwiches, as many as you like. Despite the temptation I would urge you to pace yourselves. You’ve still got a long way to go and a lot of food to eat.

Cakes

Moving on to the cakes tier. Well this is just exquisite and the highlight of the tea. Delicately and individually handcrafted with incredible fine detail on each morsel of cakey perfection. Take some time to admire the handiwork that went into each of these. It’s what you’re paying for. And of course, they are delicious. Wonderful flavours and a delight to eat.

Now at this stage you may be thinking you couldn’t possibly eat another bite. But the waiters will come round and ask if you would like some more of the cakes. And you will intend to say no but accidentally say yes. And despite feeling slightly ill by this point you will eat them out of courtesy.

But wait, there’s more! If it’s your birthday the waiters will now bring out a small birthday cake for you. There are always lots of people celebrating their birthdays – it’s a special occasion venue remember.

And then! When you think you’re finally finished. That several rounds of sandwiches, scones and about a hundred small cakes is probably enough, they bring round a cake trolley. With two further cakes! And of course you say you couldn’t possibly eat another thing but something else says “you’re at The Ritz, you’ve got to try everything on offer”. So you dutifully have another fairly large slice of cake.

Now thankfully they give you rather nice boxes to take the leftovers home and have for later.

And considering how expensive the afternoon tea is you do get a lot for your money. An incredibly generous amount of food that is topped up several times, and you can take home whatever you don’t eat.

When finally you do waddle out of The Ritz completely full, regretting your life choices and never wanting to eat cake again, you’ll reflect upon a wonderful experience and be glad you went.

For The Kids

You might be surprised to hear that despite its opulence The Ritz is actually very child friendly. There is a separate children’s menu and your waiter will help the children pick out a fruity or herbal tea if they would like to partake of the traditional experience without the hit of caffeine.

Pricing

£79 for adults for the basic afternoon tea.

£57 for children.

Getting There

The Ritz is located by Green Park tube station. Green Park is on the Victoria, Jubilee and Piccadilly lines so easily accessible from anywhere else in central London.

What Else To Do In The Area

With a wealth of other attractions nearby such as Green Park, Piccadilly and Regents Street, afternoon tea at The Ritz is an easy addition to any trip to London.

My top picks nearby – walk off your afternoon tea with a stroll through Green Park. Or head to Fortnum and Mason department store which is just down the road. Make sure you check out their gift food department for another classic London experience.

If you turn right out of The Ritz you will end up in Fortnum and Mason and Piccadilly. If you turn left you can walk through Green Park and St James Park which leads to Buckingham Palace.

If The Ritz is out of your budget for London accommodation try one of these hotels instead.

I had afternoon tea at the Ritz as part of a month-long England road trip. Read the full trip report here.