Everyone should indulge in a formal afternoon tea at least once while in London. It's a relaxing, drawn-out, civilized affair that usually consists of three courses, all elegantly served on delicate china: first, dainty finger sandwiches (with the crusts cut off, of course), then fresh-baked scones served with jam and deliciously decadent clotted cream (Devonshire cream), and then an array of bite-size sweets. All the while, an indulgent server keeps the pot of tea of your choice fresh at hand. Sometimes ports and aperitifs are on offer to accompany your final course. High tea, popular with the before-theater crowd, includes an extra serving or two, including a sandwich, making it, in essence, a light supper. Having tea is a quintessentially British experience, and we've listed our favorite tea venues below. Note that for the most popular hotels (especially The Ritz), you should make reservations as far in advance as possible. If you go to a place that doesn't take reservations, show up at least half an hour early, especially between April and October. Jacket and tie are often required for gentlemen, and jeans and sneakers are usually frowned upon.
The British Empire no longer comes to a grinding halt at 4pm with all of England rushing for their cuppa. The English still like a cup of tea in the afternoon, but in workaday London it's often consumed at desks piled high with papers. A proper sit-down tea is reserved mainly for those ladies-who-lunch who like to indulge in fattening but delectable pastries in the late afternoon. Visitors are also fond of participating in this ritual.
London is now awash in coffee-bar chains, and many Londoners have abandoned the time-honored custom of afternoon tea altogether. But not all -- some are returning to this quaint custom, and the city is experiencing a tea-drinking revival.
There are variations in tea drinking, as today's London is a rainbow-hued city. Take Mô, at 23 Heddon St., W1B 4BH, (tel. 020/7434-4040). At this offshoot of a North African restaurant, you'll think you're in Morocco as you're served mint tea in gold-encrusted glasses against a backdrop of hanging lanterns and embroidered cushions. Quite different from the traditional afternoon tea Queen Victoria enjoyed!
If drinking tea with your pinky extended just isn't your style, we've also included a handful of less formal (and less expensive) alternatives. A full high tea costs more than £24 ($46) at the finest hotels.
Be careful when you make reservations that you are booking at the right "Palm Court," as there are several of them.
