Harden's survey result
Summary
“How can you ignore a proper English high tea at Fortnum’s… the grandness of their fluffly (raisin and non-raisin) scones, the beautiful desserts, the soft but tasty sandwiches, with an all-you-can-eat provision… oh and the choice of 100+ tea leaves”. Many reports hail this well-known, third-floor chamber (an “institution” that’s actually a relatively modern creation, opened as it was by her late majesty, Queen Elizabeth II, a dozen years ago in 2012) as a “quintessential English experience”; and “celebrating with high tea and Champagne here is hard to beat”. Criticism is notably absent in reports and fans claim this is “the pick of the capital’s high-end tea rooms”. “The cake trolley is great fun and while the whole experience is punishingly expensive, it does – just about – feel like good value”. Top Tip – “The savoury afternoon here is every bit as beautifully presented as any of the sweet options, a blessing for those who enjoy the extravagance and ritual of afternoon tea but prefer to avoid too much sugar!”
Summary
“Delicious sarnies and pastries keep on coming” at this elegant chamber, just down the road from its rival The Ritz, to which it is a close second in votes as offering London’s top afternoon tea. There is a huge selection of brews, plus “excellent homemade ice creams and sorbets” and “yummy savoury snacks as well”. “Take a friend from overseas and pretend you come here all the time!”
Summary
“Perfect for foreigners with high expectations of afternoon tea” – this “sedate” chamber provides “everything you would expect” of the occasion. Staff are “so accommodating” and the spread is “outstanding every time”: “the hot starters are delicious, the cakes plentiful and they keep arriving – take a little box home of the ones you can’t eat”.
Summary
This “classy – and very British – location for a refined afternoon tea” on the fourth floor of Fortnum & Mason – once the apartment where the Fortnum family lived ‘over the shop’ – spells “Treat! Treat! Treat!” (and is “better value than the Savoy or Ritz”). “I don’t even like afternoon tea. It was a gift, but who can resist those perfect finger sandwiches, delicious light scones and beautiful cakes…?”.
For 33 years we've been curating reviews of the UK's most notable restaurant. In a typical year, diners submit over 50,000 reviews to create the most authoritative restaurant guide in the UK. Each year, the guide is re-written from scratch based on this survey (although for the 2021 edition, reviews are little changed from 2020 as no survey could run for that year).
Have you eaten at Fortnum & Mason, The Diamond Jubilee Tea Salon?
181 Piccadilly, London, W1A 1ER
Restaurant details
Prices
 Drinks |
|
|---|---|
| Wine per bottle | £32.00 |
| Filter Coffee | £3.50 |
 Extras |
|
|---|---|
| Bread | £0.00 |
| Service | 12.50% |
181 Piccadilly, London, W1A 1ER
Opening hours
| Monday | 11 am‑8 pm |
| Tuesday | 11 am‑8 pm |
| Wednesday | 11 am‑8 pm |
| Thursday | 11 am‑8 pm |
| Friday | 11 am‑8 pm |
| Saturday | 11 am‑8 pm |
| Sunday | 11 am‑7:30 pm |
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