London: Afternoon Tea at The Rubens at the Palace

The grandest part of this experience is the setting: afternoon tea at The Rubens at the Palace, served in its Palace Lounge. You sit down to a polished British ritual rather than a quick snack, with finger sandwiches, warm scones, dainty pastries, and a long tea list.

I like the royal atmosphere and the chance to try a menu with proper British touches, from Scottish smoked salmon and caviar to scones with clotted cream and homemade preserves. I also like the choice of tea, with black, green, white, and herbal blends from P.M. David Silva & Sons.

The main drawback is the price, about $111 per person. That can be fair for a special London occasion, but it is a lot for 90 minutes of food and tea, especially if you add Champagne or order anything extra.

Key points to know before booking

• The Palace Lounge setting gives this tea a formal, royal feel inside The Rubens at the Palace.
• The savory course includes smoked salmon, roast beef, chicken, cheese, and cucumber sandwiches.
• The scones arrive in three styles: plain, fruit, and cheese, with preserves, lemon curd, and clotted cream.
• The pastry course changes, but sample sweets include blackberry éclair, rhubarb and vanilla, chocolate, and citrus tart.
• Champagne is optional, and only included with the Champagne-inclusive booking.
• Dress neatly: sportswear, flip-flops, sandals, non-tailored shorts, and ripped clothing are not permitted.

A royal setting for a very British meal

Afternoon tea works best when the room matters as much as the food. At The Rubens at the Palace, you take your seat in the Palace Lounge, where the surroundings supply the ceremony that makes this meal feel different from lunch at a café.

The setting is formal without requiring a full evening outfit. The dress code asks you to leave sportswear, flip-flops, sandals, ripped clothes, and non-tailored shorts at your hotel. I would treat that rule as useful advice, not a nuisance. Smart casual clothing fits the occasion and helps you feel comfortable in the room.

You show your voucher when entering the hotel, then settle in for a 1.5-hour sitting. There is no sightseeing route or transport involved. This is a focused hotel experience, so you should arrive ready to stay put and enjoy the pace.

The English-speaking host or greeter helps you get seated, but this is not a guided tour with a named escort. You are here for the service, the room, and the meal. That makes it easy to fit into a London day, though you should not expect a lecture on British history or a tour of the hotel.

What arrives on the afternoon tea stand

The meal follows the familiar three-part pattern: savory sandwiches, scones, then sweets. That order matters. The sandwiches give you a proper start, the scones bring warmth and richness, and the pastries finish the sitting with small, polished desserts.

The sample savory selection is more interesting than a basic cucumber-and-egg spread. You might receive Scottish smoked salmon with caviar and chive cream cheese on cape seed loaf. There is also roast beef sirloin with wild rocket and horseradish cream on beetroot bread.

The chicken sandwich combines chicken, grain mustard mayonnaise, and toasted almonds on white bread. Barber’s cheddar with plum tomato arrives on onion bread, while cucumber and mint crème fraîche provide the lightest and freshest bite.

I like this mix because it gives you several textures and levels of flavor. The salmon and caviar feel celebratory. The roast beef and horseradish provide a sharper, more savory note. Cucumber and mint keep the selection from becoming too heavy.

The sandwiches are delicate by design. Afternoon tea portions are not meant to resemble a large lunch plate, so you should think of the meal as a leisurely series of small bites. If you arrive very hungry, the 90-minute format may feel more satisfying with Champagne or an additional drink, though extra food and drinks are not included.

The scones are the heart of the meal

The scones are offered in plain, fruit, and cheese varieties. They come with homemade seasonal preserve, lemon curd, and clotted cream.

For many people, this is the part that makes afternoon tea worth booking. A warm scone with clotted cream and preserve has a simple appeal, but the quality and temperature matter. The menu gives you several ways to build each bite, from sweet and fruity to bright and citrusy with lemon curd.

The cheese scone changes the rhythm. It gives you a savory option after the sandwiches and before the desserts, and it helps the meal feel less like a tray of sweets. If you prefer traditional flavors, start with plain or fruit. If you like a less sugary plate, save room for the cheese scone.

The preserves are seasonal, so the exact flavor can vary. That is useful to know before you arrive. You can expect homemade seasonal preserve, but you should not book with the expectation of one fixed jam.

Clotted cream adds the proper finish. It is richer and thicker than ordinary whipped cream, and it pairs especially well with the fruit scone. Take your time here. The sitting is designed for a slow meal, not for eating every item in ten minutes.

A pastry course with changing flavors

The dessert selection is the most decorative part of the meal. The sample menu includes The Crown Hukambi chocolate with hazelnut praline and chocolate sablé, a blackberry éclair, blackberry chiboust with blackberry fruit glaze, rhubarb and vanilla with vanilla sponge, rhubarb jelly and Opalys crémeux, plus a citrus meringue tart with almond cream, candied lemon, and lime zest.

Those names tell you what to expect: small pastries with layered textures rather than large, simple cakes. Chocolate and hazelnut give you a deep, rich option. Blackberry and citrus bring sharper fruit flavors. Rhubarb and vanilla sit somewhere between tart and creamy.

I appreciate that the dessert course is not built around one heavy chocolate item. The fruit-based choices should help balance the clotted cream and sandwiches. The citrus tart, in particular, sounds suited to the end of a meal that could otherwise become rich.

The menu can change, so treat these pastries as examples rather than promises. That is common with hotel afternoon tea, where ingredients and presentation may shift with the season. If you have your heart set on one particular dessert, ask when booking or on arrival, but plan to enjoy the style of the course rather than one exact item.

Choosing tea, coffee, or Champagne

Tea is included, along with coffee. The tea selection covers black, green, white, and herbal options from P.M. David Silva & Sons.

That range lets you match the drink to the meal. A black tea can handle roast beef, mustard, and clotted cream. Green or white tea may feel lighter with the fruit pastries. An herbal blend can be a good final cup if you want to avoid more caffeine late in the day.

Champagne is available only when you select the inclusive option. This is worth deciding before you book, since it changes the character of the sitting and the price. Champagne makes sense for a birthday, anniversary, or a once-in-London treat. If you mainly want to sample British afternoon tea, the standard option should be enough.

The meal includes tea or coffee, but not additional food and drinks. Be clear about what is included in your chosen booking. One practical point from the experience details is that extra drinks can be offered during the sitting, including water or wine. You can simply decline anything you do not want. At this price, keeping a close eye on add-ons is sensible.

Is $111 a fair price?

At about $111 per person, this belongs in the special-occasion part of your London budget. You are paying for a luxury hotel setting, polished service, a substantial selection of savory and sweet items, and the sense of occasion that comes with formal afternoon tea.

You are not paying for transportation, a London sightseeing tour, or a long event. The scheduled duration is 1.5 hours. That makes the value depend on what you want from the experience.

I would call it reasonable for someone who wants the setting as much as the food. The opulent room and royal theme are a major part of the appeal. If you only want tea, a scone, and a casual sandwich, you can spend far less elsewhere in London.

The price feels easier to justify if you choose Champagne for a celebration, though that also increases the total. It feels harder to justify if you plan to add several drinks or expect a full meal. I would eat lightly beforehand, but I would not arrive starving. You want to enjoy the small sandwiches and pastries at a relaxed pace rather than judge the experience by how much food is on the table.

The overall rating is 4.6 from 70 reviews, with especially strong praise for the food, service, tea, and room. One useful counterpoint is the sense that the price and quality are not perfectly matched for everyone. That is a fair warning. This is a luxury setting, and luxury pricing comes with it.

Who will enjoy this afternoon tea most?

I would recommend it to couples, families marking a special day, and anyone who wants a classic London experience with a royal feel. It also suits first-time visitors who want one polished British tradition on their schedule without committing to a full guided tour.

The atmosphere should appeal to anyone who likes elegant rooms and carefully presented food. The menu also gives you enough variety to keep a mixed group happy, assuming everyone is comfortable with small portions and formal service.

It may not suit you if you dislike dress codes, prefer a casual café, or want a large meal. It is also not the right pick if you need a completely fixed menu, since the listed dishes are samples and can vary.

Dietary needs require advance planning. You should tell the activity provider at least 48 hours before your booking if you need a vegetarian, vegan, halal, or gluten-free afternoon tea. Do not wait until you sit down. The earlier notice gives the kitchen a chance to prepare an appropriate menu.

The experience is wheelchair accessible. You should still provide any access needs when booking so the hotel can handle them smoothly.

How to fit it into your London day

Because the sitting lasts 90 minutes and has set starting times, it works best as a planned pause rather than something you squeeze in between landmarks. Check the available start times before building the rest of your day.

You arrange your own transport to The Rubens at the Palace. Transportation is not included, so allow enough time to reach the hotel and show your voucher at the entrance. Arriving a little early also gives you time to adjust your clothing and settle into the formal mood.

I would avoid scheduling a large lunch immediately beforehand. The sandwiches may be delicate, but the combination of scones, clotted cream, preserves, lemon curd, pastries, and drinks adds up. Leave the Palace Lounge with enough time afterward to continue your plans at an easy pace.

The experience is also a good choice for a rainy London afternoon. You get a warm indoor setting, a long tea service, and a clear 1.5-hour window. Since there is no outdoor walking or transport between stops, the weather does not affect the meal itself.

What the strongest praise tells you

The most consistent positive points are the room, the service, the food, and the tea. One description captures the appeal well: the surroundings create the feeling of aristocracy, while the staff remain attentive and pleasant.

The royal atmosphere is not a minor extra. It is the reason to choose this hotel over a simpler tea room. The Palace Lounge gives you a more ceremonial setting, and the presentation makes the meal feel like an event.

The sandwiches and cakes also receive strong approval. That matters because a beautiful room cannot rescue weak food. Here, the menu has enough detail to make the meal memorable, from caviar and chive cream cheese to blackberry, rhubarb, citrus, and hazelnut.

The service is another reason this experience works for celebrations. You are not left to assemble a meal at a buffet. The staff guide the sitting and help maintain the calm, attentive pace associated with afternoon tea.

The less positive point is value. The food and setting can be excellent, but the cost remains high. You should book this because you want the complete experience, not because you are searching for the cheapest way to eat in London.

Should you book The Rubens afternoon tea?

Book it if you want a formal London occasion with an opulent setting, traditional sandwiches, warm scones, polished pastries, and a wide tea selection. It is particularly well suited to birthdays, anniversaries, family celebrations, or a first taste of luxury British afternoon tea.

Skip it if you want a bargain, a casual atmosphere, or a large meal. At $111 per person, the value rests on the room and the ceremony as much as on the food. Choose the Champagne option only if that extra touch matters to your plans, and check your clothing and dietary needs before booking.

For the right occasion, this is a memorable way to spend 90 minutes in London. Just treat it as a special experience, not an ordinary afternoon snack.

FAQ

How long does the afternoon tea last?

The experience lasts 1.5 hours.

What food is included?

The afternoon tea includes delicate finger sandwiches, freshly baked plain, fruit, and cheese scones, homemade seasonal preserve, lemon curd, clotted cream, and an assortment of pastries.

Are tea and coffee included?

Yes. Tea and coffee are included, with a choice of black, green, white, and herbal teas from P.M. David Silva & Sons.

Is Champagne included?

Champagne is included only if you select the Champagne-inclusive option when booking. Additional food and drinks are not included.

Can I request a special dietary menu?

Yes. You should inform the activity provider at least 48 hours before your booking about vegetarian, vegan, halal, or gluten-free requirements.

What should I wear?

You should dress neatly. Sportswear, flip-flops, sandals, non-tailored shorts, and ripped clothing are not permitted.