London: Afternoon Tea at The Rubens at the Palace

The most memorable part of this London experience is the setting: The Rubens at the Palace gives afternoon tea a formal, old-world feel without requiring a full day of sightseeing. You settle into the Palace Lounge for a tiered spread of sandwiches, scones, pastries, and carefully chosen tea.

I like the strong mix of savoury and sweet food, especially the smoked salmon with caviar and the freshly baked scones with clotted cream. I also like the choice of black, green, white, and herbal teas, plus the option to add Champagne for a more celebratory occasion.

The main drawback is the price. At $111 per person, this is a special-occasion treat rather than a casual snack, and one rating noted that the value may feel less convincing if extra drinks are added. Dress rules are also firm, so shorts, sportswear, flip-flops, sandals, and ripped clothing are not suitable.

Key points to know before booking

• The Palace Lounge setting: Enjoy afternoon tea inside The Rubens at the Palace, with an opulent British atmosphere that gives the meal its sense of occasion.
• A full three-part menu: The spread includes savoury finger sandwiches, plain, fruit, and cheese scones, seasonal preserves, lemon curd, clotted cream, and small pastries.
• Tea from P.M. David Silva & Sons: Choose from black, green, white, and herbal teas to match the food.
• Champagne is optional: It is included only with the Champagne-inclusive booking option, not automatically with every ticket.
• A 90-minute sitting: The duration gives you time to eat at a relaxed pace rather than rush through the menu.
• Smart dress is required: Bring a passport or ID card, and avoid casual beachwear, sportswear, and torn clothing.

Entering The Rubens at the Palace

You do not need to arrange transport as part of this booking. Simply enter The Rubens at the Palace and show your voucher. The afternoon tea takes place in the hotel’s Palace Lounge, so the venue itself is a major part of what you are paying for.

The interior is designed for a formal hotel tea rather than a quick café stop. The atmosphere has the polished, aristocratic feel many people hope to find in a London afternoon tea. If your idea of the occasion includes elegant surroundings, careful service, and a sense that you should sit up a little straighter, this setting delivers that mood.

The staff host the experience in English. Since the sitting lasts about 1.5 hours, you have enough time to enjoy the food and tea without needing to plan your entire day around it. I would schedule it between major sightseeing stops, but leave a little breathing room before and after. This is not the kind of meal to squeeze into a rushed hour.

The dress policy matters. Men should avoid shorts and sportswear, while everyone should leave flip-flops, sandals, and ripped clothing at the hotel. Smart, neat clothing is the safer choice. Anyone not following the policy may be refused entry to the restaurant and bar areas.

What arrives on the Royal Afternoon Tea

The menu is presented as a sample, so the exact pastries and fillings can change. Still, the listed selection gives you a useful picture of the meal: it is not just cake and tea. You get a proper savoury course, followed by scones and then a collection of detailed pastries.

The sandwich selection includes:

• Scottish smoked salmon, caviar, and chive cream cheese on Cape Seed loaf
• Roast beef sirloin with wild rocket and horseradish cream on beetroot bread
• Chicken with grain mustard mayonnaise and toasted almonds on white bread
• Barber’s cheddar cheese with plum tomato on onion bread
• Cucumber with mint crème fraîche on Norfolk crunch

I like the range here. The smoked salmon and caviar bring a salty, festive note, while the roast beef and horseradish offer something more substantial. The cucumber sandwich provides the clean, classic choice you expect from afternoon tea, and the cheese sandwich gives the plate a vegetarian savoury option.

The sandwiches are delicate, but the flavours are not all timid. Horseradish, mustard, mint, caviar, and chive cream cheese give the selection some character. If you prefer simple fillings, the cucumber and cheese sandwiches should feel familiar. If you want something more luxurious, the salmon and caviar are the obvious highlights.

The menu does not state how many pieces each person receives, so avoid arriving expecting a large lunch. Afternoon tea can be filling, but it is best understood as a leisurely meal of small portions rather than a standard three-course dinner.

Scones with clotted cream and preserves

The scone course is one of the strongest reasons to choose this experience. You receive plain, fruit, and cheese scones, served with homemade seasonal preserve, lemon curd, and clotted cream.

That range makes the course more interesting than a plain scone plate. The fruit version leans toward the sweet side, the plain scone gives you the traditional base, and the cheese option adds a savoury turn. You can move from preserve and clotted cream to lemon curd, depending on how rich or sharp you want each bite.

Freshly baked scones are central to a good afternoon tea because they offer a warm, comforting break between sandwiches and pastries. Here, the homemade seasonal preserve and lemon curd add more than decoration. The preserve brings fruit sweetness, while lemon curd cuts through the cream and pastry.

I would pace yourself with the sandwiches. It is easy to finish the first course quickly, then find the scones and pastries more substantial than expected. Since you have 90 minutes, take your time and let the meal unfold in its intended order.

Pastries with chocolate, blackberry, rhubarb, and citrus

The sweet course has a more modern pastry style than a simple plate of Victoria sponge. The sample menu includes several small, decorated desserts:

• The Crown Hukambi chocolate with hazelnut praline and chocolate sablé
• Blackberry éclair
• Blackberry chiboust with blackberry fruit glaze
• Rhubarb and vanilla with vanilla sponge, rhubarb jelly, and Opalys crémeux
• Citrus meringue tart with almond cream, candied lemon, and lime zest

This is where the meal becomes more elaborate. Chocolate and hazelnut offer the deepest, richest flavour, while blackberry brings fruit and acidity. Rhubarb and vanilla give you a softer, more classic combination, and the citrus tart should provide the sharpest finish.

The names and components suggest careful pastry work, but the exact menu may change with the season. That is worth keeping in mind if you are booking for one specific dessert. You are buying the style of the experience and the full assortment, not a guarantee that every listed pastry will be available on your date.

I like that the menu uses different textures: sponge, jelly, crémeux, sablé, glaze, meringue, and almond cream. For you, that means the sweet course should not feel like five versions of the same cake. It is better suited to someone who enjoys tasting several small desserts than to someone looking for one large, familiar pudding.

Choosing tea from P.M. David Silva & Sons

Tea is included with the afternoon tea, and you can choose from black, green, white, and herbal varieties supplied by P.M. David Silva & Sons. That choice matters because tea is not an afterthought here. It is meant to carry the meal from the sandwiches through the scones and pastries.

A black tea is the natural partner for the richer sandwiches and clotted cream. Green or white tea may suit you better if you want something lighter, while an herbal option can work well with the sweet course. The menu does not list every blend, so the exact selection is best confirmed when you sit down.

Coffee is also included. If you do not drink tea, you are not left with only Champagne as an alternative. Still, the tea selection is the more fitting choice if you want the traditional British afternoon tea format.

The service is in English, and the setting is formal enough that the pace may feel slower than a normal café visit. That is part of the point. Put your phone away for a while, choose a tea, and let the meal take its time.

Adding Champagne to the occasion

Champagne is available only if you select the inclusive option when booking. It is not automatically part of every afternoon tea ticket, so check the package details carefully before paying.

The Champagne option makes sense for a birthday, anniversary, proposal, or a first visit to London built around special meals. It is less necessary if your main goal is to sample the food and tea. At $111 per person, the standard experience is already a substantial purchase, and adding drinks can push the final cost higher.

One rating specifically noted repeated attempts to sell extra drinks such as water or wine. That does not mean you must buy them, but it is useful to know that additional spending may be offered. Decide your budget before you arrive, then enjoy the included food and tea without feeling obliged to add anything else.

Is $111 per person good value?

The price places this afternoon tea firmly in the luxury hotel category. You are paying for more than sandwiches and pastries. The cost includes the formal hotel setting, the 90-minute sitting, the full food service, the tea or coffee, and the sense of ceremony that comes with dining at The Rubens at the Palace.

I think the value works best when the occasion matters to you. If you want a memorable London ritual in an opulent room, the setting and presentation help justify the price. The menu also has enough variety to feel like a complete tasting experience rather than a single plate of cake.

The calculation is less favorable if you are simply hungry or comparing this with a casual bakery lunch. You can find cheaper afternoon teas elsewhere, and the food portions are still made up of small sandwiches and pastries. The price also does not include transport or additional food and drinks.

The available rating is 4.6 from 70 reviews, with repeated praise for the room, service, tea, sandwiches, and pastries. One rating gave a more cautious view, calling the food and setting good but questioning the price-to-quality balance after extra drink offers. That is a fair way to approach it: this is a polished occasion, not a bargain meal.

Who will enjoy this afternoon tea most?

I would recommend this experience to you if you want a classic London activity with a strong sense of place. It suits couples, families marking a special day, and anyone who enjoys dressing up for a formal meal. It also works well for people who want to try British afternoon tea without committing to an entire afternoon tour.

The food makes it a good fit for someone who likes both savoury and sweet tastes. The smoked salmon, roast beef, cheese, and cucumber sandwiches provide variety, while the scones and pastries add enough choice for different preferences.

It may be less suitable if you want a very casual meal, dislike formal dress rules, or need a large lunch. The menu can change, and dietary requirements must be sent to the activity provider at least 48 hours before your booking. Vegetarian, vegan, halal, and gluten-free afternoon teas can be requested, but you should not wait until the day of the visit.

The hotel is wheelchair accessible, which removes one common concern for many visitors. You still need to bring a passport or ID card, as these are listed among the items to bring.

Practical details that affect your day

The experience lasts 1.5 hours, with starting times depending on availability. Check the schedule before building your London plans around it. Since no transport is included, you are responsible for reaching the hotel and getting away afterward.

Cancellation is free up to two days in advance for a full refund. That is useful if your London plans are still changing, but read the deadline in relation to your booking time rather than assuming last-minute cancellation is covered.

The activity is hosted in English. You do not need to follow a guide around London, and no sightseeing transport is part of the booking. The whole experience takes place at the hotel, with the Palace Lounge providing the setting for the meal.

I would also avoid booking this immediately after a large lunch. The food is served in small portions, but the combination of sandwiches, three kinds of scones, clotted cream, preserves, lemon curd, pastries, and tea can add up. Give yourself time to enjoy it instead of treating it as a quick dessert stop.

Should you book The Rubens afternoon tea?

Book it if you want the setting and ceremony as much as the food. The Palace Lounge, formal dress, detailed pastries, varied sandwiches, homemade preserves, and broad tea choice create a classic London occasion. The Champagne option is worth considering for a celebration, but it is not essential to enjoy the meal.

Skip it if your top priority is low cost, a large meal, or a relaxed dress code. At $111 per person before any additional spending, this is a deliberate splurge. For a special afternoon in an opulent hotel, though, the experience offers a focused taste of British tea culture with enough detail to feel worth planning around.

FAQ

Where does the afternoon tea take place?

It takes place in the Palace Lounge at The Rubens at the Palace Hotel in London.

How long does the experience last?

The afternoon tea lasts approximately 1.5 hours.

What food is included?

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

What sandwiches are served?

The sample menu includes Scottish smoked salmon with caviar, roast beef sirloin, chicken, Barber’s cheddar cheese, and cucumber sandwiches. The menu may change.

Is tea included?

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

Is Champagne included?

Champagne is included only when you select the Champagne-inclusive option. It is not included with every booking.

What should I wear?

Wear neat, smart clothing. Sportswear, flip-flops, sandals, shorts, and ripped clothing are not allowed under the dress policy.

Can dietary requirements be accommodated?

Vegetarian, vegan, halal, and gluten-free afternoon teas can be requested. You must tell the activity provider about dietary requirements at least 48 hours before your scheduled booking.

Is the experience wheelchair accessible?

Yes, the activity is wheelchair accessible. Bring a passport or ID card and show your voucher when entering The Rubens at the Palace.