Whether you want a traditional cream tea with scones and clotted cream or a full tiered afternoon tea with champagne, Hampstead delivers it beautifully.
Afternoon tea is one of London's most enduring rituals, and Hampstead, with its village charm, historic houses, and proximity to grand estates like Kenwood, is one of the best places in the city to take it. From elegant hotel-style spreads to cosy village tearooms and the café at a Robert Adam mansion, this is the complete guide to afternoon tea in and around Hampstead.
- Hampstead offers afternoon tea from grand estate settings to cosy village tearooms
- The Brew House café at Kenwood House combines tea with a stately home setting
- Burgh House's Buttery is a charming, affordable village option
- Booking is advised for the more formal teas, especially at weekends
- Pair afternoon tea with a Heath walk for the classic Hampstead day
- Expect to pay from around ÂŁ15 for a simple cream tea to ÂŁ40+ for a full spread
The Afternoon Tea Tradition
Afternoon tea, the ritual of tea, finger sandwiches, scones with clotted cream and jam, and cakes, taken in mid-afternoon, is said to have been popularised in the 1840s by Anna, Duchess of Bedford, to bridge the long gap between lunch and a late dinner. It became a fixture of polite society and remains one of Britain's most charming culinary institutions.
Hampstead is a particularly fitting setting. The village's genteel character, its historic houses, and its long association with London's cultured class make it a natural home for the ritual. Whether you want grand formality or cosy informality, Hampstead delivers.
Where to Take Afternoon Tea in Hampstead
Kenwood House, The Brew House
The Brew House café at Kenwood House, set in the converted service buildings of the magnificent Robert Adam villa on the edge of the Heath, is the most atmospheric place for tea in the area. While not a formal tiered-stand affair, the Brew House serves excellent cakes, scones, and tea in a beautiful estate setting, with a courtyard for warm days.
The combination of a visit to Kenwood's free art collection (Rembrandt, Vermeer, Gainsborough), a walk in the grounds, and tea at the Brew House is one of the finest afternoons in North London, and the art is free.
Burgh House, The Buttery
Burgh House, the Queen Anne house on New End Square, has a café (the Buttery) that serves a lovely, affordable afternoon tea in a genuinely historic setting. The terrace is a delight in summer. This is the village's most charming and best-value tea option, combining history, atmosphere, and good home-style baking.
Village Tearooms and Cafes
Hampstead Village has several cafes and tearooms offering cream teas and lighter afternoon tea options. The village's historic cafes, some of which have been serving for decades, provide the cosy, informal version of the ritual: a pot of tea, a scone, and a window onto village life.
Eleanor Whitfield, who has lived in Hampstead for forty years, takes afternoon tea at Burgh House "whenever someone visits, it's my party trick." "People expect London afternoon tea to mean a fortune at a Mayfair hotel," she said. "Then I take them to the Buttery at Burgh House, a 300-year-old house, a sunny terrace, proper scones, for a fraction of the price. They're always amazed. The grand hotel teas are lovely, but the real Hampstead version is this: history, homemade cake, and the Heath ten minutes away."
Grand Afternoon Tea Beyond Hampstead
For the full, formal hotel-style afternoon tea, tiered stands, champagne, white tablecloths, central London's great hotels are a short journey away. The Ritz, Claridge's, the Savoy, Fortnum & Mason, and many others offer the iconic experience. From Hampstead, these are easily reached on the Northern and Jubilee lines.
If you want to combine a grand central London tea with sightseeing, a private black cab tour can incorporate it into a wider day. But for tea with genuine local character, Hampstead's own offerings are hard to beat.
What to Expect
A traditional afternoon tea typically includes:
- Tea: A selection of loose-leaf teas, English Breakfast, Earl Grey, and herbal and fruit infusions
- Finger sandwiches: Classics like cucumber, smoked salmon, egg and cress, and ham
- Scones: Served warm with clotted cream and jam (the cream-or-jam-first debate is eternal)
- Cakes and pastries: A selection of small cakes, tarts, and pastries
- Optional champagne or prosecco for a celebratory version
A simpler cream tea is just tea, scones, cream, and jam, the affordable, everyday version, and arguably the most satisfying.
Making a Day of It
Afternoon tea pairs perfectly with the classic Hampstead day:
1. Morning: A walk on Hampstead Heath, Parliament Hill for the view, or the woods to Kenwood.
2. Midday: Explore the village, Flask Walk, the independent shops, and the historic streets.
3. Afternoon: Tea at Kenwood's Brew House or Burgh House's Buttery, ideally after working up an appetite on the Heath.
This is the quintessential Hampstead day out: green space, village charm, history, and a proper afternoon tea to finish.
Practical Information
- Booking: Advisable for weekend teas at the more popular spots; the grander hotel teas in central London require booking well ahead
- Cost: From ~ÂŁ15 for a cream tea to ÂŁ40+ for a full afternoon tea; central London hotel teas considerably more
- Best for: A relaxed, civilised afternoon; celebrations; entertaining visitors
- Dietary needs: Most venues cater for vegetarian, gluten-free, and other requirements with notice
- Timing: Traditionally taken between 2pm and 5pm
Afternoon tea in Hampstead offers the ritual at its most charming, not the grand formality of a Mayfair hotel (though that is a short journey away), but something more in keeping with the village's character: historic settings, homemade baking, beautiful surroundings, and the Heath on the doorstep. It is, quite simply, one of the most pleasant ways to spend a Hampstead afternoon.
