The Ritz afternoon tea in William Kent House: prices, sittings and dress code

Afternoon tea at the Ritz has been served since June 2026 in the rooms of William Kent House, the 1740s house next to the hotel, no longer in the Palm Court. It costs from £95 a head, £73 for children, with 5 sittings a day from 11.30am to 7.30pm, and men wear jacket and tie.

Updated 13 October 202610 min readHow we write the guide

A tea table in the Music Room: silver stands of sandwiches, scones and pastries, Champagne flutes, silver teapots and pink armchairs

Who afternoon tea at the Ritz is for

Why book it

You want London’s most famous tea, with live music, cakes served at the table and a sitting as late as 7.30pm.

The tea and its prices

When to look elsewhere

You care about the Palm Court, or want tea without jacket and tie: tea is no longer served in the Palm Court, and at Claridge’s, 12 minutes away, there is no dress code.

Other teas

From the Palm Court to William Kent House

Tea at the Ritz is bound up with the Palm Court; since 2026, while the hotel is under works, it is taken in 4 rooms of the house next door.

The Palm Court, cream-coloured Louis XVI with mirrors in gilt-bronze frames, is the Ritz’s best-known room and was home to “Tea at the Ritz” (Wikipedia). Since June 2026 tea has been served in William Kent House instead, as a traveller noted in July on the Tripadvisor forum, reading the hotel’s website.

William Kent House is a 1740s mansion beside the hotel, bought in 2005 and restored (history); today its rooms host tea: the Queen Elizabeth Room, the Wimborne Room, the William Kent Room and the Music Room with its harp (music).

The move comes in the middle of the refurbishment: The Sun reported in January 2025 a 2-phase project to 2028, with a new wing on Arlington Street (The Sun). The hotel’s pages, read on 4 October 2026, do not say when tea will return to the Palm Court.

We studied tea at the Ritz on 4 October 2026: the pages, the FAQ and the Christmas tea; Google’s results in Britain, where the first is the SevenRooms booking and none of the first 10 matches the hotel search’s; and the 2,000 most recent Google reviews. Of those, 431 mention afternoon tea, averaging 4.40 stars with 336 fives.

Tea at the Ritz, from the booking to the cake trolley

Service is continuous: sandwiches, scones and pastries are replenished on request, and the cakes come at the end, sliced at the table.

The booking
Book on the website or on +44 20 7300 2345; for weekends the hotel advises booking months ahead. Diets and allergies must be given when booking: on the day the menu cannot be changed.
Jacket and tie
Men wear jacket and tie; jeans and sportswear are not allowed for anyone (dress code). The rule does not apply to under-16s (tea page).
20 teas from a Tea Master
You choose from 20 loose-leaf teas (menu), selected by Giandomenico Scanu, whom the hotel calls the UK’s only certified Tea Master; there is also the Ritz Royal Blend, served only here (tea page).
Sandwiches and scones
Finger sandwiches, warm scones with Cornish clotted cream and strawberry preserve, then pastries; all replenished on request (FAQ).
The cake trolley
The seasonal cakes arrive on the guéridon and the pastry chefs slice them at the table; with Champagne there are 2 slices (tea page).
1 hour 45 minutes
The sitting lasts 1 hour 45 minutes (FAQ); piano in the larger rooms, harp in the Music Room (music). Photos are allowed, discreetly and without professional cameras.

Tea at the Ritz and Mayfair’s other teas

William Kent House adjoins the hotel, on Green Park; Claridge’s is 12 minutes away on foot, The Dorchester 13, The Langham 19.

Loading map…

The Ritz LondonTea in William Kent House: 5 sittings, 11.30am to 7.30pm
Claridge’sThe Foyer, 12 minutes’ walk
The DorchesterThe Promenade, 13 minutes’ walk

The tea and its prices, from the October 2026 pages

What the tea page, its FAQ and the Christmas tea page said on 4 October 2026.

On the tea pages

Traditional afternoon tea from £95, children £73
A glass of Barons de Rothschild “Réserve Ritz” Champagne from £26 (£25 in the FAQ)
20 loose-leaf teas, including the Ritz Royal Blend
Sandwiches, scones, pastries and cakes from the trolley, all replenished on request
Vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free menus on request
A discretionary 12.5% service charge
Christmas tea from 14 November 2026 to 6 January 2027: £120, £135 on Christmas Day

The rules of tea at the Ritz

From the tea pages, their FAQ and the hotel FAQ, read on 4 October 2026.

Sittings	11.30am, 1.30, 3.30, 5.30 and 7.30pm, every day
Length	1 hour 45 minutes a sitting
Rooms	The Queen Elizabeth, Wimborne and William Kent rooms with piano; the Music Room with harp
Dress code	Jacket and tie for men; no jeans or sportswear
Children	Tea at £73; the dress code does not apply under 16
Diets	Vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free, to be noted when booking
Photos	Yes, discreetly and without professional cameras
Service	12.5% discretionary

Staying the night after tea

Junior Suite guests bring children under 12 free, on the sofa bed.

A Deluxe Room: a white bed, ivory walls hung with gilt-framed pictures, a blue-and-white vase and a chandelier

A Junior Suite: a white bed with blue cushions, a writing desk, an antique wardrobe and a crystal chandelier

Deluxe Rooms measure 42 m²; in the Junior Suites, 60 m², up to 2 children under 12 sleep free on the sofa bed (families). On Google Hotels, on 4 October 2026, a night for 2 cost £937 on 6 January 2027 and £1,052 on 17 February, without saying for which room.

The 7 rooms and suites

Tea at the Ritz or Mayfair’s other teas

Hours, prices and rules from each hotel’s own page, read on 4 October 2026, and the minutes on foot from The Ritz.

The Ritz costs the same as Claridge’s and The Dorchester, £95, more than The Langham, £85. But it has the widest choice of times, 5 sittings from 11.30am to 7.30pm, and asks for jacket and tie, which Claridge’s and The Langham do not.

If you want tea in the hotel’s historic room as it stands today, The Langham’s Palm Court, where the hotel says tea began, and Claridge’s Foyer are there; at the Ritz, tea has left the Palm Court.

One mistake to avoid: arriving without a jacket. The dress code is applied at the door, booking or no booking: without jacket and tie you will not be seated for tea.

Afternoon tea	Where	From its page	From The Ritz
The Ritz London	Piccadilly, William Kent House	Daily, 5 sittings from 11.30am to 7.30pm; from £95, children £73; jacket and tie.	You are here
Claridge’s, the Foyer	Brook Street, Mayfair	Daily 2.45 to 5.30pm; £95, £110 and £125; online only; no dress code.	12 minutes’ walk
The Dorchester, The Promenade	Park Lane	Daily noon to 5.30pm; £95, £115 with Champagne; 15% service.	13 minutes’ walk
The Langham, Palm Court	Regent Street	From 12.30pm, to 4pm or 5pm; £85, children £50; smart casual.	19 minutes’ walk

Walking minutes computed on OpenStreetMap’s streets from The Ritz to each hotel on 4 October 2026; the tea pages of Claridge’s, The Dorchester and The Langham read between 28 September and 4 October 2026.

What guests say about the tea
Of the Ritz’s 2,000 most recent Google reviews, read on 4 October 2026, 431 mention afternoon tea, averaging 4.40 stars. Guests thank waiters and pianists by name and remember the birthday. 2 things are worth knowing before you book: the price, from £95 a head plus a discretionary 12.5% service charge, and the dress code, jacket and tie for men.

Questions about tea at the Ritz

The price for 2, the new rooms, jeans, more sandwiches and the comparison with Claridge’s: what people ask before tea at the Ritz.

How much is afternoon tea at the Ritz for 2 people?

From £190 for 2 adults, that is £95 each (tea page), plus the discretionary 12.5% service charge: £213.75. A glass of Champagne adds from £26 a head; a child’s tea costs £73.

Where is tea at the Ritz served now?

In William Kent House, the 1740s house next to the hotel: in the Queen Elizabeth Room, the Wimborne Room, the William Kent Room and the Music Room (tea page). Since June 2026 it is no longer served in the Palm Court (Tripadvisor forum).

Can you wear jeans to afternoon tea at the Ritz?

No: at tea jeans and sportswear are not allowed for men or women, and men wear jacket and tie (FAQ). Smart jeans are fine at breakfast, in the Rivoli Bar and in the Secret Garden.

Can you ask for more sandwiches at the Ritz afternoon tea?

Yes: sandwiches, tea and pastries are replenished on request, and service is continuous through the 1-hour-45-minute sitting (tea FAQ).

Is the Ritz afternoon tea worth it?

For most, yes: of the 431 recent Google reviews that mention it, 336 give 5 stars and the average is 4.40 (reviews). It costs from £95 a head, plus a discretionary 12.5% service charge, and men wear jacket and tie; for tea without a dress code, Claridge’s is 12 minutes’ walk away.

Afternoon tea at the Ritz or Claridge’s?

They cost the same, from £95. The Ritz has 5 sittings from 11.30am to 7.30pm and asks for jacket and tie; Claridge’s serves from 2.45pm to 5.30pm, books online only up to 90 days ahead and has no dress code. They are 12 minutes apart on foot.

Is there a Christmas tea at the Ritz?

Yes, from 14 November 2026 to 6 January 2027, at the same sittings: £120 for adults and £79 for children up to 15; on Christmas Day £135 and £90, with Father Christmas (Christmas tea).

Book months ahead, give diets at once and pack a jacket: tea is taken in William Kent House

Book tea on The Ritz’s website

Written and checked by Lumina, independently of The Ritz London. Lumina sells no rooms or tickets: every link leads to its source.

Sources