The British tradition of High Tea began in the mid-18th century as a late afternoon opportunity to partake of a substantial meal before attending one’s evening social engagements.
It was the perfect ‘invention’ and indulgence for the ‘Leisure Classes’. A meal before the attendance at the theatre, card games or formal dances.
Nowadays, anyone can enjoy a High Tea experience, not just the privileged few.
And what’s not to love about feasting on glorious cakes, scones and petite sandwiches, whilst sipping tea and giggling over a Prosecco? The joy is pretending to be sophisticated, whilst clearly being nothing of the sort 😉
In celebration of this fine pastime, the following is our selection of High Tea experiences in and around Perth not to be missed.
Location: State Buildings, 1 Cathedral Ave, WA 6000 Ph: (08) 6168 7888
First on our list of the best High Tea experiences in Perth is the Cape Arid Rooms. Located at COMO the Treasury, there are three interconnected rooms which are used for their celebrated afternoon high tea.
The space is decorated with artworks by various renowned Australian artists local to the area and these can be purchased as prints during your visit.
The afternoon tea offers a variety of savoury and sweet goodies which can be paired with tea or coffee or even a glass of sparkling wine or champagne.
Items included on the menu include a pea and ricotta tartlet, Shark Bay crab with pickled kohlrabi and ice plant, and a selection of chocolatey delicacies.
The menu showcases the area where the ingredients are from and name the local producers to celebrate the fine local ingredients utilised.
What is also great about the Cape Arid Rooms is that they cater for gluten-free, pescatarian and vegetarian dietary requirements.
From the exquisite and picturesque interiors to the carefully sourced ingredients used for the menu, this high tea experience is a must-do in Perth.
The Pan Pacific Perth doesn’t just offer any old High Tea. Oh no! Instead, the kitchen creates a stunning Botanical High Tea, imbued with native Australia ingredients.
So what can you expect? Well, at the time of writing this, the Savoury selection includes delights such as Pumpkin and Goat Cheese Tartlet, seasoned with Saltbush Dukkah. Meanwhile, the humble Sausage Roll gets an indigenous kick from a fruity Bush Tomato Chutney. And if you have a sweet tooth, what could be more tempting than a Pepper Cherry Ripe? This features Almond Sponge, Pistachio Mousse, Native Pepper Berry & Cherry Jelly. In fact, even The Lamington comes with a generous blob of Lemon Myrtle Curd.
Aside from the imaginative fare, the Pan Pacific Botanical High Tea also has free flowing Tea and Coffee. Or Sparkling Wine – Australian, of course – for those who wish to partake.
Finally, the hotel also does a Kids Menu of child friendly snacks and treats. How cool is that? No wonder it makes our list of the best high tea experiences in Perth.
Chapels on Whatley is located in a century-old building that was originally a haberdashery but over time has housed many types of businesses. The ornate facade of the building inspired the Eastern theme of the decor and delivers an ambience of the “old East”.
When you come for high tea at Chapels you are transported back to the days of British colonial life in Shanghai in the 1920s and 1930s.
Starting with a glass of champagne, you can indulge in savoury menu items on offer such as traditional cucumber sandwiches and mini tarts followed by a seasonal selection of mini cakes such as chocolate eclairs, macarons, cupcakes and lemon meringue.
When visiting Chapels, booking is strongly recommended and there are booking times given on their website to ensure you get a space.
Location: Crown Towers, Crown Perth, Great Eastern Hwy, Burswood, WA 6100
The Epicurean at Crown Perth has an almost overwhelming array of dining options. Almost, but not quite! And amongst them is a rather fabulous Afternoon Tea selection. Here, you can pick and choose between delicacies until you are fit to burst.
But what to choose? Well, we love the Mini Smoked Salmon Bagels with Cream Cheese & Dill. And don’t get us started about the Mini Wagyu Burgers dressed with Truffle Mayo & Vintage Cheddar. Aside from the superb Scones, we’re mad about the Pistachio & Raspberry Financier. And we recommend having the palate cleansing Yoghurt & Blood Orange Pannacotta before tucking into the Chocolate Bon Bons.
Really, with so much choice, it’s no wonder that Epicurean offers on of the best High Tea experiences in Perth.
Location: 480 Hay St, Perth, WA 6000 Ph: (08) 6559 1888
Located in the heart of Perth at The Westin, this elegant lounge offers a selection of exciting seasonal and calendar-based High Teas.
Its menu, therefore, is constantly evolving and they are wild about experimenting and doing out of the box experiences and have previously done high beer, high coffee and even a truffle high tea.
You can even get your high tea to go which comes complete with a cardboard stand- perfect for a picnic or date night at home.
Menu items include a twist on traditional, Australian lamingtons, pavlovas, banoffee pies and unique tartlets sandwiches featuring seasonal ingredients.
Whatever items you choose to include in your High Tea experience, you won’t be disappointed by Chef Paul Gaspa’s creations. Reservations are required.
Location: 8560 W Swan Rd, Henley Brook, WA 6055 Ph: (08) 9296 6886
One thing that you’re sure to agree with when it comes to the Mrs Rabbit Tearooms – this place is as cute as they come. In fact, the picturesque setting looks like somewhere Beatrix Potter and her beloved creations would live.
Whilst this is a lovely spot to drop in for a pot of Earl Grey at any time, for us, it’s all about the High Tea.
Each guest receives four sweets such as a Chocolate Brownie and a Vanilla Rosewater Cupcake, along with four savouries. At the time of writing, these include a divine Beetroot & Feta Tartlet and a Parmesan Rabbit Biscuit. This is accompanied by bottomless Tea. If you prefer Coffee, you can buy it separately.
Location: 6 Cranleigh St, West Swan, WA 6055 Ph: (08) 9250 1513
Also located just outside of Perth in the western part of the Swan Valley, Lavender Bistro does High Tea French-style. Created by its French owners, this bistro has a family atmosphere and is completely dog friendly.
Their high tea offering features a three-tired selection of hot savoury, finger sandwiches and handmade mini cakes and scones which can be paired either with tea and coffee or sparkling rosé.
Because of the bistro’s location, you can laze around sipping tea, munching on their famous lavender scones on the patio overlooking paddocks and fields complete with horses. Sounds idyllic, right? It is imperative to make a booking to avoid disappointment. So add it to your list of the best high tea experiences in Perth.
Location: 29 Scarborough Beach Rd, North Perth, WA 6006 Ph: (08) 9444 7939
A slice of Bali in Perth, Chinta offers a tropical themed High Tea- think palm trees and exotic flowers paired with white linen. The High Tea is a 2 hour sitting and bookings are needed at least 24 hours in advance if you want to sit in for the experience.
The high tea experience can be tailored for all kinds of dietary needs- from gluten-free to Vegan. Some of the bites of note are the sliders and bao buns which give high tea a fresh take.
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Chinta also offers “High Tea at Home” where you can order a takeaway high tea box but with the beautiful decor and island feel, it’s probably best to go there for the full experience.
Editor’s Update: Whilst still a fabulous dining destination, UMA (and Bar UMA) have had a make-over as a Peruvian Restaurant. Although award winning and certainly worth visiting, as far as we are aware, they do not do a High Tea.
Editor’s Update: As with UMA above, Fleur also appears to have had a change of culinary direction. Now Fleur The Restaurant Perth (also known as Fleur, The Royal Hotel), the establishment currently serves stunning contemporary fare focusing on local produce. Again, whilst a wonderful place for an amazing dinner, Fleur no longer offers a High Tea.
Location: 147 Scarborough Beach Rd, Mount Hawthorn, WA 6016 Ph: 0475 415 819
Moving on to the next of our best High Tea experiences in Perth, we have the comparatively new – Kefi and Cake.
These folks have a few yummy surprises up the sleeves of their chefs’ whites, including a dinky and delightful Brioche Ruben Roll. Yes, please! We have also never been known to reject a Mac & Cheese Bite or a Puff Pastry Salmon Tart. And from the sweet selection, we’re also big fans of the Chocolate Bar and Toffee Choux.
What’s more, Kefi and Cake is another spot where you can BYO your own tipple for $2 per person. So it’s a win/win all round.
Location: Unit 23/155 Canning Hwy, East Fremantle, WA 6158 Ph: (08) 6161 0371
Known for their thoughtful dining with a focus on seasonal foods using the best and freshest local produce in Western Australia, their Artisan High Tea experience is a definite must to try out.
All of their items included on the menu are made in-house and are paired with tea infusions to compliment the flavours. You can expect to see traditional items such as hot-smoked salmon blinis and not so traditional items like Korean fried chicken sliders.
Their sweet items include macarons made with seasonal ingredients and coconut cakes. The High Tea is offered daily and does also require bookings.
Location: Level 33/44 St Georges Terrace, Perth, WA 6000 Ph: (08) 9220 8333
Residing on the 33rd floor of St Martins Tower, it is the only revolving restaurant in Western Australia. A full 360 degrees rotation takes a stately 90 minutes.
The spectacular panoramic views, along with the delectable food served at the C Restaurant, is the perfect combination for an extraordinary High Tea experience.
There are several High Tea options to choose from depending on what you are after, from a Classic High Tea, Childrens High Tea to a Premium Bottomless Moët & Chandon High Tea.
All of which are served with a wide range of sweet petit fours and scones as well as bite-sized savouries.
High Tea is served 7 days a week and bookings are essential but can only be made at certain times. Please see their website for more details.
In the heart of Perth CBD you will find Hearth, a restaurant showcasing all Western Australia has to offer in terms of local produce. Their High Tea is accompanied by a picturesque view of the riverside of Elizabeth Quay and is a must try.
This Signature Afternoon Tea occurs on Saturdays and Sundays and can include items such as Shark Bay prawn brioche rolles, lemon madelines and pistachio and raspberry mousse.
They also have a Chrismas-inspired menu running from early December. Because the experience is only served on Saturdays and Sundays, it is essential to book.
Location: 64 Angelo St, South Perth, WA 6151 Ph: (08) 9367 5597
Lastly, we are off to the delightfully named Secret Garden Cafe for the final of our best high tea experiences in Perth.
This family owned restaurant opened in 2008 and feels like going home as the hospitality is second to none. Here, they hold a more casual High Tea in their relaxing, hidden away secret garden.
Complementary bubbles are served with the array of finger sandwiches, mini quiches, scones and assortment of slices and petit fours.
There is an option to customise the High Tea package (with an extra expense) but the Garden Tea Package is nothing to turn your nose up to.
When it comes to great places to eat in Australia, the list really is endless. There are so many different restaurants, cafés, and chains to try that you really are spoiled for choice. From Italian food, to Japanese food, to a good ‘ole rump steak, the food options are endless.
This is why I decided to set up my blog, Eatability, to share the best food and drink spots in Australia with as many people as possible. Hi, my name is Dylan Cole, and I moved to Australia five years ago from England, UK.
Through this blog, I will be sharing and recommending some of my favorite places you need to visit, such as where to find the best pizza in Adelaide, and the best bakery in Brisbane. Whatever food you are fancying, I have got you covered!
