How about high tea? Though an English tradition, high tea has increasingly become a popular way of enjoying delicious sweet and savoury treats washed down with tea, coffee, or something a little more bubbly.
It’s also a great way to enjoy good food amongst the company of others.
If you’re looking for where you can find the best high tea in Sydney, you’ve come to the right place. This post will give you the full list of the 15 best venues for high tea in the Harbour City.
Location: Queen Victoria Building, 455 George St, Sydney, NSW 2000 Ph: (02) 9283 7279
We’re opening our guide to the best high tea in Sydney with class and sophistication.
The Tea Room offers an elegant high tea experience. Situated in the iconic Queen Victoria Building, the setting as gorgeous as the food is delicious.
If you’re looking for a high tea experience with true European flair and style, this tea room is the ideal place.
Not only does the Tea Rooms deliver European inspired grandeur with decadent ceilings, ornate decor and elegant crystal chandeliers, they also offer a world-class dining experience.
High tea is held at The Tea Room from Monday to Friday between 10 am and closing. Their menu offers a great selection with a range of finger sandwiches, a wide range of teas with a traditional high tea or a sparkling high tea, a cocktail high tea and a champagne high tea.
Sticking to tradition, the Tea Room QVB offers morning tea and high tea service set in beautifully luxurious surroundings that represent cultural significance. They offer guests a unique experience of dining with Royal Albert fine china and British silverware.
Location: Corner of Pitt Street &, Macquarie St, Parramatta, NSW 2150 Ph: (02) 9635 1515
Gatehouse Tea Rooms offers an escape from the busyness of day to day life. They offer a unique and relaxed atmosphere where you can indulge in the finest high tea Parramatta has to offer.
The building that the tea rooms are located in has historical significance as the building stands to be an important part of the colonial history of Parramatta.
Whether you sit indoors or out, wherever you look, you’ll get a beautiful view of your surroundings of the ornate decor of the inner building and the stunning eucalyptus trees outside.
The Gatehouse Tea Rooms offer a wide range of high tea options. These include a traditional high tea, a savoury high tea, a breakfast high tea and kids high tea.
Gatehouse Tea Rooms offer:
Indoor and outdoor dining
Takeaway
Editor’s Note: We’ve heard that the Gatehouse Tea Rooms has sadly closed. We will let you know when we learn more.
The Tea Cosy is a cosy and relaxed environment where you can enjoy endless fresh baked goods and all of your high tea favourites. The Tea Cosy offers fresh, home-cooked style food serving everything from Devonshire scones to gourmet Australian jam.
Their menu offers a rich selection of high tea. These include the famous Devonshire scone high tea, the grandstand high tea, the kids Devonshire tea, savoury scones, and finger sandwiches.
Their menu comes with an extensive selection of teas and ice teas, coffee and bubbles. They also have a range of special homemade jam flavours to choose from.
For anyone looking for an afternoon tea experience but doesn’t have the time to sit down, The Tea Cosy offers takeaway and delivery packs that include a classic scone pack, a bake at home pack, and a picnic pack.
Gunners Barracks offers exceptional dining with a view. Tucked in the bushland of Georges Heights, Gunners Barracks offers stunning views of Sydney Harbour. This is a great place to spend the day celebrating an occasion over an indulgent high tea.
Gunners Barracks prides itself on paying homage to the timeless tradition of high tea and providing a unique experience for its guests.
Their menu offers a range of delicacies that come beautifully presented. They serve everything from freshly baked scones with clotted cream to wafer sandwiches, savoury pastries and a delicious assortment of cakes.
If you are a tea addict, this is the place for you – as they also offer a range of 41 speciality teas to choose from. They also offer a range of high tea options including a morning tea, a children’s high tea, a traditional high tea (with a gluten free option available), a sparkling high tea, a cocktail high tea, and a champagne high tea.
Morning tea at Gunners Barracks is held from Monday to Friday from 10 am to 12 pm, whilst the traditional high tea is held every day from 10 am until close.
Burnt Orange offers a vibrant high tea dining experience. They specialise in offering high-quality high tea containing food that is uniquely presented and packed with vibrant colours and flavours.
Along with serving traditional high tea, they also offer the option for a high tea with bubbles or if you’re in the company of children, a children’s high tea.
If you’re looking for a venue to host a large group for a special occasion or celebration, Burnt Orange offers to book for private events of groups up to 40 or more. For larger events, Burnt Orange offers a customised menu and will cater to all of your needs as well as catering some dietary requirements.
Burnt Orange’s high tea runs from Monday to Friday from noon and on weekends from 3:30 pm.
Stamford’s High Tea is held on Saturdays and Sundays from 11 am to 2:30 pm. Stamford at Circular Quay strives to create an authentic English afternoon tea.
Not only do they offer delicious and traditional high tea favourites, but they also host the high tea in the sophisticated surroundings of exquisite antiques and charming artwork.
Though elegant, Stamford offers a warm and relaxed atmosphere perfect for indulging in high tea with friends and family.
Their menu offers delectable homemade jams and thick cream, fluffy scones and a wide selection of sweet and savoury pastries served with either tea, coffee, or something a little more bubbly.
They also offer a children’s high tea with an assortment of delicious sweet and savoury treats. Stamford makes it clear that they cater to all, regardless of dietary restrictions. They offer to cater for special diets with advanced notice.
If you’re looking for a classy spot to enjoy high tea, this is it. Atelier By Sofitel prides itself on its creativity and its culinary exploration of flavours and ingredients that delivers unique and inspiring pieces every time.
Atelier By Sofitel offers high tea with classic French cuisine with a little modern twist. Here they strive to bring the authentic flavours, ingredients and traditions of Marseille, to Australia. They aim to provide guests with a sensory gourmet dining experience.
They encourage guests to experience high tea in the French way with Parisian chic and delectable pieces served on limited edition porcelain plates with matching cutlery.
With food elegantly decorated by the Australian fashion illustrator Megan Hess, you’ll get the opportunity to experience colourful, bold and delicious artwork that looks too good to eat. The high tea is served with the finest tea, coffee, and bubbles.
The high tea at Atelier By Sofitel is held every Saturday afternoon from 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm.
Location: The Galeries, Shop RG 12, 500 George St, Sydney, NSW 2000 Ph: (02) 9699 2225
The Grounds of the City offer a creative and eclectic selection of high tea options for guests. The Grounds of the City offers a rustic charm. They pride themselves on people together to enjoy fresh and hearty food amongst natural beauty.
Their dishes aim to represent the beauty of the outside offering bursts of flavour and colour.
Their high tea menu includes a classic high tea pack which includes a cured salmon and creme fraiche on brioche with caviar, lavender macaroons and white chocolate ganache, white chocolate and rhubarb shortcake and so much more.
Other high tea packs include the vegetarian high tea, the DIY hot chocolate and cookie high tea, the traditional scones with jam and cream high tea, the classic doughnut high tea, a cakes and tarts box and so much more.
The high tea packs they offer make the perfect gift or a great way to spend a special occasion.
The Sconery offers a unique high tea experience that encourages customers to get stuck in for the full experience. They pride themselves on offering homemade and fresh cakes, pastries and desserts. They aim to create an atmosphere that brings people together.
The Sconery offers classic high tea baking classes that teach guests how to make three classic high tea favourites.
The classes run for 3.5 hours which is a perfect amount of time to learn the essentials of making the perfect high tea as well as the opportunity to indulge in a selection of signature scones, jam and cream and beverages.
High tea classes are held on Saturdays after noon and anytime on Sundays. This is a great place to visit for anyone looking for a fun and unique experience to share with friends and family or a great place to host a special occasion or event.
Just a stone’s throw away from Circular Quay and Sydney Opera House, Loftus Lane offers a tranquil hideaway in the bustle of the city.
The cafe offers a sophisticated and ambient atmosphere with relaxing background music and a vibrant contemporary interior designed for promoting a relaxing environment.
The cafe offers two playful high tea options, one is the Ferris Wheel High Tea and the other the Sweet Box High Tea. Each offers a unique and vibrant selection of food designed with fresh florals and elegant decoration all placed on a traditional French style table.
The cafe offers private high tea for special occasions and events such as bridal parties, baby showers etc. They can cater up to 40 guests indoors and 30 outdoors which is suitable for a large gathering.
Location: 89-113 Kent St, Millers Point, NSW 2000 Ph: (02) 9256 2222
We really couldn’t talk of the best high tea in Sydney and not mention the glorious one at The Langham.
The Langham offers authentic and traditional English Afternoon tea direct from their London flagship hotel. This esteemed hotel offers a grand and luxurious afternoon tea experience with Sydney’s champagne of choice, Laurent-Perrier.
The Langham pride themselves on using fresh and seasonal ingredients to make their high tea menu. Due to the seasonality of the options available, you may find that their high tea menu changes with the tides, offering a variety of new and adapted flavours and designs.
Their afternoon tea menu includes a range of traditional English high tea favourites.
These include duck rillettes with poached pear and prune puree, citrus and beetroot cured salmon with roe, creme fraiche, and watercress, lavender macaroons and so much more. Their afternoon tea runs from 11:00 am to 5:00 pm from Monday to Sunday.
Wild Flour offers a delicious Middle-Eastern inspired high tea. They pride themselves on serving fresh and homemade pastries cakes daily. The cafe provides a warm and inviting atmosphere with a range of board games on offer to lighten the mood.
Their high tea menu comes with a great selection of foods of both sweet and savoury treats.
Their menu includes a range of cheesecakes with unique flavours of tiramisu, and raspberry rose, a selection of delicious cakes, muffins, cookies and sandwiches. They also offer a range of dietary alternatives for those with dietary restrictions.
Location: King Street Wharf, 32 The Promenade, NSW 2000 Ph: (02) 9290 3814
Not every best high tea in Sydney follows the traditional template.
Mecca Bah strives to take your senses on a magnificent and exotic journey. Mecca Bah offers an enticing Middle-Eastern and Mediterranean inspired high tea dining experience. They offer two types of high tea, a sparkling high tea and a cocktail high tea.
The sparkling high tea includes a glass of bubbly on arrival along with unlimited tea and coffee. It also includes a wide range of Middle Eastern inspired sweet and savoury delights.
Their cocktail high tea offers the same but with a signature cocktail on arrival instead. Both options come with a delicious range of food such as the halloumi and eggplant skewers and Turkish delight.
High Tea Delights offers one of the best high tea catering in Sydney offering a range of high tea packages. They serve delicious high tea favourites and offer beautiful tea sets to choose from for the perfect hire tea dining experience.
High Tea Delights is an ideal place for anyone looking to host an event as you can choose which tea sets suit the theme of the event best and which sweet and savoury treats best suit your guests.
Alibi is a stylish vegan restaurant that offers a deliciously filling plant-based high tea. This restaurant serves a unique selection of vibrant sweet and savoury delicacies.
They strive to combine classical and contemporary cooking techniques to create unique pieces made from locally sourced plant based ingredients. They pride themselves on using these techniques to give plant-based ingredients a makeover.
Alibi offers three options of high tea, one with a round of coffee or tea, one with free flowing sparkling rose and one with free flowing Perrier Jouet Grand Brut. Alibi’s high tea runs from Saturday to Sunday between 12 pm and 4 pm.
Takeaway
So there you have it, Sydney’s hidden treasures of sweet and savoury treats. This list gives you all of the places to find the best high tea, whether you’re looking for traditional English high tea or something a little jazzier like French inspired or Middle-Eastern inspired high tea.
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!
