Some days, you just want to step back in time and indulge in a nice spread of high tea. Although high tea can be the perfect setting for a celebration, you don’t need an excuse to indulge in a tier of dainty treats.
Remember, high tea used to be a daily activity back in the 1800s!
Here are the best spots for high tea in Melbourne.
Hotel Windsor
Spring Street, CBD
Hotel Windsor will take you back in time, right from the doorman with the white gloves who greets you at the front door, to the three-tiered silver stand adorned with freshly baked scones, savoury tarts and classic cucumber sandwiches. Their afternoon high teas have literally been running every afternoon since 1883. Served in their elegant, colonial-era dining room, One Eleven, and currently helmed by pastry Chef Felix Goodwin, this is as authentic as it gets. Book here.
The Tea Rooms 1892
Block Arcade
The Tea Rooms 1892, previously Hopetoun Tea Rooms, sits in an iconic shop in the beautiful Block Arcade. Everything about this location screams fancy high tea, from the divine Mosaic arcade to the emerald green and gold embossed wallpaper, to the elegant window set with decadent cakes and the extensive selection of exotic teas to choose from. You can book in for high tea, or just pop in for a slice of cake or quiche and a cup of tea. Each experience is equally glorious.
Reservations are essential. Book here.
Royal St Collins Tea House
St Collins Lane
Did someone say rosewater and date scones for breakfast? Pair that with a mimosa and you’ve absolutely sold us. The Royal St Collins Tea House serve up high tea during breakfast and lunch hours, with loose leaf teas, mini desserts, colourful macaroons and on-point sandwiches. They also have all the champagne and all the jam and cream.
Book here.
Om Nom Kitchen
Flinders Lane
Located in the Adelphi Hotel, Om Nom hosts high teas every Saturday and Sunday. It’s high tea, with a modern twist. More on the giggly, boozy side, they offer bottomless bubbles and mini dessert masterpieces that are almost too beautiful to eat! They have two sittings, at 12pm and 2:30pm, each going for two hours.Om Nom is the perfect setting for a celebration, like a birthday party or hen’s night.
Book here.
The Conservatory
Crown Melbourne
Every weekend from 3pm-5pm, Crown Melbourne’s The Conservatory hosts impressively decadent high teas, with some of the most beautifully iced cakes you’ll ever see! Opt for unlimited coffee and tea plus food for $75, add a glass of champagne for $85 or unlimited champagne for $109 and indulge in a selection of elevated finger food in a setting that feels reminiscent of Marie Antoinette!
Book here.
Budapest Cafe
Carlton
Inspired by Wes Anderson’s The Grand Budapest Hotel, Carlton’s Budapest Cafe serves up fluffy pancakes, custard puffs and creamy mentaiko udon at all times. They do their own take on afternoon tea from 3pm on Fridays, which sees a set of almond tuiles, Earl Grey madeleines, cronuts and a cuppa. They also veer into newer flavours, with matcha and red bean creations.
Book here.
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