Fortnum and Mason

Fortnum & Mason has been trading on Piccadilly since 1707, and the entire fourth floor of the building is now given over to a single purpose: afternoon tea in the Diamond Jubilee Tea Salon, opened by Queen Elizabeth II in 2012 and named for her. It’s an Edwardian style room, formal without being stiff, and it sits above a food hall that’s every bit as worth the visit on its own.

The tea itself covers the expected format, finger sandwiches, scones with clotted cream, a selection of pastries, alongside an extensive tea list drawn from the store’s own blending heritage that goes back centuries. Reviews are genuinely mixed on execution: many guests praise the elegant, relaxed atmosphere and the range of teas on offer, but others have noted the sandwiches feeling underwhelming for the price and service that can be slower than the setting suggests it should be.

The food hall downstairs deserves equal billing: hampers, teas, preserves and a genuinely impressive range of British produce, much of it exclusive to the store, make it worth a visit even if you skip the tea salon entirely. The ground floor alone, with its famous clock and fountain outside on Piccadilly, is a proper London landmark regardless of whether you spend any money.

Afternoon tea pricing sits at the top end of the market, and a food hall shopping trip can add up fast given the premium positioning of most items on the shelves. It suits tourists wanting the classic Piccadilly experience, gift shoppers looking for something distinctly British, and anyone specifically chasing the Diamond Jubilee room for a celebration.

The honest caveat is that at these prices, consistency matters more than it should have to, and enough reviewers have reported inattentive service or a tea salon experience that didn’t match the surroundings that it’s worth going in with tempered expectations on the food itself rather than assuming the setting guarantees the meal. Book the tea salon well ahead through the Fortnum & Mason website, particularly around Christmas.