The Grill Room
Opulent and Timeless – Afternoon Tea at Café Royal, located in the heart of Regent Street, offers a decadent experience amidst the splendour of the gilded Café Royal Grill.
Crafted by Head Pastry Chef Maxence Blondelle, this delightful David Bowie Afternoon Tea envelops you in luxurious surroundings adorned with gold leaf and artistic ceilings. Enhanced by live piano performances featuring music inspired by David Bowie, the refined ambiance creates a truly immersive and iconic experience celebrating creativity, style and indulgence. Available until 13th February.
Available 14th January - 12th February
David Bowie Afternoon Tea
Hotel Café Royal raises a glass to David Bowie with an extravagant afternoon tea composed in his honour. A celebration of flavour, fantasy and flairs, the menu nods to the rock deity’s many eras with Thin White Duke cucumber sandwiches and a Midnight Orange chocolate éclair alongside expertly sourced loose-leaf teas and the finest French champagnes. Decadent and distinctive, the afternoon tea is served within the very walls where Bowie gave Ziggy Stardust a lavish final sendoff— a defining moment in the hotel’s long-standing dialogue with the best of British culture.
Valentine's Day Special
Celebrate Valentine’s Day with an elegant Afternoon Tea at Café Royal, served in the golden glow of the historic Café Royal Grill, accompanied by soft piano melodies. Created by Director of Culinary Kevin Gratton and Head Pastry Chef Maxence Blondelle, the experience features refined savouries, freshly baked scones, and exquisite patisserie crafted with seasonal ingredients. Pair your afternoon with Champagne, a Champagne cocktail, or a curated selection of artisan teas. A timeless and indulgent way to celebrate love in the heart of London.
Afternoon Tea Menu
14th January - 12th February
Price Per Person
- Traditional Afternoon Tea - Including Green Tea, a personal favourite of David Bowie
- £85
- with Bowie’s favourite cocktail, Gin & Olive
- £95
- with a glass of N.V Veuve Clicquot, Brut
- £95
- with a glass of Wild Idol Rosé, Non-Alcoholic
- £95
To Start
- Smoked Salmon with Wasabi Crème Fraiche and Black Sesame
SANDWICHES
- Thin White Duke - Cucumber with Cream Cheese and Poppyseeds
- Stardust Caeser - Egg Mayonnaise and Anchovy
- A Study of Spice - Coronation Chicken with Almonds and Coriander
- The Berlin Years - Beef Pastrami with Gherkin and Sweet Mustard
Scones
- Plain and Raisin Scones with a selection of Jams and Preserves 282Kcal
SWEET SELECTION
- Velvet Goldmine - Red Velvet Cake with Berries and Chantilly 153kcal
- Green Suit - Pistachio Sponge, Praline and Whipped Ganache 120 kcal
- Lemon Static - Lemon Mousse with a Citrus Madeleine Sponge 82 kcal
- Midnight Orange - Chocolate Éclair with Chocolate Orange Caramel 80 kcal
14th January - 12th February
Price Per Person
- Traditional Afternoon Tea - Including Green Tea, a personal favourite of David Bowie
- £85
- with Bowie’s favourite cocktail, Gin & Olive
- £95
- with a glass of N.V Veuve Clicquot, Brut
- £95
- with a glass of Wild Idol Rosé, Non-Alcoholic
- £95
To Start
- Parsnip and Apple Pannacotta
SANDWICHES
- Thin White Duke - Cucumber with Cream Cheese and Poppyseeds
- Stardust Caeser - Delica Pumpkin with Sage and Lemon
- The Study of Spice - Beetroot and Horseradish with Walnuts and Chives
- The Berlin Years - Celeriac and Black Truffle with Granny Smith Apple
Scones
- Plain and Raisin Scones with a selection of Jams and Preserves 282Kcal
SWEET SELECTION
- Velvet Goldmine - Strawberry & Raspberry Red Fruit Confit, Sable 97 kcal
- Green Suit - Pumpkin Seed & Mango Plumcake with Chantilly and Mango Compote 105 kcal
- Lemon Static - Lemon & Coconut Meringue with Lemon Curd and Lemon paste 45 kcal
- Midnight Orange - Chocolate & Orange Brownie, with Orange Marmalade and Chocolate Mousse 90kcal
Available 13th - 15th February
Amuse-Bouche
- Native Lobster Whipped Squash and Exmoor Caviar
Savoury Selection
- Smoked Salmon With Champagne Crème Fraiche and Chives
- Truffled Cacklebean Farm Egg Mayonnaise
- Beef Rare Roast Glenarm Estate Beef with English Mustard
- Cucumber With Cream Cheese, Dill and Poppyseeds
Traditional Scones
- Plain and Raisin Scones A Selection of Preserves and Clotted Cream
Sweet Delicacies
- Apple & Hibiscus Tatin Golden Delicious and Buttery Sable
- Milk Chocolate & Passion Fruit Tartlet Hazelnut Praline and Passion Fruit Ganache
- Quince and Rose Cake Pink Cake and Quince Confit
- Banana & Pecan Banana Cake and Pecan Mousse
Available 13th - 15th February
Amuse-Bouche
- Whipped Goat’s Curd with Beetroot Caviar
Savoury Selection
- Coronation Chickpea With Almonds and Coriander
- Cucumber With Cream Cheese, Dill and Poppyseeds
- Roasted Red Pepper With Basil and Pine Nuts
- Delica Pumpkin With Sage and Lemon
Traditional Scones
- Plain and Raisin Scones With a Selection of Preserves and Clotted Cream
Sweet Delicacies
- Apple & Hibiscus Tatin
- Chocolate & Passion Fruit Mousse
- Quince and Rose Cake
- Banana & Caramel
White Tea
Yin Zhen Yunnan “Silver Needle”
- Picked in the first week of March of 2023 from the tender buds of Da Bai Hao varietal, a natural hybrid of Assamica that is unique to the Jinggu area of Simao, in Yunnan. Its processing, where only the tender shoots are picked, lightly wilted, pan-fried briefly at low temperature and then allowed to dry naturally, lends this tea a fruity and sweet taste and aroma, viscous and full in the mouth. / 1Kcal
Xue Ya Fujian “Snow Bud”
- This high-altitude white tea from the Fujian mountains is made almost entirely of silver-haired tea buds, creating an elegant, sweet flavour profile with delicate vegetal notes. It has an airy and light taste with a delicate body, well balanced with subtle spice and fruity undertones. The bouquet is mildly sweet with a hint of spice. / 2Kcal
Bai Mu Dan Jaingxi “White Peony”
- This delicate and refined tea from Jiangxi Province, China, is famous for its air-dried premium tea sprouts. Its multicoloured leaves, ranging from faint green to pale brown, create a pleasantly sweet aroma and a smooth, mellow flavour with a hint of spiciness and a touch of nuttiness. / 2Kcal
Green Tea
Japanese Sencha “Steamed Tea”
- Sencha, which means ‘steamed tea’, is by far the most popular tea in Japan. It has a tender, vegetal taste with distinct grassy tones and underlying sweet notes, finishing with a hint of pine nuts. / 1Kcal
Lung Ching Shi Feng ‘Dragon’s Well’
- True Lung Ching tea, with its unique flat and crisp buds, hand-roasted on woks, is grown only in the Hangzhou area in Zhejiang province. This light tea smoothly combines the classic green tea character with a sweet and slightly fruity aroma. / 1Kcal
Hojicha “Roasted Tea”
- This tea is a Bancha, with leaves roasted until they turn completely brown. These leaves, mixed with pieces of stems, release a calming roasted and woody aroma with a delicately sweet taste. Subtle notes of nuts and vanilla, along with a fine vegetal presence, contribute to its complex flavour. The airy finish is gently honeyed. / 1Kcal
Oolong Tea
Anxi Tie Guan Yin “Iron Goddess of Mercy”
- This oolong tea, hailing from Anxi in Fujian Province, is named after the Chinese Iron Goddess of Mercy. It resembles green tea in its slight oxidation and light roasting. The tea boasts a flowery and fresh aroma, highlighted by a golden liquor. / 1Kcal
Jin Shuan “Milky Oolong”
- This Great Taste Award winner originates from Taiwan’s Nantou region. It is characterized by a deliciously light buttery flavour and delicate sweetness, complemented by a creamy texture. The tea exudes a milky and buttery aroma with gentle vanilla notes and displays a vibrant yellowy-green colour. / 1Kcal
Formosa Oolong
- This is a darker style of oolong tea from Taiwan, formerly known as Formosa. In 1867, a British entrepreneur named John Dodd began a tea company in Taipei, selling Taiwanese Oolong tea globally under the name “Formosa Oolong”. This tea is roasted over charcoal and possesses a deep aroma of raisins and ripe fruit, with autumnal ‘leafy’ notes. It also features a lingering sweet flavour, smooth texture, and refreshingly fruity astringency. / 1Kcal
Black Tea
1st Flush Darjeeling 2025, Teesta Valley, F.T.G.F.O.P.1
- The Teesta Valley Tea Estate takes its name from the mighty river Teesta. Established in 1841, it is one of the oldest tea gardens in Darjeeling and a gold medal winner for producing some of the world’s finest tea. This tea has pronounced muscatel notes and slight astringency. It is crisp and light with a smooth texture, despite its herbaceous character, and offers delightful hints of peach and ripe melon. / 1Kcal
2nd Flush Darjeeling 2025, Goomtee Estate, T.G.F.O.P.
- From the foothills of the Himalayas, Goomtee Estate is ranked among the top gardens in Darjeeling. This summer harvest, composed of whole leaves ranging in hue from oaky brown to light green, produces a soft liquor with a distinctive fragrance of muscatel grapes. The harmony of its gentle fruity and nutty aromatic notes reveals remarkable complexity, underlined by a smooth texture and a delightful long finish. / 2Kcal
Café Royal 1865 Breakfast Blend
- This is a blend of the finest high altitude grown broken orange pekoe teas from Sri Lanka, Darjeeling, Assam and Kenya. A full-bodied breakfast tea, it boasts delicate flowery and spicy undertones, a robust body with elegant tannins, and hints of golden syrup wrapped around subtle floral notes. Delightfully aromatic, it is scattered with pepper and additional flowery hints. Best enjoyed with a splash of milk. / 2Kcal
Assam Bargang G.F.B.O.P.
- Originating from a tea garden on the north bank of the Brahmaputra River in Assam, this robust tea offers a creamy texture and malty undertones. Its full aroma is interspersed with sweet, raisin-like, and tangy notes, all within a dark golden-brown infusion. Best enjoyed with a splash of milk. / 2Kcal
Scented and Blends
White Apricot
- This enchanting signature blend combines the refined character of a white tea with the honey like sweetness of apricot pieces. The distinct flowery undertones of marigold petals and yellow rosebuds round off the flavour, making it delicious and refreshing. / 2Kcal
Genmaicha “Brown Rice Tea”
- Genmaicha, or ‘rice tea’, is a delicious Japanese blend that combines Sencha tea with roasted rice grains and popped rice. It produces a bright golden infusion, offering a complex marriage of nutty and herbaceous aromas that are very gentle on the palate. / 2Kcal
Jasmine Pearls
- The finest green tea leaves from the Fujian province are hand-rolled and scented overnight with jasmine flowers, left to absorb their essential oils. This process is repeated six times. As the pearls unfold, a wonderfully sweet jasmine fragrance is released. Well balanced astringency and a delicate sweet note. / 2Kcal
Yuzu Oolong
- This bespoke signature blend has interesting base notes of Formosa Oolong and Ceylon, all balanced beautifully with fruity and tangy yuzu notes, offering a harmonious taste experience. / 2Kcal
Smoky Lapsang Souchong
- Winston Churchill’s favourite, this is a unique black tea from the Fujian province in China, made of mountain-grown tea leaves, roasted over pinewood fire, and cold smoked over pine needles. / 2Kcal
Earl Grey
- This Earl Grey is made in small batches using the highest grade Keemun tea leaves and natural oil of bergamot. It offers a lovely balance between the refreshing brightness of Keemun tea and citrus notes, enhanced by an elegantly balanced aroma. / 2Kcal
Tisanes
English Country Garden
- A refreshing and light herbal infusion with gentle yet complex floral notes and a pleasantly long, fragrant finish. A simple rose bud floats in the cup, marrying the delicate floral notes of chamomile, rose buds, rose petals, elderflower, and lavender with aromatic lemongrass. / 2Kcal
Passionfruit and Orange
- Bursting with refreshing tropical fruity notes, this thirst-quenching tea is a luscious combination of pineapple, papaya, apple, peach, tangerine, and lemon peel, complemented by sunflower blossoms and blackberry leaves. / 2Kcal
Rooibos Orange and Chocolate
- Commonly grown in a small mountainous area in the Western Cape province of South Africa. the Rooibos leaves are oxidised to produce the eye-catching reddish-brown colour. We blend those with raw cru de cacao, diced orange candid, liquorish and ginger for a sensational dessert in a cup. / 3Kcal
Rooibos Spring Blend
- Strengthening and tangy, this handmade Rooibos blend is a healthy, caffeine free alternative to tea, that is packed with vitamins and antioxidants. The addition of rose hips, hibiscus flowers and ginger, further support boosting the immune system, as well as giving the tea taste a tangy and spicy profile with woody sweet undertones, which is both invigorating and warming. / 2Kcal
Lemon & Ginger
- A delicate and refreshing herbal tea which is believed to benefit the digestive system and have a general soothing and calming effect on the body. It contains lemongrass, lemon peel and ginger, which is marked by a tangy aroma and an invigorating lemon flavour, with a spicy finish. / 2Kcal
Our Past Patrons
Since its inception, the Café Royal has long been the place to be seen, and if the walls of this Grade II listed building could talk, the stories would be inspirational, magical, and most importantly, endless. Countless figureheads of society have walked through the doors of the Café Royal, from politicians and writers to musicians and royalty, each with their own stamp on history.
Hours
Monday - Sunday
12:00pm to 5:30pm
We are able to cater to your dietary requirements, please notify us up to 48 hours prior to your booking.
The dress code for the Grill Room is smart casual.
Please note the price and menu of our afternoon tea may be subject to change without prior notice.