Five Unique High Tea Experiences In Sydney
Christine Knight
You won’t be needing your lacy gloves or nana hat to experience one of these decadent high teas in Sydney. Once a popular afternoon pastime begun by British nobility in the 1800s, “high tea” has kept up with the times to become a vibrant, innovative and absolutely delicious way to dine with friends. While there are too many high tea offerings in the city to even begin to list, we love these five venues for their unique takes on a traditional eating custom.
Alibi Woolloomooloo
Alibi at Ovolo Woolloomooloo offers a high tea experience with a difference. The unique plant-based menu is a mix of savoury and sweet, with delights including bagels with cashew cream cheese, pea and coriander tarts, mango cheesecake and blueberry cashew meringue. Weekend high tea comes complete with an assortment of exotic teas, coffee and free-flowing prosecco or Champagne.
High tea is served Saturday and Sunday from 12 pm – 4 pm. Select from four high tea options, which include either a glass of rosé sparkling, free-flowing prosecco, free-flowing Perrier-Jouet Grand Brut or a bottle of Perrier-Jouët ‘blason’ brut rosé.
Alibi, Ovolo Woolloomooloo, 6 Cowper Wharf Roadway, 2011
https://www.instagram.com/alibisydney/
The Tea Room QVB
Located in the iconic Queen Victoria Building, The Tea Room brings European elegance to Sydney with their quintessential high tea. Indulge in a sumptuous selection of finger sandwiches, petit fours, sweet and savoury pastries and scones with tea or coffee. To add a little pop, upgrade to The Tea Room’s sparkling, cocktail or Champagne High Tea.
The Tea Room QVB, 3, Queen Victoria Building, 455 George St, Sydney
The Tea Cosy
Hands down, the best scones in Sydney, can be found at this tiny, family-owned and operated cafe tucked away in Sydney’s historic Rocks district. Expect a simple but delicious affair with fresh-baked Devonshire scones with double-thick cream, dainty cucumber and cream cheese finger sandwiches, and an elegant assortment of loose-leaf traditional and herbal teas.
The Tea Cosy, 7 Atherden Street, The Rocks, Sydney NSW 2000
Burnt Orange
Dating back to the 1920s, Burnt Orange is located at scenic Middle Head in Mosman — just 20 minutes from Sydney CBD. With mini banoffee pies, choux buns with vanilla crème pâtissière and strawberry macarons on the menu — it’s no surprise Burnt Orange has become famous for its high tea. Sit on the wraparound balcony, sip on unlimited tea, coffee or hot chocolate and soak up the views of the harbour and surrounding bushland.
Burnt Orange, 1109 Middle Head Road, Mosman, Sydney
https://www.instagram.com/burntorangemosman/
Reign at the QVB
High tea at Reign at the QVB is for lovers of all things savoury. Reign’s high tea is aptly named ‘High Cheese’ with a menu offering a selection of 3 types of cheeses, lavosh oat crackers, grapes, quince chutney, dried fruits & nuts. Paired with a bottle of G.H. Mumm Grand Cordon Brut Champagne, Reign provides a stylish setting in the heart of Sydney CBD to sip, sit back, and relax.
Reign at the QVB, Level 1, Queen Victoria Building, 455 George Street Sydney (Druitt Street entrance)
https://www.instagram.com/reignattheqvb/
Loftus Lane
Located just minutes from Circular Quay and the iconic Sydney Opera House, Loftus Lane is a sophisticated cafe with one of the best high teas in town. The cafe offers two high tea options, Ferris Wheel High Tea and Sweet Box High Tea, with mouth-watering menus of delectable finger sandwiches, cakes, macarons and more, all served with fresh florals and showstopping decorations.
Loftus Lane, Shop 3 / 38 – 42 Bridge St, Sydney, NSW, 2000
https://www.instagram.com/loftuslane.cafe.cocktail.bar/
Vaucluse House Tea Rooms
The perfect location for a regal high tea, Vaucluse House is a historic mansion and restaurant set on 10 hectares of picturesque land. Using hand-picked ingredients and the best seasonal produce, the high tea menu offers savoury delights, including smoked salmon blini and wild mushroom tarts. And to satisfy your sweet tooth, buttermilk scones with clotted cream, chocolate truffles and caramelised apple and toffee eclairs.
Vaucluse House Tea Rooms , 69A Wentworth Road, Vaucluse, Sydney, 2030
https://www.instagram.com/estatevauclusehouse/
Gunners Barracks
Gunners Barracks is nestled in the bushland of Georges Heights in Mosman, with spectacular views overlooking Sydney Harbour. Soak in the scenery and enjoy an elegant high tea of freshly baked scones with clotted cream and preserves, finely cut sandwiches, savoury pastries and petit cakes. The high tea dream is complete with an impressive selection of 41 speciality teas.
Gunners Barracks, End of Suakin Drive, Georges Heights, Mosman NSW 2088
https://www.instagram.com/gunnersbarracks/
Strangers’ Restaurant, Parliament House
It doesn’t get more regal than high tea at Parliament House. Experience a traditional high tea overlooking the Domain, with flavours that showcase the best local produce from across NSW. Feast on gourmet finger sandwiches, tartlets, homemade scones, ice-cream pops and tea cakes, all served on Parliamentary Crested Wedgwood plates.
Parliament House, 6 Macquarie Street, Sydney NSW 2000, Australia
The Gallery at Sheraton Grand Sydney
The Gallery offers a decadent high tea experience in a prime location, right in the heart of the city at Sheraton Grand Sydney. The Gallery’s Signature High Tea is a delicate feast of handmade sweet and savoury delicacies served on elegant three tiered high tea stands. All accompanied with a choice of Victoria espresso coffees, fragrant Dilmah teas and free-flowing sparkling wine at an additional cost.
The Gallery, 161 Elizabeth St, Sydney, 2000
The Cortile, InterContinental Sydney
Dine in the restored 1851 Treasury building in Sydney’s CBD on a classic high tea with a modern twist. Sit in the sun-lit indoor courtyard, underneath the historic building’s stunning vaulted ceiling, and enjoy tea-themed sweets, such as the Jasmine Gold tea crème brulée.
InterContinental Sydney, 117 Macquarie St, Sydney
The Tea Salon
One of the few high tea locations to be inside a shopping centre, the Tea Salon specialises in fancy scone selections as well as an extensive tea menu. They also collaborate with well-known celebrities in the food world such as Katherine Sabbath, queen of fancy cakes, to produce limited edition high teas.
The Tea Salon, Westfield Sydney, Lvl 4, Cnr Pitt Street Mall and Market Street, Sydney
Christine Knight is an Australian travel writer and blogger. When she’s not chasing her energetic five-year-old through Sydney’s inner west, you’ll find her “researching” her way through the best high teas in the city.