To A Tea: The Drawing Rooms at The Ampersand Hotel






My friend Kelsey
invited me to tea
with some of her friends today
at the Ampersand Hotel.

Since I never say no to a chance
to sit around with baked goods
under tha guise of testing new tea rooms
and getting out of the house, 
I happily obliged.


To be honest, I'd never heard of this hotel before,
but I'm so glad that she had...
because, y'all, 
this place is cute...


The hotel is in a great location in South Kensington-
just feet away from the tube stop,
making it the perfect way to round off 
a day visiting the V&A 
or toodling around the halls of Harrods.



We had tea in the hotel's Drawing Rooms.





And I have to say,
it might be one of my new favorite spots.

Here's why:

The scones were warm and delicious.

Not many tea rooms bake fresh scones
for each tea order...
most of the time, 
they are pre-cooked
and waiting to be served.

To have a hot one
makes it oh-so-much better.

{Editor's Note: This also applies to donuts & rolls.}



The place was cute,
but it wasn't pretentious.



It also wasn't a scene....
which I enjoyed for an easy afternoon out.

When I arrived at 2pm,
the place was fairly empty...
by the time I left,
there was a fun social buzz of chatter in the room.

Comfy, cozy chairs abound 
for lounging and chatting.



Baby Mama Friendly?

Indeed!




The staff was so sweet
and the room had plenty of space 
for our "push chair" brigade...
but the steps into the hotel are steep 
and tough to do by yourself!





It's not crazy expensive.

The afternoon tea 
-you know, with the pretty tied tray-
is £23 per person.




It has all the classics
like scones & sweets,
but offers yummy open sandwiches
that make the standard tiny triangles 
that most other places offer feel a bit dated.



I, being cheap, opted for the "Cream Tea" for £7-
but was perfectly pleased with it.

A Cream Tea gets you two warm scones
-complete with clotted cream & jam on the side-
plus a pot of tea of your choice.

Perfect, I dare say.

And look how cute the tea pots are?



{They remind me of this Bodum teapot which I have been wanting for ages.}

All in all?

Tea in The Drawing Rooms was a definite win!

Check out The Ampersand for your next trip to London
or it's Drawing Rooms for your next afternoon with the ladies.


_____________

If this place doesn't look like your cup of tea,
check out some of my other favorite places to do tea in London here.


20 comments:

  1. Oh my. Love it! The only place I've had tea in London is The Orangery and it was everything I thought it would be but this looks so much less.... touristy? I don't know. I love it all!

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  2. Looks like a wonderful way to spend the afternoon - save some scones for me!

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  3. I'm staying right near there in South Kensington next month, I may just check it out! That's my favorite area of London!

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  4. This is so darn precious - I want to apparate myself there ASAP... warm scones and cute environment sound sooo tempting right now!

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  5. Loved the sprinkling of red chairs. Looks like a great place!

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  6. Absolutely adorable! And those treats, yummmm!

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  7. So pretty and right up my alley! I'm a tea-aholic!

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  8. It looks so perfect! Maybe one day when I get to visit London.... I've got to start making a list of all the amazing places you recommend!!!

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  9. looks like a great place, and of course the babes look adorable!

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  10. I'm visiting London in August, and I seriously now want to visit every tea that you've mentioned. If only I had time to fit them all in!

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  11. The hippest tea room around! Oh, mylanta I'm in love. IN LOVE!

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  12. Love it! I wish there were more snazzy places around where I live that you can just enjoy a light tea and a little food and enjoy each others company. I feel like the only place we have is Starbucks...which doesn't have the pizazz of a tea room. Hmmm...future business venture? Do you think I could convert my Southern ladies into tea drinkers?

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  13. What a cute little find! Wish there were places like that in Oklahoma!

    xx
    Carissa

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  14. Dying over the interiors. So cute.

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  15. That place looks awesome! I personally love the two teapots in the first picture!

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  16. this looks wonderful. i love your tea reviews...i'm thinking that when i finally get to travel to england, i'll plan my trip around places to tea!

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  17. My, those donuts and scones are totally lipsmacking and deserve a bite! My, I should have come along with you guys too! Just kidding! Well, I’m very glad that they have excellent customer service aside from a wonderful place to hang out. It’s really good to know your little angel had fun too!

    PhD by Publication

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  18. I am an American traveling in London, and turned to your site for a recommendation for a place to have tea. My British husband and I tried the tea at The Drawing Rooms and absolutely loved it. Thank you so much for this post.

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  19. I am in London, and turned to your site for a recommendation for a place to have tea. My British husband and I tried the tea at The Drawing Rooms and absolutely loved it. Thank you so much for this post.

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