The 11 best afternoon teas in Birmingham

Birmingham is the UK’s spiritual home of South Asian food, and Asha’s vibrant alternative to afternoon tea infuses classic elements with bold flavouring. Meat eaters and vegetarians are covered with chicken malai or bombay sandwiches, keema prawn toast, and mini mushroom kukure, while their desserts and teas are decadently rich: mango and passionfruit cheesecake and barfi deliver a sweet kick, while their butterfly, honey and pea tea or apple and pear iced tea cleanse the palette.

Price: £34.75 with tea, £39.75 with prosecco. 

Since his appointment in 2015, acclaimed pastry chef Olivier Briault has turned The Edgbaston into a must-visit destination for afternoon tea. From the opening amuse-bouche – a tasty morsel presented in a sea of misty liquid nitrogen – it’s clear he’s offering a cut-above experience. Caviar-topped passionfruit macarons and delicate Paris-Brests continue the magic through to the last crumbs.

Price: £26.50 per person (£7.50 extra for a glass of prosecco).

A new addition to Birmingham’s Mailbox, At The Woods brings the whimsy of the great outdoors, well, indoors. While their menu really tries to cover the whole gamut, their Birdcage Afternoon Tea is a hot affair that meets bottomless brunch halfway. Finger food favourites include yorkshire wrap slices, glazed chicken wings, and corn ribs, while their dessert platter comes more refined with silky creme bruleé, gooey brownies, and miniature chocolate hedgehogs. It’s very cute.

Price: £45 with tea, coffee and a glass of prosecco or a cocktail. 

A mere moment’s walk away from Edgbaston’s beautiful botanical gardens, Three Church Road is the ideal spot to continue a day of serene indulgence. In the oh-so-tasteful Georgian surrounds (all dark woods and muted colours), you can dig into a tasty, traditional spread of finger sandwiches, scones and the like. And it’d be rude not to top it all off with a glass of bubbly, wouldn’t it? 

Price: £25.50 per person, and £5.95 for a glass of prosecco. 

At Indian ‘streatery’ Zindiya, the name of the game is High Chai. That means taking the traditional British afternoon tea and souping it up with Indian flavours and sweet, moreish masala chai. Samosas, tikka paneer and Bombay sandwiches nuzzle up to spiced scones and an excellent carrot cake in a cross-continental fusion that’s all kinds of delicious.

Price: £21.95 per person, or £25.95 with a chai wala cocktail

Rest assured that the afternoon tea at this stunning restaurant is a real treat. The setting of Noel’s Bar is undeniably cute, and its tea service evokes thoughts of ‘Alice in Wonderland’, with rose gold sets and butterfly adorned champagne flutes. A Mediterranean theme is hinted at with focaccia, red pepper and hummus sandwiches, smoked salmon bruschetta and brioche bresaola, but does not overpower what is very much recognisable as afternoon tea.

Price: £30 for classic, £42 with champagne and £45 with a gin cocktail. Vegan options available. 

Hotel chain Malmaison has got the chic-on-a-budget thing nailed. It should come as no surprise, then, that its afternoon tea follows suit. You’ll get the full shebang (minus booze) – and it doesn’t shirk on quantity or quality, either. The savoury options (bagels, sliders, etc) get the thumbs-up, but it’s their cake selection that really brings things home. Featuring dinky brownies, Bakewell tarts and even a fruit shake, it’s lip-smackingly good.

Price: £36.50 with a glass of prosecco, £39.50 with a cocktail

We’re firm believers that men, women and everyone in between should be free to sample the delightful wares of an afternoon spread, but we understand that dainty sarnies might not be to everyone’s tastes. So at the 1565 restaurant, part of the Park Regis hotel, there’s a different kind of afternoon tea: an Indian-inspired spread, with savouries like chaat, curry wraps and chilli scones, and sweets like mango cheesecake and pistachio macaroons. They do a very sweet kids afternoon tea too. 

Price: £27.95 per person, £37.95 with champagne

Right in the heart of the Birmingham city centre, Aria is as close to an English garden as you can get indoors. Flooded with natural light by day and spotlighted with a dreamy glow by night, it’s all quite romantic and the perfect setting for afternoon tea. This set covers all the classics with an added bit of tang: think lemon and raspberry cake or blackberry bakewell tart, open sandwiches and – of course – a traditional scone, jam and clotted cream. 

What happens when one of Birmingham’s best Indian restaurants decides to get in on the afternoon tea action? One of the most gorgeous slants on the tradition in a while, that’s what. Combining the flavours of India with the delicate attention to detail you’d expect from a high tea, Praza’s offering is both punchy and refined. Featuring a selection of Indian street food favourites, alongside sweet treats like the ever-popular galub jamun, it’s a whole new – and utterly brilliant – dining experience.

Price: £32 per person, £37 with sparkling wine and £39 with gin