The perfect afternoon tea for London visitors | The Dilly Hotel

I’m going to make a bold claim here. I think I’ve found the perfect afternoon tea for London visitors.

I know, I know, I told you it’s a bold call.

But, short of nipping up the Shard for a non-London-themed afternoon tea overlooking the actual various spires and towers of London town (don’t get me wrong, I adore the Peter Pan afternoon tea at Aqua and the changing teas at the Shangri-La Hotel), this is the perfect place to bring your visitors to London for a little pinky waving.

The Dilly is perfectly situated in central London; a two-minute walk from the tourist icon of Picadilly Circus, it’s a 5-star historic hotel that’s plush but welcoming (there’s even a red phone box in the foyer for visitors which honestly I as a perma-tourist LOVE when a hotel embraces it’s location).

You meander up to the second floor – when we visited, the entrance hall was festooned with seasonal flowers, which was a sweet spring touch. Set in a majestic Neo-Baroque-style building, “our vibrant restaurant, Terrace at The Dilly sits under elegant arches and slanting glass ceilings. A welcome pause from the fast London pace.”

And honestly, it’s true. You forget the modern chaos as you step through the hotel doors, leaving your worldly worries behind for an hour or two.

I fell head-over-heels for the London-centric cup & saucer…

..even more so when it was filled (and re-topped up with a second flavour) of tea from their lovely tea menu. Black vanilla Roobois to start, then milky Earl Grey in case you were curious.

The sandwiches are very traditional but well executed. There’s

Smoked salmon, cucumber and cream cheese on white bread,

Traditional ham and cheddar with onion relish on country malt bread,

Egg mayo with mustard cress on white bread

Roasted vegetables and hummus on rustic onion bread,

plus warm scones served with clotted cream and strawberry jam.

But as ever, the crowning glory is the array of cakes:

London Calling (Red telephone box: Lemon and poppy seed cake with lemon cream and crispy red tuile)

Chocolate O’Clock (Big Ben: Golden chocolate crémeux with salted caramel centre)

Black Cab (London taxi: Homemade chocolate biscuit with hand-finished chocolate icing)

Mind the Gap (London Underground sign: Pistachio and raspberry-filled macaron)

Bonus: you get to feel all a little King Kong/Godzilla in your afternoon maraudering.

All those ~~(Minnesota nice)~~ British passive-aggressive feelings.

Honestly, it was just delightful. The Dilly team were attentive but not overbearing, and they double-checked our dietary requirements before serving, which was good.

It was a delightful afternoon with my two American friends; we then wandered to Borough Market for a stroll (where my mate from Louisiana proper got into his pinky-waving stride with a pickled egg, of all things…)