Prohibition Afternoon Tea at Quaglinos London.

 

As you already know, I’m a huge fan of Quaglinos London, it’s one of my favourite restaurants in London. Quaglinos London originally opened in 1929, but through the years has undergone a number of refurbs. The latest one means it oozes glamour and sophistication, on top of that they serve excellent food, and they’re fun too – from 10pm they have live music on the stage. Harking back to it’s 1920’s founding, they’ve recently launched the Prohibition Afternoon Tea, so a couple of weeks ago Bella and I headed down one sunny Saturday afternoon to try it out.
Quaglinos London Prohibition Afternoon Tea
It was an insanely hot day, and although we knew we should probably make the most of the sunshine, the air conditioning of Quaglinos London was very welcome. We were seated in the glamorous upstairs bar, and along with the afternoon tea we both had the Raspberry Ricky cocktail, which was supposed to be served in a tin can (which we were secretly super excited about), but they arrived in normal glasses, so we guessed they’d run out – there were quite a few other people around us also having the afternoon tea. The cocktail was delicious, very fruity and really quite strong.
Quaglinos London
After a few sips of our cocktails and a catch up, we got started on the food. I avoided the salmon, and so Bella and I switched and she had my salmon and I had her Cured ham grissini.
Quaglinos London afternoon tea

 

We absolutely loved how at Quaglinos London, rather than the traditional standard sandwiches we had savoury treats that were completely different. The mini toasted sandwich was a little dry but very tasty, and the Prawn cocktail and Egg & baby cress on brioche toast were my favourites. Both were heavenly and I could have easily eaten far more of them.
Tea-wise I opted for gorgeous Blackcurrent and hibiscus, while Bella had the Assam.
Next up we started on the scones. I was so thankful we didn’t have a lot of them. I’m not a huge scone eater so I can’t stand it when you’re presented with a huge plate of them. We had one small plain scone each which was more than enough. The clotted cream and little jar of strawberry jam were wonderful.
The desserts at Quaglinos London afternoon tea were a little hit and miss. We started with the mini black forest trifle, but the taste of the alcohol in it was incredible strong and we couldn’t finish them.

 

The bitter chocolate marquise was probably my favourite along with the macaron and the Strawberry frangipani tart (which I unfortunately didn’t photograph by itself). The slice was very rich, but oh so good.

 

 

The Crackled coffee choux pastry I avoided because I don’t eat/drink coffee, but Bella said it was very nice.

 

 

I had the white and dark salted macaron, while Bella had the Pistachio one. Bella lived in Paris for six months, and is a bit of a macaron snob. Both of us agreed that the macarons were absolutely perfect, crispy outside, soft inside, and had a very good height on them!

 

We had a really enjoyable afternoon at Quaglinos London! I’d definitely recommend it if you enjoy afternoon tea but want something a bit different and less stuffy. Something a little more glamorous and fun than the traditional hotel teas. It’s very well priced as the cost includes the cocktail, but unlike the traditional hotel afternoon teas you don’t get unlimited food, you just get what’s on the stand (which is very good if you struggle to control your portions like me!).
Quaglinos London
The Prohibition Afternoon Tea at Quaglinos London is available for a very reasonable £29.50 which includes a cocktail.
*We were guests of Quaglinos London but all opinions are my own.
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Catherine Lux
Catherine Lux

Catherine Lux is a veteran travel blogger by night and the Head of SEO at Havas Media Group by day. Originally from Surrey, she spent four years living in Australia (2007-2009, and 2016-2018), and now lives in London. An ex-party girl sometimes prone to relapses, she loves nothing more than sharing her fine dining and luxury travel experiences with her loyal readers.

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15 Comments

  1. Unknown
    September 5, 2015 / 5:38 pm

    That is pretty good value, and with the refurb Quag's is looking good!

  2. Angie SilverSpoon
    September 5, 2015 / 6:52 pm

    OMG this looks amazing, I love the look of the macaron particularly. Also I like the fact that it's bit different, ie no finger sandwiches, with being overly themed. I really need to try Quaglino's now, I haven't been for years.
    Lots of love,
    Angie
    SilverSpoon London

  3. Posh, Broke, & Bored
    September 6, 2015 / 4:52 pm

    Why oh why did I read this at work, when my sugar levels are dangerously low and it's too busy to pop out for breakfast (yes, breakfast at 5pm – I haven't had time to eat today)! You'll be the death of me Luxy 😉 x

    Jasiminne | Posh, Broke, & Bored

  4. LuxuryColumnist
    September 6, 2015 / 7:40 pm

    This is an afternoon tea after my own heart with savoury treats rather than sandwiches! Haven't been to Quaglino's in quite a while but it's right by my office

    Suze | LuxuryColumnist

  5. Taylor Hearts Travel
    September 7, 2015 / 8:45 am

    That's really good value, especially for such a pretty venue and a cocktail. Another one to add to the list!

  6. Jane Duckworth
    September 11, 2015 / 11:10 am

    wow, Wow, WOW! I love the look of all this deliciousness. I hope you enjoyed the clotted cream & scones – maybe the cream was authentic & from my home County of Cornwall?!

  7. Cuddle Fairy
    September 11, 2015 / 8:07 pm

    I love the look of Quaglino's! Such a beautiful restaurant. The presentation of the food & cocktail is perfection. I can't believe how reasonable the afternoon tea is! I will keep this in mind next time we visit London. Having afternoon tea is always on our to do list! x

  8. Emma
    September 11, 2015 / 8:27 pm

    that looks divine. I have afternoon tea booked next week before the MADs

  9. Emma T
    September 11, 2015 / 11:35 pm

    Wow, it looks like a gorgeous place,and delicious food. I'm a bit partial to afternoon tea in nice hotels and restaurants

  10. Kate
    September 14, 2015 / 1:30 pm

    Oh wow, this all looks amazing! And for £29.50? The savoury selection looks lovely and so different to what you usually get at afternoon tea.

  11. Ana De-Jesus
    September 14, 2015 / 1:59 pm

    Where in London is this I have never been to afternoon tea and this looks stunning – both aesthetically and food wise!
    http://www.fadedspring.co.uk

  12. Ickle Pickle
    September 15, 2015 / 8:39 pm

    Oh this place looks amazing! I am a sucker for scones I am afraid – they look gorgeous too. It does seem quite good value actually with a cocktail. Kaz x

  13. Andrea Petersen
    September 16, 2015 / 2:14 pm

    Loooooove the décor of this restaurant so much – deffoes a nice alternative setting to traditional hotel afternoon teas. I would be unhappy at the scone serving though haha, but the modern savoury treats sound delicious! Lots of love, Andrea xxx

    Andrea's Passions

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