Dublin · Afternoon Tea
The Best Afternoon Tea in Dublin
Six rooms where afternoon tea is taken seriously. We've sat in all of them. These are the ones we'd send our mother to, in the order we'd rank them.
The places we recommend to friends.
Quick Answer
Book The Shelbourne three weeks ahead for the canonical Dublin afternoon tea. If you can't get a table, The Merrion's Art Tea is the more interesting alternative and almost as hard to book. Slot it into Day 3 of our 3-day Dublin itinerary.
- No. 01
The Shelbourne
St Stephen's Green
The Lord Mayor's Lounge at The Shelbourne is the afternoon tea everyone is comparing all the others to. Three tiers, perfectly trained service, a harpist on weekends. Book the 2pm slot, ask for a green-facing window seat. Three weeks ahead, minimum.
- No. 02
The Merrion
Upper Merrion Street
The Art Tea at The Merrion is the most charming concept in the city: every cake is modelled on a painting in the hotel's collection. Sit in the front drawing rooms with the open fires lit in winter. Two and a half hours, never rushed.
- No. 03
The Westbury
Off Grafton Street
The Gallery at The Westbury does afternoon tea with a pianist and a view down Balfe Street. Less ceremony than The Shelbourne, more comfortable. Easier to book at short notice.
- No. 04
The Marker
Grand Canal Square
A modern alternative if Georgian gilt isn't your thing. The Marker's tea is served in their bright atrium with Liebherr china and a contemporary Irish menu. The smoked salmon scones are excellent.
- No. 05
The Conrad
Earlsfort Terrace
The reliable mid-tier choice. Less famous than The Shelbourne, easier to book a week out, and the cakes are genuinely good. Walking distance from MoLI and Stephen's Green.
- No. 06
Powerscourt Hotel (day trip)
Enniskerry, Co Wicklow
Worth a half-day if you want tea with a view. Forty minutes from the city, served in the Sugarloaf Lounge with the mountains framed in the windows. Pair with a morning walk in the Powerscourt gardens.
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