It’s 3pm. Your mouth is dry and you’re longing for a little hit of caffeine and sugar to tide you over into the evening… do you reach for a coffee? Well, you could… or you could make an occasion of it and treat yourself to an afternoon tea in Paris.
From grand hotel tea rooms to intimate salons and trendy cafes, you can perform the tea ceremony with as much or as little splendor and circumstance as you like. The rules of the meal are far less rigid than in ‘tea cities’ like London or Hong Kong, so you can afford to play around. See my four recommendations below for a delectable afternoon treat!
Luxury Tea: Le Meurice
If you want a traditional afternoon tea with all the trimmings, Le Meurice near the Louvre has it covered. Marrying tradition with contemporary luxury, the hotel’s Phillippe Starck-designed Dali restaurant is the ideal setting for this proper English tea with a French twist. Jam, scones and finger sandwiches come piled on a dainty tiered stand, you can choose from a selection of fruit tarts, French cakes and macaroons whipped up by pastry chef Camille Lesecq. Your surroundings might be refined, but the atmosphere’s relaxed…
