The Top 10 U.S. Cities for Afternoon Tea

It’s that time of year again, when we scrub our afternoon tea directories and release our annual infographic report, “The United States of Afternoon Tea” (see 2019). For three years, we’ve been tracking the ups and downs of the afternoon tea scene in each state, always happy to find new tearooms opening across the country. Yes, even during this pandemic, there is an ebb and flow. While some dreams come to an end, others come to life. More details to come when we release the 2020 infographic.

American Afternoon Tea Meccas

Today, we reveal the top 10 American cities for afternoon tea in 2020. These each have 9 or more afternoon tea venues, making them ideal for a tea tour itinerary, (when life-as-we-know-it permits). We finish with the runners up, which each have 5 to 8 afternoon tea venues.

Point of clarification: we strictly use city postal addresses, so for example, here we refer to tearooms in Atlanta proper, excluding the surrounding cities that makeup Metro Atlanta.

#10 and #9, tied: Los Angeles and Las Vegas, with 9 afternoon tea venues

Get a sneak peek at newly opened Queen of Hearts in Las Vegas
[Video by Diana Edelman]

#8 and #7, tied: San Diego and Denver, with 10 afternoon tea venues

Babe's Tea Room holiday tea to go — In 2020, the former House of Commons in Denver became Babe’s Tea Room, now offering Babe’s Merry & Bright Holiday Takeaway Tea Party including: Peppermint Chocolate Petit Fours, Snowflake Scottish Shortbread, White Chocolate Cranberry Bark, and Red Velvet French Macarons, and a metallic to-go display tier.
[Photo Credit: Babe’s Tea Room]

#6: Chicago, with 14 afternoon tea venues

Vanille Patisserie Holiday Tea To-Go — Chicago’s Vanille Patisserie is offering Holiday Tea To-Go, including: Caprese Crostini, Petit Croissant, Ham, Gruyere cheese, Shallot aioli, Pain de Mie, Marinated Cucumbers with Dill, Creme Fraiche, Traditional scone & French Madeleine with Passion Fruit curd, Lemon curd, Apricot jam, and English Double Devon Cream, Peppermint French Macaron, Mascarpone Cheesecake, Mini Chocolate Tart and Choux Swan.
[Photo Credit: Vanille Patisserie]

#5 and #4, tied: Dallas and Atlanta, with 15 afternoon tea venues

St. Regis Atlanta Gingerbread House for Private Afternoon Tea with Santa — In Buckhead, Atlanta, you can reserve a Private Afternoon Teas with Santa in the St. Regis Atlanta Gingerbread House.
[Photo Credit: St. Regis Atlanta]

#3 and #2, tied: District of Columbia (D.C.) and San Francisco, with 19 afternoon tea venues

Maison Danel in San Francisco offers afternoon tea to go — San Francisco’s Maison Danel opened in February 2020, and quickly pivoted to offer Classic and Royal Afternoon Tea Boxes, including: 3 petits sandwiches (choose from Ham & Cheese Croissant, Turkey & Cheese Croissant, Smoked Salmon Croissant, Cucumber, Grilled Zucchini and Tomato, Caviar d’Aubergine (Eggplant); Chef Adrien’s special carrot cake, 2 mini-viennoiseries, 4 sweets (mignardises and meringues), loose-leaf tea, and toppings (whipped cream, chocolate ganache, jam). Royal afternoon tea comes with a half-bottle of Crémant, a sparkling French wine made using the same technique as Champagne, but from the Alsace region, created especially to
pair with the Maison Danel Afternoon Tea experience. Merveilleux!
[Photo Credit: Maison Danel]

#1: New York City, with 33 afternoon tea venues

Brooklyn High Low garden patio for afternoon tea — Newly opened Brooklyn High Low offers both indoor and garden patio seating.
[Photo Credit: Michelle Young, Untapped New York]

Top American Afternoon Tea Cities – Runners Up

These cities each have 5 to 8 afternoon tea venues, putting them in the top 25 American afternoon tea hotspots:

With 8 afternoon tea venues: Charleston and Austin
With 7 afternoon tea venues: Boston and Houston
With 6 afternoon tea venues: Phoenix, Orlando, Albuquerque, Cincinnati, Portland, Pittsburgh and Philadelphia
With 5 afternoon tea venues: Pasadena, Savannah and Seattle

What next? Go check out these cities in our afternoon tea directories! Browse around in our state listings, and click on the links in the “Details” column to discover each venue’s unique tea services. Many are now offering Afternoon Tea Boxes, which would be perfect for virtual holiday tea parties. Happy tea party planning!

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