This 5 star boutique hotel, in a quiet cul-de-sac off St James's Street in Mayfair, was once a private members club. It opened in 1857 as the St James Club for travelling British diplomats and Foreign Office personnel. Other members, including Charles Dickens, had to be elected and pay a large entrance fee.

Winston Churchill frequently visited in the 1930s and Ian Fleming, creator of James Bond, lived here for a short time.

It closed as a private members club in the 1970s but reopened in 1980s with members including Liza Minnelli, Dudley Moore and Michael Caine.

Bringing the story up to date, there was a major makeover in 2006 and a reopening in 2008 as the St James's Hotel and Club. William Drabble has been the chef in the Seven Park Place restaurant since 2009 and has received a Michelin star.

For more afternoon tea reviews see: 
Best Afternoon Tea in London.

 

Afternoon Tea Information

Venue: St James's Hotel & Club, 7-8 Park Place, London SW1A 1LS

Nearest Tube Station: Green Park

Use Journey Planner or Citymapper to plan your route by public transport.

Days and Times: Daily 3pm to 5.30pm.

Cost: From £29.50 per person.

Dress Code: Smart casual.

Photography: Permitted.

Reservations: 0207 316 1615

Official Website:www.stjameshotelandclub.com/afternoon-tea

 

St James's Hotel and Club Afternoon Tea Review

Afternoon tea is served in William's Bar & Bistro at the front of the building. I was most keen to book here after reading about the gluten-free afternoon tea on LondonHotelsInsight.com as the reviewers had struggled to tell the difference between the gluten-free and standard afternoon tea treats.

While I don't have those dietary requirements I am often asked to recommend quality places to dine for those who do so I too wanted to compare the two. To order the gluten-free option you only need to let them know in the morning on the day of your visit as everything is freshly made.

The tea varieties on offer are by Jing tea so are high quality loose leaf teas. Once brewed, your tea is transferred to another teapot so it does not continue to infuse and get too strong or too bitter.

Service here is very friendly and children are welcome. My daughter liked the paintings on one wall and enjoyed talking to staff.

When the two cake stands arrived I really couldn't have told you which was gluten-free as the sandwiches and sweet treats looked the same. They even felt the same but eventually I could see the gluten-free sandwiches bread was slightly drier but just as soft.

I expected the gluten-free cakes to be dry and crumbly but that wasn't the case at all and the gluten-free raspberry macaron was incredibly light and was our favorite of all.

The scones were probably the only place it was easier to tell the difference as the gluten-free scones were smaller and had a denser texture which sliced well. Both were served with clotted cream and homemade strawberry jam.

Conclusion

While this is a very good afternoon tea there was room for improvement as we could hear the noisy coffee machine in the bar whenever coffee was ordered in the hotel, and we could hear staff taking telephone orders too. I would also prefer a larger plate or more plates as afternoon tea is like eating a three-course meal. Yet back to comparing the gluten-free and standard afternoon tea offerings, I truly found it hard to choose between them and would be happy to recommend St James's Hotel and Club to anyone who has these dietary requirements as no-one should miss out on the best meal of the day.

 

As is common in the travel industry, the writer was provided with complimentary services for review purposes. While it has not influenced this review, About.com believes in full disclosure of all potential conflicts of interest. For more information, see our Ethics Policy.