The 5 Best Places for Afternoon Tea in Dubai
We love catching up with friends and family over afternoon tea. Something about its unique blend of flavors that come from China, India, Africa, and Sri Lanka makes conversations flow endlessly.
We mean, the art of balancing the lightness and flavor profiles to complement pastries and light meals is magical in itself, but the decor and the ambiance just take it to another level.
So we went and tried out some of the most recommended spots in the city to give you Dubai’s best places for afternoon tea.
How We Picked Dubai’s Best Places for Afternoon Tea
Before we get right into our list of Dubai’s best places for afternoon tea, here are the factors we considered for our entries on this list:
1. Lobby Lounge
| Criteria | Rating |
| Menu | ★★★★☆ (4/5) |
| Service Quality | ★★★★★ (5/5) |
| Ambiance | ★★★★☆ (4/5) |
| Accessibility | ★★★☆☆ (3/5) |
Known for its nice beverages, delicious snacks, and 5-star customer service, the Lobby Lounge at the Ritz Carlton in Dubai is full of age-old formalities without a stuffy dining experience.
We love its assortment of sandwiches, sweet truffles, scones, cakes, and even a few fresh fruits to go along with our tea of choice. Its menu is so well-rounded that there is something for everyone.
Its Traditional Treats package, especially, strikes a nice balance between relative affordability and an adequate holistic afternoon tea experience. However, many guests may find other offerings other than this tea & spread package to be quite expensive.
When it came to its customer service, our waiters were quite attentive to our needs and they were able to answer most of our queries with enough enthusiasm and knowledge.
Its ambiance is such a strong part of its experience. Guests are welcomed by a beautiful view outside that they can enjoy as they have their hot tea alongside their choice of snacks.
On some days, live music is played, which does add to the romantic feel of the lounge. It is quite loud across the restaurant floor, though, and it may not necessarily appeal to some people’s tastes, in our opinion.
When it comes to getting a table, this tea house can get really full, so reservations are a must, but can definitely be difficult to get.
Pros
- Great range of tea and finger food
- Attentive staff
- Romantic high-society ambiance
Cons
- Hard to get a reservation
- Prices are quite expensive
- Music is often too loud
Customer Reviews
Good for some tea and light grubs
“Awesome place to sit and relax and listen to the band playing somewhere in the background. Good for some tea and light grubs” – Aussie D
I love the ambiance and the feel, the service is always great and I often go there to relax and just get my work done on the laptop
“Amazing place of the day free breakfast/lunch/dinner or just a coffee. I love the ambiance and the feel, the service is always great and I often go there to relax and just get my work done on my laptop.” – Seema Dhall
2. Mashrabiya Lounge
| Criteria | Rating |
| Menu | ★★★★☆ (4/5) |
| Service Quality | ★★★★★ (5/5) |
| Ambiance | ★★★★★ (5/5) |
| Accessibility | ★★★★☆ (4/5) |
Does the thought of having afternoon tea against a beautiful Caribbean backdrop sound amazing? Then you might want to have it at the Mashrabiya Lounge on the Fairmont.
Located near the famous Palm Jumeirah, our afternoon tea with the beautiful Arabian Gulf acting as our backdrop amongst well-decorated terraces was quite a memorable experience.
Just like the view, the food is nothing short of unforgettable. We had a decent spread that included grilled lamb, which was perfect because we wanted something heavy to pair with our afternoon tea.
While the teahouse offers a decent selection of savory snacks, we think they could stand to add a few more sweet options. Their current spread is a bit limited in our opinion.
As for the tea itself, The Lounge offers a good variety of tea from Japan, China, and Sri Lanka which we think should delight most connoisseurs. We love how diverse its tea options are.
The place can be quite busy on the weekends though, which does lead to some wait time.
Still, the staff is excellent at being able to keep a steady pace and get the orders out in a reasonable time frame during our visit.
So if you’re interested in having your tea beside a nice view of the seaside, then Mashrabiya Lounge is definitely a must-try for you.
Pros
- Good selection of teas from different countries
- Offers a great seaside view
- Excellent service
Cons
- Gets really full on the weekends
- Spread lacks sweet options
Customer Reviews
Desserts are not too sweet so that we could indulge all the menus to the bottom
“Afternoon tea here is a hidden gem here. All foods and desserts taste great and even scones are perfectly baked & served to the customers. Desserts are not too sweet so that we could indulge all the menus to the bottom. And also was happy to be served by Feri who made our anniversary majestic.” – Hyejin K.
Delicious coffee. Great ambiance. Comfortable seating
“Always a delight carrying out casual or official meetings here. Pleasant service. Delicious coffee. Great ambiance. Comfortable seating. Love it.” – Saurabh Ail
3. Bijou Patisserie
| Criteria | Rating |
| Menu | ★★★★☆ (4/5) |
| Service Quality | ★★★★★ (5/5) |
| Ambiance | ★★★★☆ (4/5) |
| Accessibility | ★★★★★ (5/5) |
Taking the luxury of afternoon tea to another level, Bijou Patisserie differentiates itself from the others with its unapologetic indulgent style, tea offerings, and spreads.
Its menu consists of an amazing collection of lemon meringues, millefeuille, croissants, and tomato and mozzarella baguettes. The best part about its spreads is it’s not served on a fancy-tiered stand but on an even fancier jewelry box.
However, its tea offerings are quite limited. It only offers Chinese tea blends, which is a shame because some of its offerings would go fantastically well with Indian and African tea blends as well.
When it comes to the service, we love how attentive and welcoming they were. Both the host and our waiter maintained such lovely personalities the entire time.
And when we requested a few changes to the spread because of our allergies, they took note of it, and the bites came to us perfectly safe for our consumption.
The ambiance is a perfect understated luxury that does not really grab your attention until you start paying attention to the details in the furniture and the finishings on the wall.
However, the space, as a whole, somehow felt a bit generic and does not showcase anything unique that we would connect with Bijou Patisserie.
It is also important to note that everyone is required to have a reservation before coming here. Thankfully, it is not that hard to get one despite how popular it is.
Pros
- Great variety in its classic French spread
- Excellent service
- Understated yet luxurious space
- Smooth reservation experience
Cons
- Tea offerings are limited to Chinese blends
- Ambiance needs more personality
Customer Reviews
Superlative afternoon tea
“Superlative afternoon tea, in a very classy but at the same time welcoming location.
Literally fell in love with the French style of this Patisserie.
A delicious selection of savory bites and pastries.
Professional and impeccable staff.
Totally worthy of the price and another visit..” – Caius Bernardi, Google Reviews
Lovely restaurant situation within the hotel lobby of Sofitel Obelisk.
“Lovely restaurant situation within the hotel lobby of Sofitel Obelisk. I was dining solo when I attended. The staff were so friendly and took the time to talk to me whilst I was waiting for my food. I ordered a latte and there was an extra special touch as they added my name to the cute decoration on the froth. The croque madam tasted amazing and my egg was cooked exactly to my request. For dessert, I had the chocolate exotica which tasted divine. Thank you for a lovely evening.” – Rebecca, Google Reviews
4. L’Eto
| Criteria | Rating |
| Menu | ★★★★★ (5/5) |
| Service Quality | ★★★★★ (5/5) |
| Ambiance | ★★★★☆ (4/5) |
| Accessibility | ★★★★☆ (4/5) |
Starting out as a cake delivery service, L’eto has expanded across many different malls to offer a unique tea house experience with its amazing selection of food and beverage.
Its fruit-based cakes and pastries are the stars of the show, but L’eto also offers a more restaurant-like menu for those looking for a substantial meal to go with their tea.
Its tea is straightforward with its diverse blends from different countries. From green tea and Early Gray to all sorts of fruit teas, we love that it has just decided on a diverse tea menu instead of focusing on one type.
L’eto’s accessibility is also something notable because its multiple branches give it an advantage over other tea houses.
Customers from all over Dubai no longer need to travel far just for some high tea in the afternoon.
Despite its multiple branches though, we love that its service and food across its multiple branches were consistent for the most part.
In contrast to other places, L’eto appeared to be busiest during the weekdays, possibly due to its close proximity to malls and stores. So it is important that you either come in early or get a reservation.
While it’s not the fanciest European teahouse per se, we love that it can still execute a typical high-end afternoon tea experience.
We love that its decor elevates the space with its flowers and greenery to provide some freshness that contrasts nicely with its tiled floors and counters.
Pros
- Great variety in its food and tea options
- Excellent service
- Has multiple branches across the city
Cons
- Not the most luxurious tea house around
- Its busyness is dependent on the location
Customer Reviews
The ambiance, interior designs, good coffee, and tasty food are all great.
“The ambiance, interior designs, good coffee, and tasty foods are all great. Prices are a bit high but once you already taste it, you understand why. It is simply one of the best and my favorite coffee shops in Dubai. Overall, it’s a good shop for relaxing. Highly recommended!” – Pooya Ranjbar, Google Reviews
Great teahouse!
“Pistachio and rose petal cake is light and moist the creamy layer was almost like a mouse, creamy and whipped. Not overly sweet and the jam has a great tang. Paired with strawberry and kiwi tea and it worked well together. Was afraid the tea could be overpowering, but the flavor was subtle and slightly sweet. The sweet atmosphere with flowers about. I do like the secret garden portion of the cafe, but in the summer heat seemed like might be too stuffy.” – Wendy Benitez, Google Reviews
5. Tania’s Teahouse
| Criteria | Rating |
| Menu | ★★★★★ (5/5) |
| Service Quality | ★★★★☆ (4/5) |
| Ambiance | ★★★★★ (5/5) |
| Accessibility | ★★★★☆ (4/5) |
Hailed as one of the most Instagrammable cafes in the world, Tania’s Teahouse has a very distinct cafe experience thanks to its amazing decor and a good selection of teas and snacks.
Customers get to choose how their tea is prepared, either going iced, hot, or even turned into a latte. We love how even our pickiest of friends appreciated the options they got.
In addition to the tea, Tania’s Teahouse also offers a decent selection of sandwiches and light snacks that you can pair with your tea.
We appreciated that a lot of these are made with fresh vegetables. Of course, those looking to indulge can always have their sweets as well as their traditional tea snack set.
On top of that, the entrees were served fast enough, but some of their sweets did take some time to get to our table.
As far as physical locations though, its parking space is a little limited, at least within the vicinity of the cafe. Some customers may want to try parking somewhere else and walking to the area.
On the other hand, the teahouse does offer a valet parking service for a small price, though you may want to arrive early in order to take advantage of this benefit.
Tania’s Teahouse definitely offers a very comfortable experience you’d like to taste and share. We recommend checking it out and taking as many pictures of your order as you like.
Pros
- One of the most Instagrammable cafes in the world
- Tea can be prepared any way you want it
- Great variety in its dishes and spreads
Cons
- The sweet spread can take some time to arrive
- Parking space is limited
Customer Reviews
It’s a wonderful place to hang out with friends & family
“Super cute place!! It’s a wonderful place to hang out with friends & family. The ambiance is just perfect. Everything is so colorful and fresh. I would definitely come back and recommend it to all my friends.” – Nida Shaheen
The staff was super friendly and helpful with everything we needed
“Definitely an Instagram-worthy venue. I came here to attend a baby shower in the upstairs room that was sectioned off for private events. The staff was super friendly and helpful with everything we needed. The food was great as well!” – Jennifer Cortez
FAQs about Afternoon Tea in Dubai
We hope this helped you find your favorite place for afternoon tea in Dubai. Also, if you’re looking for more coffee and tea recommendations, then check out these articles: