The Best Afternoon Tea in Paris
The only thing the French like better than looking down their noses at the English is one-upping them, which is perhaps why the French capital has recently taken such an interest in adding a certain je ne sais quoi to the classic cream tea.
Tea itself arrived in French ports in 1636 thanks to the Dutch; it would take over 20 years before it found its way to London. We do have the Brits to thank for the popularity of the brew, however; it took a wave of Anglomania in the 19th century for Parisians to truly warm to tea.
While Paris has its share of time-tested tea houses and tea rooms, it’s only recently that we’ve witnessed the surge of a new le tea time trend, particularly in palace hotels. Many of these offerings take hints from the time-tested French afternoon snack known as le goûter or le quatre heures, crafting a cream tea with a distinctive French accent – and loads of French pastries.
These luxe offerings are far from the only way you can take advantage of tea time in Paris. Pastry shops seem to have finally got the memo that not everyone is purchasing their pastries to take home in a pretty cardboard box and have thus installed tables, chairs, and even espresso machines allowing you to indulge onsite. And there are also a few hidden gems serving a French-style tea time that won’t overly lighten your wallet.
Here are our favorite spots in Paris for a tea time à la parisienne.
courtesy of Angelina Paris
Time-Tested Stalwarts
After 120 years on rue de Rivoli, Angelina hardly needs an introduction, and yet we’ll give it one anyway. This Art Nouveau tea salon was once a favorite of Coco Chanel’s, and Parisians and visitors alike continue to flock here for the sumptuous décor, rich African hot chocolate, and delectable pastries. The chestnut-and-vanilla Mont-Blanc is the house signature, rich and sweet enough to demand, not cocoa, but the emblematic house oolong scented with flower petals and sweet orange. A 37-euro goûter pairs a selection of savory bites with five mini pastries and a hot beverage of your choice.
226, rue de Rivoli, 75001
In the heart of Saint-Germain-des-Près, this Austrian pastry house has been turning out Viennese delicacies since 1928. Behind the understated façade are crammed as many tables – and cakes – as humanly possible. Go-tos include everything from homey crumbles and strudels to rich chocolate-apricot sachertorte. To pair, choose from among a dozen different teas like smoky lapsang souchong or white tea infused with litchi and rose, which are joined by mate, rooibos, and herbal infusions. And if you’ve got a richer palate, the Viennese-style hot chocolate with cream is a must.
Pâtisserie Viennoise – 8 Rue de l’École de Médecine, 75006
Lemon meringue tart courtesy of Pâtisserie Viennoise
Emphasis on the Tea
Founded in 1854, Mariage Frères has long been the best-known of Paris’s luxury tea houses. And with more than 600 different blends, it remains the perfect place for tea nerds. And at their shop in the Marais, sip their signature Marco Polo or Imperial Wedding with notes of chocolate alongside a copious array of savory amuse-bouches, freshly toasted scones with tea-infused Chantilly cream, and tea-scented pastries like matcha crème brûlée or a chocolate cake scented with black tea.
30 rue du Bourg Tibourg, 75004
Paris’s neo-Moorish mosque is well known for its shaded garden, where visitors indulge in tiny glasses of sweet mint tea and an assortment of Middle Eastern pastries. While you certainly can peer into the pastry case window to make your choices, insiders know to wait instead for waiters to pass between the tables, their trays laden with tantalizing makrout, pistachio purses, or syrupy baklava.
39, rue Geoffrey-Saint-Hilaire, 75005
Mariage Freres sign © Marian Jones
British bookshop Smith&Sons (formerly WH Smith) has transformed George Washington’s historic Parisian apartment into a hidden tea room that transports you straight to London, especially beginning at 3:30 pm, when the traditional cream is served. Choose between the Bronte menu (15) pairing your drink of choice with two scones, clotted cream, and strawberry-violet jam, or the High Sweets menu (50 for two) with four scones, two sandwiches, and four sweet bites including homemade cheesecake. Either way, you’ll indulge in your choice of tea from Betjeman & Barton, Parisian teasellers for over a century.
248, rue de Rivoli
Since 1980, this Marais tea shop has beckoned lovers of Alice in Wonderland to ensconce themselves in a cozy space bedecked with pleasantly mismatched chairs and tables and a wide array of pies, cakes, and crumbles. The tea menu is just as impressive, with nearly 30 to choose from, though most gravitate towards the sky-high lemon meringue pie, perfectly paired with the house Loir blend of green tea with fig, cherry, rhubarb, strawberries, and flowers.
3, rue des Rosiers, 75004
Pastry Shop Gems
Johanna Roques came to pastry later in life, after 20 years in the world of AV. She brings her energy, creativity, and aesthetic to her contemporary pastries, which change with the seasons: Think clementine-saffron tart in winter or a floral Framboisier in summer. And you’ll frequently find tea-laced pastries in the case, from a chai-infused tart with almond cream and caramel to a matcha-genmaicha creation or the Madame Rêve, a signature pairing roasted mango and green tea. A handful of on-site seats are the perfect place to linger with your choices, paired with locally roasted coffee or tea from Le Parti du Thé.
37, rue du roi de Sicile, 75004
Bontemps is famous for its dense, sticky lemon cake and just-sweet-enough sablés judiciously seasoned with flaky sea salt. But while both are available from the takeaway pâtisserie on rue de Bretagne, true insiders know instead to take a seat in one of the plush velour seats in the “secret garden” dining room for a cuppa and a house pastry. Most are built upon a base of that still-same sablé base, and whether you opt for the richness of the Paris-Bontemps, which oozes rich hazelnut praline, or the lightness of a seasonal fruit creation like an entremets of Sicilian orange and orange blossom, you will not leave disappointment. Tea-wise, the signature Premier Amour blend marries Chinese sencha green tea with orange blossom, strawberry, and wild blackberry leaves, and the three-mint green tea couldn’t be more refreshing.
57, rue de Bretagne, 75003
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Luxe Appeal
Le Tout-Paris, Le Cheval Blanc
Since 2019, Maxime Frédéric has been the official pastry chef of the Cheval Blanc hotel, and at the rooftop Tout Paris restaurant, you can take full advantage of his prowess and the jaw-dropping views over Paris. The bar menu allows you to choose from among pastries like his signature pastry-enrobed poached pear with raw, vanilla-scented cream or a Mont-Blanc paired with clementine sorbet, all paired with your choice of teas from Rare Tea.
8, quai du Louvre, 75001
Sink into a velvet chair in this luscious salon to dig into an imposing, three-storey offering that lends a distinctively French accent to the classic cream tea. The 105-euro Royal goûter à la française includes a selection of house-made sweet treats like house-made madeleines (appropriate for the space), a tea selection, and a coupe of Champagne. For 20 euros more, add a pastry from the Bar Vendôme’s selection like a classic vanilla mille-feuille or a chocolate creation infused with cherry and cardamom.
15, Place Vendôme, 75001
The Ritz Paris
Matthieu Carlin is one of the more understated palace hotel pastry chefs, and that’s part of what we love about him. His pastries feature heavily in the 108-euro tea time offering at the Crillon’s Jardin d’Hiver: Think seasonal desserts that may marry clementine with chestnut honey and Timut pepper or chocolate with coffee and green cardamom. They’re joined by savory bites like Comté gougères or lobster rolls, homemade scones, and a glass of Champagne.
10, place de la Concorde, 75008
At this luxury hotel tucked away in a quiet corner of the 8th arrondissement, 50 Best’s two-time World’s Best Pastry Chef Jessica Préalpato has crafted a wholly French goûter that may well be our favorite in Paris. For 65 euros, you’ll discover her signature miniature scones and other gourmandises like pancakes and sablés paired with house-made condiments, French honey, and raw cream. Next come a parade of choux, tarts, cakes, and even a plated dessert hearkening to French fine dining tradition. The array manages nevertheless not to overwhelm thanks to a judicious approach to sugar. An infusion crafted just for the experience accompanies each bite to perfection, but an optional coupe de Champagne truly anchors it in French tradition.
12 rue Jean Goujon, 75008
Lead photo credit : courtesy of Angelina
More in Afternoon Tea in Paris, Angelina, La Mosquée de Paris, Le Loir dans la Théière, Mariage Frères, Smith&Son, tea in Paris
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By Emily Monaco