
The Balcon Afternoon Tea: Free-Flowing Champagne & Decadent Delights
There appears to be a new trend when it comes to afternoon tea in London; free-flowing drinks. This is something I can definitely get behind, as the only thing better than a glass of champers is, well, bottomless champers!
Several top end hotels and restaurants across the city are now offering free-flowing champagne afternoon teas, and so I decided to book my friend and I a special treat during our recent day trip to the capital.
After some research I chose a very classy looking dining venue in central London: The Balcon. Located on Pall Mall, just opposite the Institute of Directors, The Balcon is a restaurant attached to the Sofitel London St James Hotel ā although it does have its own standalone entrance.
The Balcon is stunning to the eye with its high ceilings, classical decoration and chandeliers. As you come in off the street youāre greeted by its namesake ā a beautiful balcony with swirling staircases where you can see the champagne is stored. Before your eyes are drawn away from it youāll be welcomed by a stylishly dressed member of staff (I loved the waitersā braces!) whoāll take you to your table and get you settled in with some water and a menu.
Afternoon tea options at The Balcon
Several afternoon tea options are available at The Balcon: the main offering is a well priced £28, but you can add a glass of champagne for £31 or a glass of Moët & Chandon for £38. We, of course, went for the free-flowing champagne afternoon tea, which at £48, I thought was a very decent deal for London.
One thing I loved was that there was also a childrenās afternoon tea on offer for Ā£18 (or Ā£30 for two). Le GoĆ»ter as it is known, includes a variety of finger sandwiches, cakes and fresh fruit served in an artistās paint box with a colouring kit. How cute?
Our food came quickly after ordering; particularly impressive as we had requested a special vegetarian version for my friend. Our teas were served at roughly the same time, and only then did the champagne glasses come out and our first drinks poured.
An impressive variety of teas on offer
I was very impressed with the tea menu, which offered a selection of black, light and green, herbal and spiced or smoky teas, as well as some āBalcon favouritesā and several rare and seasonal offerings.
Always game to try a new tea I went for one of the specials, the Pu-erh Meghai, which was described in the menu as a warm and earthy Chinese tea with flavours of biscuit, caramel, vanilla and sweet almond and a long and sweet aftertaste.
Intriguing, yes? Sadly it appears to be an acquired taste. I found the smell of the tea off-putting; to my nose it had a smoky, fishy smell. The flavour was gentler than youād expect from the pungent odour, but still not my cup of tea (Arf ā sorry, not sorry).
I gave it a fair go however, but eventually accepted that it wasnāt for me. I let our waiter know, and he was more than happy for me to order a different tea. Another plus point for the service Āā when they checked on us we were asked if we wanted more hot water and were also invited to try different teas if weād like.
All you can drink afternoon tea in London
I was also very impressed with the bottomless champagne service ā this is supposed to be served for 90 minutes from your reservation time, but Iām pretty sure we were there for longer and the waiters would regularly come along and top us up. They were far from stingy with the volume you drank or the quality too; we were served chilled MoĆ«t throughout and never once had to ask for our glasses to be filled.
Afternoon tea with a French twist
At the Balcon you can expect an afternoon tea with a French twist; the tea selection comes from French firm Dammann, and the food wasnāt entirely traditional afternoon fare; something I really liked.
Sure some of the finger sandwiches were classics, like the soft roll filled with fresh salmon and cream cheese (perhaps a bit too over zealous with the lemon for my liking, however) but the egg mayonnaise came served like a Swiss roll and other sandwiches included slices of tomato bread and fillings such as turkey, lettuce and spiced mayo (just the right amount of kick) and aubergine, hummus and courgette.
The freshly baked scones ā still warm when they reached the table ā may not have risen well but they were delicious, with the perfect crunchy exterior and warm, moist centre. Extra points came for the three variations we were offered, classic, fruit and dark chocolate chip. Served with clotted cream, rose-scented strawberry jam and lemon curd, I have to say they disappeared pretty darn quickly.
Parisian pastries
Our afternoon tea was topped off with a small selection of French pastries. There were only four ā one of each ā but they were far from mini and each was easy to split between two. It appeared that each table had their own selection, as a few tables down I saw what looked like some kind of choux pastry on their top tier, but our collection was made up of a pistachio and macha green tea cake, lemon cheesecake, an apricot and elderflower dessert and my favourite; a fresh raspberry macaron. These were all colourful, sweet and just the right amount to share.
Final thoughts
As cool places to have afternoon tea in London go, this rates highly! My highlights (aside from the obvious free-flowing champagne) were the gorgeous scones and the macaron. The only downside Iād say was not having a breakdown of the menu before our food was served; I do prefer knowing what all the dishes are before they come out in case thereās something I really donāt like (picky eater alert) and may want to change.
Overall I really enjoyed my free-flowing champagne Balcon afternoon tea. I loved the elegant European setting of the brasserie and throughout our visit the staff were attentive but not overbearing. Also we never felt rushed making it a lovely and relaxing experience for my friend and I to catch up.
Finally, I thought for London it offered really good value for money. I found out about The Balcon via Bookatable, which has a great selection of free-flowing menus deals offering everything from lunches and brunches through to afternoon tea. If youāre interested in trying The Balconās champagne afternoon tea out for yourself this is the place to go!
Do you, like me, love a good afternoon tea? If the answer is yes, you might be interested in my Global Afternoon Tea Challenge. Taking one for the team (arenāt I kind?!) Iām currently undertaking the tough task of reviewing afternoon tea in every city I visit. Why not check out the places Iāve been to so far?
Ā
Our afternoon teas were complimentary for the purposes of this review. However, as always, all views are my own.



21 Comments
Emma @ Adventures of a London Kiwi
This has to be the tastiest challenge ever!
Keri
Ha ha, I can’t complain! š
Catherine
This looks like a really good option for afternoon tea in London as it’s a lot cheaper than some others. I also love the novelty of never ending champagne!
Keri
Yes I was really impressed with the prices Catherine – especially for bottomless Moet!
Elizabeth
I love afternoon tea! Thanks for filling my cup today with these great pictures and descriptions. #CityTripping
Keri
My pleasure! š
jo
I totally love afternoon tea and this one is a real bargain – Ā£48 for unlimited champagne for 90 mins and the tea?! You’ve discovered a real gem here. The tea looks beautiful, the building looks very impressive and the whole experience looks just the type of thing I love, afternoon tea is my favourite meal. Please invite me to your next one! Pinned for my next trip to London #CityTripping
Keri
Jo, you’re more than welcome to come along to our next tea! Yeah I have to say Im pretty impressed with this find š
Lyf&Spice
Wow.. if only all the tea-times were like this].. Lovely pics too <3 #citytripping
Keri
Aww thanks! x
Vanessa Brune
I have yet to try afternoon tea but this one sounds particularly intriguing – also because of the champagne of course š The pastries look super delicious though!!
Keri
Ah Van, we need to remedy this! Shout if you head over to the UK and we’ll take you out. Afternoon tea is the best!
Cathy (MummyTravels)
Ooh now this is tempting! I haven’t done afternoon tea for ages – and free-flowing champagne always gets my vote, especially when there’s lovely cake alongside. Ā£48 seems rather a bargain for London too. The question… do I take my daughter so she can try the child menu or make it adult-only champagne time? Thanks for linking up with #citytripping
Keri
Tough choice! How often do kids get their own afternoon tea options though? š
Sarah
I’m totally drooling, this looks unbelievable! I’ve just done a bunch of “research” on afternoon tea in London (trying to find the best GF ones) and it’s actually shocking how expensive it can be! 48GBP is pricy by other cities’ standards but with free flowing champers I’d say that’s a great deal in London š
Keri
Uhhu – especially in London. You often get ‘teas that are just as good, or even better, than UK ones in Asia for Ā£20 or less! The cheapest I think I had was around a tenner in Sri Lanka! :O
Ania
Beautiful location, and the package was definitely good value for London. Where is next on the list?? š
Keri
Hmm, decisions decisions Ania. Any preferences? Didn’t we talk about the Rock n roll one?
Ania
Ah yes! I’ll have a look into it again and see how long it’s on for š
Marcella ~ WhatAWonderfulWorld
Just the title alone had me, who doesn’t love a perfect afternoon tea, especially when champagne is involved? Afternoon tea is such a fun treat and I love how it is so Iconic too š
Keri
Ha ha – I had you at champagne, huh? š