Top 5 Restaurants for the Best Afternoon Tea in Ottawa

One of my favourite experiences is to get dressed up and try new afternoon tea restaurants in Ottawa, Ontario. The capital has some great places spread across the city and it’s a fun activity to plan with mothers/grandmothers, nieces, girlfriends or a significant other. Here are some of my favourite restaurants for afternoon tea in Ottawa.

Château Laurier/Zoe’s Ottawa Afternoon Tea

The Fairmont Chateau Laurier hosts Afternoon Tea year round, with a special Holiday Tea menu during the Christmas season. During the COVID-19 pandemic, they started offering Afternoon Tea for take-out! You can still order Afternoon Tea for take-out, if you prefer to have it at home. They also offer Princess/Prince tea: an Afternoon Tea for kids who might not enjoy the fancier sandwiches and it comes with tea or hot chocolate.

The Afternoon Tea menu includes a variety of sandwiches, desserts, scones with cream and jam and enough loose leaf tea for a pot. You can order one tower for two people and there is a “Sharing Fee” (which is essentially for an extra pot of tea).

This is a perfect outing to get dressed up and head to Ottawa’s own castle! It’s also a perfect “experience gift”: a gifted experience rather than something material. Pre-booking online is required to secure your spot.

Vanitea Room Afternoon Tea

The Vanitea Room has the BEST decor in the city. Unfortunately with the lockdown, they expect to open later in January and when indoor dining is allowed, I highly recommend checking them out. You can also order a tea box for one, available on weekends (see here). While I have yet to try their afternoon tea, I’ve enjoyed their brunch and bottomless mimosas and do recommend them! They also have my favourite tea (Sloane Tea, $10 coupon here) and I love the Heavenly Cream black tea.

TIP: Vanitea Room sometimes have a Groupon so that’s worth checking out in advance.

Cafe Cristal Afternoon Tea

I celebrated my 28th birthday at Cafe Cristal with a group of friends and the food was scrumptious. Similar to the Chateau Laurier Afternoon Tea, one tier is plenty of food for two people. We ordered 3 tiers for 6 people and it was the perfect amount. They also have Sloane Tea available to purchase in tins.

This is another spot in Ottawa that has amazing decor and is perfectly instagrammable.

Quelque Chose Pâtisserie Afternoon Tea

Quelque Chose is definitely my favourite place in the city for macarons and I always make time to stop any time I’m in Westboro. They also have Afternoon Tea available for take out and reservations can be made online. It’s a bit more affordable and certainly as delicious as some of the other options on this list!

Life of Pie Afternoon Tea

Life of Pie is one of my favourite restaurants in the city and has amazing pies, quiche and brunch! I’ve been excited to try their afternoon tea for a while but unfortunately have been unable to because of COVID. I hope they bring it back but if they don’t, I still recommend picking up their scones for afternoon tea at home!

NOTE: they are no longer offering Afternoon Tea but I hope they bring it back!

https://lifeofpie.ca/afternoon-tea-2/

Afternoon Tea from Home

While there are a few restaurants in the city offering afternoon tea take-out, you can always opt to make your own at home! You can pick up a box of 4 or 6 scones from Vanitea or scones from Life of Pie, a few macarons from Quelque Chose Patisserie and make sandwiches from home.

Honourable Mention: MacKenzie King Estate

MacKenzie King Estate is not within the City of Ottawa limits, but it’s a fantastic location just outside the city, across the Ottawa River. Enjoy the beautiful gardens, a short walk through the forest and the ruins on the grounds to make an afternoon of it! NOTE: The estate no longer offers Afternoon Tea – but it’s a fun outing nonetheless.