Tea Rooms in Nottingham: Where to Book Afternoon Tea

Pot and Cake or Full Afternoon Tea?

The distinction matters for both budget and time. A cafe stop is a single pot and a bake, easy to fit between a museum and a castle, and it rarely needs a reservation. A full afternoon tea is a set sequence of savouries, scones and cakes that can run to a couple of hours and is usually priced per person, so it works best as the main event of an afternoon.

Nottinghamshire's tourism board describes cafes whose tables spill onto the streets in fine weather alongside traditional afternoon teas served across the county. That range is useful: you can pick a low-key stop on a busy sightseeing day and save the stand for a birthday or a theatre trip.

If scones and jam are the only thing you are after, a cream tea is a lighter and cheaper format than the full stand, and several Nottingham venues serve one. Our separate guide to a cream tea in Nottingham covers that shorter version in detail.

White Rabbit Teahouse: Two Sites, Unlimited Tea

White Rabbit Teahouse runs two sites, one at Bridlesmith Walk in the city centre and one at Tudor Square in West Bridgford, both described as tucked away from the busiest streets. Scones, cakes and tea arrive on china, and the tea and coffee are unlimited, which suits a long catch-up. The teahouses also offer a brunch high tea at lunchtime, built around breakfast dishes rather than the standard sandwich selection.

The reported prices are £23.90 per person for the standard afternoon tea, £28.90 with prosecco and £22.50 for the brunch option. The city-centre site sits at Bridlesmith Walk in the Lace Market, while West Bridgford means a trip out of the centre. It is also one of the classic stops for a White Rabbit Teahouse sit-down, with indoor tables and outdoor seating for warmer days.

Josephine's on Upper Parliament Street

Josephine's sits at 49 Upper Parliament Street, directly opposite the Theatre Royal, which makes it a natural choice before a show. The room is styled as a traditional British space with artwork on the walls and music from several eras, and the menu covers afternoon tea, pre-theatre dining and a full English breakfast. The afternoon tea brings sandwiches, scones and patisserie cakes, with a prosecco option; Josephine's own menu page lists the current price.

The tea list runs to more than 30 varieties, including the house breakfast blend, Earl Grey, fruit and herbal infusions, so keen tea drinkers get more choice than the usual pot of English breakfast. The restaurant takes bookings online and says walk-ins are welcome, but reserving is advised at weekends and on theatre days. Its own site lists the address, phone number and menu pages, which is where to confirm sitting times before a show.

Colwick Hall: Georgian House and Grounds

Colwick Hall on Racecourse Road is a Georgian house set in more than fifty acres of grounds, and its afternoon tea is reported at £23.95 per person. Guests get a selection of finger sandwiches, chef's savouries and a range of cakes and desserts in grand, formal rooms. It is the pick if you want the setting to carry the occasion rather than a busy cafe.

The grounds once belonged to the poet Lord Byron, and a walk round them afterwards is part of the appeal, with Colwick Country Park also within reach on foot. Because the hall sits outside the city centre, allow extra time for the journey and book a table rather than turning up. The hall appears in our wider guide to afternoon tea for two in Nottingham as a special-occasion option.

The Pudding Pantry: Three Sites and Takeaway

The Pudding Pantry serves afternoon tea on birdcage-style trays, with cakes, rolls and wraps arranged for display as much as eating. There are three locations: Trinity Square in the city centre, Mansfield Road in Sherwood and High Road in Beeston. You can eat in or take the whole thing away for a party at home, which few full afternoon tea venues offer.

Prices at The Pudding Pantry are higher than the city average, with tiers for the classic tea, a prosecco version and a bottomless afternoon tea; compare current listings before you book. Sherwood and Beeston both mean leaving the centre, so check bus routes before committing to a slot. The takeaway format suits families or groups who would rather not book a table at all.

The Hockley Arts Club: Saturday Sessions

The Hockley Arts Club on Carlton Street hides a set of themed rooms behind the main streets, including an art deco space, an upstairs room with blossom trees and a vintage room where the tea is usually served. The afternoon tea is reported as available on Saturdays only, so a weekday visit will not get you a stand. Warm pastries, sandwiches and sweets such as cheesecake and macarons make up the food.

The Hockley Arts Club offers a non-alcohol option, a standard afternoon tea and a bottomless option that includes unlimited prosecco for 90 minutes; check current prices when booking. Because the service is limited to one day a week, this is the venue to book furthest ahead, especially for groups. If your dates are fixed, check the Saturday availability before building the rest of the day around it.

Debbie Bryan: Tea and a Craft Workshop

Debbie Bryan combines a tea room with craft workshops at St Peter's Gate in the Lace Market and on High Street in Ruddington. The tea menu is unusually flexible, with regular afternoon tea, cream teas, children's and teen's teas, gin cocktail teas, a champagne tea for two and a picnic to go. Prices for the regular afternoon tea start at a fixed per-person rate, so check the current menu when booking.

You can pair tea with the craft of the month at a discount on the regular price, which makes this the best choice if you want an activity rather than just a meal. The Lace Market site is central and walkable from Old Market Square, while Ruddington needs a trip out of town. The Lace Market setting fits neatly into a day of museums and the city's historic streets.

Bread and Butterflies: Fully Vegan High Tea

Bread and Butterflies on Trent Boulevard in West Bridgford is a 100% plant-based cafe, with a vegan high tea of sandwiches, scones and a pot of tea reported at £12.95 per person. The scones come with coconut cream and jam rather than dairy cream, and the cake counter carries bakes such as millionaires shortbread, chocolate tiffin and raspberry, yoghurt and coconut cake.

At that price it is the cheapest full tea on this list by a wide margin, and it is the obvious answer for vegan diners who usually get a limited choice. West Bridgford sits south of the river, so plan a bus or a longer walk rather than expecting to stroll there from the station. The cafe's own site is the place to confirm what is on the counter that day.

Simpler Stops for a Pot and a Slice

Not every tea stop needs a booking. Malt Cross, a Grade-2 listed Victorian music hall just off Old Market Square and one of the few still operating in the UK, serves homemade food and its own coffee blend under a glass roof and iron balconies. Hockley Kitchen in the heart of Hockley makes breakfasts, lunches, cakes and coffee to order, with alternative milks, vegan cheese and gluten-free rolls.

Delilah on Victoria Street near Old Market Square is a delicatessen and restaurant for lunch or a hamper of local produce. The Homemade Pavilion by Forest Recreation Ground suits a stop before or after a walk in the park. Esquires Coffee in Clifton serves Fairtrade and organic drinks with breakfast, brunch and afternoon tea if you are staying south of the city.

Booking, Timings and Trade-offs

Book first for the Saturday-only Hockley Arts Club and for Josephine's on theatre days, when the room opposite the Theatre Royal fills before curtain-up. Colwick Hall and Debbie Bryan both reward advance booking because the setting is the point. Walk-ins are workable at Josephine's and at the simpler cafes, but weekends are when tables get tight.

Allow around two hours for a full stand; a pot and a slice takes far less. The brunch high tea at White Rabbit Teahouse and the takeaway option at The Pudding Pantry are the two formats that break the usual pattern, one earlier in the day and one off-site. Prices quoted here are reported figures and menus change, so check the current price when you book.

City Centre Versus Out-of-Centre Venues

The city centre holds Josephine's, White Rabbit Teahouse's Bridlesmith Walk site, The Pudding Pantry at Trinity Square, The Hockley Arts Club and Debbie Bryan in the Lace Market, all within walking distance of Old Market Square. That cluster makes a car-free tea trip easy to plan around a museum or a castle visit.

West Bridgford has the Tudor Square site of White Rabbit Teahouse and Bread and Butterflies on Trent Boulevard, both south of the river. Sherwood and Beeston have Pudding Pantry branches, Ruddington has the second Debbie Bryan, and Colwick Hall sits on Racecourse Road to the east. Group your bookings by area so you are not crossing the city twice in an afternoon.

Plan Your Visit

Pick the format first: a cafe pot in Hockley or at Malt Cross for a quick stop, or a booked stand at Josephine's, Colwick Hall, White Rabbit Teahouse or Debbie Bryan for an occasion. Then choose by area: city centre for walking, West Bridgford, Sherwood, Beeston or Ruddington if you are staying out that way. Vegan diners should head straight to Bread and Butterflies, and anyone set on The Hockley Arts Club needs a Saturday.

Book the popular sittings before you travel, especially for weekends and theatre nights, and confirm the current per-person price with the venue when you do. For venues beyond the city boundary, check the bus route before fixing a time.