If you're wandering around Covent Garden and love tea even a little bit, you have to pop into the Whittard tea shop. It's right in the Market Building and honestly feels like a cozy little escape from the busy streets outside. The shop is beautiful (especially when decorated during the Christmas holiday season) and is packed with teas, hot chocolates, and all kinds of gift-worthy goodies. The best part? You can try a bunch of stuff before you decide what to buy. The staff is super friendly and know their stuff, so don't be shy about asking for recommendations. They cater to both locals and tourists alike, and it's a very friendly, welcoming shopping experience. They've got all the classics like Earl Grey and English Breakfast, but also some more unusual blends that'll elevate your everyday cup. I'm obsessed with their Covent Garden Blend and Milk Oolong. It's also a great place to stock up on gifts (or treats for yourself). Everything feels really high-quality, but the prices are surprisingly reasonable. I always leave Whittard with a bag full of tea and goodies. Whether you're a die-hard tea fan or just curious, it's totally worth a visit. read more

I stumbled across this tea house by accident and I'm truly grateful I went in. The shop was bustling, probably due to the number of samples they were offering. I've never heard of a powdered tea, and it really does make a good cup. I bought a few cartons for souvenirs. I wish I had gone back for their hot chocolate! I'd recommend their Turkish Apple tea. The workers were friendly and happy to make suggestions. read more

A must try, there's something for everyone here! I initially came here just looking for teas but was wowed by the hot chocolate as well. I appreciate all of the tasting stands and jars to smell the teas, which helped me decide what to purchase. The staff were extremely helpful and were able to recommend different types of packaging or teas. I felt like the more unusual blends were a bit expensive but the more affordable options also tasted great. read more

Great spot for afternoon tea w/ friends or family. The teas were good, but not very strong in flavor. Our most favorites were the scones w/ jam and clotted cream and the sandwiches. The pastries were alright. Staff was friendly but very busy most of the time. read more

Whittards - Coffee & Tea Near Me - London, XGL

A perfect spot for you afternoon tea right on Covent Garden. They have a great selection of tea and tea related items. The staff was really friendly and knowledgeable. Their sconces with the jam and clotted cream was delicious. Highly recommend getting a reservation as it can get busy on that area of Covent Garden. Yelper Tip #1: You can get more hot water for your tea if you finish your first pot. Just ask the staff. Yelper Tip #2: if you're dining in...you can ask a staff for a card/pass to use the loo (restrooms) instead of paying. The restrooms are down a few steps by the small courtyard read more

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I love Whittards tea. I came here to buy some tea to take home and also enjoy afternoon tea. If you are not sure what type last of tea you like, try many of their samples they have available. I ended up trying so many of them during my last visit here. New discovery for me here that their hot chocolate is quite good too. Afternoon tea area is a tad small and busy, nonetheless friendly service and yummy tea and sweets served here. read more

Afternoon tea can be expensive, so we found the Whittard which was quite affordable. It is definitely a great spot for afternoon tea w/ friends or family. The teas were good but not that strong in flavor. My most favorites were the scones w/ jam and clotted cream and the sandwiches. They were so delicious that I ordered some to take home. The pastries were ok, not my most favorite. The shop also sells many of their whittard tea things. Cute spot! read more

For a first-timer in London, this hidden gem was a little difficult to locate as there are two Whittards of Chelsea in the Covent Garden market hall. It is actually located one floor below ground, where all the other restaurants are and not at the tea shop on the ground level (although there is another tea shop connected to the Tea Room). I got lost and when I asked where the Afternoon Tea was at the Tea Shop they thought I meant the tea and they showed me the tea blend called 'Afternoon Tea'.... BUT regardless the staff here were super friendly and welcoming! We were quite late for our booking but they still accommodated us right away. They have a huge selection of tea sets to choose from and all of them are quite affordable compared to other fancy afternoon places. The scones and the sandwiches were amazing and they offered us three different flavours of jam along with three different textures of cream for the scones! The cakes were good too, but the selection was not amazing. The only other thing that we were not accustomed to seeing was the salad that came with the sandwiches...it did not look fitting and we were a little confused how to eat it without taking apart the plate tower. Anyhow, definitely check this place out if you are in the area (you can make an online booking if you know what time you are going to secure a table) and, I will definitely come back again next time I am in London to try some more of the their teas and afternoon tea sets! read more

Whittards - Coffee & Tea Near Me - London, XGL

One of my favorite shops in London. I packed my suitcase full of these hot chocolate. They are very rich but not too sweet. They made great gifts for part of my "Will you be my Bridesmaid" packages and my family especially loved the Mumbai Spice White Chocolate. They also have an assortment of teas, but I was mostly interested in the hot chocolate. This is a chain and they are all around London so might sure to stop by at one. read more

Nice assortment of teas with tastings both upstairs and downstairs. There are more teas to sample and space to walk around downstairs, so don't get stuck with the upstairs area. Some of the teas are very hot, so take your time when sampling. I think it would be more helpful if there were some sugar added, as well as, signs to signify whether certain teas were hot or cold. read more

Whittards - Coffee & Tea Near Me - London, XGL

So nice, I had to visit twice. I could spent oodles of time at Whittard, sipping on samples to my heart's content. The downstairs is much bigger and probably where you'll hang out. It was very busy, but there were plenty of staffers milling about. Aside from tea, Whittard offers coffee, hot chocolate, and supplies. The teas come in all sorts (black, white, herbals, and so on), and there's even an area where you can sniff them before buying. If you want a full-sized tea, there's a little bar off to the side near the hot chocolates where you can order up a refreshing beverage. I do wish all of their teas came in small tins though since I was digging a certain blend and didn't want to buy a giant container of it. Eventually I bought a similar tea in a tin for £6. I also got roped into joining their mailing list and got a free teabag, score! read more

What a fantastic tea room! All the cakes, scones, the clotted cream and jams as well as the elderflower early grey tea were fantastic. I left so happy and satisfied that I dream of the day that I'll return to London to have it again. We ordered the Chelsea tea option for £16.50pp and it was more than enough. read more

Whittards - Chelsea tea option - Coffee & Tea Near Me - London, XGL

The drinking of tea is possibly the most famous cultural trait of the British. Whittard takes tea to the next level, offering weird and wonderful varieties I've never heard of from all over the world, and several kinds of drinking and brewing apparatuses. Interesting types included chilli tea, oolong tea and good old South African rooibos tea. If tea isn't your thing, then Whittards definitely isn't your kind of store. But they also stock a range of coffees, chocolates and small stocking fillers of every kind. A cool-sounding present for that lady in your life would be bathtub teabags, though you'd have to be careful with those in the case that some Briton ever gets bitten by a radioactive bug and grows thirty foot tall, rips through your wall and decides to have a tea break while you're soaking in the bath. read more

Whittards - Whittards of Chelsea Ltd - Coffee & Tea Near Me - London, XGL

Came here from Los Angeles and such an incredible experience! The service was wonderful as well as everything presented!! A must if you are traveling from far for an English Experience read more

Whittards - Coffee & Tea Near Me - London, XGL

I'd had their tea before when they used to have a shop in Boston. When I saw they were in Covent Garden I had to pop round. What a cute little space they have downstairs! It was very cozy. I bought some gifts for others (and for myself, who am I kidding!). The tea is great but my favorite souvenir is the Alice in Wonderland porcelain creamer and sugar bowl, which i will treasure. Super friendly staff! They have a lot of interesting teas and accessories and the tea shop/cafe part looked adorable too. read more

Okay, let's me start off. Very chic and neat place. The staff is very nice and knowledgeable. If you live in the states then tea, stones & sandwiches for this price is a little steep. It's was $15 pounds for one person, converting that to US was $20. Everything was tasty. The only things I thought they should do it put a little more tea in the pot. I drink a lot of tea and it should have flavor when you sip it but when I sip the jade oolong tea that comes with the meal. It was a bit watery. The server was nice. They move pretty fast of service. People come and go very fast. read more

Whittards - Coffee & Tea Near Me - London, XGL

This is will be one of my favorite nights in London. My husband was a little confused since it was his first afternoon tea. He loved it! The teas, food and staff all amazing. read more

Whittards - Coffee & Tea Near Me - London, XGL

Afternoon tea and a bite of scrumptious scone after a day of window shopping was what we wanted and that was exactly what we got. We stepped in around 4 or 5 pm (or 1600 or 1700), and the wait was not brutal. We could order tea and sweets a la carte rather than being forced to order from the prix fixe menu, so we felt extra liberated and glad we didn't go to hotel for traditional afternoon tea. read more

Whittards - Afternoon tea - Coffee & Tea Near Me - London, XGL

Such an adorable place to stop in for a casual and affordable tea. We stopped in here on a soggy day after visiting the Tate London and it was such a nice place to sit for a few hours before doing more sightseeing. It's on the lower level and is very cozy but without feeling too cramped. The teas and treats (especially scones and clotted cream) were lovely. read more

3 for 2 offers are AMAZING at Whittards. The tea's not bad, it doesn't smell as nice as twinings infusions but helluva choice! Also the different flavoured hot chocs! I have a serious obsession!! I'd avoid the cherry hot chocolate flavour, they market it as new, I'd market it as cack. The shop assistant is a bit moody but she's helpful and gives you free tea anyways, could do with a smily assistant please. read more

LOVE Whittard tea! The first time I came here was two years ago when I was studying abroad in the UK. That time when we came there were so many deals going on I wish I took advantage of them all! When I came back to London again this month I made it a mission to make it to a Whittard somewhere and it just happened to be the same one at Covent Garden. The staff was super friendly and helpful, not to mention very sociable although our cashier had a bit of trouble calculating change... Most of the tea downstairs you can also find upstairs and don't forget the free samples upstairs! Also, one of the staff members said that if we ever wanted to try a tea we could just go upstairs and ask them to make it for us. Didn't actually go ask for a specific tea but that's a very nice service to provide. read more

Stopped by here because every place else had a long wait and we needed to eat before a show. They had a great open faced sourdough avocado sandwich and a great tea selection as well. Very cute store, I wish I spent some more time in! read more

Love this location because Covent Garden can be quite plesant on the right day but on the wrong day. When I worked in the city, this was usually my first stop on the way home before home. Why? Free samples. And the sample girl is always so cute but being Covent Garden, she probably get worked to death. And this location is really nice looking, a little crowded at times and they seem to crowd the place with displays and merchandise. No matter, but what matters is that they still carry my Dreamtime Instant Tea. I had a friend from El Salvador, didn't speak perfect English and I gave a hot cup of the dreamtime. And he moaned and cursed and praised God in a way a Spanish speaking person can do well. I certainly hope that they still carry the Mango-Orange Instant Tea because that's good as well. Tube station just right there, it's in the middle of everything, meaning it's in the middle of a tourist trap. Try the Dreamtime Instant Tea, buy it now. read more

I went here to buy some chocolates here the other day but they were unfortunately sold out of the ones I like; luxury truffle. Being stubborn I didn't go for anything else, I'll just wait until they restock. The shop is cute, very tiny and very squashed full of stuff, all two floors of it. It has a lovely feeling about it, but that must be the result of having such quaint merchandise; tea and chocolate. As a non-tea drinker I don't take much notice of it but I have noticed that they offer free samples of tea out most mornings when I pass the shop. If only it were hot chocolate I'd be their best customer. The staff are pleasant, but as a chocoholic I feel the sales assistant could have been more sympathetic when she broke the bad news to me. Instead she told me that I should go to the Regent Street branch if I really wanted some truffles. It's a good shop, but of little interest to me unless it is fully chocolate stocked at all times. read more

We came here for a proper English afternoon tea, which was absolutely delicious! The service was friendly and helpful. We also bought teas to take home with us. read more

There's a few of these dotted around the city like sprinkles on a cupcake. Well, to be frank, sprinkles on a cupcake might be pretty exciting - they are pretty hard to beat. Anyhow, I went into Whittard looking for a good tea. I was aching for my favorite brew - a potent, spicy orange peel and clove, cinnamon and maybe crack (because it's damn addictive) tea from Seattle. I browsed around the store. "Orange Spice." The tea was described as strong and orange with spices - or something along those lines. I went to the sales lady. "Is this tea strong? I want a potent tea, something with body." "Yes," she replied, "It's very strong and is similar to a Christmas flavor tea." I bought it. I went home and brewed a bag. Disappointing. It was definitely not what I was looking for. I found the tea to be watery, lacking oompf. One great thing about this store though, and other like it, is that generally has free samples of tea and sometimes even chocolate-covered coffee beans. Mmmm. The samples are very tasty, though I imagine they have more sugar than a sugar daddy. They also sell a brilliant teapot here which looks like a telephone booth. read more

everything is amazing! Staff is lovely and food is fantastic. Decently recommend 10/10!!

This tea shop was on the bottom floor of the shopping centre in Covent Garden. It was super cute down there and all of the staff were friendly and helpful. The food was delicious and it's quite nice bc you can choose which cakes you want to have. The tea selection was amazing and what we tried was very good. We had the Piccadilly tea and an infusion and both were extremely good! I would def go back and I highly recommend. read more

Whittards - Coffee & Tea Near Me - London, XGL

I am frustrated that the first time I decide to order direct from Whittards it is such a debacle. I usually ask friends to buy tea and ship it. This time I decided to buy direct and it has been a disaster. I thought I would have my tea in a few days and it is almost three weeks and I have to keep emailing to find any status at all. I find out the order was lost and do I want them to refund or ship the order again. I replied ship again on 31Dec10 and have heard nothing back. I thought the Tea is really good and the company is long-standing, they will fix this. To my chagrin, I find out that your customer service is horrible. read more

Love this place because I'm chinese.....I LOVE TEA....no....IM ADDICTED TO TEA LOL. Whittards is great because the quality of the tea is pretty good for the price, makes nice gifts also. They have a area for you to try out a lot of teas also if your curious before buying a flavor or just curious how their teas taste aka free samples. The ladies working their were very helpful in helping me find a few different bags suited for my friends as gifts. Def would recommend this place. They have a store upstairs and downstairs. Truthfully their tea goes well with laduree macrons lol. read more

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We had afternoon tea here. The service was good and the sandwiches were yummy. The scone and clotted cream was amazing. Very relaxing and cozy place right in the center of Covent garden marketplace. Will define come here again. read more

Tea sandwiches, scones and cakes...yummy! We've tried Paul's and Brittany's, this place is our fav pick! They have a bigger selection of tea and a really cute gift shop. The wait staff was really accommodating and nice. read more

Our experience at this place was far from positive and centered around the attitude of a single waitress. After waiting 10 minutes to be seated with no line and less than half empty restaurant we finally were seated. We were then expected to wait until she felt she was ready to hand us a menu? After a further 10 minutes we got up and left to have the door slammed in our backs. Worst experience London re-think before spending vacation dollars at this place. read more

Love Whittards for the Guatemala Elephant beans - discovered this variety of huge beans at a 3-star Michelin restaurant in Bruges and went back to London and found it. Great tea accessories too. read more

Charming! While in London for a week we stopped in for tea and sandwiches one afternoon and were so impressed that we went back three evenings in a row. The sandwiches were wonderful and the desserts were out of this world (try the cheesecakes for a real treat). We had the pleasure of a different waitresses each evening and all three were friendly, helpful, and very knowledgeable about their teas. They each made the experience a total pleasure. Note that most of the teas and drinking chocolates that are available in the store are also available in the tea room which gives you a chance to try before you buy. The white hot drinking chocolate is amazing! read more

This tea shop was absolutely amazing! My friends were raving about this shop as soon as they discovered it. I was a bit of a skeptic at first. I'm a huge tea lover in the States so I'm very picky when it comes to teas. I love how they set up free tea at their shop so you can taste a bunch of different teas. My favorite tea is the Cherry Blossom green tea. I haven't tasted tea so delicious in such a long time. My friend, husband, and I enjoyed trying all the different teas. I'm blown away at how they have a huge selection of teas and coffees. Not only that, you can order drinks at the shop as well or even have an English tea in their café area. If you ever visit Covent Garden, you have to stop by and visit Whittard of Chelsea. Try all of their free teas on display. You're bound to fall in love with their teas. read more