London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Jul 31, 2025

5 Secret And Hidden London Tearooms And Cafes

London's not short of cake shops and tearooms - something we're grateful for everyday - but when you're looking for somewhere a little off the beaten track, these are your best bets:

The Basement Tea Rooms, Camden Market

Photo: Camden Market

Unless someone told you about it, you'd be unlikely to ever stumble across the Basement Tea Rooms in Camden Market. In fact, even knowing about it, it can be tricky to find (go down the steps by the Amy Winehouse statue and The Cheese Bar, and when you get to the bottom do a U-turn to your left. Then follow your cakenose along the wooden-floored corridor to the very end. You're welcome.).

Among the street food stalls of the area, The Basement Tea Rooms is a refreshingly calm change.  This corner of Camden Stables Market is still configured like its namesake stables, and while you're not exactly dining on haystacks, the old-fashioned barriers, leather booths and floor-to-ceiling wood look more like something out of a western film than a trendy London market. Colourful bunting and rails of retro clothing ensure that you don't forget you're in Camden, while you tuck into coffee, cakes, afternoon tea or an all-day breakfast. There's often showtunes playing, portion sizes are generous, and the vintage china is an Instagram bonus.

Saucer & Spritz at Oasis, Tottenham Court Road

Image: Saucer & Spritz

That's right — fashion chain Oasis has a tea room tucked away upstairs in its Tottenham Court Road store. Saucer & Spritz deals in cakes and cocktails in equal measure, and although it describes itself as a cocktail bar foremost, we've always found the kitsch interiors perfectly conducive to a mid-shop cake stop.

Floral wallpaper, decadent lighting and colourfully-tiled tables make for a feminine atmosphere, while the delicate bars at one end of the mezzanine cafe give the illusion of eating in a giant bird cage, while shoppers browse below.

Afternoon tea needs to be pre-ordered, but cream teas, cakes, brunches and hot and cold drinks can be enjoyed on a walk-in basis. And if you do end up washing it down with a cocktail or two... well, who are we to judge?

Cake Hole at Vintage Heaven, Columbia Road

Photo: Cake Hole Cafe at Vintage Heaven

As with all of the best hidden treasures, we stumbled across this one quite by accident while wandering among the dying embers of Columbia Road flower market mid-afternoon one Sunday. Vintage Heaven is an independently-owned vintage shop specialising in crockery, china, glass and kitchenalia.

Of course, the next step for a place with so many dainty dishes, twee teapots and cute crockery is a vintage tearoom... and that's exactly what you'll find if you head to the rear of the shop. Cake Hole is a kitsch and cosy place, with vintage mirrors and artwork lining the walls, and a mixture of wooden chairs and church pew-style seating.

Photo: Vintage Heaven

The menu reads like a who's-who of the London cake scene: cakes from Primrose Bakery, scones from Rinkoff Bakery, and jam from English Preserves of Borough Market.

Note, Vintage Heaven and Cake Hole are only open at weekends, like many of the businesses on Columbia Road.

The Orangery at the Fan Museum, Greenwich

Image: The Orangery

Most people don't even know that London has a Fan Museum, let alone that said museum is home to a beautiful, elegant tea room. The Orangery is a conservatory-style dining room You need to pay museum admission in order to visit The Orangery, but once you're in, you find yourself tucking into traditional cakes, sandwiches and scones. You're surrounded by beautifully detailed murals and overlooking a secret, Japanese-style garden — and all just a five minute walk from Greenwich station.

Betty Blythe, Hammersmith

Upstairs at Betty Blythe

If you're at all familiar with Hammersmith, Betty Blythe will come as no surprise — the vintage tea room sits proudly on the corner of a residential road in Brook Green, tempting punters in with is cake counter and chandelier.

But unless you've been inside, you won't know about the gorgeous downstairs room, a beautifully decorated but petite space, which you might have completely to yourself if you time your visit right.

The downstairs room can host tea parties for adults or kids. Photo: Betty Blythe

It's themed like a private dressing room, with vintage clothes and jewellery strewn artistically about the place — items which you're allowed, nay, encouraged, to try on. The fancy dress box consists of dresses, hats and other garments from the 1920s and 1930s — plenty for you to hold a full-blown photoshoot between courses.

Also keep an eye out for... Soho's Secret Tea Rooms

Photo: Soho's Secret Tearoom

A time of writing, Soho's Secret Tea Rooms is closed due to the fact that the pub above which it resides has changed hands. Keep an eye on the Facebook page to find out where and when it'll make a comeback.

Last Updated 01 August 2019

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Former Judge Charged After Drunk Driving Crash Kills Comedian in Brazil
Jeff Bezos hasn’t paid a dollar in taxes for decades. He makes billions and pays $0 in taxes, LEGALLY
China Increases Use of Exit Bans Amid Rising U.S. Tensions
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
Procter & Gamble to Raise U.S. Prices to Offset One‑Billion‑Dollar Tariff Cost
House Republicans Move to Defund OECD Over Global Tax Dispute
Botswana Seeks Controlling Stake in De Beers as Anglo American Prepares Exit
Trump Administration Proposes Repeal of Obama‑Era Endangerment Finding, Dismantling Regulatory Basis for CO₂ Emissions Limits
France Opens Criminal Investigation into X Over Algorithm Manipulation Allegations
A family has been arrested in the UK for displaying the British flag
Mel Gibson refuses to work with Robert De Niro, saying, "Keep that woke clown away from me."
Trump Steamrolls EU in Landmark Trade Win: US–EU Trade Deal Imposes 15% Tariff on European Imports
ChatGPT CEO Sam Altman says people share personal info with ChatGPT but don’t know chats can be used as court evidence in legal cases.
The British propaganda channel BBC News lies again.
Deputy attorney general's second day of meeting with Ghislaine Maxwell has concluded
Controversial March in Switzerland Features Men Dressed in Nazi Uniforms
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
Thai Civilian Death Toll Rises to 12 in Cambodian Cross-Border Attacks
TSUNAMI: Trump Just Crossed the Rubicon—And There’s No Turning Back
Over 120 Criminal Cases Dismissed in Boston Amid Public Defender Shortage
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
The Podcaster Who Accidentally Revealed He Earns Over $10 Million a Year
Trump Announces $550 Billion Japanese Investment and New Trade Agreements with Indonesia and the Philippines
US Treasury Secretary Calls for Institutional Review of Federal Reserve Amid AI‑Driven Growth Expectations
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Severe Flooding in South Korea Claims Lives Amid Ongoing Rescue Operations
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
US Revokes Visas of Brazilian Corrupted Judges Amid Fake Bolsonaro Investigation
U.S. Congress Approves Rescissions Act Cutting Federal Funding for NPR and PBS
North Korea Restricts Foreign Tourist Access to New Seaside Resort
Brazil's Supreme Court Imposes Radical Restrictions on Former President Bolsonaro
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Judge Criticizes DOJ Over Secrecy in Dropping Charges Against Gang Leader
Apple Closes $16.5 Billion Tax Dispute With Ireland
Von der Leyen Faces Setback Over €2 Trillion EU Budget Proposal
UK and Germany Collaborate on Global Military Equipment Sales
Trump Plans Over 10% Tariffs on African and Caribbean Nations
Flying Taxi CEO Reclaims Billionaire Status After Stock Surge
Epstein Files Deepen Republican Party Divide
Zuckerberg Faces $8 Billion Privacy Lawsuit From Meta Shareholders
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
SpaceX Nears $400 Billion Valuation With New Share Sale
×