Looking for an event for a special occasion or just something different to do on your weekends? Treat yourself to an afternoon tea of delicious canapes and tempting cakes paired with a variety of teas and coffees. To turn up the fun, you can turn your high tea experience into a tipsy tea by adding on champagne and other alcoholic beverages.
Best High Tea Canberra 2022
Here is our list of Canberra’s top 6 places for high tea.
White Rabbit Cocktail Room
Located in Canberra’s CBD, White Rabbit Cocktail Room is Canberra’s own Alice in Wonderland themed bar. Each Saturday and Sunday, you can join Alice at White Rabbit for a tipsy tea with your choice of cocktails or the finest French sparkling wine.
Location: 65 Northbourne Avenue, Canberra
Price:
- $70 per person (includes 2 cocktails, savoury bites and desserts) or
- $85 per person (includes glass of French Champagne, petit fours, savoury bites and desserts and 2 cocktails)
Website: https://www.whiterabbitroom.com.au/
Buvette Bistro & Wine Bar at Hotel Realm
Tucked away in the Realm Precinct in Barton, Buvette is one of the restaurants on offer at Hotel Realm. Boasting as Canberra’s most exclusive high tea, Buvette offers a selection of finely made French cakes & tarts, delicious savoury items and traditional scones. Gluten free options are available upon request. Buvette is also one of Canberra’s well known dining experiences where you can find a great charcuterie platter.
Location: 1 Burbury Close, Barton
Price:
- $50 per person Traditional High Tea (includes TWG fine teas and coffees)
- $60 per person Sparkling High Tea (includes a glass of Hentley Farm Sparkling Wine)
- $70 per person Champagne High Tea (includes a glass of Piper-Heidsieck Champagne)
- $105 per person Free-Flowing High Tea (includes unlimited Piper-Heidsieck Champagne)
Website: https://burburyhotel.com.au/
Hyatt Hotel
The Hyatt Hotel is Canberra’s own heritage hotel with a modern Art Deco feel inside. They are the only place for high tea in Canberra that is offered on both weekdays and weekends. Here at the Tea Lounge, you can reserve a high tea stand for a fixed price or choose all day dining and choose items off the a la carte menu.
Location: 120 Commonwealth Avenue, Canberra
Price:
- Weekdays – $75 per adult, $50 per child 9 (aged between 5 to 12 years old)
- Weekends – $79 per adult, $50 per child
The Howling Moon
With stunning panoramic views of Canberra, The Howling Moon is a popular destination for Canberra locals and visitors alike. The Howling Moon is a rooftop bar located on the top floor of the Canberra Rex Hotel and they offer high tea on a monthly basis with a glass of sparkling wine on arrival with a selection of sweet and savoury treats.
Location: 150 Northbourne Avenue, Canberra
Price:
- $50 per person
Website: https://thehowlingmoon.com.au/
Adore Tea
For the hardcore tea drinkers, Adore Tea offers the most amount of actual tea in high tea. Located in Gold Creek (update, as of November 2022 they have moved to Mitchell – address below), Adore Tea has over 200+ different varieties of tea and has their own blends that have been exclusively created by Adore Tea. This is Canberra’s only 3 course high tea on offer with different teas to compliment each course.
Location: 2/2 Dacre Street, Mitchell
Price:
- $59 per person
Website: https://adoretea.com.au/
The Marion
The Marion is one of Canberra’s newest hospitality venues. Formally known as The Deck at Regatta Point, The Marion is a bigger and better version than the last. Named after Marion Mahony who paired with her husband, Walter Burley Griffin were responsible for the design of our beautiful city of Canberra. The Marion provides a high tea experience like no other in Canberra with picturesque views overlooking Lake Burley Griffin and a range of high tea options for adults and children.
Location: Barrine Drive, Regatta Point, Commonwealth Park, Parkes
Price:
- $70 per adult for the Traditional High Tea including tea or coffee
- $80 per adult for the Sparkling High Tea with sparkling wine and tea or coffee
- $90 per adult for the Cocktail High Tea with your choice of one Canberra inspired cocktail and tea or coffee
- $100 per adult for Piccolo Champagne High Tea with French champagne and tea or coffee
- $45 for Children’s High Tea with soft drink or juice
Website: https://themarion.com.au/hightea/
An honourable mention for something different
Beef & Barley
If traditional high tea just isn’t your thing, Beef & Barley on the Kingston Foreshore offer high tea with a twist. Burger High Tea is a crowd favourite amongst everyone and includes you guessed it… burgers. As well as an assortment of other savoury and sweet items. They do also offer a brunch high tea which is not too dissimilar to the burger one but includes breakfast burger sliders instead. Burger High Tea comes with a schooner of tap beer, or a glass of bubbly to sweeten the deal even more.
Location: Corner of Eyre Street & Kingston Foreshore, Kingston
Price:
- Burger High Tea – $45 per person + $25 per person for tap beer or non-alcoholic free flowing for 1.5 hours.
- Brunch High Tea – $45 per person
Website: https://beefandbarley.com.au/
Well there you have it, we hope our list of delicious Canberra high tea experiences sweetened the deal for you. Canberra has a lot to offer that is not just politics or sight seeing around the War Memorial or Parliament House. Whether you are a sweet or savoury kind of person, high tea is an experience you will never forget. The foodie scene within Canberra is ever growing and has a lot to offer in terms of variety and dietary requirements and with good food available. You will be able to indulge in delicious finger sandwiches, freshly baked scones and sweet cakes and pastries, along with your coffee and tea and possibly some bubbly or cocktails to turn your experience into an afternoon of tipsy tea instead of your traditional high tea. Bring your loved ones along for your booking, kids are welcome in some venues as well.
If you are after an outing for a special occasion or just something different to do for your catch up with friends and family, an afternoon tea at one of the top high tea experiences in Canberra will satisfy your cravings. If you’re after a boozy high tea or a traditional high tea, there is something to suit everyone’s tastes and needs. Most places will also offer options for dietary requirements such as vegetarian, dairy and/or nut free as well as vegan. But please do your own research if you have any dietary requirements before you book your chosen high tea. If you fancy an afternoon of beautiful tiered platters and delicious beverages then look no further than a high tea in Canberra. We heard calories don’t count when sweet, savoury, yummy bubbles and hot drinks are involved. But don’t hold that to us. Enjoying a delicious high tea with your loved ones can be a form of self care. So treat yourself, you deserve it. Let us know in the comments below if you have tried any of these high tea experiences and what you thought or if we’ve missed a must-try high tea spot in Canberra!
If you’re interested in continuing your night after high tea in the afternoon, see our article on the best cocktail bars in Canberra.
2024 Update
The past year saw some new players come to Canberra’s high tea game. We just published an updated 2024 list to fill up your next few weekends!