Six places for afternoon tea in Canterbury and Whitstable, from £24.95 a head at Tiny Tim's, with serving times and booking rules. Checked October 2026.
Six places serve afternoon tea in and around Canterbury in 2026, and four of them are in the city: Tiny Tim’s Tearoom, the cheapest at £24.95 and served all day; the Moat Tea Rooms on Burgate, in a 16th-century building inside the city walls; ABode on the High Street, daily from 12pm; and the Falstaff Hotel by the Westgate, at weekends only. Howfield Manor at Chartham Hatch and The Bears in Tankerton make up the six.
Prices are as listed on 27 October and change often.
1. Howfield Manor, Chartham Hatch
Howfield Manor is a country house hotel west of the city, on the road to Chartham Hatch. Its site says the original building dates back to 1181. The hotel calls its afternoon tea “a timeless tradition, beautifully served” and says it is “more than just a meal”, with a tier of sweet and savoury bites served against the backdrop of the manor.
It pitches it at family gatherings, catching up with old friends or simply treating yourself. On its restaurant page, that means sandwiches, freshly prepared treats, cakes and a choice of tea, in the Old Well Restaurant or the garden.
2 photos, swipe or scroll. Photos: supplied by Howfield Manor
Open afternoon tea served daily, 12pm to 6pm
Booking required in advance, by phone or email to hotel@howfield.net
Call 01227 733892
Address Howfield Lane, Chartham Hatch, CT4 7HQ
Hygiene rating 4, Food Standards Agency, 10 February 2026
Website howfieldcanterbury.co.uk/food
Good for family gatherings, catching up with friends, garden tables
Canterbury city centre
Tiny Tim’s Tearoom
Tiny Tim’s calls itself “the only traditional English tearoom in Canterbury”. Its FAQ page prices afternoon tea at £24.95 a head: sandwiches, a scone with clotted cream and jam, mini cakes and pastries, and a pot of tea or coffee. It is served all day, whenever the tearoom is open, and it asks you to allow at least 40 minutes. There is a gluten-free scone every day and usually a gluten and dairy free cake. It takes bookings Monday to Friday; Saturday and Sunday are queue only. Wheelchairs can get into the tearoom, but the toilets are on the second floor. Dogs can sit in the courtyard, weather and space permitting. Open Monday to Friday 9.30am to 5pm, Saturday to 5.30pm, Sunday 10am to 4.30pm. Call 01227 450793. 34 St Margaret’s Street, CT1 2TG.
The Moat Tea Rooms
The Moat Tea Rooms has been at 67 Burgate since 1998, in what its site describes as a 16th-century building inside the city walls, with a garden behind. All the food is freshly made, it says, and you pick your tea from 47 loose leaf varieties. It will adapt an afternoon tea for a birthday, anniversary or graduation and can add a glass of champagne. Its special afternoon tea is £26.50 a person, the tea room says: finger sandwiches, a fruit scone and a plain scone with jam and clotted cream, freshly baked cakes and a pot of loose leaf tea of your choice. Its vouchers for two include a special cream tea at £50, a high tea at £60 and a champagne cream tea at £95. Open Tuesday to Sunday 10am to 5pm, closed Monday.
Corrected 3 November: the tea room opens at 10am on every day it is open, not 9am, and it has given us its per-person price. Book on 01227 784514. Hygiene rating 5 (FSA, 3 December 2025). 67 Burgate, CT1 2HJ.
ABode Canterbury
ABode, the Andrew Brownsword hotel on the High Street, serves afternoon tea in its Brasserie Bar every day from 12pm to 5pm. Its afternoon tea page lists the full afternoon tea at £29.95 a head: sandwiches, savouries, fruit and plain scones with clotted cream and strawberry jam, and pastries, with Newby loose leaf tea or coffee. The menu is a sample and changes with the seasons. A champagne version adds a glass of Laurent-Perrier La Cuvée; the same page gives it as £43.95 in one place and £46.50 in another, so check when you book. Book online or call 01227 766266. Hygiene rating 5 (FSA, 18 August 2026). 30-33 High Street, CT1 2RX (for sat nav, CT1 2NP).
The Falstaff Hotel
The Falstaff, just outside the Westgate, describes itself as a 15th-century hotel and is Grade II listed (Historic England, first listed 1949). Afternoon tea is served in its beamed lounge on Saturdays and Sundays only, from midday to 4pm. Its afternoon tea page lists three versions: traditional, with cakes, sandwiches and scones, at £30 a head; with a Falstaff Martini or another cocktail at £42; and with a glass of Chapel Down Rosé Reserve English sparkling wine at £45. Reserve on 01227 462138. Groups of more than eight should contact the hotel directly. Hygiene rating 5 (FSA, 7 January 2026). 8-12 St Dunstan’s Street, CT2 8AF.
Outside the city
The Bears Trading Company, Tankerton
The Bears in Tankerton is “part coffee house, part bear shop” and has been going since 2016, its site says. Its afternoon high tea is £29.95 a head: sandwiches and savouries, then scones, cakes and sweet treats, with unlimited English breakfast tea or Americano. Booking is essential. Dogs are welcome. Open Tuesday to Saturday 10am to 4pm, closed Sunday and Monday. Hygiene rating 5 (FSA, 13 November 2024). 134 Tankerton Road, Whitstable, CT5 2AN. Our listing.
How we chose
We started from the places that come up when people look for afternoon tea in Canterbury, including the venues named by Visit Canterbury. Then we kept the ones whose own website, on 27 October 2026, says they serve afternoon tea and gives enough detail to plan a visit. We left out anything with a food hygiene rating below 3. That ruled out the Orangery Tea Rooms at Whitstable Castle, which advertises afternoon tea at £30 a head but was rated 2 on 3 March 2026 (FSA). The Cook’s Tale no longer lists afternoon tea on its site. The Vintage Empire tea room in Herne Bay is rated 5 (18 September 2026), but it does not publish its afternoon tea menu or prices anywhere we could check, so we have not included it yet.
Run a place that should be here, or spot something that has changed? Email newsdesk@canterburylive.co.uk.
For more, see our guides to Canterbury cafes, Canterbury restaurants, Sunday roast in Canterbury and Canterbury pubs, things to do in Canterbury, what’s on in Canterbury this month and our Canterbury business directory.
Frequently asked questions
Where is the cheapest afternoon tea in Canterbury?
Tiny Tim’s Tearoom on St Margaret’s Street lists its afternoon tea at £24.95 a head, served whenever it is open. ABode Canterbury and The Bears Trading Company in Tankerton both list £29.95, and the Falstaff Hotel lists £30.
Do I need to book afternoon tea in Canterbury?
It depends where. The Bears in Tankerton says booking is essential, and the Falstaff takes reservations by phone on 01227 462138. Tiny Tim’s takes bookings on weekdays only and runs a queue at weekends. ABode serves afternoon tea daily from 12pm to 5pm and books online. Howfield Manor at Chartham Hatch serves it daily from 12pm to 6pm and asks you to book in advance on 01227 733892.
Can I get afternoon tea in Canterbury on a weekday?
Yes. ABode serves it every day from 12pm to 5pm, Tiny Tim’s serves it whenever it is open, the Moat Tea Rooms opens Tuesday to Sunday, and Howfield Manor serves it every day from 12pm to 6pm. The Falstaff only serves afternoon tea on Saturdays and Sundays, from midday to 4pm.
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