14 Sydney high teas that redefine afternoon elegance

Lara Picone Lara Picone
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A tea party is always a good idea and these are the best high teas in Sydney to fill your cup.

No one needs an excuse to enjoy an elegant cup of tea, but if you’re looking for one, then here are 13 of the best high teas in Sydney that deserve to be tried for their sense of occasion and ritual. From locations that impress with dramatic Sydney Harbour views to beautiful tea rooms with white-clothed tables and standout morsels that take the creative cake, when the clock strikes tea’o’clock, book yourself one of these experiences.

1. Sofitel Sydney Wentworth

The Archibald High Tea at the Sofitel Sydney Wentworth hotel.
The Archibald High Tea will run until August.

The Sofitel Sydney Wentworth is currently hosting one of the best high teas in the country (until August). Their Archibald High Tea is a celebration of the annual art prize and the nearby Royal Botanic Garden. A beautiful spread swathed in purple tones—reflecting both the Art Gallery’s hue for the 2025 prize and the jacarandas in the gardens—is served alongside world-class service. Be sure to leave plenty of room beforehand, as you’ll be making your way through a generous selection of delicate cakes, cheese, scones and charcuterie to be enjoyed alongside a glass of Pommery Champagne and a curated selection of refined teas. The sweets are the highlight, featuring a light and floral jasmine tea macaron that evokes the soft scent of spring blossoms, and a raspberry choux au craquelin inspired by falling jacaranda petals.

Price: $89 per person with a glass of Champagne; $69 per person without.
Address: Sofitel Sydney Wentworth 61, 101 Phillip St, Sydney

2. High Tea on Level 36

High Tea on Level 36 with Sydney Harbour and Opera views
Enjoy high tea up high at the Shangri-La. (Image: Supplied)

Ascend to decadence when you arrive for your high tea experience on level 36 of the Shangri-La. While the cakes are dainty delights that may include matcha eclairs and passionfruit mango tart, they’ll be competing for your attention against that eye-ensnaring view of Sydney Harbour and its icons.

Price: From $88 per person
Address: Shangri-La Sydney, 176 Cumberland Street, The Rocks

3. The Tea Room

the high tea experience at The Tea Room QVB
This QVB classic elevates your high tea experience. (Image: @msannmarieyuen)

The porcelain is perfection and the ambience is elegantly curated at this QVB classic that is all about the art of tea. Finger sandwiches, scones and the choice to elevate your experience with champagne, cocktails or sparkling makes for an afternoon well spent. They also offer a children’s high tea for ages 5–12 for $55 per person.

Price: From $75 per person
Address: Queen Victoria Building, Level 3, 255 George Street, Sydney

4. Aperture Afternoon Tea at Capella

Aperture Afternoon Tea at Capella
An assortment of pastries paired with the signature Aperture tea. (Image: Timothy Kaye)

Every day from 12.30pm to 4pm pop an array of meticulously crafted morsels in your mouth under Aperture’s delicate lanterns in the Capella lobby. Nibble demurely on treats made by Capella’s pastry chef served alongside a signature Aperture tea blend or add a glass of Champagne for an additional $25. Kids under 12 may enjoy high tea favourites of egg and mayonnaise sandwiches and scones with jam and cream, as well as ice cream cookie stacks at the dedicated Little Stars sitting.

Price: $95 per person for adults, or $125 to add a glass of champagne.
Address: Capella Sydney, 24 Loftus Street, Sydney

5. High Tea Sydney Cruise

sweet treats at High Tea Sydney Cruise
Cruise past Circular Quay as you nibble on sweet treats.

For something quintessentially Sydney, opt to take your tea at sea with this fun little harbour-top adventure. This Captain Cook Cruises experience begins with a glass of pink bubbles and carries on with tiers of sweet and savoury snacks, such as prawn blinis and petit fours, all while you cruise by stunning Sydney beaches, architectural icons and national parks. Choose to depart from either Circular Quay of King Street Wharf from Wednesday to Sunday.

Price: $99 per person
Address: Darling Harbour King Street Wharf 1; Circular Quay Wharf 6

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6. QTea High Tea

high tea with sugared treats at QT Hotel
The lavish high tea at QT Hotel comes with sugared treats. (Image: Supplied)

Master pâtissier Adrian Zumbo lends his imaginative spins on sugared treats to QT Hotel’s lavish high tea. Of course, being the QT, one shouldn’t come expecting a traditional high tea. Instead, tuck your napkin into your shirt in anticipation of chicken katsu sandwiches, prawn toast and desserts such as ‘Man Goes Coco’, a summery mango and coconut shortbread, and ‘Baubleicious’, Zumbo’s take on red velvet cake with cranberry jelly and sour cream mousse. Served in the Gilt Lounge every Saturday and Sunday between 11am and 4pm, you can also opt in for a gluten-free and vegan menu for the same price.

Price: $99 per person
Address: QT Hotel 49 Market Street, Sydney

7. High Tea at InterContinental Sydney

the dining interior at InterContinental Sydney
Timeless elegance meets breathtaking views at InterContinental Sydney. (Image: Supplied)

With organic Mayde teas and Australian sparkling on the pour in the InterContinental’s elegant 1851 sandstone building, you’re all set for a classy interlude to your weekend. Enjoy three tiers of sweet and savoury treats from executive chef Matt Hart and his pastry team, plus a glass of bubbles, between 11am and 2pm on Saturdays and Sundays. There’s also a children’s menu for $45.

Price: From $99 per person
Address: InterContinental Sydney 117 Macquarie Street, Sydney

8. High Tea at Gunners’ Barracks

high tea with a view at Gunners’ Barracks, Mosman
Feast on dainty sandwiches with a cuppa on a picturesque waterfront setting. (Image: Gunners’ Barracks)

Follow the scent of freshly baked scones to Mosman’s Gunners’ Barracks, where Ronnefeldt tea flows in this waterfront historic setting. Feast on harbour views, dainty sandwiches and petit fours as you work your way through a truly extensive tea menu. If you’re after more than leaves in your cup, choose the sparkling, cocktail or champagne version. Finish with a wander around the beautifully landscaped grounds.

Price: From $75 per person
Address: Suakin drive, Mosman

9. The Langham Afternoon Tea

a Doggy Afternoon Tea at The Langham, Sydney
The Langham offers a Doggy Afternoon Tea to pamper pups. (Image: The Langham)

Moving forward with a tradition that began at The Langham, London in 1865, high tea is served at Langham Sydney’s Observatory Bar daily between 12pm and 2pm. In keeping with the long-observed ritual, things remain decidedly British with soft finger sandwiches, fluffy scones and the Langham Pink Rose made with pink gin compote, lychee mousse and vanilla financier. You may add Aussie sparkling or Tattinger for an additional cost, and kids under four eat free.

Price: From $95 per person
Address: 89-113 Kent Street, Sydney

10. Hyatt Regency Gin High Tea

gin high tea at Hyatt Regency lounge, Sydney
Partake in the Saturday Gin High Tea at Hyatt Regency. (Image: Wes Nel Photography)

Should you prefer your botanicals infused in something a little stronger than hot water, head directly to the Hyatt Regency lobby lounge to partake in their Saturday Gin High Tea from 2.30pm. You’ll sip your way through two G&Ts made with Fever Tree tonic as you work your way through an array of canapes and sweets, such as lobster and caviar brioche, lychee panna cotta and s’mores pudding. There’s also a kids’ version for $55, which naturally does not include the gin.

Price: $95 per person
Address: Hyatt Regency 161 Sussex Street, Sydney

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11. High Tea at Burnt Orange

sweet treats at Burnt Orange, Sydney
Settle in for sweet treats at Burnt Orange. (Image: Spooning Australia)

Freshly prepared to order by the pastry kitchen, high tea at Burnt Orange is a delicious endeavour of cakes and treats in a stunning, bush-enclosed setting. Gazing across the water, the former 1920s-era clubhouse for the Mosman Golf Club has a deep wraparound balcony, which is the pick of the spots to partake in one of Sydney’s most competitively priced high teas. Kids under 12 enjoy a menu more attuned to their palate, including cake pops, fairy rolls and scones for just $40 per person.

Price: From $60 per person
Address: 1108-1109 Middle Head Road, Mosman

12. Estate Vaucluse House High Tea

the high tea experience at Estate Vaucluse House, Sydney
Indulge in Endless Spritz High Tea and feel like a character from a Jane Austen novel. (Image: Estate Vaucluse House)

Enjoy the meticulously tended gardens of the beautiful Vaucluse House pre- or post-tea when you undertake this most pleasant of rituals. It’s all tradition here with prettily arranged scones and finger sandwiches and an ambience that will have you feeling like a character from a Jane Austen novel. If you’d like to indulge in a manner unbecoming of a Regency-era novelist, then we suggest you go for the Endless Spritz High Tea, which includes unlimited Prosecco, limoncello spritz Aperol spritz or lychee spritz.

Price: From $70 per person
Address: 69A Wentworth Road, Vaucluse

13. The Palace Tea Room

sweet treats at The Palace Tea Room, Sydney
Treat yourself to the elegant high tea on offer at The Palace Tea Room. (Image: Supplied)

Sip tea daily at this lower-level QVB tea room, which is elaborately styled with ornate chandeliers, velvet chairs and artful wallpaper. Fittingly, the high tea is as classic as the fit-out with finger sandwiches, scones and pastries. The children’s menu swaps out the tea for either a milkshake, hot choc or soft drink for $35 per person.

Price: From $65 per person
Address: Shop 20-22, Level 1 Queen Victoria Building 455 George Street, Sydney

14. The Tea Cosy

sweet treats and pastries at The Tea Cosy, The Rocks
Tuck into a cuppa and scones at The Tea Cosy. (Image: Anna Kucera)

Get into the Grandmacore styling at The Tea Cosy with all manner of doilies, fringed lampshades, crocheted tea cosies, mismatched floral porcelain and traditional doorstop-style scones. It’s also the best-priced high tea in the city at just $27 per person. For that, you can tuck into three tiers of delicious goodies, including cucumber sandwiches, scones with butterscotch cream, and fresh fruit. And while that price doesn’t include drinks, tea is just $7 per pot.

Price: $27 per person
Address: 7 Atherden Street, The Rocks

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Lara Picone
Working for many of Australia’s top publications, Lara Picone has had the distinct pleasure of writing, editing and curating content about the finer things in life for more than 15 years. Graduating from Macquarie University with a Bachelor of Arts in Communication, her editorial foundation began at Qantas: The Australian Way magazine, before moving on to learn the fast-paced ropes of a weekly magazine at Sunday Magazine and picking up the art of brand curation at donna hay magazine. Pivoting a near-problematic travel lust into a career move by combining it with storytelling and a curious appetite, her next role was as Deputy Editor of SBS Feast magazine and later Online Editor of SBS Food online. She then stepped into her dream job as Editor of Australian Traveller before becoming Online Editor for both International Traveller and Australian Traveller. Now as a freelancer, Lara always has her passport at-the-ready to take flight on assignment for the Australian Traveller team, as well as for publications such as Qantas Magazine, Escape and The Weekend Australian. As ever, her appetite is the first thing she packs.
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8 reasons Cronulla is the talk of the town right now

    Carla Grossetti Carla Grossetti
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    A national beach title, a new entertainment precinct and a run of headline restaurant openings have put this Sydney suburb on everyone’s radar. Here are eight of the best reasons to spend a long weekend in Cronulla.

    Cronulla has spent the past year becoming one of Australia’s most talked-about coastal destinations. Its beaches picked up the title of Australia’s Best Beach for 2026, the town centre is now the state’s first beachside Special Entertainment Precinct, and it’s still the only Sydney beach you can reach by train.

    Add a wave of excellent new bars and restaurants and two national parks on its doorstep, and it’s easy to understand why locals wax lyrical about the lifestyle.

    1. The new wining and dining scene

    table spread at isora cronulla
    Try Thai, Korean and Japanese flavours at Isora.

    Chef Nelly Robinson has set up NOA just metres from the sand, and it includes a formal room for long lunches, plus Little NOA, a low-key terrace doing burgers and cocktails. Down the strip, Retro fuses a Mexico City cantina with an unlikely sideline: pizzas on a 48-hour fermented dough, backed by the Shire’s most extensive tequila list. At Checho’s, cocktails arrive in ceramic handbags and the pops of pink neon match the mood. Isora is another newcomer and skewed towards Asia, with dishes that rely on Thai, Korean and Japanese flavours. While Bobbys is one of the best waterfront restaurants in Cronulla, its sister venue, Meadow, is the new music room we didn’t know we needed. It’s cool and sleek, kitted out with excellent audio equipment and a roster of DJs on the decks.

    2. Local favourites

    Homer Rogue Taverna cronulla
    Follow the locals to Homer Rogue Taverna. (Credit: Trent van der Jagt)

    Follow the locals home from the beach to Homer Rogue Taverna, where Harry and Mario Kapoulas draw from mum’s own recipe book – moussaka, charcoal chicken off the souvla. Duke’s Providore flips from butcher-counter deli by day to an intimate wine bar after dark, and Parc Pavilion’s new pub complex covers everything from a casual bistro to a proper sports bar under one roof. Benny’s looks over Gunnamatta Bay, where the signature barra arrives in a bag with clams and cherry tomatoes, while Alphabet St has long paired its signature Apple Martini with modern Asian share plates. At family-run Queen Margherita of Savoy, the vibes are always high and the Neapolitan-style pizza lives up to its reputation as the suburb’s best.

    There are also endless options for an introduction to Cronulla’s cafe culture. Start by ordering a brew at places like Grind Espresso, Next Door, Blackwood Pantry and The Press.

    3. Winning beaches

    Bate Bay in the Sutherland Shire was named Australia’s best beach for 2026. (Credit: Taylah Darnell)

    The best beach title didn’t come from nowhere. Cronulla’s beaches and ocean pools remain some of Sydney’s most photographed, pulling swimmers, surfers and photographers back year after year. The award covers several spots along Bate Bay, including four ocean pools and the Gunnamatta Bay Baths. Follow the Esplanade from Cronulla Beach, then on to Shelly Park, where an ocean pool sits beside a grassy park and fenced playground.

    4. A surf culture to match

    sufers in cronulla nsw
    Watch the local surfers, or join in.

    Life in Cronulla revolves around the ocean. Local surfers are in the water before work, wriggling into their wetsuits. Others are swimming around Shark Island or doing the downward dog at Sunrise Yoga. In the warmer months, many are putting a full stop on the day with a quick dip at dusk. Wander the Esplanade under a wide, blue sky, and you’ll understand why Cronulla deserves the its accolades. Groups like the Shark Island Psycho Swimmers (SIPS) swim all through winter, and the beachside cafes fill with these fit folk still dripping wet and salty from the surf.

    5. A ferry ride to Bundeena

    The Coast Track, Royal National Park
    Royal National Park is the world’s second-oldest national park. (Credit: J Spencer / DCCEEW)

    For a change of pace, base yourself in Cronulla and take the short ferry across to Bundeena. While it’s only a day trip from Cronulla, it feels like you’ve left Sydney behind entirely, without ever getting in a car.

    Time your visit to coincide with the monthly art trail. Or paddle into the calm water of Cabbage Tree Basin with Bundeena Kayaks. The boho suburb is the gateway to the walking tracks of the Royal National Park – the second oldest national park in the world and the oldest in Australia. It’s worth the jaunt along Jibbon Beach to see the Jibbon Head Aboriginal Engravings, an ancient Dharawal rock art site located on a sandstone platform near Bundeena in the Royal National Park.

    6. Explore Kamay Botany Bay National Park

    Sandstone cliff walls lining the Kamay Botany Bay National Park, Kurnell
    Wander over impressive sandstone clifftops. (Credit: Destination NSW)

    Prefer to stay on this side of the water? The Kurnell side of Kamay Botany Bay National Park sits just beyond Cronulla’s beaches – its coastal walking trails leading out to Cape Solander, where watching the waves crash against the soaring sandstone cliffs is as dramatic as seeing whales breaching during the annual migration season.

    There’s history here too, layered into the landscape. The Cape Baily walking track snakes along the clifftops to the 1950 lighthouse, passing through heathland that is brightened with pops of pretty wildflowers during spring. Set off early, in the cool light of dawn, to make the trek from Cape Solander to Cronulla along a well-used walking track.

    7. Stay the night (or several)

    Rydges Cronulla Beachside
    Peaple-watch from your balcony at Rydges Cronulla Beachside. (Credit: Destination NSW)

    Accommodation in Cronulla ranges from cosy Airbnbs to full-service hotels. Rydges Cronulla Beachside has 84 rooms and suites, most with balconies over the beach or the Kingsway, plus a terrace bar, The Alley, right by the beach. And Quest Cronulla Beach has reopened after a full refurbishment with pet-friendly studio, one-bedroom and two-bedroom apartments, each with its own kitchen and laundry. Guests can also use the outdoor pool, gym, sauna and spa. Quest Woolooware Bay is just one suburb back from Cronulla and near the Woolooware Bay Shared Pathway, which leads across the Captain Cook Bridge to Dolls Point.

    8. A vibrant events calendar

    the music venue with a live band setup at Brass Monkey Cronulla
    Check out Brass Monkey’s gig guide.

    Music lovers flock to the Cronulla Jazz and Blues Festival, which happens every May. And there’s always something happening at the Brass Monkey, so be sure to check the gig guide for upcoming live acts.

    Lace up your runners and join in the Sutherland 2 Surf every July, or tackle the Shire Run Carnival every November.

    Pop into the Cronulla Christmas Market (in 2026, it’s on November 21-22) for over 200 stalls selling gift ideas for Christmas. Food lovers, meanwhile, can graze more than 30 international hot food stalls at Eat Drink Nights Cronulla.

    Bring the family along to two of the Shire’s favourite annual festivals. The Gymea Village Festival fills Gymea’s streets with rides, entertainment and market stalls every October, while the Jannali Moonrise Festival lights up November with live music, food and family-friendly fun.

    Yes, Cronulla officially has the best beach in Australia, a dining scene that holds its own against the city’s best and national parks on either side of it. But best of all, these attractions are all close enough together that you never have to choose between them.

    Start planning the ultimate Aussie getaway at visitsutherlandshire.com.au.