Afternoon tea in the monks' dining hall
In the 1200s, the Benedictine monks of Chester sat down to their meals in this very hall.
Today it is Café 1092 at Chester Cathedral, named after the year the monastery was founded, and it serves one of the most memorable afternoon teas in Chester. A seventeenth century tapestry hangs on the west wall, the Earls of Chester look down from their portraits, and the Creation Window tells the six days of creation in coloured glass, so there's always something to admire between cups.
Afternoon tea here is served by booking, at least two days ahead, and the kitchen can make it vegan, vegetarian or suited to allergies when you book. There's a children's version too, so the whole family can share the table.
We chose these tea rooms ourselves, for the tea and the welcome, and not one of them paid for its place.
Cakes from local bakers on Bridge Street
A new cake takes its place on the counter, and the friendly chatter carries on around it.
Rainbow Tea Rooms on Bridge Street is run by Chester Pride as a café and a warm, welcoming space for everyone. The specials follow the seasons. In autumn and winter that means pancakes, beef stew with a Yorkshire pudding, a vegan bean chilli, apple crumble with custard and a Black Forest hot chocolate. The cakes change daily with local bakers, so a second visit always brings something new.
Bridge Street is one of the four old streets that meet at the Cross, lined with the black and white Rows, so tea here fits happily around an afternoon among the independent shops in Chester.
A medieval town house on Watergate Street
This house on Watergate Street was already old when the Tudors came to the throne.
Katie's Tea Rooms sits in a medieval town house from the 1300s, listed by Historic England as particularly important and the best example in Chester of its rare kind, with the great hall running alongside the street. It's a traditional tea room with an old fashioned charm, and afternoon tea brings sandwiches, cakes and bakes, with gluten free and dairy free choices and a glass of fizz for an occasion.
Enjoy the Pause is a cosy, two bedroom holiday home on Steele Street, inside Chester's city walls. Stay with us and the Rows are a 5 minute walk from your front door, so tea can be an easy stroll there and back, with the car left in its private space at the end of the road.
A Swiss welcome on St John Street
Swiss rosti for lunch, then a very English scone with clotted cream for a mid afternoon snack.
Zuger's is a family run café on St John Street with a Swiss kitchen. Its afternoon tea is simple and generous: a sandwich of your choice, a homemade scone with jam and clotted cream, a slice of cake from the counter and a pot of tea or coffee. On warmer days, a small hidden garden makes tea outdoors a treat.
St John Street leads down to the Roman Amphitheatre, which is a 5 minute walk from your front door, so the stroll home after tea passes Roman stones nearly two thousand years old.
A cream tea of your own
Cream first or jam first? At home, nobody is keeping score.
Afternoon tea began in private, around 1840, when the Duchess of Bedford asked for tea, bread and butter and cake in her room late in the afternoon. A cream tea for two from our extras keeps that spirit, with fresh scones, clotted cream, jam, strawberries and a pot of tea ready at home, and 10% off when you book direct.
For a birthday or an anniversary, a cake surprise or celebration flowers from the same list make the day a proper occasion: tea in a medieval hall in town, then a quiet evening in.
Quick answers about afternoon tea in Chester.
Do you need to book afternoon tea in Chester?
At Café 1092 in Chester Cathedral, yes: afternoon tea is booked at least 48 hours ahead by phone, and dietary needs are mentioned then. Smaller tea rooms, such as Katie's on Watergate Street and Zuger's on St John Street, are more relaxed, but a call ahead is worthwhile at weekends and in the school holidays.
Where can I get a vegan afternoon tea in Chester?
Café 1092, in the monks' dining hall at Chester Cathedral, can make its afternoon tea vegan or vegetarian, and caters for allergies, when you mention it at booking. Katie's Tea Rooms on Watergate Street offers gluten free and dairy free choices, and Rainbow Tea Rooms on Bridge Street has vegan options on its menu.
Where is the best afternoon tea in Chester city centre?
For a sense of history, Café 1092 serves afternoon tea in the thirteenth century monks' dining hall at Chester Cathedral, and Katie's Tea Rooms sits in a medieval town house on Watergate Street. For a relaxed, friendly tea, Rainbow Tea Rooms on Bridge Street and Zuger's on St John Street are local favourites, and all four are independent.
Keep exploring
