Earl Grey Tea Rooms in York

We have gone to York 5 times. This is the first time we had come across it. Lovely tea room, excellent service. Will be our tea room to visit next time.

The tea was great, the jacket potato was half cooked and so cold that cheese wouldn't melt on it. Prices were the same I'd expect to pay in central London. Go elsewhere.

Oh dear, didn't feel welcoming at all. Barely sat down before being asked for our order then waitress returned barely a minute later to ask again. Next table had same treatment! Prices high but then I guess that's the shambles history you are paying for, certainly not the food quality. Mind out for the numerous slug trails on the carpet next to the table by the door.

Had a very good festive afternoon tea in lovely quaint tea room The food was superb and great value one of best scones I've ever had. Highly recommended.

Had coffee and cake here today - what shocking prices !! The flat whites were average, could have been somewhat hotter and we were pleased when the cakes came a normal slice not a huge wedge. The price charged was £21 for 2 coffees and 2 cakes……not the lightest cake in the world either. Quaint place with great view upstairs but I wouldn’t venture when we go again……

Fantastic service, food and atmosphere. Highly recommend a visit! Will be back again!

Staff are very friendly especially the lovely young lady with blonde hair who remembered us from 6 months ago when we first visited. 😊Was a really lovely touch. Service is very quick even when it's busy. Delicious food. Best thing about visiting York!

Great service and amazing cheese scones

Favorite tea place in York. Can't beat it.

I really enjoyed my visit to this tea rooms. It had a small but nice selection of cakes on offer. The place was quite quaint and old fashioned and a nice quiet place to sit and have coffee and food , or tea. Though because of the location , it was quite pricey. I usually pay about £24 (2024) for three drinks with cake stuff. Here it was £30. Making it my most expensive yet. Apart from that, the staff were really nice and it was a nice break from the busy Shambles street for half hour.

This Tea Rooms was recommended to me, the interior of the lounge as well as their exterior is very good. We each had tea, as well as a scone which was very good and soft as can be. The service is good, smiling, I recommend!

You sit in the garden very quietly and comfortably away from the many tourists in the alley. Delicious cream tea!

A bit expensive but: The best BLT I have had. (14.75 £ though...) And also the best cream tea! Non fruit scones and nice clotted cream. i recommend this place. Thank you!

We were expecting an afternoon high tea but we were very disappointed don’t bother Sandwiches were doorsteps only choice of one instead of a selection of mini sandwiches crust was left on, scones were not baked properly also jam cream no lids on jar and no butter available, cake was dry and again Only choice of one instead of petit fours

Always dine here when I visit York. Lovely to have loose leaf tea and an extra pot of hot water. Gluten free options. All freshly made. Great kids menu. Delicious cakes!

The scones were good but nothing special. You have to pay about an extra £3.50 for cream and jam. We paid for 2 pots of tea but only received 1 pot of tea and a pot of hot water. £4 for hot water is ridiculous. After some confusion with the bill, the staff were impolite.

Lovely staff. Good food and portions. Sat in the gardens out the back, beautiful

Quaint tea shop and cafe with lots of food options. I had the toad-in-the-hole special: a giant Yorkshire pudding with gravy and sausages...great except I think it was powdered gravy, not much taste. Service was prompt and friendly and even Saturday 12:30 we didn't have to wait. Lots of interesting jams for sale as well as tea.

Very disappointed. We visited here some years ago and came back for nostalgic reasons. I had read recent reviews but chose to ignore them. We ordered a hot chocolate and a cappuccino. The hot chocolate was instant (I could tell as I’ve used it at home) we think the cappuccino was in some way instant too. I didn’t even finish the hot chocolate. They need to up their game and not rely on the fact they have a prime position in the Shambles.

We had lunch here last Friday (three adult, two children), very disappointing. Very average food, no atmosphere at all, staff didn't seem interested or bothered about anything. Fairly expensive too, given the quality of the food ... £4.25 for a small pot of Earl Grey Tea for one, £18.25 for a chicken/ham salad.

We were in York for a family day out on Friday ~ three adults and two children, and thought we'd have lunch here. We were shown to a very small table upstairs, given menus and the left for what seemed a very long time before a waiter took our order. My wife and I had Earl Grey Tea which was served in fairly small teapots, and cheap cups, at £4.25 a pot we were hoping for nice china cups. The choice of food on offer is quite limited, the children had scrambled eggs on toast which was OK. My wife had a warm chicken/ham salad (£18.25!) which was very bland with a nondescript dressing and served with a huge chunk of poor quality brown bread ... no sign of any butter. I opted for Bangers and Mash which was only average. Our daughter had a chicken sandwich with salad which was also only average at best. The choice of background music (Pop Hits from the 80's) was loud and totally out of character for the venue. At no point did anyone ask if all was well. I think the gentleman who took payment was the owner, and he didn't bother to ask if we had enjoyed the food he simply told me the amount to pay and that was that. We are frequent visitors to York and with so many excellent places to eat, we will not be going back to the Earl Grey Tea Rooms.

Lovely tearoom, the size is very deceiving from the outside. Gorgeous decor inside and the staff were very friendly. Also super dog friendly. Food was hot and delicious. Very clean everywhere. A lovely experience.

Lovely location, right in the heart of the shambles. We didn’t eat as we decided the food looked fairly basic and there were lots of nice places around to choose from. Had a very standard cup of tea and ordered a latte but this came more like an americano with a bit more milk. We arrived with a pram and the woman made us feel a bit like this was a huge inconvenience. We were seated but told the baby would need to sit on our knee as there was no room for a high chair. Nice quirky building though so you feel like it’s worth visiting. Very authentic.

From the outside looks tiny buy goes back some way even with a courtyard area. Style is traditional even with a coal effect electric fire and easy listening music playing. It's very traditional and relaxing. Staff friendly. Served quickly though on a March Tuesday morning it wasn't busy. Had tea, served with a strainer. Nice breakfast blend. Also just a scone which was stale and not really edible. Didn't complain so didn't give them a chance to remidy. Menu looks to be a range of fairly traditional dishes so might be better come lunch.

Looks can be deceptive - beautiful tudor building leads through to a very average modern tea room with fake plastic wood panelling... Food / service was equally average but any chance of a relaxing brunch was completely destroyed by the truly hideous (and loud) music - Achy Breaky Heart (blaring through the speakers) is arguably one of the worst pieces of music ever recorded but was by no means the lowlight of the dreadful soundtrack.... No-one asked us how things were.... That's probably a good thing on reflection...

Gorgeous gorgeous gorgeous! Lovely meal and smashing service, thank you!

Breakfast options are way fewer than the menu online suggests. I ordered a fruit scone with jam and cream which both have to be ordered extra. The strawberry jam has hardly any flavour.

Cosy and busy. Service very efficient. Big choice of tea options (as expected!). Great lunch time food menu - especially the rarebit along with giant Yorkshire pudding.

We had a nice scone and tea here. It's cozy and good value. My only gripe is the tea for two is one pot and a second pot of water. The first cup of tea is rich and perfect while pouring water over the black tea again just makes it weak and unappealing. I had to mark them down on this one for being cheap.

We had a nice scone and tea here. It's cozy and good value. My only gripe is the tea for two is one pot and a second pot of water. The first cup of tea is rich and perfect while pouring water over the black tea again just makes it weak and unappealing. I had to mark them down on this one for being cheap.

The loveliest place I visited in York. Did assume it would be a tourist trap on the Shambles, but everything was perfect. The women welcoming us in were friendly and welcoming, the service was quick and thorough. I had tea and a jacket potato, portions are perfect for the price, you won't leave hungry. Relaxing music and a calming atmosphere compared to the Shambles outside. Would really recommend as a nice little break during your visit to the shops.

Food was good but could have done with thicker nicer slices of bread and a wider range of food options and teas but overall we had a good experience! Bit miffed that they'd run out of quiche and nothing else quite took my fancy so I had to settle for scrambled eggs on toast for afternoon lunch 💀.

Meeting a friend for lunch. I didn't mind sitting upstairs, and didn't mind being asked to move tables after 20 mins. But if I ask for the v loud music to be turned down a bit, and if ignored, I do mind. I had a coffee whilst waiting for friend. I then ordered a tea, scone, with butter and jam. The scone was incredibly dry, all the jam in the world wouldn't have helped. On a previous visit, with a group, the scones were poor. I paid £13.50, the gentleman at desk, was very curt. It was a busy day, he should be delighted. Too many tea rooms in York selling fresh scones etc to re visit.

Food was really nice Tea was great Been here a few times & staff are normally friendly. The older woman that greeted us at the door was rude & when we were seated and served some food was forgotten. When letting her know she was again rude. Don’t expect to have tea with a side of attitude, ruined the experience

Running late so squeezed in 10 mins before it closed. 2 girls overseeing it never rushed any of us as people came in after us still. Attentive friendly vibe. Cosy feel but never felt cramped like having tea in Great Aunts parlour. Generous pots of tea each & tea leaves making it an experience much enjoyed. Will need to sample the food on next visit. Definitely worth a small detour if visiting Royal Tunbridge Wells.

Ideal place for a bacon sandwich and a coffee. Great atmosphere. Considering it's on the Shambles, prices are moderate.

Excellent tea, good coffee, great bacon sandwiches. Better value with bacon sandwich and house tea. We hunted for the bacon sandwich and this was the best place in York. I really, really like the tea.

Absolutely outstanding high tea, one if the best we've had (and we've had a lot) Fresh homemade and soooooo tasty We will definitely be back

So disappointing . Earl Grey tea lacked any flavour , English breakfast tea OK . Scones stale . Teapots old, tarnished and leaking . Service poor . Staff totally disinterested .

A slightly dated but lovely offering, inkeeping with the rustic feel of the Shambles. The cream tea offerings (and Christmas alternative) was lovely and I'd definitely want to visit again. Staff were friendly and helpful.

Very nice tearoom, had lunch here. The BLT Club sandwich was delicious, and the atmosphere and service was great.

Rude, incompetent and unhelpful staff who don't know how to interract appropriately with customers. Overpriced food and drinks, although without justification as of a poor standard. Apparently you needn't provide a decent service when you have a place on the Shambles. Avoid!!!

The experience was very nice and classy with serving your own tea and having a nice chat with the people your brought along. Food was good and served quickly and staff were very friendly despite it being busy. Was quite small however being seated against a fire extinguisher I was worried about knocking it off Definitely would recommend

Located in the Shambles, this intimate and beautiful tea room is the perfect place for a quiet afternoon tea or a nice lunch. So many great drink and food choices and everything was absolutely delicious. They also have a recommended no phone policy, so it was nice to unplug for a while and just enjoy the tea room!

Quite busy, as you would expect at lunchtime. Good soup at a reasonable price. Quirky, ancient building. Service varied quite a lot, some staff better than others.

Such a friendly place. Lovely food and proper tea, in a pot, with a tea strainer and extra hot water. Would definitely visit again.

Excellent food and service, very friendly staff, we had veggie chilli and high tea, good choice of food and teas

We had an afternoon tea, and veggie chilli, excellent food, and toilets were exceptionally clean. 10/10

Perfect atmosphere with a great selection of meals, cakes and teas. A much appreciated rest stop inbetween dodging the crowds around York.

No wait, fair prices, lovely food in a historic building.

Went into the shop part and the man behind the counter was so rude I left almost in tears because he treated me like rubbish looking down on me, this is the first shop in York where someone's treated me this badly. I bought 2 things and wanted to put them back because he talked to the person already in there nicely but acted like I didn't belong there.

We were looking for a quiet place to have a relaxing cool drink after a busy day walking around York. We found these tea rooms shortly before they were due to close for the day. We decided to eat out in the courtyard garden area as it was a very nice day. Had a couple of very nice milkshakes and just relaxed for a time . Nice quiet spot in the very busy Shambles Street

Had a nice meal here. Enjoyed my omelette with cheese, mushroom and chicken along with a pot of tea.

Lovely little tea room. Ordered the cream tea which was lovely, although more jam and cream with the scones would be nice, without having to ask. The atmosphere is great inside and the staff were friendly and efficient. Didn't order anything else from the menu but the selection of food looks great and will definitely be returning when in York again :)

A truly amazing place fresh and clean food is outstanding and also the tea we had a high tea towered with sandwich, scone, cake it's was soo soo nice!!!!! The staff where lovely here. And the garden very picturesque and beautifull All in all this place is 100%perfect

It’s a lovely little shop on the shambles, the food is nice but nothing extraordinary for the price. Over £30 for two jacket potatoes and two glasses of coke!

I had a lovely cream tea here. Excellent location on the Shambles with the garden. Food was tasty and tge staff friendly and helpful.

Group of seven visited for afternoon tea, it was great from start to finish. Lovely service and food amazing and great value for money. We enjoyed that much we all went back for breakfast the next day. Will definitely visit again

Brilliant!! All bang on, tasty food will be visiting again when back in York!! Good prices and good size portions!! Friendly staff! In shambles lovely little place and plays good music

So so disappointed with this place. Went here this morning with my husband for my birthday breakfast....still waiting on it!!! The waitress brought our tea i would have loved a china cup and think i deserved one at £7.60 for 2 teas!! After 25 minutes wait i wasnt prepared to wait any longer went to counter where the man serving said the waitress had only ordered the tea!! Rage! No apology but quick to take money for the tea. Dont bother goin terrible and rude service.

Lovely cafe on the Shambles. Me and my friend had a lovely cream tea which I thought was great value, less then £11.00 for a cream 2-2 scones and a pot of tea. We had a lovely time. Staff were lovely as well

Came in for Breakfast, the staff were super friendly and offered either indoor or outdoor seating which was nice. Good choices and was served quickly. Breakfast was a nice size and tasty. The building itself was huge and had lots of seating options and a nice little gift shop. would definitely visit again

Avoid” 27 Jun 2023 David R (35 reviews) Swansea, United Kingdom Meet and greet was dour. We should have turned around then. Potentially a fabulous garden location but the kitchen windows were open and all we could hear was shouting, joking, plates / curling crashing around and then lots of Shhs! Opted for sandwiches and tea. Tea was fine. However ,two lemon squeezers were brought, didn’t work and I was told that they were only for holding the lemon slices! Bread was so dry, crust’s couldn’t even be talked, sandwiches lacked any flavour. Scones were good. Nobody questioned the wastage on our plates. Gentleman taking the payment was inhospitable. £36 for very basic food. Guess they survive because of their location. Advice is not to waste your money.

If you want tea & cake while visiting the shambles then this is the place for you. Very oldie worldie, friendly staff & not bad prices for York. Would definitely visit again if in York.

I have been to this place before and it never disappoints. I had the option of sitting inside or going out to their lovely garden area. When I ordered my food, I didn't know that it was nearly closing time. I had cheese and asparagus soup with warm crusty bread. I've never tried this soup flavour before, so I was pleasantly surprised how nice it actually was. The staff were friendly as always and I'd definitely go back. Their cream teas are fab!

The most beautiful, quaint and charming tea-room serving delicious food at the most reasonable prices! We discovered this gem thanks to Fraser of the Association of Voluntary Guides to the City of York. This recommandation was his parting gfit to us, and what a treat! You would never guess from the busy street outside crammed with tourists that such a peaceful oasis is right there. There are cosy indoor rooms upstairs and downstairs, and also the most delightful large patio at the back where you can bask in sun or shade and enjoy the birdsong. An order of club sandwiches turned out to be a meal in itself, hearty and generous, and served with a delicious side-salad. The dessert cakes were also quite irresistible. Staff are simply lovely, friendly and so helpful (we were sadly in a rush to get a train, but nothing was any problem to them). Five stars!

What a cracking little find, friendly staff, good choice of menu and an historic old building. I had a coronation chicken sandwich which was very nice, however it could have done with more spice in the sauce, it was more like chicken & mayonnaise. Next time I'll ask for more curry powder in the mix.

This is a historic old building, part of the Shambles that was used to film part of the Harry Potter films. There are tables in all the odd corners of the building. Our food was great, served fast, and the various other food we saw on other tables looked equally inviting. It is a little pricey. You have a choice of a number of different teas, we had the darjeeling and this was lovely. As we left there was a long queue waiting, best not to go at lunch time.

What a mistake our visit to the Earl Grey Tea Room was. We paid £26 for 2 plates of egg and cress sandwiches and a pot of tea for one and an americano coffee. The sandwiches were tiny with enough coleslaw and grated carrot to...

SO expensive for really average food, honestly shocking!! Scruffy aswell, definately wouldn’t return

Not a friendly welcome from the man at the door. Ordered soup-very salty. Tea was OK. When we came to pay (£21 for 2 soups and 2 teas) and we told the unfriendly man about the salty soup(note he didn't ask if everything was ok)...

Located in the Shambles area, this quaint tea room has all the atmosphere and tradition of the era and is far better than other tea rooms that we have visited locally. It has a garden and little shop at the front too. Staff were friendly...

Paid The Earl Grey Tea Rooms a visit, I was advised to visit by someone I know, and I would recommend here to anyone reading this. Friendly staff, great tea and scone with cream and jam. Will definitely visit next time I visit York.

We visited the Earl Grey Tea Rooms during a recent short stay in York, but our choice of where to have coffee on this occasion was a big mistake. We ordered a latte, a pot of tea, a teacake and a scone. The teacake was...

Reading the description of their tea, and from the location, description and price, I was expecting a nice cup of leaf tea. Was very disappointed to pay over £3 per person for a pot with hot water with a tea bag in it. At a...

What a very strange place. Was like being in some sorry of weird parallel universe. Staff we very unfriendly especially the older gentleman. Has a very odd atmosphere. Put on a tiny table. The food was very average but the prices were absolutely extortionate for...

A cold cafe with cold mulled wine which took three attempts to correct and at over £7 a glass. A cremated cheese scone with no butter and tasteless soups. All at over £40 - what a bargain- not. Go to the cafe near the cathedral-...

It really is a hidden treasure. To say its on a famous street i wouldnt say its visible if that makes sense...from the out side it looks just like a shop you have to go in and through to find that its a tea room....

Unfortunately the famous Wheldrakes cafe was closed so we went to The Earl Grey Tea Rooms instead. What a mistake. Very mediocre and dried out food and the young waitress was rude. The old man at the pay desk just wanted the money and never...

I've visited this tea shop on and off over the years, the service has always been ok but the food was nice and what you paid for. Recently I took my daughter and the food was very poor. After taking a mouthful of coleslaw, I...

Very happy I found this place. Just had an amazing afternoon tea. Very welcoming and dogs allowed inside and outside. Amazing sandwiches, scones and cake. Couldn’t finish it all as it is a very generous afternoon tea, so the lady boxed up the 2 cakes...

My first afternoon in York was taxing, due to back pain and difficulty encountered while trying to navigate through the crowds with a cane, and the Earl Grey Tea Rooms looked inviting. I chose to sit in the quiet front room and enjoyed a slice...

Walking through the cobbled stones of the Old City of York, rubbing shoulders with a throng of tourists - this tea room is an oasis of calm and serenity -especially the garden at the rear of the premises. The service was excellent as was the...

Me and my girlfriend went for her birthday and got there as they opened. They were very welcoming. We both had a cream tea each and it was amazing.

Went here at lunch time and it was not as busy as I thought. I chose an afternoon tea where you get to choose what finger sandwich, slice of cake and tea I wanted which is why I chose to come here. The ham was...

We were gasping for a cuppa and a scone so found this little tea room very special. On arriving, we were told that they were closing soon so we only had 25 mins to enjoy a cuppa and a scone. We promptly ordered and were...

We came here late afternoon and not long before they were due to close for the day. We were nonetheless greeted with a friendly welcome and we made our way out to the back to sit outside in the paved garden/terrace area. One of the...

Very nice place, had a High Tea, and found it very good value for money and also tasted really nice! Will definitely go back again when I am next in York.

Fantastic afternoon tea! Such a lovely find and beautiful outdoor area. Waitress very helpful and informative, will hopefully be back again soon

Got directed there by a slow walking blue ( elf) it primaly looked like a tourist trap. But given it's location i was not expecting decent pot of tea ( should have expected that by the name of the place) but the soup of the...

We came, we eat Cream Teas with scones, we left very happy, and we returned the next day! It is a beautiful quaint tea room with lovely friendly staff, fair prices, great tea, great warm scones, at the heart of the Shambles. What's not to...

Return visit as we had enjoyed our experience in the back garden pre Covid. Had a pot of Earl Grey tea for two, 2 cakes and left £16.98 lighter! Back garden looked untended, suspicious marks and plant debris on armchairs, tables uncleared, waitress lacking enthusiasm....

Really nice, especially the garden. Nice to get away from the crowds for a brew.

Friendly and helpful staff. We had the garlic mushroom pancakes from the specials menu which were delicious, and their own crunchy coleslaw was gorgeous. Very reasonable prices for the centre of York and good sized portions.

After the discourteous reception at the Drift In in York we visited this establishment. Lovely welcoming staff! Good service and clean. Thank you

The service was good and the staff were friendly and helpful, but the I had black coffee which was barely drinkable. It was was one of the worst tasting coffees I have had. But my husband enjoyed his tea.

I ordered ceylon orange pekoe tea and my friend got another tea , it was written in the menu that it is a teapot with fine tea leaves, while they provided us a simple hot water teapot with lipton. ( not even a nice tasting lipton )

Lovely garden in the back. Very helpful and friendly team. Scones and cakes are delicious

Please ask the staff what time they are closing before you sit down. We used the timings listed on Google and apparently they're incorrect. We arrived before 4pm thinking it closes at 5pm. At around 4.30pm staff started rushing us to finish our tea because they are closing. Apparently they have summer and winter opening hours?? Also got really funny about requesting another empty cup. Can't fault the tea, service from owner and staff could have been better.

Everytime we're in York we head straight here for a proper cuppa and something to eat. I have their High Tea it's amazing, there is a nice full menu with loads of choice, I pretty much have to drag my wife away from the cake display! 😋 The building itself is very old but well kept, the staff are lovely and make sure you've had a pleasant experience. Will keep going back again and again.