Despite being born and raised in Britain, I never quite got the obsession with tea. I don\u2019t mind a fresh mint or an Earl Grey, but English breakfast tea (or builder\u2019s tea) was just not my thing. That said, high tea \u2013 or afternoon tea as it\u2019s usually called in England \u2013 is a different story. Here, Some of the best high teas in Amsterdam come from the city\u2019s fancier hotels \u2013 and The College Hotel<\/a> is a case in point. At their bright, airy bar\/lounge area, high tea<\/a> comes generously stacked on brass platters with large pots of jasmine tea (although I assume you can ask for other tea if you prefer). The top layer features savoury finger food like warm cheese pastries, cucumber pinwheels and kletzenbrood<\/em>\u00a0with brie and fig jam. At the midway point, you\u2019ll be treated to dainty smoked salmon sandwiches and avocado toasts. And of course there\u2019s plenty for those with a sweet tooth on the bottom layer: think miniature eclairs, macarons, tompouce<\/em>, doughnuts, you name it. Given the hotel\u2019s elegant status and culinary cachet, the price tag is surprisingly reasonable too: \u20ac39 per person at the time of writing.<\/p>\n Afternoon tea at the Waldorf Astoria<\/a>\u00a0feels like an escape into old-world elegance, with views over the hotel\u2019s tranquil garden. Unsurprisingly, Peacock Alley (where afternoon tea is served) is suitably grand: think bronze chandeliers and sweeping curtains. But it also has a sense of fun: the staff are friendly, not obsequious, and their afternoon tea is themed every year. When I visited, a few of my favourites on the savoury side included posh hot dogs and decadent gingerbread \u201chorses\u201d filled with a cream of\u00a0foie gras<\/em>. In the sweet department, the mini bundt cake topped with pineapple and mango was standout in terms of flavour, while the \u201ctoffee apple\u201d stole the surprise prize for its cake-pop appearance and popping candy filling. As for the tea, the Waldorf\u2019s \u201cChina Supreme Rose\u201d tea was miraculous: when I began to eat the savoury elements of the afternoon tea, it turned spicy. Then, as I worked my way over to the sweet side of the dishes, the tea became floral. I even asked the restaurant manager if it was all the same tea. It was \u2013 and I ended up drinking about six cups of the stuff, despite my aforementioned aversion to tea. Caffeine buzz aside,\u00a0Peacock Alley at the Waldorf Astoria<\/a>\u00a0is the kind of place where it\u2019s easy to relax and feel very taken care of.<\/p>\n Whether on the riverside terrace in summer or in the bay windows of the lounge in winter, high tea at De l\u2019Europe<\/a> feels positively luxurious. Inspired by Amsterdam as a city and Dutch culinary influences in general, the food comes in carefully curated rounds. Kick off with a glass of Ruinart champagne and a sweet-savoury stroopwafel<\/em> topped with caviar, followed by an iced-lolly-style gazpacho. Then my favourite part: the savoury sandwich selection. Ours involved smoked eel with horseradish, and a classic egg salad \u2013 both served between brioche slices \u2013 followed by a Dutch huzarensalade<\/em> (pickly potato salad) and a steak sandwich with Bellper Knol cheese, both served in seedy, dense rye bread from Fort Negen bakery. A perfect pairing with smoky Lansang Souchong tea.<\/p>\n Dessert lovers are also in for a treat: a Dutch canal house made from Valrhona chocolate, filled with pistachio cream, sponge and passion fruit coulis \u2013 almost too exquisite to eat. Plus goat\u2019s cheese and lemon Swiss rolls, blueberry choux buns, and scones served with vanilla cream, rhubarb compote and homemade hagelslag<\/em>. The iced peach Japanese green tea was a refreshing contrast to so much sweetness. The menu changes seasonally, so De l\u2019Europe is worth a visit all year round!<\/p>\n More American brunch than English tea, Teds pairs the best of both sides of the Atlantic with a casual, fun vibe at its two locations in Amsterdam. You can still expect a stacked-up tower of shareable bites, but they include eggs Benedict with salmon, fried chicken with sweet-chilli donuts, and French toast with bacon and banana, rather than your usual sandwiches and scones. Teds\u2019 waffle fries are the business, too: topped with a mayo-based sauce and lashings of grated parmesan. For those with a sweet tooth, you can expect a couple of cakes (we had a chocolate-toffee gateau and a pomegranate layer cake) plus unlimited tea. The ambience (and the volume of the music) is perhaps more lively hen party than sophisticated tea party, but that\u2019s no bad thing. Teds offers afternoon-T<\/a> (their spelling, not mine!) at both their original Oud-West location and their newer Jordaan location.<\/p>\n The\u00a0Amstel Hotel<\/a>\u00a0offers a high tea in Amsterdam that\u2019s as much about the atmosphere as it is the food. Overlooking the Amstel River, the setting is both impressive and relaxing, especially if you\u2019re lucky enough to score a spot by the window or on the terrace. Their high tea has all the essentials: delicate pastries, savoury sandwiches and Brit-approved scones. On the sweet side, we enjoyed pistachio financiers, something like a cross between a caramel doughnut and a Danish pastry, and little gooey butterscotch-topped chocolate sponges. We also had two delicious tartlets filled with frangipane and topped with raspberry and passionfruit mousses respectively. The teas (which I managed to fit in between glasses of Champagne) were extremely high in quality, although all but the jasmine were probably lost on me, not being much of a tea connoisseur. With an ever-changing view of the boats drifting past along the river,\u00a0high tea at the Amstel Hotel<\/a>\u00a0offers a touch of old-school glamour that\u2019s just right for a special occasion or a spontaneous treat.<\/p>\n Looking for hotel dining options? Take a look at my guide to the best hotel restaurants in Amsterdam<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n Not technically high tea but rather \u201chigh wine,\u201d Bubbles & Wines<\/a> offers the ideal solution for people like me who are more about the bubbles than the bergamot. The mid-priced version of their high wine arrangement (option two on the menu) involves eight half glasses of wine, in a diverse range of styles from an apple-fresh Cava to a luscious New Zealand Pinot Gris to a deep, complex, decade-old Rioja Reserva. Each round comes with substantial high tea-style snacks, and in our case the server kindly switched out the platter of cured ham for some veggie bites for my friend who doesn\u2019t eat pork. And all of this for \u20ac45 per person. When you consider that\u00a0Bubbles & Wines\u00a0is a stone\u2019s throw from Dam Square, that feels like very good value.<\/p>\n Editor\u2019s note: I was invited to The College Hotel, Waldorf Astoria Hotel, De l\u2019Europe and Teds as a journalist, and didn\u2019t pay for my afternoon tea. Obviously I try to be as objective as possible, but I always disclose when I\u2019ve had a freebie.<\/em><\/p>\n This article is also featured on GPSmyCity. To download it for offline reading or create a self-guided walking tour to visit the featured restaurants, go to Walking Tours and Articles in Amsterdam<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\nWant to eat more than just afternoon tea in Amsterdam? Download my Amsterdam Restaurant Guide<\/a>:<\/em><\/h3>\n
![\"\"\/](\"https:\/\/www.amsterdamfoodie.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/Amsterdam-Restaurant-Guide-2023-banner.png\")
<\/a><\/p>\nAfternoon tea in Amsterdam for any occasion<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Classic high tea at The College Hotel<\/strong><\/h3>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.amsterdamfoodie.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/College-Hotel-high-tea-500x822.jpg\")
Elegant afternoon tea at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n
![\"Afternoon](\"https:\/\/www.amsterdamfoodie.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/Afternoon-tea-in-Amsterdam-Waldorf-Astoria-Hotel-500x638.jpg\")
Creative Dutch high tea at Hotel de l\u2019Europe<\/strong><\/h3>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.amsterdamfoodie.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/High-tea-at-Hotel-de-lEurope-500x852.jpg\")
Casual afternoon-T at Teds<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.amsterdamfoodie.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Afternoon-tea-in-Amsterdam-at-Teds-500x787.jpg\")
Glamorous high tea at the Amstel Hotel<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n
High wine at Bubbles & Wines<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n
Want to eat more than just high tea in Amsterdam? Download my Amsterdam Restaurant Guide<\/a>:<\/em><\/h3>\n
<\/a><\/p>\n