If you’re visiting London, you’ll probably want to make a booking for afternoon tea to be assured a true English experience. If you’re coming to London with your kids, you should plan on having tea at the Orangery Restaurant in the beautiful Kensington Gardens (as opposed to the Ritz, for example)!

The Orangery, located literally smack in the center of the park, is directly opposite Kensington Palace, and right next to one of London’s most famous playgrounds: the Princess Diana Memorial Playground (known to London mums as the ‘pirate ship’). The location is ideal for an afternoon outing, and their ‘kids’ version’ of afternoon tea allows you to bring them along without feeling out of place.

The Orangery is beautiful and bright on the inside, and if the weather is nice you can sit outside and overlook the perfectly manicured gardens and palace. The lunch menu is great, and the cakes are even better (the orange cake is the best I’ve ever had). They have a kids’ menu, loads of highchairs, and as I’ve mentioned, will also create a kid’s version of their afternoon tea.

You can’t make a reservation, so you can just pop in when you’re hungry, before or after your kids have had a play in the playground. I’ve never had to wait long to be seated there — in fact, I always feel like it’s a secret little find, especially on a sunny day.

-Courtney