An Irish afternoon tea experience

I am known on Instagram as afternoontealondon and am a source of recommendations for afternoon tea in London. However, after relocating to Belfast last year I have been working my way through the various afternoon teas Belfast has to offer. As if that wasn’t enough, as Belfast is a short train ride to Dublin (just under 2 hours) I have also been sampling the finest afternoon tea’s there too.

A rather unique but frequent request that I have been getting recently is from Americans travelling to Ireland. As it is a long journey from America to Ireland most tourists like to travel the island while they are here and see as much of the Emerald Isle as possible. So the request is “Where are the best places to go for afternoon tea in Belfast and Dublin?”

I have added two of my favourite places if you want to try a traditional afternoon tea in either of these lovely cities.

Belfast – afternoon tea recommendation

First up is Belfast city! I have tried quite a few of the afternoon tea offerings in Belfast but so far my favourite has to be the Titanic Hotel.

The reason why I like to recommend this as it ultimately I feel it kills two birds with one stone. The hotel itself is situated right next door to the museum but also has its own history itself. Served in the Drawing Room which is where the architects of the Titanic originally drew up the plans and oversaw the work.  So not only do you experience the afternoon tea but you get a little slice of history too. The servers also have excellent knowledge of the building which they shared some snippets with.

I really enjoyed all of the food when we dined there too. It is priced at £29per person. so for the amount of food you have it is very good value indeed! It’s my top spot for when you visit Belfast.

Dublin – afternoon tea recommendation

Dublin has so much to offer an afternoon tea lover. I have been many times and have tried quite a few of the five star hotels now but my favourite by far is The Merrion. I am a bit biased as Mr. Afternoon Tea proposed to me there BUT it is such a luxurious and memorable visit.

I had tried their ‘Art Tea’ where their Pastry Chef Paul created a series of different pastries which is inspired by the art around the hotel. Each pastry is delivered to your table along with a miniature painting of the art that inspired it. It’s also probably one of the nicest hotels I have ever had the pleasure of staying in and can wholeheartedly recommend it.

Their afternoon is priced at €55 per person.

I hope you enjoy your time visiting these lovely cities! Please remember to tag #afternoonteaexpert in any of your photos on social media so I can see how you enjoy the recommendations.

Please note

Both of these afternoon teas were tried on a visit that I paid for and was not paid to write these recommendations.  I offer private afternoon tea experiences mainly in London but can arrange to travel to both Dublin and Belfast on request. You can find more information here.