Afternoon Tea in Philadelphia: Where to Go Now

Philadelphia’s best-known afternoon tea is ending. The Mary Cassatt Tea Room at The Rittenhouse (210 W Rittenhouse Sq) pours its final afternoon tea on Sunday, Nov. 15, 2026, and the hotel’s Library Bar closes after Oct. 31, both for a renovation, Billy Penn reported. The hotel stays open and Lacroix keeps serving breakfast, lunch, dinner and cocktails. The first renovated spaces are due in late spring 2027, led by The Ruxton, a steakhouse from Baltimore’s Atlas Restaurant Group in the former Scarpetta space, with 220 seats, three private dining rooms, two bars and a seasonal patio. The plans announced so far don’t include a new tea service.

How the Cassatt tea works

Tea is served Thursday to Sunday, with seatings at 12:30, 1:00, 3:00 and 3:30pm. There are four tiers: Signature at $70, Impressionist at $95, Rittenhouse at $120 and Opulence at $275. The teas run from local herbal and floral tisanes to black and green teas from Asia, served with seasonal sweets and savories. Reservations are required.

From the last week of October, that leaves the weekends of Oct. 29 to Nov. 1, Nov. 5 to 8 and Nov. 12 to 15. The hotel’s tea page says bookings open on the 15th of the month before, so November’s dates should already be bookable. Lacroix’s page points to Tock and the hotel’s page to OpenTable, so if one shows nothing, call 215-790-2533; the hotel’s line also handles parties of 15 or more. The Cassatt’s December Teddy Bear Tea, which ran last season, has no 2026 date, and with the room closing Nov. 15 there’s no reason to expect one.

Make an afternoon of it

Book the 12:30 seating and shop the square afterward. Joan Shepp (1905 Walnut St) faces the square on Walnut Street, open Monday to Saturday 11am to 6pm and Sunday noon to 5pm. If every seating is gone, the consolation is still in the building: Lacroix keeps serving lunch and cocktails through the renovation, and the square is right outside. Our Rittenhouse shopping walk and Rittenhouse Row page map the rest.

Afternoon tea is a set meal, not a drink order. It comes on a tiered stand, and the usual order is savories first (finger sandwiches), then scones with clotted cream and jam, then sweets. You choose a tea, or several over the sitting, and the pot is refilled. Many rooms serve it in fixed seatings, which is why reservations matter more than they do for lunch.

Two terms get mixed up. In Philadelphia, as in most American tea rooms, "high tea" is often used for the same tiered service, though in Britain it historically meant a heavier early-evening meal. If a listing says high tea, read the menu rather than the name.

Prices are quoted two ways, which makes comparison tricky. The Cassatt prices per person by tier, while The Dandelion and Prince Tea House quote sets for two. Divide before you decide. If you have dietary needs, say so when you book rather than at the table.

Near the square, The Dandelion (124 S 18th St) is a pub that listed weekday afternoon tea from 3 to 5pm in Philly Mag’s December 2025 roundup. It is the closest replacement for a Cassatt regular who wants tea before an evening on Walnut Street, and it’s far cheaper. Philly Mag’s December 2025 listing priced the packages for two at $20 for two tiers of pastries and tarts, $30 for two tiers of sandwiches, and $60 for three tiers with a pot of tea.

Afterward, walk over to Di Bruno Bros. (1730 Chestnut St) for cheese, charcuterie and prepared foods to take home.

Prince Tea House (203 N 9th St) runs a different model: a tea house that listed its afternoon tea set every day from noon to 5pm in the same roundup, so it’s the answer when you want tea on a Monday or Tuesday. Philly Mag’s listing gives $60 for two, with two hours of unlimited refills of the same tea. An earlier Infatuation review described the spread as finger sandwiches, scones, egg salad sandwiches and waffles.

From Prince it’s a few blocks west to Reading Terminal Market, where Tea Leaf (stall B6) sells premium loose-leaf teas and brewing equipment along with hot, iced and bubble tea. It is open Monday to Saturday 8am to 6pm, closed Sunday, and a bag of loose-leaf from here is the easy gift after a tea outing.

Akwaaba Tea Salon

Akwaaba Tea Salon (3811 Lancaster Ave) in West Philly serves tea Friday to Sunday in 90-minute seatings at 11am, 1pm and 3pm, from $48 a person in Philly Mag’s December 2025 listing, with live jazz at the Sunday 1pm seating. Book it for a group celebration.

Elwood, Fishtown

Elwood (1007 Frankford Ave) listed a weekend afternoon tea on Saturday and Sunday from 11am to 2pm at $35. Pair it with the shops on Frankford Avenue in our Fishtown shopping guide.

A Taste of Britain, Wayne

For the full English version, head out to the Main Line. A Taste of Britain (Eagle Village Shops, 503 W Lancaster Ave, Wayne) is a tea room and British shop that marked 35 years in October 2026. It’s open daily 10am to 5pm, its Full Afternoon Tea is regularly $40, and it stocks more than 50 teas plus British groceries to take home. Its Winter Wonderland Tea ran on select December days last season at $65 for adults and $45 for children; 2026 dates weren’t posted yet. Call (610) 971-0390.

• A last grand tea: the Cassatt, before Nov. 15. Choose the Signature tier unless it’s a milestone.
• Weekday afternoon tea: The Dandelion, 3 to 5pm.
• Any day of the week: Prince Tea House, noon to 5pm.
• A group or birthday: Akwaaba, Friday to Sunday.
• A full English tea and British groceries: A Taste of Britain in Wayne.
• Loose-leaf to take home: Tea Leaf at Reading Terminal Market.

Taking tea home

A tea outing makes an easy gift, and so does the tea. Tea Leaf at Reading Terminal Market sells premium loose-leaf teas and brewing equipment, and A Taste of Britain’s shop carries British teas and groceries. Pair a bag of loose-leaf with a booking at one of the rooms above and the present covers the whole afternoon.

Prices and days at the smaller rooms change with the season, so confirm when you book. For a place to stay near the square, see our hotels near Rittenhouse shopping.