You can find many exceptional teas in London, but nothing quite compares to Mariage Frères. Their teas taste heavenly.
I can say with conviction that Mariage Frères offers the best teas I have ever tasted. And it’s not just me saying this. Many celebrities swear by this iconic Parisian tea brand.
Each time I offer Mariage Frères tea to my guests, they are amazed by its taste and quality. Just like I was many years ago when I took the first sip of Marco Polo (Mariage Frères legendary black tea). I couldn’t help but thinking: “how the heck is it possible that I didn’t know this tea existed for so long!?”
About Mariage Frères
Mariage Frères is the oldest tea house in France. It was founded in 1854 in Paris (that’s a long history of making world-class tea) by brothers Henri and Edouard.
They set the ground for the French tea culture creating a collection of awe-inducing tea blends from the most prestigious estates in the world. They didn’t see tea as an ordinary drink but a luxurious product.
Today Mariage Frères offers 1000 tea varieties (from 36 countries).
Mariage Frères Tea House in London
Mariage Frères Tea Emporium is located in a Georgian townhouse in the heart of Covent Garden (King street).
Visiting this place is like embarking on a unique journey to the world of sophisticated fragrances, flavours, and colours.
The colonial ambience and décor with floor-to-ceiling shelves filled with teas make it a beautiful location to explore (and photograph!).
It feels like a dreamland with colourful vintage lamps hanging from the ceiling, and beautifully packaged gourmet tea-based creations. There, you can find chocolate, sables (French round shortbread cookies), gift sets, exquisite teapots and other tea paraphernalia.
Each time I come here with my friends, we treat ourselves to a new sophisticated blend or buy some amazing gifts for our loved ones.
Teas are available by weight from elegant antique black canisters. They offer any tea you can dream of (including the best-selling blue tea made from young Oolong tea leaves).
The Dining Experience at The Salon De The’
I visited Mariage Frères Tea House with my friends many times, usually for special occasions. And I’ve recently had a chance to spend the afternoon there again over a cup of tea and a tea-infused lunch (Mariage Frères uses tea in every dish).
The restaurant Salon de The’ is located on the first floor, and it’s split into two parts. You can be seated either in the beautiful atrium (voyage) surrounded by an intricate heritage-listed balustrade or in the elegant White Himalayan Room.
It was hard for me and my friend to decide which tea to order (red, white, black, blue, yellow?!). We were handed the menu with hundreds of different tea types from different parts of the world (Nepal, Sikkim, India, Ceylon, Korea, Indonesia, Latin America, Africa, and more).
The staff was very friendly and made some good recommendations. In the end, I went for blue tea, which I believe you should try at least once. It’s such an unusual flavour (and colour!)
For lunch we chose Halloumi “Pok-keh’ infused with citron soleil tea vinaigrette, quinoa, avocado, sultana and peanut.
It was beautifully presented and tasty. The portions were not too big, but we were happy with a light lunch, so we had room for mouthwatering desserts.
Oh boy, the desserts were just spectacular to taste and to look at! And nothing could beat the Wimbledon-themed dessert created in honour of the Championships.
It was filled with a confit of mara des bois strawberries and pink rhubarb, white chocolate ganache flavoured with Mariage Frères London in Love tea, on a green ‘court’ made from Parisian shortbread.
We enjoyed our afternoon in the Parisian style and cannot wait to get back to Mariage Frères Tea Emporium for another cuppa. There are still so many more tea flavours to try!
If you love tea and are interested in other tea experiences in London, you may want to click here to read about the Science Afternoon Tea at Ampersand Hotel.
Good to Know
ADDRESS: 38 King Street, WC2E 8JS, London
NEAREST TUBE STATION: COVENT GARDEN or LEICESTER SQUARE
PRICES: Average spend per head – 50£
CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION
NOTES: Following your tea experience at Mariage Frères, you may visit another unique and photogenic location in King Street – Petersham Nurseries (the plant nursery and the garden shop are unmissable green sanctuaries in London).
Oh gosh, this place is so beautiful! And they should hire you as their photographer, you really brought it to life 🙂
Author
This is such a lovely compliment, thank you Joëlle 🙂 And yes, Mariage Tea House is so beautiful and elegant!