Who doesn’t love an afternoon tea. I was looking around for a nice afternoon tea in Bath, when I came across the Jane Austen Centre afternoon tea.
Tea with Mr Darcy sounded just like what I was looking for, and it offered something that was a little bit different to a standard afternoon tea.
Booking Afternoon Tea With Mr Darcy
The Regency Tea Room in Bath is on the top floor of the Jane Austen Centre, found at 40 Gay Street, Bath. It’s just a short walk from the popular tourist spots of Bath Abbey and The Roman Baths.
If you’re touring on the open top bus City bus, the Jane Austen Centre stop is at Queen Square.
You can pre book afternoon tea at the Regency tea room, however it’s not compulsory. We arrived on a busy Saturday afternoon and had a 30 minute wait for a table.
If you wish to pre book, I would suggest calling, as I attempted to email and ask on social media, and neither of my queries were answered.
Regency Tea Room Menu
There are a wide variety of choices on the menu to enjoy afternoon tea or high tea at the Jane Austen Centre. The tea rooms serve 15 different varieties of loose leaf tea which is included in the majority of afternoon tea choices.
The menu choices include the popular Tea With Mr Darcy which contains unlimited tea or coffee, cakes, finger sandwiches and scones with jam and cream.
If you’re looking for something a little lighter, then the Lady’s afternoon tea is also a popular choice. You will receive sandwiches and scones with jam and cream. If you decide you would like cake, this can also be purchased as an additional extra.
For something less sweet, you may decide to opt for the savoury afternoon tea comprising of a cheese scone, brie gammon ham, chilli jam and salad.
The menu really is quite vast and includes alcoholic beverages, and gluten free options on request.
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Our Experience Of Afternoon Tea In Bath At The Regency Tea Room
Arriving at the Jane Austen Centre, we realised that the Regency Tea Rooms were on the top floor, however the bathrooms are on the lower basement floor. This meant three flights of stairs were needed to be navigated to visit the bathroom, and was quite a walk.
The tea room itself is small and compact, but despite there being tables quite close to each other, it didn’t feel too cramped. There was one table next to the door that I really wouldn’t have liked to be seated at, as with a queue it may feel as though you are in a goldfish bowl.
There were plenty of staff serving in the tea room, however to begin with our service experience was very slow. We were seated just prior to a table of nine but for some reason they were served before us, meaning we had a long wait for any tea or food.
The staff were very friendly, and explained everything on the menu to us. We found the wine list, albeit small to be very good value for money compared to the Prosecco choices, so all opted for a glass of wine with our afternoon tea.
Our table was decorated very nicely, completely in theme with the Jane Austen Centre. There were some lovely touches around the room, and you could almost feel as though you were in a lovely living room enjoying some tea.
I opted for the savoury afternoon tea to try something a little different, and I really wasn’t disappointed. The food was delicious, and I really felt as though I had eaten plenty by the time I finished.
The plate it arrived on was quite small and I wasn’t offered a side plate to be able to enjoy it a little more, however I managed and didn’t make any mess.
Guests I dined with also enjoyed the Lady’s Afternoon tea and also agreed the food was delicious.
Despite the tea room being busy, we certainly didn’t feel rushed to finish our tea and leave again. I do think that our small issues were down to perhaps inexperienced staff on the day and had we been served by someone different, our serving experience would have been different.
For a themed afternoon tea in Bath, I think the Jane Austen Centre is a great idea, and would recommend it if you’re looking for something a little different in Bath.
Why not check out some other great places for afternoon tea in Bath as well.
