Cafe 21, Fenwicks
Fenwicks department store has been serving the people of York since it opened on Coppergate in 1984. This British, family-owned chain sells men’s and women’s designer fashion, cosmetics, homeware, toys and more, while its first floor cafe offers breakfasts, brunches and lunches that will keep you going whatever the time of day. Cafe 21’s menu is curated by Michelin-Star winning chef Terry Laybourne and features scrumptious modern takes on many favourites. A Classic Afternoon Tea here costs £50 for two people and arrives with a selection of five tasty sandwiches, including York ham with a grain mustard mayonnaise and chicken and tarragon. You’ll also be able to tuck into fruit and plain scones with jam and clotted cream, followed by a range of delightful small cakes including Gâteau Esterházy and the famous Viennese chocolate Sachertorte. For those who are celebrating a special occasion, there’s the option to add champagne to your afternoon tea here for an extra £10. Alternatively, if you’d like to enjoy scones and cakes with no savouries, Cafe 21 serves a Confectioner’s Tea for £35.

Cafe FeVa
Located in the Red House Antiques Centre, this charming cafe boasts a vintage style interior and offers great views over the city centre from its large sash windows. Cafe FeVa’s Traditional Afternoon Tea costs £40 for two people and features four tasty sandwiches with fillings like cucumber and cream cheese with fresh mint, chives and lemon, and beef with rocket and horseradish. You’ll also get sultana scones with strawberry jam and clotted cream, as well as a selection of cakes, including FeVa cheesecake. To drink, you can share a pot of Fortnum & Mason’s Royal Blend Tea or add a glass of prosecco each for an extra £6.50.

Bettys
One of Yorkshire’s most iconic places to dine, Bettys was established in 1919 by Swiss baker and confectioner Fritz Bützer, who came to England to start his own business and settled in the town of Harrogate. In 1937 he opened his first tearoom in York – then the country’s confectionary capital – and fitted it with a stylish interior that was inspired by his time spent aboard the Queen Mary. A bookable afternoon tea here starts at £34.95 and is served in the tearoom’s exquisite Belmont Room, which has been painstakingly restored and still boasts many of its original period features. You’ll be serenaded by a live pianist while you eat and can begin with four dainty sandwiches, including smoked salmon and prawn with a garlic and saffron mayonnaise, or dill cream cheese with gin-pickled cucumber and capers. You’ll then be treated to one lemon and poppyseed and one plain miniature scone followed by a trio of cakes, which include a caramel and chocolate pillow, a passion fruit and lemon macaroon and an apple and vanilla custard tart. If you have a hearty appetite, never fear. An afternoon tea here includes unlimited sandwiches and top ups of tea, so you’re guaranteed to go away feeling satisfied. Vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free afternoon teas are also served here, along with a special option for children – the ‘Little Rascal Afternoon Tea’, which is named after Bettys’ famous Fat Rascal scones. If you’d like to splash out, you can even add a glass of Collet Rose Champagne to your afternoon tea here for an extra £8.

Castle Tea Rooms
Situated on York’s Castlegate, this traditional British tea room has a relaxed atmosphere with plenty of olde worlde charm that makes it popular with tourists and locals alike. You’ll find all of the usual lunchtime staples on the menu here, including sandwiches, toasties and paninis with fillings such as bacon and brie, prawn in Marie Rose sauce or coronation chicken, priced from £5.65. You can then follow these with the cafe’s Cream Tea Special, which features a pot of tea or filter coffee and a fruit scone with jam and whipped or clotted cream for £5.50 per person. The Castle Tea Rooms also offers a tempting selection of homemade cakes and tray bakes, all of which can be served with cream, ice cream or custard.

Parlormade Scone House
Located in a mediaeval timber framed building on York’s Little Shambles, the Parlormade Scone House serves an impressive variety of fresh scones, all of which are hearth-baked on the premises each day. You’ll find all kinds of unique flavours here, with regularly changing specials like Guinness and chilli or matcha scones, which can be accompanied by a range of different jams or chutneys. Parlormade’s Traditional Cream Tea costs £7.50 and includes a plain or fruit scone with homemade strawberry jam, clotted cream and a pot of Yorkshire tea or coffee. Alternatively, for an extra £0.50, you can create your own combination featuring a scone of your choice with any jam or chutney and clotted cream or cheese. This can be enjoyed in cosy surroundings while sipping tea, coffee or a warming mug of hot chocolate.

Middlethorpe Hall
One of the National Trust’s three Historic House Hotels, Middlethorpe Hall can be found just outside York, near the village of Bishopthorpe. This luxury spa hotel resides in a William III country house, set in beautiful gardens where you can dine in style. The hotel’s drinks list features a range of Hoogly Teas, which are inspired by the Nordic concept of hygge – or warmth and wellbeing – and are hand blended in the UK. A pot of Hoogly Tea of your choice is included with every afternoon tea here. For £35 per person, you’ll be able to sample three moreish finger sandwiches on white or brown bread, along with an apple and black pudding sausage roll. As you make your way up the elegant silver stand, you’ll also be treated to homemade fruit scones with cream and a strawberry garnish, followed by four wonderful cakes, including a choux bun with salted caramel mousse and a raspberry and white chocolate pavlova. If you would like your afternoon pick me up to include something stronger than tea, you can instead add prosecco for £41 or Champagne Bernard Remy Carte Blanche for £46.

Impossible Wonderbar and Tea Rooms
Residing in the Terry’s Chocolate Orange building in St Helen’s Square, this imaginative bar and cafe celebrates York’s sweet heritage. The Impossible Wonderbar conjures up a sense of theatre and magic, through its sumptuous interior and menu of fantastical drinks and desserts. In the bar’s ballroom-style tea rooms you can try a specially made artisan coffee blend that pays homage to the building’s history with notes of milk chocolate and orange. If you decide to partake in an afternoon tea here, you’ll be able to try a variety of sandwiches, scones, pastries and sweet treats, all with an ‘impossible twist’. A pot of tea is included in the price of £26.95 per person, or you can sample the bar’s signature cocktail ‘Terry’s The III’, which is made with York Chocolate Orange Gin, Dark Chocolate Mozart, Creme De Cacao and pieces of Terry’s Chocolate Orange.