The best affordable afternoon tea in Singapore

Indulge in local treats with Violet Oon’s Singapore high tea set. Their National Gallery location exudes a sense of opulence and elegance with its low-hanging chandeliers and marble tables, but their tea set is fairly affordable at $59 for two. The tea set introduces familiar local delights, such as kueh pie tee, dry laksa, and bandung agar agar. The high tea menu varies from location to location, with the one at ION serving scones and clotted cream, as well as an egg salad tartlet with pineapple patcharee, so be sure to sample the different menus to taste all of what this decadent tea set has to offer.

Sink into a plush velvet couch while enjoying a classic French afternoon tea ($49 for two) at Simplicité by Fresh Fruits Lab. The set includes rich and indulgent classic opera cakes and tarte au chocolat. To complement the various sweets, the savouries section offers truffle cold angel hair pasta and smoked salmon canapés as a palate cleanser. Simplicité also has an alfresco dining area inspired by Parisian cafés– perfect for a Parisian afternoon tea set.

This lovely brunch spot filled with retro and vintage decor also serves an Instagrammable afternoon tea for two. Priced at $44.90, this tea set is served in a stunning three-tiered birdcage filled with an assortment of sliders, tartlets, and cakes. The set also includes a pot of tea – choose from six of their house blends, our recommendation being the Cleanse & Clarity, a sweet and light floral tea with Rosella and apple flowers. For those who wish to try a second house blend , you can get another pot for just $8.50, which can be refilled.

Run by the same people who started popular chocolaterie Awfully Chocolate, Sinpopo keeps Peranakan culture and cuisine alive in their high tea set for two ($68). This three-tiered set introduces local favourites that celebrate Peranakan culture, such as their kueh salat, bingka ubi, and ondeh ondeh. The savoury section includes dry mee siam, as well as a donut with fei po char siew– a bit unorthodox, but the tender pork belly slices pair perfectly with the soft, chewy donut.

Known for its soba and rich broth, Tsuta Japanese Dining is not the first place that would pop into your head when you think about afternoon tea. However, the renowned soba restaurant now has an afternoon tea set starting from $19.80, where you can pick out any six dishes, ensuring each tea set is unique. Choose from sweet treats such as a matcha bavaro and  savoury items including mazesoba and chicken karaage. For an additional $1.80, savour the popular strawberry daifuku – a mochi filled with strawberries and red bean paste. You can also order any of the high tea items ala carte, starting from $3.80 each.

Do note that the high tea set is only available at 313 Somerset.

Now, this is one of the frontrunners of the affordable afternoon tea: TWG Tea, with its delicate finger sandwiches and freshly baked scones. They do have an assortment of set menus here, so you can choose what’s exactly to your liking from the straightforward 1837 set ($20) with a tea and a choice between muffins or scones, or the Parisian set ($72) which serves two with sandwiches like Boston lobster milk buns and crab meat tarts. The latter comes with a choice of two teas, along with savoury mains like a truffle or salmon croque, a warm toasted sandwich with generous fillings. As per any other afternoon tea, you’ll get either muffins or scones too.

Even though the Dreams of Paris high tea set is on the pricier side of this list, setting you back $78 for two people, the exceptional quality of the food justifies its cost. This tea set is displayed on a two-tiered stand shaped like the Eiffel Tower, with lavish treats such as a savoury éclair with smoked duck and cannellini beans, and a caramelised onion flan with pulled beef. Notably, The White Label is halal-certified, making it an inclusive choice for a luxurious tea experience.

Afternoon tea sets often have a limited quantity of treats, so you might find yourself wishing that you had saved your favourite for last. Royal Palm solves this issue with its  freeflow high tea buffet where diners can have unlimited servings of their favourite treats. This buffet offers a wide array of sweet and savoury bites, such as Spanish black mussels, Wagyu beef burgers, and onde onde cake. This buffet is $75.50 for two from Mondays to Thursdays, but can go up to $84.95 from Fridays to Sundays and public holidays, so be sure to go on weekdays to get more bang for your buck.

With panoramic beachfront views of the calm seas adjacent to an alluring azure infinity pool, you'd expect loftier afternoon tea prices at Sol & Ora. But no, the evocative retreat has orchestrated a weekend high tea that is unbelievably affordable at just $35 per person. So grab a friend along for a joyful midday tête-à-tête with petite sweets such as bite-sized tartlets, lavender-glazed madeleines, macarons and canelé. And to balance the scales, there are also savoury morsels such as smoked salmon mini croissants, mushroom chipotle croquettes, truffle caviar mushroom quiche and of course, Parma ham-wrapped cantaloupes.

The eye-catching mod-Japanese restaurant has got one of the most affordable high tea deals along the Orchard prime shopping belt. Priced at just $29 on weekdays and $34 on weekends, the set comes with a dainty pot of TWG tea and is good to share between two. Sweet tooths can stick with the Sweet Time Tea Party set while savoury lovers can go with Mixed Messages Tea Party. Amongst the tartlets, pastries and bite-sized cakes, there are also buttery scones and mini-sliders to balance the scales. Had a difficult morning of shopping? You could certainly polish off one (or three) flavoured saketinis ($16) to refresh and refuel for the remaining half of the day.

At this casual eatery, it’s a treasure trove of retro memorabilia, everything from antique bicycles to kerosene lamps. The restaurant itself is spacious and airy, flooded with natural light due to its floor-to-ceiling windows, while surrounding greenery provide ample opportunities for an outdoor shot. But it’s the afternoon tea that you’ll want to try. At $19 per person, this set includes seasonal bites – you’ll find a variety of cakes and pastries alongside local delights such as beef rendang and siew mai. 

While rooftop bistro Sol & Luna only opened earlier this year, they’ve already made a name for themselves with a unique mishmash of Latin-European cuisine. But they do also serve up an affordable afternoon tea, starting from $32 per person. This comes with savoury bites like a crab vol au vent (a petite puff pastry) or sweets like an ispahan tart. It also includes free-flow black coffee or tea.

Located on the 55th floor of ION, diners can admire Singapore’s beautiful skyline while enjoying an indulgent tea set that includes a smoked salmon with lime cream cheese, dulce de leche tartlet, and chocolate praline choux puffs ($25 per person). This tea set does not include beverages, but diners can top up $4 for a cup of coffee or tea, or $15 for a glass of prosecco, red, or white wine. Diners can also add on two pastries to the set starting from $5.50.

Contrary to most afternoon teas, such a session at The Hainan Story is available any time of the day – after all, they’re open 24 hours a day at the Hotel Boss outlet. Here, it’s a three-tiered tea set ($37.90) with assorted cookies and Swiss rolls. More interesting, there’s also a Hainanese flair with yibua (a steamed glutinous rice kueh) as well as crispy prawn fritters and pork and chicken satay skewers.

It’s a bit of a unique dining experience over at Wildseed, an all-day café that’s tucked away as part of Seletar Aerospace Park along with The Summerhouse. But the afternoon tea ($58 for two) is worth the travel time – if not for its picturesque surroundings, then the exquisitely-presented sweet treats like strawberry scones and mini doughnut cappuccino mousse. Not to worry though if your sweet tooth has a limit, since there are also chilli crab kueh pie tee and chicken mayo croissants. 

Head over to Marmalade Pantry at ION, Downtown, and Anchorpoint for a delectable sweets and savoury treats. There’ll be well-loved afternoon tea bites, such as buttermilk scones that pair beautifully with lashings of strawberry jam, orange marmalade, and clotted cream. It’ll set you back just $78 for two, and comes with two pots of tea by Monogram. 

Art-jamming café Arteastiq in Mandarin Gallery has been a crowd favourite over the years, typically for its affordable range of afternoon tea sets. Choose from either the Dream Teasery Set for a classy affair or the National Treasure Set for more local renditions. Both start from $68 for two, respectively featuring bites like truffle shell pasta and squid ink macaroon, or rainbow kueh lapis and otah fries. Each set comes with a beverage.