Just a stone’s throw away from Her Majesty’s Theatre, Sofitel London St James recently unveiled its new Phantom of the Opera Afternoon Tea, inspired by Andrew Lloyd Webber’s much-loved musical.
Created in collaboration with LW Theatres, this afternoon tea set in the Rose Lounge offers an immersive tea experience, inviting guests to step into the dramatic world of The Phantom of the Opera.
The lounge itself has even been decorated with a mini Phantom of the Opera themed display, with props, costumes and objects from the show, and music from the show playing whilst you eat.
Split into three separate “Acts”, the afternoon tea nods to various moments in the musical, from the iconic mask worn by Phantom to the opening auction lot in the first act.
I tried their regular menu offering, although this same afternoon tea can be made vegan, vegetarian or gluten free too.
First beginning with “Act I: “The Auction Begins”, which was the savoury courses, and they came presented with a theatrical flourish in the iconic lot 66 auction covering, which is removed to reveal the savoury treats.
The savoury treats included brioche sandwiches filled with St. Ewe’s egg and black truffle mayonnaise, Cornish crab tartlets, and John Ross smoked salmon on malted grain bread, all of which were very delicious, especially the Cornish crab tartlets which were a personal favourite.
They also have a really extensive tea menu with a broad selection of white, green and black teas, along with house specials like their Rose Lounge Signature Tea, which of course contains notes of rose and ginger, which we sampled and really enjoyed.
But if you’re not big on the teas you can also opt for coffees and hot chocolates, or tack on a glass of fizz or their signature Rose Fizz cocktail to pay tribute to the show.
Following on from the savouries, “Act II: “Beneath the Opera House” really ramps up the theatrics, with a vanilla and rose mousse fashioned into a rose and a chocolate in the shape of the iconic Phantom mask.
Both come presented in the iconic boat Christine is invited on by the Phantom on the show, with lots of dry ice to really add to the experience – be sure to have phones at the ready at this point.
Finally “Act III: “Masquerade” features four sweet treats inspired by the mysterious and colourful masquerade scene of the show, with treats paying tribute to the costumes the characters wear.
These come presented on a tall winding staircase, with highlights including a vanilla and rose mousse with raspberry confit to signify the Phantom’s red cape, and a dark chocolate mousse with tonka bean to represent the intrigue of the evening.
Other treats included the Granny Smith apple, spiced caramel and vanilla mousse tart, and the mango, passion fruit and coconut opera cake.
We devoured all of the treats, but my favourites had to be the mango and passion fruit opera cake and the decadent dark chocolate mousse.
Finally the sweet treats were concluded with a batch of freshly baked plain and fruit scones, which came served in a hanging black lantern.
These were served with freshly made rose jam and clotted cream and were warm straight out of the oven.
The experience finally finished with us being presented with a chocolate souvenir, fashioned into the monkey toy from the show, as a gift to take home.
As far as themed afternoon teas, this may just be one of the best I’ve tried in London in recent years, as there was so much attention to detail and everything was really on point, from the decorations to the finishing touches on the food.
If you’re looking for an afternoon tea to do this spooky season, Sofitel really has done all I could ask of them when it comes to a fully theatrical afternoon tea.
The Phantom of the Opera Afternoon Tea at Sofitel London St James is running until March 31, 2026, served daily from 12.00pm to 5.30pm and priced at £80 per person.
