Bea’s of Bloomsbury - St. Paul's

I popped in to Beas of Bloomsbury when I was scouting Bloomsbury for a blog feature for my London Lifestyle Blog called Homegirl London. This is a lovely contemporary cafe where you can enjoy afternoon tea with a friend. We had tea and a couple of cakes which were delicious. The cup cakes are adorable. A must visit cake shop if you have a sweet tooth!

The food here is pretty good, the ambiance is better and the service is excellent. They have a huge assortment of baked goods and a decent breakfast menu that includes teas and all types of coffees. I'd say this is a pretty fancy breakfast spot.

Accommodating staff and wonderful teas! Helped moved us to a bigger booth to fit our big order. I really liked the food. But a little expensive.

Great location. Only 2 minutes from St.Pauls Cathedral. Service was good. We was there for the high tea which was very tasty . They will also box up what you can't eat

I really enjoyed the experience to have the afternoon tea (Bea's signature option, which cost 30 ponds per person) in London. It would be even better if we have had less sweets and more sandwichs.

To start off with, the bakery itself looks a treat from the outside and really catches your eye with it's floral theme and extravagant font type. I ordered the espresso and chocolate and the peanut butter cupcakes and a slice of the chocolate and guinness loaf. The cake was rich, dark and moist and the cupcakes looked and tasted an absolute treat! There were a lot more items in the display that I really wanted to try and I will be coming back soon to explore those delights!

Nice place to have tea. Staff was friendly and service was great. Amount of food was more than adequate.

A yummy place to enjoy a traditional English Breakfast! Service was great and the food was really good! I would recommend the scones if you are just popping in for some pastries!

Actually, not good that they're permanently closed. Yelp, you need to mark this business as closed. Please see Google Maps: https://maps.app.goo.gl/KbhWyPFYwsS6xtpw7 So sad because I wanted to visit.

Loved the location next to the church. The ambiance was wonderful too! Lucky we went during an off-peak time so we had our pick of seating. Definitely a great choice for someone who wants to have the experience of tea/scones without the high price tag. The scones themselves were so crumbly and the clotted cream was to die for. Add in the jam and it was the perfect treat. My husband and I shared a place (the "cream tea" special for 9.95) and then I got my own tea (since I typically don't drink tea/coffee, I stuck to one of the fruit teas they had, while my husband went for the Earl Grey). Service was interesting. The manager (I'd assume he was) was speaking about one of his employees to one of his other employees about how he was dissatisfied with his/her service - in front of us - and mind you, there may have been an inappropriate word or two used. Hence the decreased rating. Overall, the teas were extremely flavorful and the food was delicious too! Cool experience, though I doubt I'll be back ...

Bea's does a really good "Bea's Cream Tea" if you want a cheaper version of Afternoon / High Tea. It comes with two freshly baked scones (original or sultana) and delicious 'England Preserves' jam and traditional Cornish clotted cream. You also get the option of a specialty coffee or tea of your choice. The price is £9.95 per person, which is probably the best price for two scones and a drink that you'll get in London. My boyfriend and I both got one of each scone and loved the jam they gave us and the clotted cream. I was honestly very satisfied with the food/drinks. Service does leave a bit to be desired though.

Cute high tea shop with generous portions. The sandwiches and all the dessert come out fresh and soft. They also have many tea options. This shop is super nice. And staff is friendly as well

Arrived early for our high tea reservation and were granted a fairly immediate table(the requested table near the window upstairs. We went in March at 3 PM and the sun was blinding and hot and the shades were drawn. Lesson learned. Ha! Service was fabulous and we loved our experience. Each person gets their own tea choice and tea pot. We had green and black currant teas. The black currant was the best tea I have ever had! I am salivating at the thought right now. They kept our pots filled, upon request and lumps of sugar are on the table. The food was very good as well. The scones, in particular, were killer. The sandwiches were all on focaccia bread and consisted of: a fresh moz and caramelized onion, cream cheese and nut mixture and prosciutto and cheese. The bread was just okay but mixtures good. There were blondies, brownies, merengue and two cupcakes(strawberry and chocolate peanut butter). Come on an empty stomach and with good company because you will be there awhile with a large amount of food. Great experience and if we cross the pond again, we would love to go back. Close to St. Paul's, a mall and bus and train lines as well.

I was very excited to do afternoon tea in London and Bea's was highly recommended, we're in London after all how can you not have afternoon tea? This place is cute, not very big, highly recommended getting reservation. The entrance has sweets and treat for take away, if you don't want to have the full experience. There was three of us, we recieved an assortment of sandwiches, (tuna, pulled pork, smoked cheese) scones was delightful with yummy cream and jam ( this was the highlight of the afternoon) and assortments of sweets from marshmallows, brownies, cupcakes. Everything was ok, nothing extraordinary. As mentioned before the scone cream and jam was delouse, I would come back for those. We all choose a creamy earl grey which was good. Overall, it was a good experince.

This place is near perfect! My husband and I ended up in here because St. Paul's Cathedral wasn't open yet. We both ended up getting the Cream Tea option they had. Both getting 2 scones and a nice coffee (a latte for me and a mocha for him). We staff and food were both great! So was the atmosphere! We sat upstairs and for a while it was just us and so peaceful. 1,000% recommend!

FABULOUS teas and deserts! Love the service and delightful for afternoon tea. Quite an array of fine delicacies and served in proper manner (according to this San Franciscan!) make reservations to get great seating with a fabulous view of St. Paul's Cathedral. This will make your afternoon so very special and feel so British!

I was in town for only a few days and I was worried that I wouldn't get to experience Tea time in London. Luckily they were able to give us a reservation here on the same day!! Amazing service!! As soon as we walked in I felt the welcoming environment.. Amazing Tea and yummy treats!! We also had a great view of St Pauls Cathedral!! For my first experience at a Tea party it was a great one!! It was tea for two and we each paid $38.17 :)

Bea's of Bloomsbury and Primrose Bakery are my faaaav places to get cupcakes in London. And there are a lot of chose from due to the big cupcake boom of 2011. Beas of Bloomsbury creates cupcakes with thick buttery icing and dense cakey bottoms. This particular chain is always packed and this is the first time I've actually gotten a seat in there. We ordered and paid at the till and sat at on the ground floor next to the window. It was dark since the lights weren't turned on above us and damp from the rain outside. It's also quite a small space and we were right next to the kitchen so staff busied in and out by our table. It wasn't the best atmosphere (comparable to somewhere like costa coffee) but the cupcakes totally made up for it.

Tea was good but the scones were stale and the clotted cream was not fresh. If you're looking for a traditional afternoon tea spot, keep looking.

The place's decor is super nice. I came here after being recommended by the Hotel Conicerge and it was a great choice! Loved my British tea and the croissant and jam was lovely. The eggs Benedict were also super filling. Overall, I really loved this spot. Would totally return for high tea next during my next trip!

Oh Bea's. Oh Bea's. Oh dear Bea's. It seems a bit off, you sees. I booked a midweek afternoon tea with my mother thinking Bea's would be a nice treat. I'm sad to report I just wasn't that impressed. At all. First, this entire shop is in need of a good scrubbing and polish. Despite its fancy digs behind One New Change, the interior somehow seems worn, chipped, a bit grimy and frankly, in need of some polish. Fingerprints on the case, bathroom a bit divey. The good news? This can all be fixed in a few hours, Bea. I highly recommend putting some focus here, it's desperately needed given the price point. Because if I come in to a shop and pay £16 per person for an afternoon tea, I'd expect baseline level of "very good." I'm not expecting a hotel caliber tea experience but I would expect things to be in good order. The one pot of tea was fine, but nothing memorable. The sandwiches seemed liked they'd been sitting a long while (soggy), and the cupcakes were very nice, but the flavors offered to us we didn't pick...so we ended up with something lemon (which I don't like) and something fruity (again, wouldn't have been my first choice). With such a great selection of cupcakes, perhaps let the tea guests select which ones they'd enjoy? The service was nice, although it took an eon to get the check and once we did get it no one ever came back for it so I finally had to just go down and pay for it myself so we could get out of there. Maybe an off day? Perhaps. Oh Bea's, it was our time to shine and unfortunately the dullness of the shop and presentation just left me wanting more.

I enjoyed a delicious afternoon tea here with friends visiting from the States. Thomas A. recommended it so I knew it had to be good. I has a so-so experience at their Holborn location but I was willing to give them another go. And I am so glad I did. The brownie bites, passion fruit flavored marshmallows and cupcakes rocked my socks! The accompanied sandwiches were delicious. They even substituted the tea for coffee and it was a good cuppa. I returned another day and enjoyed a great iced coffee and yummy cupcake. I left in a dream-like state and forgot to pay! I remembered while on the train and with a pink face I returned the next day to pay. They were very appreciative of my honesty and I was, well, very appreciative of them being so understanding. Now I definitely need to come back for lunch soon. That too looked as delicious as their cakes and brownies.

I first tasted a Bea's cupcake at 2010's Taste of London. From that moment on I would forever be a fan! I raved to anyone that would listen how amazing the cupcakes were. Everyone I raved to went and loved it (LOOK AT TYN R's review). I referred sooooo many people there because I love it so much and was told I can get a free cupcake of choice (which I've yet to collect, but can I say this makes me love them MORE). I must say this ranks as one of my fave places for Afternoon Tea. Everything is delicious. I'm not a fan of marshmallows but I could eat a bazillion of theirs. Typing this up I'm pondering when is the next time I can go. Everything I've ever had from Bea's is superbly divine and for the prices they charge, what is there to complain about!!! I love whimsical floating tea pots. When it gets dark and the tea pots are illuminated everything feels so magical. I love the decor as a whole, everything works well together. I've been when they have been quite dead and extremely busy and like any other restaurant you notice the difference in service. But I really wouldn't hold it against them. There are no faults! Actually, my only complaint is not being able to book a table during the weekend if you aren't having afternoon tea. But that just shows how popular they are. NEED MORE BRANCHES OF BEA'S!!!!!

I rarely give out 5 stars, so for Beas of Bloomsbury to receive such a high ranking must mean it's something special! I came here to celebrate my recent promotion (yay me!) and heard about this place through a friend. I checked it out online and saw that reservations can only be made via e-mail. However, after no response, we just gave them a call and they were fine to reserve it on the phone. I loved the look of it - shabby chic meets art deco. I especially loved all the little details, such as the little Buddha who held the reservation card up high on my table. I ordered afternoon tea with a pot of lychee black tea. Our afternoon tea came with a mix of small sized baguettes, cupcakes, meringues, and other gorgeous treats I do not know the name of! But OOOH EM GEE - The scones were to die for! The best I've ever had. To top it off, the staff were friendly and efficient. I'm definitely going to come back here again and again and again...

Verdict: When afternoon tea not need to cost an arm and leg Bea is a lovely place to be at! Pros: - Fab location, looking at St P! - Cosy and intimate settings. - Regardless of the size, this bea is tiny, I always been lucky to get a sit and never been rushed out to free a table! - Attentive and accommodating staff. - Still very good (but not as good-valued as before) fulfilling afternoon tea! - Cupcakes: Lemon vanilla or carrot cake are to die for! Cons: - Pricing seems now a little out of whack: Afternoon tea price gone up almost 6£ in less than a year! - I for one have difficulties with pulled pork let alone on an afternoon tea tray!

Tried different cupcakes but the mango vanilla cupcake at Bea's is so far the best thing I've ever tasted! It's the best company for a warm sunny day and a cup of coffee/tea of your choice. The take-always are way cheaper than eat-in, £10 for 4 cupcakes is certainly a very good deal. The red velvet one tasted alright. While I indulged myself for the cupcake, I can't take my eyes off the triple chocolate cake they served near the cashier at reception. I kept thinking of getting it after my cupcake but I was too late when it came to the last piece of cake they have for today. I will return just to have a spoonful of that beauty. The coffee tastes not bad at all. But the best thing they seem to be good at serving is the afternoon tea. I went to the upper floor and the staff told me it was specially booked for high tea only and I caught a brief look at the set of sandwiches, scones and sweet cakes they were serving. It's for £19 per person and they looked busy on a sunday afternoon. I love the inner area of Bea's. Each table is furnished with a cute little bouquet of flower in a mini jam jar. Sitting here and looking outside while sipping your hot tea and devouring your cakes is the best feeling that you have to experience in London.

Perfect place to have afternoon tea...any time of the day. So if you do plan on coming here, make sure to make a reservation because it does get busy. So busy that we had to have afternoon tea at around 10 in the morning. In any case, we enjoyed very much the tea cakes and tea...sorry I can't go into so much details as I have forgotten what type of tea and the teacake set we ordered. It is pricey but it's for the experience. I probably would not come back but do recommend going at lease once! =)

(3.5 stars) Gluten-friendly hi-tea. Delicious dessert items. Very beautiful presentation. Overall everything tasted good. I made a reservation for gluten-free high-tea on a Thursday afternoon. It wasn't very busy. Menu: Each sandwich had a generous amount of cream cheese that day which I probably shouldn't have eaten since my stomach is sensitive to dairy. I found there were too many sweet items. I couldn't finish all the desserts but I did eat the scone which was warm and delicious. The clotted cream came in a package which was disappointing. I'd come back and maybe ask them leave off the cream cheese. I would also come back with a friend who likes sweet more than savory. Venue: Great atmosphere especially if you are alone, like I was. Central location. Good views of the street from upstairs if you enjoy people watching. Service: The staff was very accommodating and allowed me to replace the avocado sandwich (avocado allergy). Fast service. Very friendly.

Stopped by to get a break from the cold weather and ordered some earl grey tea (didn't do the full afternoon tea experience). Giving five stars for the location, friendly staff who went out of their way to give me local recommendations (one even came back to my table after writing down a restaurant's address for me), and the fact that I got a full pot of delicious tea, cream, and sugar cubes for two pounds rather than simply a small prepared cup (which is what I expected for that price).

I was rather excited to hear that there would be a branch of the fabulous Bea's in One New Change, the City's newest shopping 'destination'. I decided to treat myself on this miserable Friday and pop over to Bea's for my lunch. The shop is rather small, but in no way cramped. I had a delicious baguette from the selection (although I spend ages eyeing up the array of salad stuffs - I can feel a repeat visit coming on!). It makes a real change from the plastic pre-wrapped sandwiches in my staff canteen! I also had one of the cupcakes - and oh wow! The sponge was delicious (not the lightest I've ever had, but in no way stodgy) and the icing - melt in the mouth amazing! Go on, treat yourself!

Some tasty coffees and cupcakes here. The peanut butter frosting on the chocolate cupcakes is so light it's almost whipped, and while the cake itself isn't super moist, it does its job well enough. On the flip side, the latte I downed was some top-notch caffeine.

Huge disappointment! This was by far the worst afternoon tea I have ever had. It started with mediocre tea in tea bag and a dark set up. We asked for them to open the shades but they only opened one. We asked for afternoon tea for two which is not clearly described on the menu. I asked if it would be a tradicional set as I was assured it would be. We were both perplexed when it came. The tray for two people had less food than what you would get for one person in any other place. Mini sandwiches were try, the sweet bread that they called a scone was burned and the desserts quite frankly old and terrible. Impossible to eat. The waitress was on her phone and did not pay attention to the table. We asked for extra scones since it only came one per person and honestly could not bear to eat any of the other stuff. She brought even darker ones and charged us for extra! For 10 pounds more you can go to fortnum and mason and have all you can eat delicious food, top notch service and marvelous tea.

I took my mum here with my sister for Mother's Day and it was a really enjoyable experience. One whole side of the wall is glass looking out over St. Paul's and as it was a beautiful day this was a lovely view! The front counter is full of delicious looking cakes and pastries and the staff had already prepared our table when we arrived as I had already booked. We had the afternoon tea which was a selection of sandwiches, scones with cream and jam, brownies and cupcakes which were absolutely a-mazing. I highly recommend the 'blondies' which were little white chocolate brownies. The whole place had a slightly Alice in Wonderland feel which was pretty cool. The sugar cup was actually a little bath with 'sugar?' written on the side and the cake stand had 'eat me' written on it too. I'd definitely recommend it to anyone, especially for meals with the mother!

My husband and I booked afternoon tea on Sunday for 1pm. We had such a nice time and really enjoyed all the food. They put us in a quiet corner upstairs since we had reserved in advance and the whole experience was exactly like I wanted. I definitely recommend this place because they offer a very nice afternoon tea in a cute but more contemporary setting.

I came here for afternoon tea with a group of four, after some friends recommended it. The location is near St. Paul's but it was a little odd that it was part of an outdoor mall. The tea house was cute on the inside and narrow with an upstairs section where we were seated. If you're looking to have a proper or traditional afternoon tea, don't come here. It is a more casual or cafe style take on afternoon tea. That being said, the sandwiches were delicious and were served on a thick focaccia type of bread. The scone was amazing too and I loved their clotted cream! I don't have any complaints with the tea (English breakfast) either except our waitress was never around to ask for more hot water. The desserts were what I was most disappointed in. They served us an array of cupcakes, brownies, and meringues, which were all equally unimpressive. At 20 something £s, I did not find the experience quite worth it. Although, it is a much cheaper alternative to afternoon tea in London if you desire something more casual and filling. Just don't come here expecting a formal tea experience.

I choose Bea's of Bloomsbury because they offer a gluten-free version of afternoon tea. I figured the extravagant price of 30 pound/person was a testament to how good of quality it would be, despite seeing other full teas advertised for 12 pound/person elsewhere. I was sorely disappointed. The sandwiches had very little filling inside and the bread was extremely dry. The desserts were dry, dense, and lacked favor. The scones were more like dense, dry shortbread. Albeit it this was their gluten free version of the full tea, but I've had much, much better gluten-free versions of all these things elsewhere.The tea itself was very lovely, as was the jam. The cupcake was acceptable. The rest was a terrible waste of money.

We decided to go for an alternative Christmas meal at work this year and opted for Beas afternoon tea. The staff made it easy to book and accommodated a few different allergies (nut, gluten and vegetarian). At £29 excluding tip it came to a pricey meal out and didn't include any crackers, Christmas decorations etc however we all came away full, satisfied and most of us with doggy bags of leftover cake! The afternoon tea at £25 includes 3 sandwiches, 3 brownies, a cupcake, a marshmallow, a scone with clotted cream and jam and of course a choice of tea (hot choco or coffee is also an alternative) . For an extra fiver you can upgrade to 'gold afternoon tea' which adds a macaroon and a mini bottle of fizz (worth it in my opinion). Sandwiches were really good - highlights being the cream cheese & walnut. There was also one with mozzarella in and one with salami but I think they mix this up q fair bit. The bread that they used was a nice salty focaccia which made it different to the normal finger sandwiches you get. On to the scone - most of them looked good but mine was a little dry and over baked, however there was plenty of jam and clotted cream to slather on top and with tea and fizz to wash it down it was more than bearable. There was a lotta sweet stuff - the brownies were lovely and rich however the blondie was disappointing; just sugar with no white chocolate. The marshmallows were homemade and obviously super sweet but not my thing. These came in different flavours but I got a plain one so it was a bit boring. For the main event: each cake stand had several cupcakes of different flavours. I had a lovely chocolate and pistachio one which was moist and rich. The only odd thing was the cream on top which had a funny texture. It was also a shame you couldn't choose the cupcake you wanted from the menu. Finally - I went for the black vanilla tea which was delicious. Not too sweet but didn't need milk. It went perfectly with the cakes. However don't expect too much choice. I think there were only 8 teas available. Overall a lovely team outing (we were nearly there for 2 hours although service was efficient). I will be back for a cup of tea and cake but not for afternoon tea - I've had better in London I'm afraid!

Now, you may know from my previous reviews that i'm a meat lover, meat, meat, meat all day long, but after a couple of hours being dragged around the One New Change by my wife, enough was enough, I needed a pick me up. So we come across this little beaut, it was quite busy so we waited about 10 minutes for a table, I ordered a cappuccino and a Chocolate Peanut Butter cheesecake, we took our seats upstairs and took in the scenery which was nice and cosy, loved all the decor. So onto the thing that really matters, the cake and the coffee, the cake was absolutely delicious, the best cheesecake I have ever tasted and the coffee was very pleasant, all of a sudden I had forgotten about the shops i've waited outside of, a very nice chilled experience, can't wait to try more of there delicious cakes.

Where do you take your dessert-loving visiting friend for a quintessential, albeit sweet heavy, afternoon tea? Why Bea's of Bloomsbury of course. On a quiet Monday afternoon my friend and I enjoyed some dessert with a side of afternoon tea. Seriously skip your lunch because you will want to save room for your mashmallow, meringue, macaron, brownie bite, cupcake and scone. Oh yeah there's some mini baguettes but life's too short to waste stomach space on boring bread. My only wish is that you were able to choose your cupcake. While my friend and I were duly impressed with our vanilla and chocolate option, the lemon and red velvet looked equally amazing. A full afternoon tea will set you back 15 pounds, but it's worth it for a special occasion. I find it's good value for money for a nice afternoon tea as a comparable quality option in central London would run you at least 30 pounds.

Bea's gets full pretty quickly. Going in during lunch for takeaway, I'm in line with people waiting for tables, which does make the wait a bit long sometimes. What I love: Duffins (doughnut muffins whaaat) filled with jam, passionfruit cheesecake with meringue, meringues with pistachio or passion fruit inside, banana bread with streusel on top. What I'm meh about: The salads and quiche and sandwiches. They're okay, but it's nothing remarkable. I do like for a box of 5 quid, you can pick a variety of salads (ranging from cauliflower salad to beet salad to caesar) to jam in. Never tried their cupcakes but it looks like they have an assortment of flavors.

This place is pretty crowded, but enjoyable. We ordered cream tea -- which came with plenty of clotted cream, but not quite enough jam. Tea was delicious, ambiance was great. The other baked goods looked very enticing, too. Everyone else was pretty well-dressed, but it could be that folks came directly from work.

If you're in the area and desperate for afternoon tea just drink out of a toilet than come here. The service was lacking, the sandwiches are mostly bread filled with lies. The tea was bland and had no depth. The cream, jam, and pastries were generic grocery store brand made by a man with his souls ripped out by his former love and no longer sees the light. The church was cool to walk by though.

Came here for the £17 afternoon tea for my birthday. I booked online about 5 days beforehand as it seemed like the most reasonable priced afternoon tea around central London. When we went in, we saw empty seats but were told there was no space, before telling them we had a reservation. So make sure you book in advance!! We were seated promptly upstairs. I was glad as downstairs looked quite cramped. Our server was really bubbly, wishing me happy birthday, and brought us out our sandwiches and tea right away. The sandwiches were good, but I'd made a request saying that one of the parties was vegetarian, so they brought out 3 vegetarian and 3 meat. The meat ones had brie, which I hate! The platter of treats came out like a mirage though, serious sugar overload! There was a cupcake each - a caramel one and one with blueberries on top, marshmallows, meringues, a scone with clotted cream and jam each, and samples of 3 different types of brownie (so yum!). I had the Dragon Green Tea which was lovely, and the tea replenishment was free. I wish you could've had a choice of your main cupcake though! The seating should have been 1 1/2 hours but we cut it down to an hour as had somewhere else to be. It was a bargain for the price, I'd do it again...would you?!

Booked for afternoon tea on a Saturday, once we got there it wasn't too busy until 45 minutes in it got packed. Suddenly we were asked to leave even though they told us we had a 2 hour slot for afternoon tea because they needed the space for customers waiting outside. We were rushed to finish what we had left and told to leave the booth to pay downstairs. This all came down to bad booking management.

I do adore Bea's and I am a bit of a fanboy(girl) here since I got to meet the fabulous - and rather gorgeous - Bea! That story is a good one as it involves an Chocco Elite Walking tour, a bit of chocolate hobnobbing (see what I did there?!) slash networking and then being invited to sit as a last-min judge for the International Chocolate Awards. Two. Whole. Days. Of. Chocolate.... Nyommm... I could say more but I run the risk of making you all jealous and mouth-watery - even more so than this lovely little tea joint might. What really stands out here is the decor and attention to detail. Really, one couldn't ask for much more. Well, apart from stonking cake, which they also do. Yay Bea's!

I am a huge Bea's fan (I used to frequent the one in Bloomsbury for lunch) and this time I was in New Change for a meeting and went for the cuppy cake! Yummers! I was very pleased with the moist and light texture of the red velvet and the delicious frosting. It was delectable. They also do a nice square mile latte. Loved our 2 person seat on the main floor by the window (great for people watching). I didn't check out the upstairs, but seemed like there was ample seating. An elegant place for a coffee meeting and great desserts. (And I am sure they do a fab lunch like the Bloomsbury locale). I heart you Bea's!

I love cupcakes. I love brownies. I love dainty little sandwiches and j'adore champagne at noon. Most of all, I like it done with a bit of style and a bit of flair. Bea's of Bloomsbury delivered at their newest location in St. Paul's. A champagne tea isn't the cheapest thing one can do during a weekend, but I went as a special going-away do and it was fabulous. The waiters were prompt, the service was great, and the cupcakes were to.die.for., served on a platter that had two women's legs sticking up in the air. Fabulous. On the weekends, make a reservation early (preferably during the week before) to ensure you get a spot because it's hugely popular from what I saw.

The place is tight. There wasn't a huge variety when I went. I didn't think what I tried was fresh. But I have had visited farridgton shop and the pastries were really good.

Stopped by on the spot for a last minute birthday cake for my colleague. The selection was good, considering I didn't preorder. The prices were a bit steep, and I ended up spending 40 quid for a 16" vanilla cheesecake topped with brownies. Couple minor things: the topping on the brownie cheesecake is normally supposed to be a mix of their brownies, and blondies, creating variety. This cake only had the blondies, which was okay. The cake also looked like it had been through a bumpy car ride, and the sides had scraped off here and there. It's still edible, but for 40 quid it should be damn cute. The staff was super sweet, but apparently they don't do writing on cakes at this location. You can take your cake up to their other store for the decorating (no thanks). 4 stars because my coworkers absolutely loved the taste, and it was quite amazing for no pre-ordered. Another plus - you can order with just 24 hours advance (not minimum of 2-3 days I've seen elsewhere (see Hummingbird Bakery)).

What do you do when you find yourself in the vicinity of Bank during the weekend and want to relax with a spot of tea? There aren't really that many choices as most shops here are catered for the office crowd and closed during the weekend. Thankfully, Bea's opened their second branch in the no longer new shopping place known as One New Change. Definitely a welcome sight, the place here has more space to accommodate diners than the original. It doesn't have the relaxed intimate atmosphere of its original but still emits a cool urban vibe. We settled to relax and both ordered a cupcake and a drink. I could not help ordering the hot chocolate with a dash of alcohol and since it's the weekend, why not? I've always enjoyed the sweet treats from Bea's and this was no exception. With alcohol and sugary delights in me, I left happily heading to meet up with some friends. If you happen to be looking for a cafe when you're around the area, try popping in here. The price is hiked up slightly compared to the original but comes as no surprise considering the area it is in.

Afternoon tea in London was a priority for me, and while there is no shortage of tea here it seemed many of the options were overpriced. Bea's isn't cheap but worth every pound. It's located near St. Paul's and not far from the Tower (which was more interesting to me). The space is quite nice, there are even a few tables outside. The staff is extremely friendly and I credit one of them for letting me know about Camden Market which I likely wouldn't have found on my own. Back to the tea, we opted to add prosecco with our tea which was a good call. I almost don't know if I can drink tea without it. The sandwiches and scones that accompanied the beverages were lovely as well. Even if tea isn't a priority, I recommend stopping by.

I am not gonna lie I was disappointed with Bea's of Bloomsbury. We had the duffin with Nutella at the Farringdon shop 8 months ago and loved, loved, loved it! So we decided to go back to Bea's but thought it would be nice to sit down and have a drink, hence why we ended at Bea's of Bloomsbury. It was about 2pm and we were ready to order the infamous duffin, but to our disappointment they had no nutella ones left! I settled on the jam one and whilst it was ok the hot chocolate wasn't great, too rich and the service could have been better. It seems the team is young and inexperienced so the service felt a bit chaotic. They are however friendly and this isn't the staff's fault if perhaps they need a tad more training.

As part of my cupcake trials, we stopped in here to pick up a few cupcakes for office tea time. We picked the red velvet and the peanut butter chocolate. The red velvet was pretty bland and a bit dry. The icing was a good level of sweetness and a good texture. The peanut butter cupcake was much tastier. The chocolate in the cupcake was distinct and the saltiness of the peanut butter frosting was not over whelming. The place was pretty busy and the staff seemed pretty swamped. I wanted to get so much more out of this place because I have been to a number of Bea's events. I suppose I'll just have to come back for a proper afternoon tea or lunch.

My friend and I really enjoyed this place! We had afternoon tea here. Unfortunately I didn't get to take pictures of the food. It had the traditional 3 teir set up. With finger sandwiches in the bottom. My favorite was this caprese style sandwich with a pesto paste. That was delicious. The bread was fresh and soft. The next teir was the scones which were so fresh and yummy. Especially with the berry jam and cream spread. The last teir was the desserts. They had such a favorite from a fluffy chocolate cake to this raspberry macaron. All of the food had attention to detail with a taste to match. The ambience of the restaurant was lighthearted with very cute decor with pink blossoms on the wall and bright but not in your face lighting. The only reason I'm not giving five stars was because it was hard to get our waitresses attention. Also the bathroom did not have the same look and feel as the rest of the restaurant, it was pretty dark and dingy! Also the food was really pricey wasn't expecting to pay so much for finger foods and tea. It ended up being £60. Other than that it was great experience.

Scones were good, sandwich not so much, bread was old and chewy. Service was quite unfriendly though...

Right opposite my workplace. DANGEROUS! But onyl serves a limited amount of salad and it's all so carby. Which is not what I want especially when I'm trying avoid the 2pm slump. Anyways, I've mainly taken away and the chai latte has been hit and miss, sometimes, its great, but sometimes, it's a bit cold. So i wasn't too impressed, also i ate in once and they forgot to bring a salad... But, the cupcakes are really yummy, and the frosting, god, its the only frosting I like. it's not stiff, or too sweet, especially the pb & J cupcake, it's so light. Usually I've a substance girl, as in I love cake more frosting, I think decoration is unnecessary but I'd happily have bea's frosting! That is a feat alone! Top tip: if you have a blackhouse card (Grill on the market members) you get 10% off! WIN

Love love love the newest Bea's. Popped in there for a hot drink on Saturday evening, so there weren't too many cakes and assorted baked goods left. Much to my delight, we got a table right at the corner in the upstairs seating area, which allowed us to people watch. There were quite a few people who just stopped dead in their tracks and came up to the window display to gawk at all the pretty cakes. The decor remains very much in line with the original over at Bloomsbury (duh). I love how the seat cushions bear the same pattern but come in different colours so that they meld in some kind of joyously understated harmony. Did I just write that? Well, it's merely because I really do like their decor. On the food front, the brownie was just as good as at the original shop while the espresso and whiskey bundt cake was delicious if a little too large for just me. I was a little disappointed that my flat white didn't come with any latte art. I know it's not a measure of coffee quality, but I've become accustomed to a little rosetta or heart adorning my coffees!