Gleneagles Townhouse and their restaurant The Spence is one of my favourite spots for food and drinks in Edinburgh, but I have never before tried their afternoon tea. So for my birthday this year I decided to go ahead and book it! At £65 per person it is one of the more expensive afternoon tea experiences in the city but the food lived up to my high expectations. Everything felt incredibly fresh and full of flavour. From the french onion soup amuse bouche to the warm scones that were refreshingly not dry at all. From the moment you step inside, the setting alone feels like an occasion. Housed in a former bank, the space is all soaring ceilings, ornate detailing and quietly glamorous corners that make you want to slow down and soak it all in. It was a memorable first afternoon tea experience, and one I’d definitely return to.
Afternoon Tea at Gleneagles Townhouse
I have stayed at the Gleneagles Townhouse before and it is one of the best hotels in Edinburgh so always love a reason to visit the venue again. I had the pleasure of getting a voucher for Gleneagles Townhouse last year and since I’ve been wanting to try the afternoon tea here for ages, I decided it was the perfect opportunity to book it for my Edinburgh birthday weekend! My best friend was visiting me in Edinburgh for the weekend so I booked in a lot of fun things for us, including this experience as the perfect activity for a Friday afternoon in February. And of course we could not resist a glass of champagne either!
- Cost: £65/pp
- What’s included: Amuse bouche, tea and tiered stand with savouries, sweets and scones with clotted cream and jam
- Favourite tea: White Peony (although the black chai tea is also lovely)
- Highlight: Smoked salmon croissant
- Who should book this afternoon tea?: This is a great experience (or gift) for anyone who likes a relaxed, yet luxurious and elevated experience which does not serve the traditional afternoon tea sandwiches with cucumber and cream cheese.
Champagne is available for an additional cost.
♥ Read our full guide to the best afternoon teas in Edinburgh here!
The Spence at Gleneagles Townhouse
Atmosphere at The Spence
The Spence is the restaurant and bar on the main floor that also served afternoon tea, just past the reception at Gleneagles Townhouse in Edinburgh. It’s somewhat of a go-to for me when I want to go for a nicer lunch, a cup of tea or meet a friend for a drink. This was my first time visiting The Spence to try the afternoon tea and I had quite high expectations as the quality of my previous visits has been really high.
Since the main room is a grand open space I was a little concerned that it would be quite noisy on a Friday afternoon, but even though we were far from alone in the venue it was very pleasant. We could hear each other very well, but the noise from the table right next to us or the ones further away did not travel much at all, so we were not bothered with the conversation of our neighbouring tables. This was perfect for both people spotting as the tables for afternoon tea are located right by the entrance to the room and for a little bit of gossiping as we had about six months of conversations to catch up on since our last meeting.
An incredibly beautiful venue
One of the absolute highlights of a visit to The Spence, be it for an afternoon tea or something else, is that it’s just such a beautiful venue. I actually don’t know if there is a grander venue for afternoon tea, in my humble opinion. You really can sit here for hours and just enjoy the surroundings. If you are visiting for just a drink, or decide to grab a cocktail or whisky after the afternoon tea, it’s lovely to sit at the bar which is the centrepiece at The Spence.
The team at Gleneagles Townhouse
The Gleneagles Townhouse team in Edinburgh deserve a gold star, they are so accommodating and lovely. From the person opening the door, to the servers in the restaurant. They really deliver 5 star service in an effortless way. A bonus surprise was that an old colleague of mine had started working here without me knowing it. So when the champagne cart was rolled over he was the person who presented us with our glasses of champagne. So an extra gold star for Donald, who is also really knowledgeable about drinks so a great person to ask for recommendations if you need it! The Veuve Cliquot Yellow Label NV is what me and my friend went for and it was a gorgeous pairing for the afternoon tea. It has a lovely flavour, on the fruitier side for a champagne.
♥ Looking for more things to do in Edinburgh? Read our big guide here!
The Gleneagles Townhouse Afternoon Tea Menu
Let’s take a closer look at the menu which we were served for our afternoon tea in February 2026. I’ll make sure to update this article when (not if!) I come back for another afternoon tea at Gleneagles Townhouse.
Amuse Bouche
Before being served our tiered stand of savoury and sweet goodies, we got a little amuse bouche which was a french onion soup. This was so delicious and a perfect welcome treat for this time of year! It was so cold, grey and rugged outside that this little cup of soup felt perfectly warming and lovely. The flavour was so nicely balanced and it wasn’t too salty but just enough to wet your appetite.
Savouries
- Smoked Salmon Croissant
- Venison Sausage Roll
- Lobster & Crayfish
- Beetroot & Horseradish Tart
Traditionally you might see cucumber and egg mayonnaise sandwiches on an afternoon tea. But I personally do not mind at all when these are swapped out for other options, if they are well executed. These are perfect savoury treats in my opinion. The smoked salmon croissant is such a highlight alongside the lobster and crayfish on toasted brioche. I must be honest and tell you that beetroot is not my favourite things in the world. But I can also recognise that this tart is well put together. There is a lovely flavour of venison in the sausage roll, but it was just a tad on the dry side however it is served with a hedgerow ketchup which balances this out a little.
Sweets
- Lemon Meringue Tart
- Coffee and Mascarpone Choux Bun
- Chocolate Hazelnut Macaron
- Blackberry & Creme Fraîche Layer Cake
You know it’s a good offering of sweet treats when the macaron is not my top option (I love a good macaron!). And surprisingly for me it was the choux bun that ended up being my favourite. I usually don’t like these as I’ve found they tend to be quite dry and without much flavour in the past. But this one was like a bitesized tiramisu and the choux bun provided a nice crunchy contrast. The layer cake was also excellent with moist sponges and a nice berry flavour. The lemon meringue tart was perfectly balanced in acidity. I even split one with my best friend so I could bring one back home to my husband as I just knew he would love it too. The macaron had a lovely texture and good flavour from the hazelnut combining with the chocolate.
Scones
The scones were served warm and there were both plain scones and fruit scones. They were served with clotted cream and strawberry & champagne jam. The strawberry jam tasted really nostalgic and safe as it was very similar to the one I used to enjoy when I was a child. I’m always a little worried that the scones will be too dry as I’ve tried many a dry scone, but these were really lovely and not dry at all.
Is this Edinburgh’s best afternoon tea?
I am quite picky with my afternoon tea experiences as there are so many different aspects of it that I think is important to get right. Is it a nice venue to spend a couple of hours? Are the scones dry? Is there a variety of tea options? Are we doing twists on classics or new flavour options for sandwiches and sweet things?
With that said, Gleneagles Townhouse has a really good afternoon tea! Since I know a couple of people who work here and I’ve been inside this gorgeous venue before, I really wanted the food to live up to my high expectations of previous experiences and was just a little worried that it wouldn’t. Especially when you are paying this kind of price and you are going for a special occasions, like a birthday, you want it to be good. But I was really impressed by the elegant flavour combinations of both the sweet treats and savoury options.
Gleneagles Townhouse is going up to the top of my list of the best afternoon teas in Edinburgh. But it is marginally beaten by one other venue which I like just a smidgen better. The main reason I like this other afternoon tea better is because the sweet treats feel almost like little artworks and the offering feels even grander, whilst the presentation at The Spence at Gleneagles Townhouse is more relaxed luxury.
Find out my number one afternoon tea in Edinburgh here!
What I loved
- How fresh and flavourful all the food was – from moist and soft sponges in the cakes, to seafood feeling really fresh and well balanced with the other flavours.
- The surroundings are just so hard to beat here. This old bank is so ornate and gorgeous – I could just sit here for hours with only a cup of tea and I’m so glad the food experience lives up to the setting.
- That the savouries weren’t just the traditional sandwiches but twists on these with their own flavours that were just delicious.
- The champagne cart. If you order a glass of champagne, a lovely member of staff comes by with the champagne cart so you can see the options and pick the one you wish for them to serve you. During our visit, it just happened to be an old friend of mine who was doing the champagne cart so it was a happy surprise to see them again as I had no idea they were working here.
What could improved or changed
- This is a very minor thing, but the teapots in which our tea was served only held enough water to serve one cup of tea, as the teacups are quite generous. So we asked for more tea water almost right away. Not having too much hot water of course did mean that it didn’t get cold. But on the other hand it would’ve been good to be asked if we needed more tea rather than have to seek contact to ask for it. When we did ask for it we then got a larger size of teapot. So perhaps it would’ve just been good to get these from the start. However asking for more water was really not an issue for us, just something I noticed and wanted to mention.
- The Venison Sausage Roll was just a tad on the dry side, but the flavour was good.
FAQ The Spence at Gleneagles Townhouse Afternoon
They can cater for dietary requirements but it is recommended to get in touch in advance to check this. They are unable to guarantee the complete absence of allergens.
The afternoon tea at the Spence must be booked with at least 24 hours notice. Bookings can be made through the website.
The afternoon tea is available every day between 14.30-16.30 and is a set menu served to your table. But the brunch is only available on one Sunday each month which is served through a limitless buffet. Both must be booked in advance, and the brunch typically sells out quickly.
Gleneagles Townhouse is the venue in Edinburgh, whilst the big Gleneagles Hotel is located near Auchterarder in Perthshire, about 1.5h drive away. Gleneagles Hotel is a big resort with a golf course whilst the Gleneagles Townhouse is a hotel, restaurant and bar in Edinburgh. They are both part of the Gleneagles brand however.
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- Edinburgh: A local’s guide and recommendations to things to do and see
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- Lannan Bakery: a local’s recommendations and review of the most popular bakery in Edinburgh
- Where to go for a whisky tasting in Edinburgh: Scotch whisky tours & distilleries
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Meet Moa, our multi-talented writer from Sweden who now calls Edinburgh, Scotland home. With over a decade exploring Europe’s hidden corners—from Nordic landscapes to alpine villages—Moa brings a unique perspective shaped by her years as a travel guide in the Swiss and Austrian Alps. As a whisky book author and freelance drinks writer, she has an eye for exceptional food and beverage experiences, while her background as a photographer ensures she never misses a scenic moment. Whether she’s discovering old European cities or chasing golden hour in mountain villages, Moa’s stories blend cultural insight with a dash of adventure and plenty of authenticity.
