Nicole in Rome

Updated: June 10, 2024 (More photos, editing the stars of the scones from 3 to 4, and High Tea review finally)!

Occasion: Friday late afternoon tea

Initial Impressions: Babingtons is located in Piazza di Spagna. If you are facing the steps, it is directly to the left. It looks small, but inside is decently sized and there is space to maneuver around. Outdoor seating is also available if you want to crowd watch and heat lamps are provided during Fall/Winter. I would say there is handicap accessibility outside and inside, but the caveat with inside is that at the front door there are two*steps. There is handicap accessibility outside. A ramp is also usually readily available as well for wheelchair users.

Once Seated: The decorations were beautiful. It was a vintage ambience, but by no means antique or old looking. The lighting was bright and warm. Lighting was a good tone and did not give a cold sterile or white feeling. All three times visited, we were not tired per se, but wanting a place to relax and have a slow conversation. Sometimes when it becomes more busy, you will find yourself standing at the door waiting for the host. While this is not a problem *be patient :)*, if you are looking for a very formal afternoon tea, you will perhaps have a better experience at one of Rome’s five star hotels. In the future, I will be posting those reviews and recommendations. Restrooms are available and they are decent. Our order was taken in a timely manner the first time, the second time more time was given without any fuss or pressure, the third time I flagged one of the waitresses down. The menu was available in Italian and English. There were plenty of items on the menu. A very good selection of teas as well as entree like options, which is a bit uncommon for a tea room, but very good if you are dragging dad, uncle, a boyfriend, etc., along and they are hungry/don’t want tea and scones. The names for some of their special tea blends were Rome/Italian themed and fun. The waitresses are available to give recommendations or to help you choose between teas.

5/5 Tea: I can’t give detailed reviews for all of the teas ordered, but during the summer I had ordered an iced tea (I believe it was Moroccan Secret) and it was very refreshing. Royal White Passion was also a memorable and delicious tea. Lately I’ve been a huge fan of the Jasmine Dragon Phoenix Pearl tea. It is very delicate and relaxing. I recommend this tea most. There are one or two more we have tried, but I don’t really remember. I did find that the brown sugar provided was nice. Once we were given a simple syrup for the tea, but honey or agave would also be a nice option.

The Food: All three times I have visited, we ordered cream tea for two. This gives you two individual pots of tea, two plain scones and two raisin scones with strawberry jam and fresh whipped cream. On the next visit, we will try two high teas for one (this provides eight finger sandwiches in addition to the scones). One critique I have is that “high tea” is not really the proper term and it should be afternoon tea, so again, if you are going with a seasoned afternoon tea drinker, this tea room is a step up from hole-in-the-wall tea rooms, but also below a very formal afternoon tea. One of the visits we ordered a cake of the day and it was too much in addition to the scones. Oh! Silverware and china are beautiful. As you can see the two tier stand has a cat on top. The hot water caddies given for the tea (not pictured) have cats on top as well. 🙂 Definitely a cute addition if you or a friend love cats.

4/5 Scones with strawberry jam and fresh whipped cream: The scones are warm. I don’t particularly prefer raisins, but it doesn’t really taste very different from the plain scones. However, the scones are a bit dense and I would say are not the best scones I have had for afternoon tea. I had to mark a star down because the cream provided is closer to fresh whipped cream and not clotted cream. The scones are very filling and I would not suggest high tea for one if you are having afternoon tea up two hours or less before dinner.

3/5 Cake of the Day: The cake, I do not recommend. It is more a one or the other, but in my opinion there also are better cakes elsewhere in Rome. Perhaps you can try the other sweets and skip the one pictured on the bottom left.

4/5 High Tea: The high tea isn’t bad. I enjoy their chicken tea sandwich and the smoked salmon one. I don’t like their cucumber one at all. I also think the bread could be softer and less dry. However, the scones are very very good and I think for its price point, high tea for one is filling and worth it. I usually order the high tea and Paolo orders just a pot of tea and sandwiches and we share halves of the scones. Having this everytime has made us full/only hungry enough for very light dinners.

Payment: Cream tea for two is 48 euros. They accept American Express and all three times payment was at the counter. Again, if you are going with a seasoned afternoon tea drinker, this Tea Room is a step-up from hole-in-the-wall tea rooms, but also way below a very formal afternoon tea. However, it is still a great place to visit if you are in the area (as a tourist you most definitely will). I would also say the price point is a bit on the expensive side for a local, but for tourists they are not really robbing you. On all three of my experiences, we stayed 1.5-2 hours with no rush whatsoever. A nice place to sit, and if you are a coffee lover or want a cheaper option or don’t want to wait, stay tuned and subscribe! I’ll be posting a cafe option next.