The Regency Tea Room, Jane Austen Centre

For Austen devotees and anyone who wants their afternoon tea with a side of theatre, the Regency Tea Room is the pick. Set above the Jane Austen Centre on Gay Street, it leans fully into the theme — Regency decor, staff in period costume and a menu with names like Mr Darcy — while keeping the quality serious enough to hold the Tea Guild's Award of Excellence for service and standards. Mr Darcy's Afternoon Tea is an indicative ~£29.50 per person, with finger sandwiches, plain and fruit scones, Dorset clotted cream, seasonal preserves, small cakes and loose-leaf tea (blended by Gillards of Bath) or coffee; a simpler cream tea is around ~£9 if a full stand is too much. It's noticeably cheaper than the hotel teas and full of character, but the room is small and the styling won't suit everyone. Choose it over Sally Lunn's if you want the full themed stand rather than the city's famous bun.