The Doll’s House on the Hill

My first time experiencing afternoon tea in London — I could not have asked for a more delightful afternoon! The staff were amazing in accommodating a large group of us and were consistent throughout the afternoon in their attentiveness. The sandwiches were just the perfect afternoon lunch — ham & cheese and hummus sandwiches were particularly good! The scones were by-​far my favorite! They were extremely fresh and warm… I could have just ate scones alone had I started with them first! The pasties were also delicious, but I was too full to try them all after the sandwiches and scones. Such a cute place for afternoon tea — I will definitely be returning the next time I visit England! Make sure to call ahead and book a table.

Cute place with vintage tea cups and pots. Great selection of cakes. Great looking menu, but beware if you are ordering their baguettes or sandwiches, they come in massive portions, so best to share. But if you’re hungry then go for it. Reasonable priced, and a great location, next to the famous Nehru boarding school. Would happily go back.

Cutesy brunch place that could charm the hardest of hearts — for a softie like me though, it had me at the vintage tea room décor, friendly service and yummy home-​made cake line-​up :)
I’ve only ever been on Sunday mornings (err usually following a big Saturday night!) so we’ve always booked in advance for a group, as it tends to bustle with locals reading the papers, the odd Harrow schoolboy in Sunday dress tailcoat with his parents, and last weekend (*shameless name-​dropping alert* but) even the lead singer of McFly with his mates! Who would’ve thought a little place like this would be so good for people-​watching eh…
It sits on top of ‘The Hill’ and we always work up a good appetite trekking up it from my friend’s house at the bottom. The brunch menu has a good range covering classics and veggie+gluten-free options; I’ve had the full english in the past which was fairly standard but hit the spot, and they claim everything is freshly home-​made from the kitchen. This time I had the veggie omelette with mushrooms, cheese and tomato that was delicious, and the unlimited toast is a nice touch for a naughty carb-​lover like me. Lots of feel-​good fresh juices and smoothies too to repair any damage from the night before ;)
Most importantly, make sure you leave room for cake! We ummed and ahhed in front of the counter for a good while before settling on the coconut and raspberry jam sponge cake (a-​ok), the choca mocha (ohh baby) and the classic carrot cake (smacked it). Goes well teamed with one of their many flavoured teas and coffees. Suffice to say we all rolled merrily down the hill after all that!
The staff sometimes overdo the niceties with the ‘are we all okaaaay?‘s but I’d much rather that than not caring! Also very accommodating of the fussier eaters wanting to swap tomatoes for more beans and mushrooms for hash browns, so don’t be shy. The lunch menu also looked yum so I’ll have to go back. It’s on the pricey side for brunch but you’re paying up given the affluent location, plus the cute cards for sale by the till put a smile on your face as you pay — yup if you ever wanted a card to tell someone they’re the cherry on your bakewell, look no further!!!

We came here for a hungover brunch, post-​hen party! Probs not their typical customers, but it was lovely. We had a private room downstairs and demolished a fair amount of food.
Décor is sweet and cutesy — not the kind of thing you’d expect would appeal to Harrow public schoolboys, but we did see a few. The muesli I had wasn’t as exciting as it sounded on the menu and I was still hungry after but I loved the cakes we had as ‘dessert’.
The others mostly had fry-​ups which looked pretty standard to me (shop-​bought hashbrowns and sausages) but it was all presented beautifully. I’d almost definitely come back and buy some more cake (but probs not brunch).
There was a funny moment when I dropped a ginseng tablet on a plate of brownies by the till and everyone looked suitably horrified til I explained what it was. The waitress took it well tho ;)

We are British but live in the U.S. now and each year we return, the place that tops our list as a «must return», is the Doll’s House. This place is, as others have said, quintissentially British, but with the rare qualities of combining great service, and real food. The cakes are all made fresh, the sandwiches delicious, and the atmosphere perfect! On our latest trip back to London we tried other tea houses but none of the compare. The Victoria Sponge Cake is to die for! You have to visit this place.

Sweet and old-​fashioned, not unlike myself, the Doll’s House on the Hill is the perfect place to have a rewarding cup of tea after walking up Harrow-​on the-​Hill on a crisp autumn day.
The owners claim dedication to the dying tradition of afternoon tea and they certainly have gone all out to maintain that unique British flavour that so many generic coffee shops have almost wiped out in London. Every detail, from the elegant crockery, the ornate homemade cakes and the rosy faced waitress, perfectly recreate a time when a nice cup of tea and a civilized chat was enough to fill an afternoon. Indeed, the atmosphere was so effective I wished I was going home to listen to the gramophone in front of a log fire.
After worrying about the possible effects of drinking so much tea I left, content with the world and happy in the knowledge that there are still corners of London devoted to being a little bit British.