Make like a queen with one of Brisbane’s best high teas

Wander into Belle Époque in Brisbane’s Emporium Hotel and you could easily imagine you were in Paris.

The French patisserie and café brings the romance and French-style drama with plush chairs, a gold-gilded chandelier and green fernery everywhere you look. High tea here is a gorgeous affair with a seasonal menu which features a twist on classics, such as the crème brulee flavoured with thyme or the intriguing Gold inspired vanilla madeleine.

There are a number of options for high tea, including a two-hour bottomless Champagne high tea and even one specifically designed for children, where the Champagne is logically replaced with a milkshake or juice. You can even do a takeaway high tea and turn your home into a Parisian café.

Dish Cult’s top pick: High tea with two hours of bottomless Champagne ($110)

Head out to the terrace of Patina at Customs House and take part in an art-deco inspired Champagne high tea while enjoying relaxing views of the Brisbane River.

Three tier stands are laden with sweet and savoury delights, including handcrafted petit desserts, tiny tarts, macarons, mini buns and raspberry scones. The tea selection is particularly strong as it comes from French tea house La Maison du Thé and you will also be able to toast the fine circumstances you find yourself in with a glass of Louis Roederer Brut Premier.

Also worth noting is that the high tea can be made gluten-free, vegetarian or, for all those mamas to be, pregnancy-friendly.

Dish Cult’s top pick: Champagne high tea ($83 per person)

Take the stairs up to the Gallery level at the Brisbane Arcade to enjoy a traditional high tea in the heritage-listed surrounds of Room with Roses.

The team here are pretty serious about the afternoon tea experience and have come up with an extensive menu of options. Everything from a Deluxe version to the Ultimate chocolate fondue high tea as well as a high tea with Champagne and another that comes with bottomless mimosas for an hour.

Whichever you choose, they all come with the signature raspberry scones with housemade raspberry jam and chantilly cream, as well as delicate sweet and savoury bites, and coffee or tea.

Dish Cult’s top pick: Ultimate chocolate fondue high tea ($55 per person)

With linen tablecloths, vintage crockery and situated within a spectacular garden, high tea at Reid’s Place is like taking a step back to a simpler, more relaxed time.

Sit out on the wrap-around veranda and enjoy a high tea which features a little bit of sweet and a little bit of savoury as well as fluffy, still warm scones straight from the oven. The menu changes with the seasons but it’s all designed to help you celebrate any event – or no event at all – with your nearest and dearest.

While there’s a large selection of teas available, Reid’s Place is BYO so if you have a bottle of Champagne you’ve been saving, now is the time to bust it out! And if you really want to push the boat out, stay overnight in the boutique accommodation.

Dish Cult’s top pick: Private high tea party ($55 per adult, $27.50 per child)

While away the afternoon in French-style luxury with the high tea at Brisbane’s Sofitel, served in the chic lobby bar Cuvée.

The menu here has a distinctly Parisian feel with brightly hued macaroons, chocolate-coated eclairs, delicate tarts and savoury quiches.

Sit back and enjoy the spectacular views over Brisbane City, a glass of Veuve Cliqout in one hand and a gorgeous Gâteau Opéra in the other. What’s left to say but bon appétit!

Dish Cult’s top pick: High tea ($79 per person)