Yauatcha makes the most exotic tea, Maison Bertaux is for the traditionally minded and Princi brings a taste of Milan to Soho.

Yauatcha
15 Broadwick Street, W1 (020 7494 8888, www.yauatcha.com)
Certainly the most exotic tea, and probably the most exotic cakes, to be found in Soho. The ground-floor tea room at Alan Yau's restaurant offers a huge range of rare and pricy Chinese teas. The brightly coloured individual cakes glow like radioactive jewels but taste satisfyingly indulgent.

Maison Bertaux
28 Greek Street, W1 (020 7437 6007)
For the traditionally minded, this eccentric and old-established patissier has no rivals. Bertaux upholds Soho's bohemian traditions — the upstairs tea room doubles up as a tiny theatre. The cakes and pastries are amazing: stellar fruit tarts, classics such as choux buns and éclairs, plus a mouth-watering array of gâteaux. Worth a visit for the unspoilt, time-warp ambience.

Princi
135 Wardour Street, W1 (020 7478 8888, www.princi.co.uk)
A rather smart, very large, and quite expensive interloper from Milan. As well as various lunch dishes and a formidable line-up of sandwichy options, Princi does tea and cakes in a stylish fashion. The cakes and pastries are well made and there are some traditional Italian delicacies that tempt.

Patisserie Valerie
44 Old Compton Street, W1 (020 7437 3466,
www.patisserie-valerie.co.uk)
Patisserie Valerie is an example of what can happen to a Soho favourite when it spreads its wings. Now there are dozens of branches across London and beyond. The rich dark cake topped with curls of chocolate is a great teatime treat and the fresh fruit tartlets are also competitive.

Bob Bob Ricard
1 Upper James Street, W1 (020 3145 1000,
www.bobbobricard.com)
BBR is a comfortable newcomer, very much an all-day brasserie operation offering an afternoon tea menu. It's not a cheap option but there are classic cakes such as Victoria sponge and the rarely seen Battenberg, also pastries like the cream horn and rum baba. These are backed up by a dozen different kinds of tea in