High Tea The Rocks

The Rocks fits three very different high teas into a few streets by Circular Quay. The Tea Cosy, on Atherden Street in a heritage-listed 1880s building among The Rocks Markets, bakes scones throughout the day and pours tea under hand-knitted cosies. Shangri-La High Tea is served on level 36 of the Shangri-La hotel on Cumberland Street, with floor-to-ceiling views over the harbour, the bridge and the Opera House. The Fox Hole, a small bar on Harrington Street, runs Gin & Tea on weekends, with glass teapots filled with gin cocktails rather than tea.

Things to sort before you book:

• Getting there: Circular Quay has trains, ferries and light rail, and parking in The Rocks is limited and paid. Shangri-La restaurant diners can use valet parking at $45 for up to four hours.
• The experience: The Tea Cosy is quiet and traditional, Shangri-La is a polished hotel room with a view, and The Fox Hole is a social bar sitting modelled on a London back-lane cocktail bar.
• Group size: The Tea Cosy's private rooms take four to 14 guests, Shangri-La adds a 10 per cent service charge for tables of eight or more, and The Fox Hole welcomes groups of 10 or more.
• Booking lead time: bookings are essential at The Fox Hole, whose sittings are Saturdays and Sundays at 12pm and 2:45pm, and The Tea Cosy books its rooms in two-hour morning or afternoon sittings.
• Food and drinks: Shangri-La offers free-flow sparkling wine or Champagne, The Fox Hole's gin teapots can go bottomless for an extra $30 per person, and The Tea Cosy lets you bring a cake for $3 per person cakeage.

For a family birthday or a gentle engagement lunch, The Tea Cosy, from $32 per person, suits a smaller group. For a milestone where the setting matters, Shangri-La starts from $98 per person on weekdays. For a livelier hens afternoon, Gin & Tea at The Fox Hole is $90 per person.