Best Gluten Free HIGH TEAS in Brisbane Part 1

As a lover of all things girly and any occasion to get dressed up and play ladies, I absolutely adore the High Tea experience. After being diagnosed as a coeliac 16 years ago however, the experience became a little tricky to navigate. It was difficult to find a venue that could fulfil my expectations with a GF version. And there is nothing worse than sitting among gluten filled gorgeous 3 tiered high teas if you are left with plates of cold dried friands, stale macarons, and salads in place of finger sandwiches (true experience). So I started to get more specific when asking restaurants if they catered for gluten free high teas…”what do you substitute in, do you have scones, finger sandwiches, are your cakes as prettily decorated as the non gluten free ones” etc…because 15 years ago, the attitude to catering for gluten free was much more dismissive. Thankfully now the awareness of the benefit for dining venues to cater well for gluten free (we come with friends…who also won’t dine there if we are not catered for well!) has caused them to ‘pick up their game’ and we genuinely now have a lot of great options.

So, here are my top gluten free High Teas in Brisbane (Part 1): 

The Emporium Hotel Fortitude Valley

The red velvet decadence of the décor sets the stage for an afternoon of high tea indulgence in the Cocktail Bar of the Emporium Hotel. The service was great and attentive, and the gluten free options well presented on the requisite 3-tiered stand. And I absolutely loved their red floral tea cups! It is really good value, as a glass of sparkling is included in the price. The sweet gluten free options included a macaron, a variety of slices and some chocolate covered strawberries.The only negative was that scones were swapped out for mini pavlovas, which was disappointing…the Aussie pav just does not carry the English high tea feel like scones with jam & cream! But if the missing scones is not a biggie for you, then you will love the experience of High Tea at the Emporium. And just as an aside, it’s almost worth going there just for the bathrooms!  Cost: $45pp

Update: The Emporium Fortitude Valley has now become The Valley Hotel, with a new Emporium opening in Southbank in July 2018…stay tuned for a new review!

Stamford Plaza Brisbane City

Well for Brisbane it’s pretty hard to beat this setting by the river. The French styling of their Riverside Patio or the elegance of the Lobby both provide beautiful surroundings to start an afternoon of indulgence. Best to get dressed up for this experience. From a less than auspicious start to the Stamford Gluten Free High Tea journey some years ago, they need to be applauded for listening to diner feedback (namely moi…see account of this here) and completely revamping their whole gluten free high tea. There are now scones and finger sandwiches, and gorgeously decorated petite cakes. You will not be disappointed. Cost: $37pp Riverside or $49pp Lobby

Room With Roses  Queen Street Mall, Brisbane City

Well you couldn’t ask for a more traditional setting for the genuine High Tea experience. Gorgeous floral china, tablecloths and of course the roses, transport you back to a time when ladies didn’t play ladies they were ladies. And the gluten free selection did not disappoint! There were scones, a selection of slices, finger sandwiches and sandwich roulades and even a couple of yum savoury pastries. Set inside the historic Brisbane Arcade in the city the picture is made complete. This one has a stellar reputation in the high tea community and for good reason. Definitely worth a visit. Large group bookings are easily catered for here as they have a couple of separate rooms that can be booked out.  Cost: $46pp (GF)

Spicers Balfour  New Farm

The setting for their High Tea is lovely, especially if you manage a table on the deck with its pretty leafy views. While the experience is certainly enjoyable and the food of high quality, be warned that this takes more of a modern approach to the concept of the High Tea. There was no 3-tiered stand or pretty china, but the bite-sized cakes were beautiful and really yummy. The savoury selection was more like canapés…so cucumber and dill sandwiches or scones and cream were nowhere to be seen, but again really yum. I certainly didn’t feel like the poor cousin to my non gluten free companion as it was obvious a lot of thought and culinary care was given to their gluten free selection. The one disappointment here however was the service. It took a very long time to receive each portion of the high tea, and the “unlimited” drinks didn’t materialize simply because there was only the opportunity to order one due to almost complete lack of waiter attention. So if time is not your enemy and you are happy to while away the afternoon on their verandah (& be a bit parched in the process), then give this one a try. Cost: $49pp

Next Review (Part 2): Bacchus Southbank, Treasury Casino (The Lab Restaurant), Palazzo Versace Gold Coast, Customs House

I would LOVE to hear of your gluten free High Tea experiences! Leave a comment or contact details below xx

And if you would like to read more REVIEWS on the BRISBANE FOODIE SCENE have a look at Brisbane Gluten Free – Bucket List Foodie Experiences You Do Not Want To Miss!!

And if you are keen to access some gourmet gluten free foodie joy but can’t make it to these lovely venues…we have the solution!

Our Gourmet Gluten Free Hampers (with DF + Vegan options) can be delivered to your door! HEAD HERE to see our gorgeous range of Australian made gourmet gluten free goodies.