London · Knightsbridge
The Berkeley
Fashion you can eat
The Berkeley invented Prêt-à-Portea, the afternoon tea inspired by the catwalk, and in 2023 gave Cédric Grolet his London home: a boutique on the Knightsbridge side of the hotel.
The Berkeley moved to Knightsbridge in 1972 and became the playful one of the Maybourne houses: a rooftop pool, a bar by David Collins, and since 2006 Prêt-à-Portea, an afternoon tea whose biscuits and cakes are shaped like the season’s handbags, shoes and dresses. The collection changes twice a year with the fashion calendar, and the tea is served in the Collins Room with a silver-topped tea trolley.
In 2023 Cédric Grolet opened his first boutique outside France at the Berkeley: a counter facing Knightsbridge with the sculpted fruit, the flower tarts and the croissants of his Paris houses, and a small salon for the Grolet afternoon tea. The two teas, one witty and British, one French and sculptural, make the Berkeley the most interesting sweet address in London.
The signature
The fashion biscuits of Prêt-à-Portea and Grolet’s fruit
Signature desserts
