Urban Tea Rooms to open second site

Modern teahouse concept Urban Tea Rooms is to open its second site at London’s St James’s Market development later this spring.

The group – which currently has one site in Soho - runs as a café by day and serves tea cocktails and tapas by night.

It will join the first UK outpost for Michelin-starred New York restaurant Aquavit, Danish bakers Ole & Steen, and Salt Yard Group’s Veneta restaurant at the £400m development.

Urban Tea Rooms founder Sophie Hudson said that the new site would serve an expanded food and coffee menu alongside 13 varieties of tea.

“What we found in the first site is that we actually sell a lot more coffee than tea,” said Hudson.

“There are some really good tea places out there, but there does seem to be more coffee drinkers, especially in the takeaway crowd.

“But people drinking in [are more likely] to order a proper tea and something to eat with it, particularly in the afternoon.”

Tea category growth

A recent report by Tetley found that out-of-home tea sales are now worth £3.4bn, with year-on-year growth doubling to 3.6 per cent.

However, Hudson said that Urban Tea Rooms was focusing on ‘quality over quantity’ and had no immediate plans to open further sites.

“It’s a possibility one day but for the short to medium-term future [these two sites] are very much our focus,” she said.

Urban Tea Rooms' speciality drinks include English Rose Petal; Strawberry; and Orange and Passionfruit tea.

It is the latest tea concept to expand in London, following Yumchaa, Amanzi Tea and Camellia's Tea House.