Bettys Café Tea Rooms

Bettys tea room was founded in 1936 by Frederick Belmont. He was inspired by the Art Deco style of the Queen Mary ocean liner, and the tea room was designed by the same firm of London craftsmen.

During World War II, the Oak Room in the tea room was converted into a bar for servicemen. Some of the servicemen left their names on a mirror in the bar, which still hangs there today.

In the 1960s, the tea room underwent a transformation. The Belmont Room was converted into a self-service restaurant, and the Oak Room was turned into a chic Italian restaurant.

In 1997, the Belmont Room was restored to its original Art Deco glory. Today, it is used for special events and private functions.

Fabulous food and service and well-worth a visit to this iconic tea room. They do not operate bookings and queues in high-season sometimes snake around into St. Helen's Square. Persevere though, it is quite large inside (they also have a lot of tables in the beautifully wood-panelled basement) and the queue moves steadily forwards.