Tivoli Palácio de Seteais in Sintra, Portugal, now offers a refined Queen’s Tea featuring three new menus created by pastry chef Cíntia Koerper, a gastronomy graduate of the Alain Ducasse Formation in Paris.
© Tivoli Hotels & Resorts
The daily tea ritual at Tivoli Palácio de Seteais draws on a historical connection between Portugal and England: Catherine of Bragança, a Portuguese princess who married King Charles II in 1662, helped popularize tea in Britain. As part of Portugal’s trading links with China, loose tea arrived in England with Catherine’s dowry, and the young queen played a key role in making tea a social custom. The hotel’s service celebrates that legacy while highlighting Portugal’s own tea and pastry traditions.
Served daily at 5 p.m., Queen’s Tea is open to hotel guests and the public and may be enjoyed on the veranda or inside the restaurant. The new menus balance English classics with Portuguese flavors: traditional scones enriched with raisins soaked in rum, a selection of delicate tea sandwiches, and iconic Portuguese pastries such as queijadas (milk tarts) and pastel de nata (custard tarts).
© Tivoli Hotels & Resorts
Additional specialties on the menus include Sintra reineta apple tartlets, vanilla madeleines and almond financiers, offering a blend of local ingredients and classic French pastry technique. Of course, tea is central to the experience: guests can choose from traditional English Breakfast to rooibos from South Africa, along with other curated infusions suited to the sweets and savories on offer.
Pricing for the tea service starts at $32 per person for a selection of three pastries and tea, with fuller menu options available for those who wish to indulge further. The Queen’s Tea at Tivoli Palácio de Seteais provides a welcoming, historically inspired setting for a relaxed afternoon ritual in the heart of Sintra.