Twinings Strand Tea Boutique: Open Daily, Tea Bar Inside

Twinings at 216 Strand, London WC2R 1AP, is open every day of the week from 11 AM, and it is both a working tea shop and a small museum of the company that has traded on this plot since 1706. The flagship sits directly opposite the Royal Courts of Justice, two minutes from Temple station, with a tea bar that pours a daily selection of loose leaf teas and a pick and mix wall for tea bag envelopes. For anyone searching for a tea boutique in central London, this narrow shopfront is the oldest answer on the map.

Twinings Flagship Store sits at 216 Strand, London WC2R 1AP, and the company describes its position simply: exactly opposite the Royal Courts of Justice. The nearest station is Temple on the District and Circle lines, a two minute walk. Leave the station, walk straight up to the Strand, turn right and the shop is about 200 yards along, according to the directions on the Twinings site.

If you are coming from Charing Cross, the shop suggests getting off there and wandering down the road instead. Buses 4, 11, 15, 23, 26, 76, 172 and 341 all stop directly opposite at the Royal Courts of Justice, and the Big Bus and Original Tour routes both have stops within sight.

The store publishes its hours for every day of the week. Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday are 11.00am to 6.00pm. Thursday runs slightly later at 11.30am to 6.30pm. Friday, Saturday and Sunday are each 11.00am to 6.00pm. Nothing here closes for a weekend, which makes it one of the few tea shops on this stretch of London that you can plan around on a Sunday afternoon.

The practical effect is that the shop is an afternoon stop rather than a morning one. If you want to be among the first people at the tea bar, arrive just after 11 on a weekday, when the day's loose leaf selection has just been set up. Thursday visitors get the odd half hour in the evening, which is useful if you finish work or a museum visit later than usual.

The official history on the Twinings site begins with Thomas Twining, who in 1706 bought Tom's Coffee House on this spot. The name was pure coincidence, the company says, but the location was prime, close to the new houses that wealthy families were building west of the city walls after the Great Fire. With more than 2,000 coffee houses competing in London, Thomas set his place apart by selling fine quality tea.

The shop's most distinctive claim is that it became the world's first dry tea and coffee shop. In the eighteenth century a lady would never enter a coffee house, so she waited in her carriage while a male servant bought her tea. Thomas acquired the three neighbouring properties and opened a shop where women could browse tea for themselves. Customers have included Jane Austen, and the painter William Hogarth, who settled a debt by painting Thomas's portrait, which hangs in the Strand tasting room today.

The most useful thing to do inside is to stand at the premium sampling bar. Twinings says its Brand Ambassadors hand choose a daily selection of loose leaf teas and infusions, and the store manager, Natalia, says there are always between four and five different teas on the go. Someone is on hand to brew, pour, explain and chat, so you can touch, smell and taste before you buy.

The bar is aimed at people who normally shop on autopilot. Natalia points out that most customers buy the tea they already know because the range is so large that it can feel intimidating. Ask for a sample and let the team steer you toward something you would not pick from a shelf, then compare it with the familiar blend you came in for. That ten minute comparison is the best value in the building.

The shop's own loose leaf range is priced clearly on the Twinings website. London Strand Breakfast, a blend named for this address, is £17.50 for a 125g bag. Darjeeling in 125g is also £17.50, and the Apple and Elderflower green tea comes in at the same price. At the top end sits the limited edition 2026 1st Flush Darjeeling, which is £65.00 for 90g.

The Pick and Mix wall is a firm customer favourite, according to the shop. You build your own selection of tea bag envelopes, alone or in a deluxe Twinings wooden box, which makes it the easiest gift to assemble in a few minutes. The store also stocks tea accessories and gifts, so a tin, an infuser and a bag of leaf can all be bought in a single visit.

Twinings runs masterclasses inside the Strand store, and it describes them as an alternative London attraction. The options listed are a Classic Tea class, a Family History masterclass, a Bespoke Blending Session in which you create your own blend with a tea expert, and a Herbal Masterclass on botanicals. The company suggests them as gifts or for a celebratory occasion.

Booking is split in two ways. Direct bookings with immediate payment go through Tripadvisor, which Twinings says carries the most up to date availability. If you only have an hour, skip the masterclass and take the tea bar, which needs no booking at all.

The shop is a natural halfway point in a walk between Covent Garden and Fleet Street. Temple is on one side and Somerset House and the river are a short walk in the other direction, so you can pair tea with a gallery visit without crossing the city. The Royal Courts of Justice across the road are worth a look from the pavement for the Victorian Gothic frontage.

If the weather turns, the shop makes a sensible shelter. Buy a tin, ask the team to brew you a cup and stay for a while. When you want company for the rest of the route, ask the Karpo APP for quiet cafes or museums near the Strand, and let it fit them around the shop's closing time.

Address: Twinings Flagship Store, 216 Strand, London WC2R 1AP. Hours: Monday to Wednesday 11.00am to 6.00pm, Thursday 11.30am to 6.30pm, Friday to Sunday 11.00am to 6.00pm. Nearest station: Temple, a two minute walk.

Go on a weekday for the quietest tea bar, and treat Sundays as a good time for browsing gifts. Skip the masterclass if you only want a cup and a bag of leaf, because the bar does that job for free. If the shop is busy, walk toward Charing Cross and come back in half an hour.