It’s not that easy trying to find a place to have a decent afternoon tea in Frankfurt. It doesn’t appear to be a popular thing to do. From what I can tell, the only place worth trying is the Frankfurter Hof Hotel, which is a Steigenberger property.

Location

The Frankfurter Hof Hotel is situated close to the Rossmarkt in the centre of the city, in the heart of the shopping district. It’s an imposing looking building that is, mind you, not quite as old as it’s made up to look.

Staff & Service

The staff are a bit of a mixed bag. There’s a young Turkish woman who’s great. She’s friendly and efficient. Alas, she’s basically running the show on her own, mainly because her colleague is useless. Other than that, the service is generally a little lackluster.

Afternoon Tea at the Frankfurter Hof

The table is set in pure white chinaware. The young lady offers us a glass of champagne to start, but we request a bottle of sparkling water instead. The tea menu is quite extensive, the teas are by Eilles. I’m not in the mood for Earl Grey, so I go with a Darjeeling second flush, which, sadly, has been steeped to death by the time it is served.

The food is brought out on a three-tier étagère with the savouries at the bottom, scones in the middle, and sweets on top. The untalented waiter places the étagère on the table and volunteers to take us through it, which basically means telling us that “at the bottom are the savouries, which are salty”. It’s a fascinating explanation, riveting even… “Start with them, okay”.

The savouries are interesting because because they have a decidedly German touch, which is nicely done. Only one of the savouries is actually a sandwich of sorts. First, there is a ramekin of Grüne Sosse, which is a very local thing. Then there’s smoked fish, matjes, and a paprika paste sandwich. Matjes, by the way, is soused herring. It’s not bad, but has a slightly odd texture for fish and a weird, slightly cheesy flavour.

There are two scones each, one plain and one with raisins. They’re served with two small bowls of sour cream, strawberry jam and marmalade. The taste is not bad, but they have a slightly spongy, dry texture.

Probably the weakest part of this afternoon tea are the sweets, which are all excessively sweet. They’re not bad, they’re just not particularly remarkable either.

Conclusion

As far as afternoon teas go, the Frankfurter Hof is nothing fancy or remarkable. I rather liked that the savouries gave it a German twist. Beyond that, though, the food was good, but not remarkable. And the service definitely showed room for improvement.