Betty's Tearooms

Bettys Café Tea Rooms is a Yorkshire institution founded in 1919 by Swiss confectioner Frederick Belmont. The original Harrogate branch on Parliament Street, with its curved windows looking out over Montpellier Hill and the Stray, remains the best known of the family of tearooms, joined by branches in York, Ilkley, Northallerton and Harlow Carr.

Inside, the atmosphere blends Art Deco elegance with Alpine craftsmanship: marquetry panels, polished wood, white-aproned servers and pianists playing in the afternoons. The menu spans traditional afternoon tea with finger sandwiches, scones with Yorkshire clotted cream, and a tiered stand of patisserie, alongside Yorkshire rarebit, Swiss rösti and the famous Fat Rascal, a large fruited scone unique to Bettys.

The adjoining shop sells cakes, breads, chocolates and loose-leaf teas, all baked and blended at the Bettys Craft Bakery in Harrogate. Queues at the door are part of the experience, particularly at weekends, and tables can be reserved in the upstairs Imperial Room for a calmer afternoon tea sitting.