Hopetoun Tea Rooms Melbourne: Latest News and Guide

Melbourne’s Block Arcade has housed tearooms under the Hopetoun name since 1892, making it one of the city’s longest-running hospitality institutions. A bitter ownership dispute and legal battle ended that chapter in 2020, leaving two rival establishments to carry the legacy forward.

Established: 1892 · Original Location: Block Arcade, Melbourne · Current Status: Under Renovation at 421 Bourke St · Bake Shop Address: 22 McKillop St · Notable Chef: Jacqui Challinor

Key facts anchor the Hopetoun narrative across its 130-year arc.

What has happened to the Hopetoun Tea Rooms?

Melbourne’s beloved Hopetoun Tea Rooms has been through more turbulence than most institutions endure in a century. What began as a charitable tea room in 1892 became a fixture of Melbourne’s hospitality scene, celebrated for its classic afternoon tea and ornate surroundings. The venue’s long history took a dramatic turn in the 2010s.

Move from Block Arcade

The Koutoumanos family operated the Hopetoun Tea Rooms for a decade starting in 2010, becoming synonymous with the venue’s postwar revival. In 2016, FineTea Pty Ltd, controlled by the family, undertook a major renovation that gutted the kitchen and refreshed the dining room, with the venue closed for five weeks during works. The renovation upgraded approximately 95% of the tenancy with state-of-the-art equipment as part of plans to expand to a 200-seat eatery.

The expansion required capital, and the Cohen family—who own the Block Arcade—lent money to support the basement work. According to CBD News, this financial arrangement would later become central to a bitter dispute that ended in the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal.

Renovation at 421 Bourke St

Following the VCAT ruling in 2019 and the subsequent collapse of FineTea Pty Ltd into voluntary administration and liquidation in late 2020, the business was sold to Vikramjeet Singh. Singh, who brings a tea plantation background from India, relocated the concept to 421 Bourke Street, a historic building formerly occupied by Kozminsky’s jewellers. Plans for the revamp were announced in August following the acquisition.

The new Bourke Street location is currently undergoing renovation, with an anticipated reopening set for late 2024. This represents the most significant attempt to re-establish the Hopetoun brand under new ownership since the original Block Arcade chapter closed.

Bake Shop opening

In the meantime, a Bake Shop operation opened at 22 McKillop St, offering cakes and afternoon tea service. This smaller-format venue provides a bridge for loyal customers while the main tea rooms undergo their Bourke Street transformation. The Bake Shop operates Monday 8am to 5pm, maintaining the tradition of classic cakes and scones that made the original famous.

Who owns Hopetoun Tea Rooms?

The ownership picture is complicated by the dispute that engulfed the original operation. Vikramjeet Singh purchased the business in 2020 and now controls the Hopetoun Tea Rooms trademark, planning the Bourke Street reopening. However, the Block Arcade site—where Hopetoun operated for over a century—is now running as “Tea Rooms 1892” under the landlords, using the heritage connection without the Hopetoun name.

Former owners dispute

Kon and Kelly Koutoumanos operated the venue for ten years before their exit. The family claims their departure was orchestrated unfairly, with Kon describing the situation as a “sham” and citing corruption in how the expansion project was handled. “The Hopetoun was in our blood for 10 years, and what occurred—I don’t care what court decided—it was a sham,” Kon Koutoumanos told CBD News.

The VCAT ruling in 2019 ordered Koutoumanos to pay $1.5 million to the landlord over the failed expansion. The dispute centered on financial contributions, lease variations, and disagreements over assets including an extraction system that was a landlord asset per the lease.

Current management

FineTea Pty Ltd, the company controlled by the Koutoumanos family, no longer operates the venue. The original Hopetoun Tea Rooms entity was sold to Singh in 2020, with the new owner pursuing a different location strategy. Meanwhile, Block Arcade owner Grant Cohen described the original Hopetoun signage as being of “historical significance” to the arcade’s heritage character.

The trademark dispute adds another layer: the owner of the original Hopetoun brand sued the Block Arcade for trademark infringement over the “Tea Rooms 1892” name, with accusations that the arcade misrepresented its connection to the original establishment.

What are Hopetoun Tea Rooms famous for?

Hopetoun Tea Rooms earned its reputation through over 130 years of serving traditional English afternoon tea in one of Melbourne’s most ornate heritage arcades. The venue became synonymous with tiered cake stands, freshly baked scones, and an atmosphere that transported visitors to a different era.

Historic high tea

The Block Arcade location, with its rich carpet, antique furnishings, and formal service, epitomized the high tea tradition. Unlike casual café offerings, Hopetoun maintained the ceremonial character of afternoon tea—tea stands presented at the table, a range of sweet and savory items, and the unhurried pace that the format demands. This made it a destination for special occasions, tourist experiences, and anyone seeking a taste of old-world hospitality.

Classic cakes

Hopetoun’s baking reputation centered on traditional cakes and pastries made fresh daily. The menu featured classics like Victoria sponge, rich chocolate tortes, and fruit cakes alongside seasonal variations. The scones—served with cream and jam— became a benchmark that Melbourne afternoon tea seekers measured other venues against.

1892 legacy

What distinguished Hopetoun was not just its food but its historical pedigree. Founded originally for the Victoria Ladies’ Work Association, a charitable organization supporting women with needlework, the tea room was named after Lady Hopetoun, the patron of that association. This connection to Melbourne’s social history—separate from the common misconception that Lady Hopetoun herself founded the venue—gave the operation cultural significance beyond its commercial function.

The pattern: Hopetoun’s strength lay in combining culinary tradition with heritage atmosphere, a formula now split between the Singh-operated Bake Shop and the landlord-run Block Arcade venue.

Hopetoun Tea Rooms Menu

The menu at the Bake Shop currently available at 22 McKillop St continues the Hopetoun tradition with tea stands, scones, and cakes. The offering mirrors the classic format that built the venue’s reputation: a selection of finger sandwiches, scones with cream and preserves, and an array of pastries and cakes.

Afternoon tea sets

The afternoon tea set remains the signature offering, presented in the traditional tiered format. Tea selections typically include classic options alongside specialty blends, reflecting the new owner’s tea plantation background. The experience is designed around the ceremonial nature of afternoon tea rather than quick service.

Cakes and scones

The Bake Shop’s cake selection draws on the traditional repertoire: sponge cakes, butter cakes, and seasonal fruit cakes. Scones are available with clotted cream and house-made jam. Unlike the full restaurant service of the original Block Arcade location, the Bake Shop operates in a more casual counter-service format.

Tea and coffee

With Singh’s tea plantation background in India informing the beverage program, tea options extend beyond standard black teas to include specialty single-origin offerings. Coffee is also available for those not seeking the full tea experience. For more detailed instructions on this process, you can refer to our guide on how to upload blog documents from Google Drive upload blog document upload blogger drive guide.

The implication: the Bake Shop preserves brand recognition during the transition, but the reduced format tests whether Hopetoun’s afternoon tea heritage can survive without the full ceremonial setting.

Hopetoun Tea Rooms Location and Opening Hours

The Hopetoun brand now operates across multiple locations following the 2020 split, creating some confusion for visitors expecting a single destination.

New location details

The main Hopetoun Tea Rooms under Singh’s ownership is being established at 421 Bourke Street, in the historic former Kozminsky’s building. This location is currently closed for renovation, with the reopening planned for late 2024. Once complete, it will serve as the primary Hopetoun Tea Rooms location with full afternoon tea service.

Bake shop hours

The Hopetoun Bake Shop at 22 McKillop St operates Monday through Friday, 8am to 5pm. This location is the only currently operating Hopetoun venue offering the traditional cakes and afternoon tea. Visitors should note that the Bake Shop operates on a more casual basis than the original tearoom.

Reviews overview

Social media updates from Hopetoun Tea Rooms Instagram keep followers informed of current operations and the progress toward the Bourke Street reopening. Review platforms show continued customer interest in the brand despite the disruption of recent years.

What this means: the Bake Shop’s limited hours and counter-service format mean tourists visiting on weekends will find the Hopetoun name absent from Melbourne’s afternoon tea landscape until the Bourke Street reopening.

The divergence between these two characterizations—one framing the exit as a “sham,” the other treating the heritage signage as historically significant—highlights how the Hopetoun dispute remains contested terrain.

The unfolding of the Hopetoun Tea Rooms story reflects the collision between heritage preservation and commercial disputes that can occur in long-term tenancy arrangements. What began as a 19th-century charitable venture became a Melbourne institution, then a battleground for competing legal and commercial interests.

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Fans of the iconic Hopetoun Tea Rooms can track the latest renovation update amid ongoing restoration efforts at its Block Arcade location.

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