NYC Afternoon Teas-Part 2
Hi Steepers! Let’s check out three more afternoon tea spots in NYC.
Lady Mendl’s
Alice’s Tea House
Nubeluz
1) Lady Mendl’s
A Little Bit of History: Located in Gramercy Park, Lady Mendl's offers an elevated tea experience within a Georgian brownstone built in 1834! The atmosphere and decor is absolutely beautiful. According to their website, Lady Mendl's is often used for fashion presentations, bridal showers, small weddings and private events for the arts. The advertising is very subtle for this location. There is only a small teacup engraved plaque on the outside of the brownstone.
The Experience: This is one of my favorite places to take people when we’re visiting the city, but a few things need to be noted that wouldn’t make this experience accessible for everyone. 1) The brownstone has ten steps to the door, and there is not an alternative entrance if you are in a wheelchair or have trouble going up steps. 2) They do not take guests under the age of twelve so this is not a place you can take your little ones for a cute tea party. 3) While they will try to accommodate allergies they cannot accommodate certain dietary restrictions, such as vegan, egg-free, dairy-free, or gluten-free guests.
When you enter there is a “check in/lounge” area where someone will check you in for your reservation and take your jacket if you want. If you are waiting for the rest of your party to arrive, this is a place where you can sit. It should be noted that they promote a “five-course tea service” and they do just enough to make the experience unique from other afternoon tea spots that it really stands out. The five courses include: 1) Seasonal Soup or salad 2) A selection of tea sandwiches 3) Scones 4) Gâteau de Crêpes 5) Petit Fours. The Gâteau de Crêpes is one of the differentiators for this afternoon tea compared to others and it’s very tasty! A Gâteau de Crêpes is a crepe cake with layers of paper-thin crepes and pastry cream with whipped cream folded in. Lady Mendl’s offers a vanilla bean flavor, but recently when I went they also had the option of a Tiramisu Gâteau de Crêpes (pictured below) which was delicious.
The other differentiator this tea experience has is that you have the option to do a tea pairing! So they have a tea suggestion for each of the five courses, and they will refill you as much as you want. (By the end of the experience I usually have seven to eight cups of tea!) If you don’t like one of the teas, you can ask for another! They have a special server just to refill you tea so it is rare that your teacup will ever be empty!
As of Today: Take a look at the current menu. On May 1st, this experience went up in price from $78 to $89 which is a pretty steep jump for an already expensive experience.
My Rating: 4.5/5 teacups. This is one of my favorite places in the city, but it’s tough to give a 5/5 when they can’t accommodate either vegan or gluten free options which are pretty status quo at this point. But as a whole, I do ADORE this experience. I should note that Lady Mendl’s requires an advanced reservation, usually AT LEAST a week in advance. It’s very popular.
2) Alice’s Tea Cup
A Little Bit of History: Alice’s Tea Cup was founded in 2001 by sisters Haley and Lauren Fox! As the name suggests, this spot is a whimsical, Alice in Wonderland themed experience! Alice’s has two main sit down locations, plus one take out location in the city.
The Experience: Whimsical is definitely the right word for this experience. You step into one of these locations and you do feel like you are transported into a fairy tale. The afternoon tea experience offers the traditional three tiers (sweets, savories, and scones) BUT WITH A TWIST. Instead of an assortment of finger sandwiches you get your choice of ONE BIG SANDWICH.
The portions at Alice’s are very generous. What is not that generous is the tea. You get the option of a three cup tea pot with a single afternoon tea, and its an additional expense for refills. This is the only afternoon tea experience I have been too where they charge you for the refill. Usually places at the least would be happy to refill your pot with hot water, but that doesn’t seem to be the case at Alice’s.
It should be noted that Alice’s also does a weekend brunch Afternoon tea which swaps the sandwich with some brunch favorites. This is a good place to also take your friends who are not afternoon tea enthusiasts, because Alice’s has other offerings a la carte!
As of Today: This is the current menu. Tea for one (which is called The Nibble) is currently $45 and Tea for two (which is cutely called The Mad Hatter) is $85.
My Rating: 5/5. This was my first US afternoon tea experience and I have gone back several times in the last decade. I love the ambiance. The servers are always so nice and I love that I get a FULL SANDWICH! Sometimes I just want one big sandwich of my choice! I just don’t love how stingy they are with the tea BUT this is a very affordable tea experience compared to other locations so it is a 5/5 for me!
3) Nubeluz
A Little Bit of History: Nubeluz is located on the top floor of The Ritz-Carlton New York, NoMad! According to their website, Nubeluz is New York’s newest cocktail destination from award-winning Chef José Andrés Located on the 50th Floor, Nubeluz offers beautiful 270-degree views of the New York City skyline. Afternoon tea is only available on Saturday and Sunday.
The Experience: So I went here on a rainy day so the views were not very clear, but regardless this was a gorgeous location. It feels very high end (and for that, you pay a premium price), so it’s a great option for a special occasion, but not for the casual tea time fun.
Nubeluz offers the traditional afternoon tea three tiers: savory, sweet, and scones, BUT THE SAVORY ITEMS were honestly out of this world. One of the best truffled mini grilled cheeses I have had in my life. The display is also so beautiful. And IT’S FILLING! You are unlikely to leave here unsatisfied.
Now on the service. So I will say it seems our waiter was an oddity compared to the others, because he was SUPER inattentive and didn’t check on us after the food was served. We had to flag him down for every little thing. (Refill of water, Refill of tea, the bill). He did not check on us often and even when we asked for something, we would see him take a detour to just chat with his coworkers almost every time. That being said, every other server seemed really attentive to their parties.
Something to note, when you ask for a tea refill it takes a bit of time. However, this is because they freshly brew you a new pot! It’s not just a refill of hot water.
As of Today: You can look at the menu here. Currently the afternoon tea is $130 pp so it is STEEP.
My Rating: 4/5 teacups. The price tag is very high for the experience, so I see this as a one and done for me, but I would recommend it to visitors who are looking for a spot for a special occasion.
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