Kings' Carriage House is basically Miss Havisham's dining room from Great Expectations--beautiful, frozen in time, and fueled entirely by nostalgia for something that was probably better decades ago. The intent is there. The setting is charming, romantic, and delightfully eccentric. You walk in expecting a proper afternoon tea experience and feel like you've stumbled into a forgotten Upper East Side parlor where time stopped sometime around 1887- and it smells it Unfortunately, much like Pip's great expectations, mine fell a bit short. The tea was Harney & Sons, but neither the London Fog nor the Earl Grey tasted like much of anything. The London Fog had lost the fog, and the Earl Grey had misplaced the Earl. The food was equally underwhelming: three tiny Pepperidge Farm-adjacent cookies, two scones with Smucker's jam, and a selection of sandwiches that were perfectly forgettable. The price was offensive, and nothing was memorable either. For a place that trades heavily on atmosphere, I wanted the food and tea to feel special. Instead, it felt like tea service designed by and for people who think black pepper is adventurous. If you're looking for a lovely room to sit in and pretend you're a Dickens character waiting for a letter that never arrives, you'll probably enjoy it. If you're looking for exceptional tea, creative bites, or an afternoon tea experience that feels worth the price, there are better options in New York. Aesthetic: 10/10. Execution: Great Expectations, disappointing reality. read more

Kings' Carriage House - New American Near Me - New York, New York

What a beautiful restaurant with great food and great service We had afternoon tea very elegant read more

This is such a cute and cozy tea spot. It reminds me of the old school authentic tea houses we went to before tea became an insanely high end thing. They have a nice fireplace and living room style set up and have really pretty tea pots in different shapes. The set up reminds me of a cute house. The tea set up was really nice and they had a good number of veggie options to eat. read more

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This place is quite unassuming and you wouldn't know from the façade of the store if you've arrived. This place has a lot of really cool and eclectic teapots. The tea was great and we had a green tea. The food was OK. We just got the sandwiches and finger foods. Nothing too memorable about the food but overall a decent experience. read more

Kings' Carriage House - New American Near Me - New York, New York

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Cute and charming place. They don't do reservations online so you have to call to make a reservation. I arrived earlier then my reservation and my party so I waited in the downstairs "lobby" area. They have selection or teas out on the tea to take a look at and purchase. When everyone arrived we were taken upstairs. Cute decor and lovely presentation. I had the London fog tea and my friend had the Paris tea and couldn't stop raving about it. I like that we didn't feel rushed to hurry up and finish. Everything was cute and presented well. The scones, clotted cream and jam was the best. The prices are a bit high and it was nice to experience it once. read more

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I love an afternoon tea but this isn't it. It started as soon as I walked in....... The reviews gave this place a solid 4 stars so I was hyped - honestly don't know how they got 4 stars. So I walked in as I had a reservation for 2:30. There were some people there but no one to greet or acknowledge that you're there. The servers were scurrying around as I stood at the bar area - and stood there, and stood there. Twenty minutes later a waiter came to the desk at the entrance and instead of taking me since I was the first person on line - he took the last group on line. After telling him repeatedly that I had a reservation (and not to be mean he was a very senior man) a lady walked up to me to say that the greeter left a few minutes before I arrived (and hadn't come back) and she was there since 1:30 at this time it was about 2:30-2:45. She also said that the senior gentleman seemed to be a bit confused. After seeing that I was getting angry another server came and sat us. By this time the greeter came back (smelling like cigarettes) and was helping the waiter as the waiter didn't appear to be able to move that quickly. We were seated in the back room - in fact everyone was seated in the back room so it was quite tight. They do have an upstairs but I believe a private party had just concluded up there. He gave us the holiday menu - made no mention of their regular menu so I guess this is what it is. My tea was cold, the tea sandwiches were ok, the scones were good, the small mushroom soup with tiny grilled cheese was really good and the desserts - they could have kept them. Also, the restroom didn't have a door handle - there was a piece of tissue or something in the handle part for privacy and a hook to lock it. The place is cute but my experience there wasn't a good one and I wouldn't recommend. read more

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We enjoyed our time here! We had a late afternoon reservation, but the entire place was empty, so we were able to have the tea room all to ourselves, which was nice. The food was tasty and the service friendly and attentive. I would recommend getting the "high tea" as the additional food selection was our favorite! I had the grilled cheese with cauliflower bisque and my friend had the pate. We both enjoyed our selections very much. I also like how the server came and refilled our tea pots with hot water after we had poured a few cups. This was a very pleasant experience and I'd recommend a visit! read more

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We held our daughter's bridal shower at The King's Carriage House and it was everything and more than we expected! Paul and Liz, the owners, could not have been more accommodating and friendly. From my initial call to reserve the room, to the setup and service at the shower, we were so impressed with the ease and competency of the staff. This tea room is so authentic - the food and tea were outstanding and all of our guests raved about the lovely decor and delicious fare. Our daughter was SO pleased with how it turned out and we would recommend this tea room to everyone! read more

Had a really nice tea here! I was able to get a noon reservation for two the morning of. The staff are all very nice. The decor really makes the experience - it's a super fun vibe. It was also quiet with nice music and easy to have a conversation. They have a nice tea selection - loved the jasmine. The Afternoon Tea food selection is quite a lot of food between the scones, sandwiches, and little cakes. The food itself isn't mind-blowing but it's alright, especially at $45pp when other similar things in the city are $100+. read more

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I had my bridal shower here and it was perfect. The staff worked with my sisters who organized the event to get us the room that worked best for our party's needs. The teas and food were wonderful. They have a vegetarian high/afternoon tea option and if you give them 48 hours notice they can set up a gluten free service. read more

Kings' Carriage House - Bridal Shower - New American Near Me - New York, New York

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I came for a lovely private party on the second floor. There were 12 adults plus two young, non-mobile kids. That felt like a good amount of people, though I believe they let you book a bigger group. I was surprised that tea was filled just with water each time. (How long can the tea leaves really be good?) Overall it was a nice experience. Food was very good, though I was less impressed by the desserts. Presentation was nice. The rooms definitely feel a little stuck in another era, but that's part of the charm. Very memorable experience. read more

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This was a great find in Fort Lauderdale. The ambiance was nice, service was top notch and food was delicious

Came here for a bridal shower afternoon tea and it was amazing. The sandwiches and the flavors were all top tier. No frills. Would definitely come back! read more

For the money spent I'd recommend going elsewhere. The fellow that served us was not hospitable nor personable. The guy that sets the reservation was very kurt and sharp tongue on the phone. I left feeling dissatisfied and disappointed. I've been to many afternoon teas and have never experienced such lack of being not attentive which is the opposite of an afternoon tea experience. read more

I came here for my birthday and it did not disappoint! The decor is cute, and the ambiance is great. This was my mom's first high tea experience, and she really enjoyed it! The teas offered seemed mostly Harney & Sons rather than unique blends, but they had my favorite Paris and Vanilla teas, so I didn't mind. The teapots were also really cute. We ordered the vegetarian high tea with the lunch option. I enjoyed the sandwiches and small bites, even though the cucumber could have been cut a bit less thick. The little sandwich halves with the cucumber were my favorite! I also highly enjoyed the little desserts provided, especially the lemon dessert. The scones were also very good. The lunch seemed small, but it was filling! It was fun to dip the grilled cheese into the soup then finish off the soup as it's own thing. Even though the booking is for a certain time frame, I'm pretty sure we stayed 30 minutes over and they didn't give us any issues. I would come back again! read more

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Go somewhere else. You'll thank me. This place is old school. You can't make reservations online, but we were able to make reservations over the phone. We came for afternoon tea, and it was a disappointing experience. The sandwiches and cakes were minuscule and didn't taste good. At $45.95/person, you're not getting what you pay for. You can get significantly more and better food at other tea places in the city for a comparable price. FYI, they won't let you swap out the sandwiches, so if you're not a salmon fan for example, you're stuck with the salmon sandwiches. The only redeeming quality about this place is that the location is cute. However, the A/C either wasn't on or wasn't working the day we were there, and the heat was stifling. read more

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Wow! What a waste of money. $38 per person for afternoon high Tea. The place is very cute, nicely decorated, although certainly dated and needs better upkeep. One of the deer heads on the wall (which don't need to be there at all anyway) is losing hair on his neck. It's gross. Service is fine, nobody's really attentive. Nobody's ignoring you either. Order refilled, hot water in the tea refilled. Food brought timely. The quality of the food however, was the low point of the afternoon. The smoked salmon pinwheels come from a package. They were on dry crusts of bread. The little deviled eggs were actually OK. And the goat cheese was good but again the bread was going towards stale. The second of the three tears had finger sandwiches of cucumber with very little spread underneath on stale bread and chicken salad on cranberry walnut bread. That was OK if you like chicken salad. The bottom tier held pastries that were maybe frozen previously. Certainly not fresh from any local bakery. And not enjoyable might I add. Since there are many other tea spots available in New York City, this is one I would not recommend you wasting your time at. read more

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4.5/5 This place is so so cute and lovely inside. The tea service is great. Limited tea options, but I am a classic Earl Grey girl myself so as long as they have that I'm a happy camper. The scones and ginger sandwiches are tasty and the price is reasonable. This is such a hidden gem on the UES. I have been here twice but noted that they do a changing menu for some season/special occasions (Autumnal tea, Christmas, Mother's Day, etc). Hoping to swing by again soon!! read more

This is such a cute tea house in the UES! The set menus are pretty reasonable. I was impressed by the decor and the brunch item with scrambled egg and crispy potato was delicious. I will say the finger sandwiches and treats were not impressive. They came around and allowed us to sample their holidays treats - peppermint bark and candied oranges. Yummy! Love the tea selection! read more

Kings' Carriage House - New American Near Me - New York, New York

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I have had afternoon tea all over the world and. been to hundreds of tea salons. This was by far the worst and NOT a good representation at any level of a tea salon. I prefer to give it 0 stars, please do not waste your money here. Currently $45.97 + tax + tip. PROS: The Paris tea was delicious with honey that we had to ask for CONS: A dog and it's bed greets you at the door at the foot of the stairs. There is no elevator; if you cannot maneuver a flight and a half of stairs, this would not be a place for you to go. Once upstairs, the whimpering dog was heard from the first floor throughout the subpar "Afternoon Tea." A disruption that contributed to the subpar tea experience. The decor consisted of Loosely attached, peeling wallpaper in the dining area and in the lavatory. Beyond negative experience: - Tiny morsels of food being served on STALE BREADS - White sugar and packet of Equal as sweeteners; honey is not offered unless you ask, .- This was not loose leaf tea but store bought tea bags. - Stale, cold desserts - Ice cold crème for the egg size scones (2) - Ice cold whipped cream that has hardened in the refrigerator. It appears to have been brought directly from the refrigerator to your table. Unspreadable. - portions are extremely small and not substantial at all. One tablespoon size dish with jam and cream for two people. - This was not clotted cream - Tea selection is extremely limited - Postage sized Stamp-sized lemon curd bar was ice cold and stale Do not go here if you have gluten sensitivity, you will be charged an extra &10 for your meal. There are no vegan options at this time, that menu is still being developed it says on the menu. THIS IS AN EASY - HARD NO, NOT EVER! read more

Kings' Carriage House - This is the size of a "scone" next to a medium size hop earring. - New American Near Me - New York, New York

I really wanted to love this place because it's an adorable hole in the wall that time forgot, but at the same time, the food and service were not terrible but not also not great. Came here with a group of friends as it was an accidental discovery for another afternoon tea house in the city and were really stoked to try it. The tea choices were alright but the kitchy teapots were not practical. The food options were average as well, but once it was received it was all dry and somewhat stale... which was unfortunate. It did not seem like it was made there at all. The service was well next to nonexistent? Once you had received your afternoon tea sets you kinda had to hope someone would come upstairs to refill your hot water, and when checking out we gave up on waiting and went downstairs to check out. The only thing it had going for it was the interior which seemed to be a portal to old New York. As far as afternoon tea places in the city go unless you dig interior design more than food it's a pass from me. read more

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I came here during a Saturday morning with two others. None of us had ever had high tea before. The place was pretty busy from what I could gather so I would suggest having a reservation before visiting. My experience here was ok. It was around $30 per person. In return, we received an assortment of finger sandwiches, warm scones, and desserts. Similarly to the reviews I read before coming here, I felt that the atmosphere was unlike any place that I had ever been to. It was cute and quaint but also very cramped. I felt like I was transported back at least two whole decades. The food itself tasted a bit stale -- in other words, it tasted like it was not made fresh and had been sitting out for a while. Also, there was definitely not enough food to even get close to us feeling full. The tea was actually delicious. I ordered "Paris" which tasted almost like bubble tea. The service was slow but friendly nonetheless. I probably will not be coming back here again, but I am glad I got to have this experience. read more

Kings' Carriage House - Paris - New American Near Me - New York, New York

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Came by for the Afternoon Tea and enjoyed the small bites along with sips of the tea (from the offerings provided). Vintage-y teapots and decor gave off Afternoon Tea with the Queen vibes. Price was set at $38 per person for the offering we chose. Compared to other afternoon tea spots, the price point is low to fair and I would say although the bites weren't anything special, it's worth stopping by and spilling some tea with friends. read more

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The experience was worth every penny I spent. The food and selection of teas was delicious. I would definitely go again

Delicious, authentic English Tea Service in a wonderful old brownstone. Definitely will return! Always email in advance to reserve and to ensure they are open and serving when you want to visit. Quick response to email. read more

Came here for the afternoon tea. Place is really cute and as you walk in you can see a small sitting area and a bar. The seating area is in the back and they also have an upstairs. Place is small but very nicely decorated. Reminded me of a cottage. Yea service is $38 per person and comes with your own teapot, 2 scones and mini sandwiches and mini dessert. Portions are small but food is delicious. The variety of tea I do have to say is very limited. One of the cutest things were the teapots. They were square. Very charming. Service was good and I do recommend making a reservation just in case. I do recommend this place for afternoon tea. read more

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12/10/2021 The British quintessential afternoon tea is something that can be enjoyed for any occasion. December brought me to New York City to close out the year. While the omicron variant became increasingly steadfast during an already ongoing pandemic (two years and more); the Big Apple felt a bit normal during the most festive time of the year. As a last minute planning of sorts, my friend and I wanted afternoon tea in lieu of Christmas. New York is full of luxury hotels (i.e.; The Peninsula, Mandarin Oriental, and The Plaza just to name a few), but that neither my friend and I wanted to spend upwards of $100. We found Kings Carriage House on YELP with a great price point. Location: the upper east side within distance to Central Park and to museums such as The Guggenheim. The nearest metro station is on 86th Street via the Q line. Arrival: tucked away on a quiet street, and it's red brick facade blends in with its towering neighbor. Keep an eye for a charming small cottage like building and you'll be at the right place. Service: in a pandemic world, it's recommended that you make reservations anywhere you'd like to dine in. For my friend and I, and this being a last minute drop in; we were prepared in the event there was no walk-in allowance. To our delight, the friendly and professional host was eager to get us a table, and with that; we were in! First Impression: walking in to Kings Carriage House felt like delving into a hideaway invoking London or somewhere in Great Britain. The front of the establishment has a sitting room with rustic British flair along with the host/hostess desk. Past the waiting room you enter a hallway and to the right is a Victorian styled restroom. Further past the hallway is the main dining room with large glass doors giving in plenty of light. The Food: our host was also our waiter and he gave us ample time to decide on what to order. The menu had several options including specials for Christmas, but was also not overwhelming or cumbersome. We each decided on their winter / Christmas set with champagne which includes sandwiches, petite fours, salad, scones, appetizer (we both chose mini grilled cheeses with soup), and tea of course. The food was exceptional and the tea was kept hot with refills from a polite server. It was a laid back and relaxing experience. Both my friend and I came in content and left with warm full stomachs. Such a beautiful establishment! read more

Kings' Carriage House - Tea time! - New American Near Me - New York, New York

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Good not great place for tea and catch up. The interior is very cute and decorative. We went at 3p and most of their good teas were over (whaaa!) The afternoon tea has a couple of options- we chose the basic one. It comes with your usual sandwiches and scones and pastries. Everything is okay not great. The bread is on the dry side. I doubt they bake their own. The scones could be way better. That was possibly the biggest letdown :( Pastries were fine; had a homemade feeling and not in a good way. When I think of afternoon tea I think delicious finger sandwiches, tea, pastries and scones. Everything was fine just not upto the standard I was looking forward to. But their service is good and it's a very reasonable price. read more

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Went there with friends . Loved the ambience . Was disappointed with the quality of bread .May be it was a day old bread . Cucumber sandwich one of them was made with back crust of the bread . Liked the chicken sandwiches . Tea good .Dessert was dry and felt stale .The place looks like old English cottage .Needs to be renovated . read more

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The place is beautifully decorated. This is really a great experience for the price. I wish I could rate it higher but the service was slow. I really appreciate their employment of older staff. There was a wait for the food and to be seated. It felt as though the place is understaffed. Beautiful bathroom! And a great place to take selfies. The foods were okay but nothing to scream home about. I enjoyed everything besides the cucumber sandwich which could use more seasoning. Their peach match tea was very lovely! Also their bathrooms was a great place for selfies! read more

Kings' Carriage House - New American Near Me - New York, New York

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Phenomenal experience. I went to tea with a party of 7 (we made a reservation before hand) and we were seated so quickly. We went upstairs (it is warm be prepared!) where we were seated and asked about what tea experience we would be doing that day, we all did afternoon tea shown below. The teas we chose from where very impressive and some where very different which was nice. We chose a raspberry, paris (a cross between English breakfast and early grey) and early grey. The tea itself was so good, it came in different pots so you could see the difference. The food was chefs kiss. The canapés shown here were both vegetarian and non vegetarian. The only difference between the 2 was the salmon, and chicken salad sandwiches. The best canapé was the whipped goat cheese with fig jam, could've eaten like 20 of those, the devils eggs were also so good. I would say overall great little lunch spot for ($48) per person. I probably won't go back, but not because it was a bad experience just because I want to see other tea parlors across NYC! TLDR: Totally come here to try their teas/canapés where great. Service was top notch! read more

Kings' Carriage House - New American Near Me - New York, New York

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Came for afternoon tea around lunch time and I was really happy with my experience! It's a cute little space with lots of cute decorations. The service was really nice and attentive too. I got the decaf vanilla tea and I loved the vanilla aftertaste after. I liked all the food that came with afternoon tea as well. Would definitely recommend this spot to anybody looking for a great tea spot in the UES. read more

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Enjoyed a charming and traditional afternoon tea experience. The delicious tea and treats, coupled with the delightful theme, made it a personal favorite. read more

Kings' Carriage House - New American Near Me - New York, New York

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I'll be straight to the point: 3 stars for food, 5 stars for ambiance, 4 stars for service. The ambiance is so unique and a hidden gem in upper east side. It's so well decorated, I felt transported to another world during my afternoon set. At $30, it was also appealing because of the value. The food was a little bit lacking because while I was eager from the menu, the sandwiches and desserts seemed a bit stale. My lemon poppyseed small muffin, I would bet, was at least a day old -- a bit crunchy even on the outside. The sandwiches were yummy but the middle tier (circular) was a bit dried out. Service was pleasant but a little slow. Small things like cream and sugar were missing but seemed to be the norm. Nothing out of the ordinary during service but they were very pleasant to welcome us upstairs when we first arrived. Overal 4 stars for the experience but food was about a 3 - 3.5 read more

Very high end high tea experience. Good food, ambience and a nice little spot tucked away in the city

Had a fabulous tea here ! My friend and I celebrate our birthdays together every year by having a high tea somewhere, and we just discovered this place. It was one of the BEST teas we've ever had, and for a really reasonable price as well. The triple tier wasn't overloaded, and each item was delicious and beautifully presented. I was especially enchanted with the top tier selections (salmon, goat cheese mousse, egg salad). Plus, once they knew it was our birthdays, we got an extra treat, complete with the waiter singing. Loved the interior's decor/ambiance as well, and the service was excellent. From now on, this is our go-to birthday place ! read more

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A shabby sham. We arrive to a crowded front room, no host in sight. Seated in order of who had arrived first, no mention of prioritizing reservations. We were "put" in the back room, our table of four oriented in such a way that our party formed a semi-circle against a wall. With table cloths one would find at a corporate conference. The server took no interest in serving, that is, he had no interest in food allergies nor flexibility. His subtext: "Let's get this over with, and move it along. Hurry up". The tea strainer arrived after we had already poured our tea. The food was paltry - missing advertised ingredients such as Roquefort cheese, chives in the butter, watercress, and smoked salmon. Not to mention missing actual items that were supposed to be included. Paltry and puny. Oh, the restroom. Peeling wallpaper, not in a charming way. No hand towels. Ick. And in the way that seems to be standard practice, these days, our room was requested to leave for the next seating. The art of eating, drinking and conversing is gone. More a gas station than a gastronomical affair. A call center rather than client relations. Ugh. Disappointed and dour. read more

I had a good time here, the place wasn't empty on a weekday afternoon. We got seated immediately. The afternoon tea selection was a pretty good price for what it came with. The sandwiches were fine and the pastries were about what you'd expect for this style of place, honestly on par with cheap pastries elsewhere. I did enjoy the scones and clotted cream. The area where this place probably fell short was the service. Entering the place, it didn't feel all that welcoming. They acted as if we were perhaps lost. There was also no one downstairs to greet you immediately. Prior to coming, we had tried to make a reservation. They don't seem to answer their emails at all, but that is how they mentioned we should make a reservation. Overall, for a more budget-friendly afternoon tea, this seems like a decent spot. Others in the city that we had explored seemed pricier. I would say this place is more about the experience as a whole. read more

If you are looking for decent afternoon tea, look no further than King's Carriage House. The tea service here is good and the staff is very pleasant. They have a normal afternoon tea service, a high tea service, and a seasonal menu. Today we opted for their holiday menu which was more pricey than their normal menu but at $55 per person, it's still a great price compared to other tea services. Even though the server was very nice, they didn't offer many options when one of our party had food allergies other than don't eat that. So if you have food allergies or dietary restrictions, you might want to call ahead to see if their menu can accommodate you. The food that we received wasn't exactly what was on the menu; we did not receive the goat cheese mousse with spinach, and artichoke pesto, instead we got the goat cheese with caramelized fig and pistachios which is on the normal menu. We also did not get the gingerbread tea cakes with the eggnog glaze. The server did not mention a change in the holiday menu and I did not notice until I was writing up this review.. Another thing was that they gave us uneven number of items. We were a party of 3 so there should be the same menu for every person. Like we only received one lemon tea cake and 2 of the coconut tea cakes, or only one of a specific cookie and 2 of another. How you supposed to split a tiny cake or cookie 3 ways?! Anyways, aside from that the food was decent and I left stuffed. If it wasn't for these minor things I would've given this place 4 stars. I would still recommend this place for a nice decently-priced tea service. read more

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I came here on a Sunday afternoon for afternoon tea with a group of 3 people. I made a reservation in advance by calling. I tried emailing first but it took a few days for them to answer emails. The place was very cute and actually a townhouse with two floors of seating. The first floor seemed to be for private events. We were seated on the second floor. The afternoon tea set was very affordable compared to other afternoon tea places. Also, the afternoon tea set had a good variety of savory and sweet items. I'm not a fan of the sweet items so I'm glad there was a lot of savory items. I really liked the goat cheese with mango/tomato sandwich and the sesame chicken on cranberry walnut bread sandwich the most. The flavors were more unique than other afternoon tea places. The scones were warm and fresh as well. Service was very friendly and helpful. This was definitely one of the better afternoon tea places in NYC. read more