Afternoon tea is alive and well on the Upper East Side. In addition to the classic service, with wafer-fine china cups into which your choice of lusciously scented beverage is poured and gleaming silver tiered trays laden with precisely cut sandwiches and delicate cakes, the neighborhood offers several unexpected but equally delightful twists on the tradition.
156 East 64th Street (at Lexington Ave)
Alice’s Tea Cup. Image: Heather Sokol/Flickr
Named in honor of literature’s most famous tea party, Alice’s Tea Cup, Chapter II is a larger version to the original eatery, located on the Upper West Side. Here, hand-painted murals of scenes from “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” grace the walls along the stairway. The two-story teahouse is divided into several rooms able to host small or large private gatherings, but you do not need a party invitation to seat yourself on a banquette upholstered in an Arts and Crafts-style fabric anytime from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. In addition to the à la carte offering of scones, sandwiches, cakes, and beverages, Alice’s offers several set menus, such as the Mad Hatter: Made to share, it consists of unlimited tea, your choice of three scones with preserves and homemade clotted cream, your choice of two sandwiches, mini cookies, and mocha cake, lemon tart, or chocolate mousse. Teas include the house blend (a mélange of Indian black tea, Japanese green tea, vanilla, and rose petals), flavorful rooibos options, herbal teas, white teas, green teas, and standbys such as Earl Grey. Prefer something a bit stronger than tea? Alice’s serves wine and whimsical cocktails such as Tweedledee (tea-infused vodka, triple sec, cranberry and lime juices, and Chambord) and Tweedledum (simple syrup infused with rosemary and ginger tea, rooibos-infused gin, and prosecco). Sandwiches, salads, light entrées, and child-friendly foods are on the menu too.
35 East 76th Street (at Madison Avenue)
Afternoon tea has long been associated with traditional luxury hotels, and the Carlyle does not disappoint in this regard. The Gallery at the Carlyle is a sumptuous two-level space, with ornate wallpapers and kilim-upholstered banquettes; the upper tier was inspired by the sultan’s dining room at Istanbul’s Topkapi Palace. Afternoon tea is served from 3 to 5:30; the standard tea service consists of a choice of teas, a selection of tea sandwiches, scones served with Devonshire cream and strawberry preserves, and miniature pastries; the Imperial Tea adds to that a glass of champagne. Among the 16 types of tea available are a black tea flavored with peaches and ginger, a fruity Chinese lychee, and Japanese sencha. Coffees and tisanes are available as well.
1374 Third Avenue (at 78th Street)
Harbs. Image: Dreamcat115/Flickr
Harbs is a chain of cafés that originated in Japan; in addition to this UES outpost, there is one in Chelsea. A contemporary version of afternoon tea available from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., its Lunch Set consists of coffee or English Breakfast tea, a sandwich or salad of your choice, and the cake of the day. Rather than dainty finger sandwiches, Harbs’s are made with thick, fluffy Japanese-style bread and can easily see you through till dinner; options include a bacon-and-cheese omelet sandwich, a BLT with the addition of mayo, and a croque monsieur. The coffees are roasted in Harbs’s Seattle factory. If you’d prefer to order tea and cake à la carte, you may need more than a few minutes to make a choice. The teas, blended in Japan, include a green tea infused with caramel, a Darjeeling with mint flavoring served with orange slices, and brisk Assam; cakes include a cheesecake made with cream cheese and sour cream, milles crepes filled with fresh fruit and flavored creams, and marron cake, with layers of white sponge, chestnut cream, and sweet-potato cream.
251 East 82nd Street (between Second and Third Avenues)
Inside the Kings’ Carriage House. Image: Emi T./Yelp
Once you are inside this two-story restaurant you will feel as if you have been transported to Regency Bath or a Victorian country estate. The Mandalay Room boasts regal red walls above dark wood paneling and gilt-frame paintings; a hand-painted mural of the Irish countryside adorns the Hunt Room; blue-and-white plates line the walls of the Willow Room. Between lunch and dinner, afternoon tea is served. Along with warm scones accompanied by cream and homemade jam, you will be presented with classic finger sandwiches—oak-smoked Scottish salmon pinwheels, chopped egg with watercress, cucumber with chive butter—along with petite cakes (the chocolate pistachio is particularly enticing), shortbread cookies, strawberries dipped in Belgian chocolate, lemon curd squares, and of course, freshly brewed tea. For an additional charge you can receive a glass of champagne as well.
864 Madison Avenue (between 70th and 71st Streets)
Ladurée. Image: City Foodsters/Flickr
When French patisserie/tearoom empire Ladurée opened its first U.S. shop on Madison Avenue in 2011, it brought over not just its famed pastel-colored macaroons but also its glossy, haute French aesthetic: gold-trimmed china in white and its proprietary soft green, marble-top bistro tables, gold frames for the labels that detail each of the delicacies behind the glass cases. This idealized version of a bygone Paris is an ideal setting for indulging in Ladurée’s tea service: your choice of coffee, tea, or hot chocolate; a madeleine salée (literally, a salted madeleine), two of the French marshmallows known as guimauves, two finger sandwiches, three macaroons, and a pastry. Macaroon flavors include rose petal, salted caramel, and orange blossom. The coffee and tea options outnumber the macaroon flavors; highlights include Thé Marie-Antoinette, black tea blended with rose petals, citrus, and honey; Thé Roi Soleil, green tea with hints of bergamot, rhubarb, and caramel; and violet-scented oolong tea. Those who want to revel in the ambience without partaking of beverages can choose from Ladurée’s ice cream treats, which include sandwiches made with macaroons (of course) and the decadent Coupe Soho, salted-caramel and ginger ice creams topped with macadamia caramel-ginger sauce and whipped cream.
28 East 63rd Street (between Park and Madison Avenues)
Afternoon Tea at The Pembroke Room. Image: patrick288/Tripadvisor
Located on the second floor of the Lowell boutique hotel, the Pembroke Room has a bit of French élan, thanks to Louis-style chairs complete with padded manchettes and extravagant window swags. It offers three tiers of afternoon tea. The Classic Pembroke Tea consists of your choice of tea, homemade scones with lemon curd and Devonshire cream, sandwiches including lobster roll and Scottish smoked salmon with caviar, petit fours, tarts, macaroons, and other pastries. The Pembroke Royal Tea is all of the above plus a glass of rosé, port, or Bristol Cream. The Lowell Imperial Tea substitutes a glass of champagne for the other spirits and adds caviar service for two. In addition, the Pembroke Room offers a Haute Chocolate service: rich black cocoa served with a silver three-tier tray of complementary spices including cinnamon and cayenne pepper, marshmallows, homemade whipped cream, and macaroons.
Two East 61st Street (at Fifth Avenue)
At one time J. Paul Getty owned the Pierre, the hotel in which Two E Bar & Lounge is located, and the setting remains one of indisputable luxury, with regal columns, elaborate millwork, and understated white china. Its afternoon tea service, however, also reflects the hotel’s current owner, Mumbai-based Taj Hotels. Calling on the British Raj custom of tiffin, which incorporated Indian foods into the Anglo teatime tradition, Two E’s Tiffin & Tea includes samosas, quinoa and kale shami kabobs, a mini vada pav (a sandwich with a deep-fried potato dumpling as filling), a cucumber-and-mint-chutney sandwich, a carrot halwa turnover, a mango lassi crème brûlée tart, and orange semolina cake with ghee and cardamom cream. More-traditional tea services are also available, with finger sandwiches including English cucumber with dill cream cheese, egg salad on brioche buns, and caviar on buckwheat blinis; fresh-baked cranberry scones with Devonshire cream, raspberry preserves, and Meyer lemon curd; fruit tartlets, Linzer cookies, macaroons, and other pastries.