I’m back at the Mandarin Oriental New York on the 35th floor at the Lobby Lounge for afternoon tea. I went with Georgia and Sara and we were taking turns to take pictures of the sweeping views of Central Park South and Central Park. The view alone is worth a visit.

Setting: ★★★★☆

The Lobby Lounge is spacious with tables spaced far enough apart that it feels intimate. It doesn’t feel stuffy and strikes a balance between casual and luxury with its comfortable seating and lack of tablecloths — although I do prefer tablecloths. (See pics of the interior space and my review from 2012.)

Getting a table by the windows are a bit tough and never guaranteed, but make sure you ask for one when making a reservation — you may luck out.

Service: ★★★★☆

Service is usually excellent (friendly and efficient), but I’m going to knock off a star since we had a lot of trouble towards the end trying to find a server to get the check. It seemed like everyone disappeared.

To make a reservation, you have to call the Lobby Lounge directly which can be a pain since they never seem to pick up the phone.

Tea & Tea Selection: ★★★★★

There are two pages of tea to select from. There isn’t a huge variety, but the selection is excellent. I had a bit of a hard time trying to choose one since so many looked tempting. Tea comes in a white teapot with a paper filter with loose tea. I had the Mandarin Oolong which had citrus notes.

Scones: ★★★★★

They used to serve savories and sweets on a three-tiered tray with warm scones served in a basket but they now have each course come out separately.

This is the first time I’ve experienced this, but they serve scones first, instead of savories. I thought it was odd and inquired and was told that’s how they have always done it.

The scones are excellent. Warm and in perfect portion size. Devonshire cream and homemade jams are on the table to be shared but I didn’t mind the sharing since they had enough on the table for three people.

Savories: ★★★★★

After the scones plates were taken away, the savories arrived. On each plate were four mini savories. Each one was better than the next. Fresh and delicious.

Sweets: ★★★★☆

For the last course, sweets, they were presented on a circular shaped three-tiered tray. Gorgeous. Some of the mini sweets were excellent, but a some were just eh in terms of flavor and by being overly sweet. I loved the variety though.

Overall: ★★★★☆

The afternoon tea service at Mandarin Oriental is number four spot on my list of afternoon teas in NYC and with its view and tasty savories and scones, it remains at the top of the list.

INFO: Mandarin Oriental New York | 80 Columbus Circle at 60th Street | New York, NY 10023 | 212.805.8800
AFTERNOON TEA HOURS: Daily from 2:30PM – 4:30PM
COST: $48

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Afternoon Tea at The Mandarin Oriental NY in 2012

Mandarin Oriental NY has always been one of my favorite afternoon tea spots. I tend to favor settings that are used exclusively for tea service, but an impressive view overlooking Central Park makes up for it. When reserving your table, ask for a table right next to the window.

The tea service back then was just $38 per person.

In 2012, this is how I rated their tea service:

SERVICE: ★★★★★
AMAZING. Really, amazing. Any request made is taken care of immediately and with ultimate care. They make your problem, their problem and you really sense that they care, perhaps even more than you do.

TEA & TEA SELECTION: ★★★★☆
Tea is from Tealeaves and they have a small selection of each type of tea. I wished there was a bit more of a selection with about 3-4 choices per type. Loose leaf teas are served in tea filters in a pretty white teapot.

SAVORIES: ★★★★★

SCONES: ★★★★☆

SWEETS: ★★★★☆
They were still making scones when they brought out the three-tiered tray, so the top tier had a fluffy cake for us to enjoy while we waited for the scones. Below that were two trays of savories. Delicate and tasty, I enjoyed it all.

I had two of the cakes, which reminded me of madeleine cookies, which I love, so they were a hit with me. A little after, the scones were served with housemade marmalade and whipped cream (instead of clotted or Devonshire cream). Scones were a good, manageable size and they were great, since they came straight from the oven. I did miss the cream though.

A variety of sweets arrived on a plate and replaced the empty plate of eaten savories. It was nice to have a big selection, but I would have liked it a bit more if they had given two of each piece so it would be easier to share. I would have been fine with a smaller selection in this case.

OVERALL: ★★★★☆
Very good with the high-level service and the panoramic view drawing me back for repeat visits.