I Had Afternoon Tea at The Lowell in NYC
on Jan 07, 2025
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The Lowell has moved their afternoon tea service from the Pembroke Room to Majorelle, the restaurant on the first floor. My review of the tea service includes the service and the food.
The Lowell
The Lowell is a boutique luxury hotel in New York City and it’s one of my favorite places to have afternoon tea. I’ve gone many, many times over the years and it’s one I recommend over and over again.
Over the years I’ve gone, afternoon tea has been served in the Pembroke Room, on the second floor of the hotel. This time, it’s now served at Majorelle, the restaurant on the first floor, and it’s now in collaboration with Dior.
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Note from Jee
I used to love the afternoon tea at the Pembroke Room since it was so hidden and not too many people knew about it. It was super intimate and it was my number 1 afternoon tea spot for the longest time.
It’s a little noisier and feels less like a secret room now that the afternoon tea has moved down to the restaurant, but it’s on my top 5 list and I can still recommend it.
The Lowell Reservations
Reservations are recommended and can be made by calling Majorelle (212) 935 – 2888 or through OpenTable. There’s dining room seating and Garden seating, which is indoors, but looks like you’re in an outdoor garden.
Dress Code
No dress code is stated so I would stick with smart casual. You can do jeans but look put together. Avoid sweatsuits.
Afternoon Tea Hours
Tea is available every Wednesday – Saturday from 12:00pm to 4:30pm and Sunday from 1:00pm – 6:00pm.
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How Afternoon Tea Works at The Lowell
Afternoon tea is a meal consisting of three courses and tea. It’s served between lunch and dinner. The three courses are bite-sized portions of food. The first course is tea sandwiches and savories, the second course is scones with clotted cream and jam, and the final course is sweets.
Select one of the afternoon teas on the menu. There’s no need to figure out what food to get since everything listed on the set menu you select comes with the tea service. After selecting the one of the afternoon teas, pick a tea.
Everyone at your table orders their own afternoon tea and the pricing is per person. Afternoon tea usually lasts around 2 hours.
The Lowell Afternoon Tea Menu
Lily of the Valley Tea
$125 per person
Comes with 1 pot of tea, 5 savories, 2 scones with Devonshire cream and jam, and an assortment of sweets.
Majorelle Garden Tea
$150 per person
Comes with a pot of tea, 5 savories, trio of Moroccan dips with pita, 2 scones with Devonshire cream and jam, and an assortment of sweets.
Imperial Tea
$350 per person
Comes with 1 glass of Champagne, caviar, a pot of tea, 5 savories, 2 scones with Devonshire cream and jam, and an assortment of sweets.
Children’s Lily of the Valley Tea
$75 per person
Comes with 1 pot of tea or pink lemonade, 4 savories, a scone with Devonshire cream and jam, and an assortment of sweets.
The menu and prices may change at any time.
Setting: ★★★★☆
Majorelle is a restaurant so not everyone there is getting afternoon tea so it feels less intimate. The seating is nicely spaced apart so no matter where you sit, you’re not sitting too close to the next table.
The decor and the vibe is very Upper East Side.
Service: ★★★★☆
I went there twice in one year and the first time I went, the service was perfect, with the server refilling the teacup even before I was aware I needed more tea. The second time I went, the service was a little less attentive but still good.
Tea & Tea Selection: ★★★★★
Dammann Frères tea is served and there’s a nicely curated tea menu.
Since the afternoon tea is partnered with Dior, all the tableware from the teapots to plates are from Dior’s Lily of the Valley collection.
Teapots are placed at the ends of the table on teapot warmers. The servers will come around and refill your tea cups but you can certainly serve yourself.
Savories: ★★★★☆
I enjoyed all the tea sandwiches but the Chicken Curry was my absolute favorite. So delicious I asked for another.
Scones: ★★★★★
You won’t find scones on the 3-tiered tray at The Lowell. They do something special, which is to bring them out separately in a basket. It’s timed so they bring it out after it looks like you’re done with the tea sandwiches. The best part is that the scones are brought out warm!
Scones are served with Devonshire cream, lemon curd, and 2 different fruit preserves.
Sweets: ★★★★★
The top two trays hold the sweets course and it’s five sweets for each person. The selection is good and it was tasty.
Overall: ★★★★☆
Anyone would be happy to have afternoon tea at The Lowell and feel like it’s a special experience. It’s in a small boutique luxury hotel so it feels posh and fancy.
LOCATION:
Majorelle, The Lowell
28 East 63rd Street
New York, NY 10065 | 212.838.1400
Afternoon Tea at The Lowell in 2018
The Pembroke Room, inside The Lowell hotel in NYC was one of my favorite afternoon tea spots.
I fell in love with this hideaway tea spot the minute I entered the room years ago and it will always have a special place in my heart. Tucked away, this elegant room was the perfect setting for tea service. You would never know this place was here unless you knew to seek it out.
One of the reasons I loved the Pembroke Room so much is that the space was only used for afternoon tea in the afternoon so it never got too busy during the weekday.
Back in 2018, the afternoon tea was $63 per person!
The second course of scones that was brought out separately, all toasty and warm, after the savories. During this time, they served triangular-shaped scones, which I didn’t like as much as the round ones.
In 2018, I gave the Pembroke Room 5 stars.
Afternoon Tea at The Lowell in 2015
The chairs has changed over the years and they used to have these striped ones back in 2015.
Tea pots and teaware were silver and the tea cup and saucer were from Wedgwood.
Same three-tiered tray with the same layout with savories on the bottom and sweets on the top two trays.
Oh, how I miss these scones! They were perfect! Perfect shape, perfect size, and perfectly delicious.
Afternoon Tea at The Lowell in 2012
The afternoon tea at The Lowell back in 2012 was $39 per person and this was in the Pembroke Room.
They always brought out 2 teapots. One held the brewed tea and the other had hot water to refill the tea. Loved that.
Their three-tiered stand back then.
How their scones looked back then. It was served with Devonshire cream, lemon curd, and 2 preserves.
