23 Afternoon Teas in New York City, Ranked

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Find NYC afternoon tea reviews and ratings by setting, service, tea, and most importantly, the food.

Collage of 4 afternoon teas.

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Table of Contents

Ranked List of the Afternoon Teas in New York City

This is an ongoing list and the ranking changes over time as I revisit or go to new afternoon teas.

Note from Jee

I’ve been to almost all the afternoon teas in New York City multiple times over the years and have been reviewing them on here since 2012. (This site started out as an afternoon tea blog since I wanted to document the places I went.)

I love to get afternoon tea when I travel, so check out my ranked list of the tea services I’ve had in London.

1: Waldorf Astoria New York

Setting: ★★★★★
Located off the lobby, the space is dedicated to just afternoon tea during the day.

Service: ★★★★★
Attentive and friendly, the service was exceptional.

Tea & Tea Selection: ★★★★★
Tightly curated teas by a high-quality green tea company based in Brooklyn. Very nice touch.

Savories: ★★★★★
Not only pretty, but super tasty. A killer combo. Loved all 5 savories.

Scones: ★★★★☆
The scones were served warm but they were more like muffins in texture.

Sweets: ★★★★★
Stunning mini pastries that tasted as good as they looked. I ate them all!

Overall: ★★★★★
The Waldorf Astoria is serving my favorite afternoon tea in New York City, dethroning the Baccarat’s tea service from the number 1 spot. The food, the service, and the tea were all excellent.

Price: $135 per person
The menu and prices may change at any time.

See my full review of the afternoon tea at the Waldorf.

2: Baccarat Hotel

Setting: ★★★★★
The space is brightly lit and decadent with plush seating.

Service: ★★★★☆
The service is a bit hit or miss but mostly good.

Tea & Tea Selection: ★★★★★
A good (not too big, not too small) selection of loose teas.

Savories: ★★★★★
Beautifully presented and delicious.

Scones: ★★★☆☆
The scones are MASSIVE. They’re too big and the powdered sugar on top makes it a little messy to eat.

Sweets: ★★★★★
Lovely sweets that are perfectly sized.

Overall: ★★★★★
If you want to impress and enjoy afternoon tea in a luxe setting, the Baccarat is where you should go. It’s one the more expensive afternoon teas in New York City, but I think it’s worth it. The food is great, except I’m not a fan of their giant scones.

Price: $140 per person
The menu and prices may change at any time.

See my full review of the afternoon tea at the Baccarat.

3: Tiffany & Co.

Setting: ★★★★☆
The cafe inside the Tiffany store feels like a glorified cafeteria but there is a lot of natural light.

Service: ★★★★☆
The first time I went, the service was excellent, but the second time I went, it wasn’t as good.

Tea & Tea Selection: ★★★★★
The tea menu at Tiffany’s is nicely curated with 12 loose teas.

Savories: ★★★★★
I absolutely loved the savories at Tiffany’s. They tasted great and easy to eat in 2-3 bites.

Scones: ★★★★☆
The scones were just ok but they were served warm, which I appreciated.

Sweets: ★★★★★
I loved the sweets and especially loved the canele.

Overall: ★★★★★
A tasty afternoon tea at Tiffany’s for $100? Yes, please! The decor and ambiance needs a little work, but the rest of the experience is fantastic and I found the food to be very tasty, especially their corned beef and cheese tea sandwich.

Price: $98 per person
The menu and prices may change at any time.

See my full review of the afternoon tea at Tiffany’s.

4: The St. Regis New York

Setting: ★★★★☆
The space is very pretty with plush seats but it’s not just for afternoon tea.

Service: ★★★★★
Excellent and friendly service from start to finish.

Tea & Tea Selection: ★★★★★
The tea selection is fantastic with a nice variety, without it being overwhelming.

Savories: ★★★★☆
I liked the savories but nothing stood out as memorable.

Scones: ★★★☆☆
The scones were more like dinner rolls than scones.

Sweets: ★★★★☆
Good.

Overall: ★★★★☆
I’ve been going to St. Regis for years for afternoon tea and for good reason. It’s been on my top 5 list for years. They moved the tea service to an interior room without any windows but the tea service feels elegant and spacious.

Price: $125 per person
The menu and prices may change at any time.

See my full review of the afternoon tea at The St. Regis.

5: Fauchon

Setting: ★★★★☆
The space is airy and bright but has a bit of a temporary feel to it. Like next week, it could be decorated to be a completely different restaurant.

Service: ★★★★☆
The staff was friendly but they all seemed very new.

Tea & Tea Selection: ★★★☆☆
I didn’t love that they served their tea sachets instead of loose tea. Limited tea menu.

Savories: ★★★★★
These delicious savories at a $60 tea time?? All the other places serving afternoon tea in this price range need to step it up.

Scones: N/A
It’s a French afternoon tea, so no scones.

Sweets: ★★★★☆
Good, but not amazing.

Overall: ★★★★☆
The most amazing value at $60 per person. Highly recommend.

Price: $60 per person
The menu and prices may change at any time.

See my full review of the tea time at Fauchon.

6: Mandarin Oriental New York

Setting: ★★★★★
The best seats in the house are the ones by the windows with views of Central Park and Columbus Circle.

Service: ★★★★☆
Hit or miss but mostly good. Sometimes you have to wait a while for a server to show up.

Tea & Tea Selection: ★★★★★
Small but great selection of loose teas.

Savories: ★★★★★
The bread was super soft and the savories were all tasty.

Scones: ★★★★★
Perfectly sized scones that were freshly baked.

Sweets: ★★★☆☆
Just ok.

Overall: ★★★★☆
This is the afternoon tea you should take a friend in from out of town. The lounge on the 26th floor of the Mandarin Oriental hotel has lovely views overlooking Central Park and Central Park South.

Price: $130 per person
The menu and prices may change at any time.

See my full review of the afternoon tea at the Mandarin Oriental New York.

7: The Lowell Hotel

Setting: ★★★★☆
Years ago, the afternoon tea was served in the Pembroke Room on the second floor of the hotel where guests would have breakfast and I absolutely loved the hidden spot. Now, it’s served at the restaurant downstairs so it lost the magic for me a bit with the change.

Service: ★★★★☆
Mostly good and the servers are all very polite and friendly.

Tea & Tea Selection: ★★★★★
A nicely curated tea selection of loose teas.

Savories: ★★★★☆
The tea sandwiches were tasty, especially the Chicken Curry.

Scones: ★★★★★
I love how The Lowell brings out warm scones in a basket timed to when you finish the savories.

Sweets: ★★★★★
A nice selection of tasty sweets.

Overall: ★★★★☆
A great experience with an Upper East Side vibe. This used to be my number 1 afternoon tea for years but there’s too much competition now.

Price: $125 per person
The menu and prices may change at any time.

See my full review of the afternoon tea at The Lowell.

8: Bergdorf Goodman

Setting: ★★★★☆
A lovely spot inside a luxury department store on 5th Ave with a nice view of Central Park. The tables by the window are a little tight though.

Service: ★★★★★
Always have had good service and I’ve gone many times over the years.

Tea & Tea Selection: ★★★★☆
I knocked off a star since the tea menu is mostly blends and I like to have some single-origin teas.

Savories: ★★★★★
A good variety of dainty, two-bite tea sandwiches.

Scones: ★★★★★
One scone per person, which is fine since they give you good amount of savories.

Sweets: ★★★★☆
Basic, but good.

Overall: ★★★★☆
At under $100, this is a great afternoon tea experience.

Price: $75 per person
The menu and prices may change at any time.

See my full review of the afternoon tea at Bergdorf Goodman.

9: The Plaza Hotel

Setting: ★★★☆☆
The afternoon tea is served on the first floor, in a bar/lounge space. There’s a big circular bar in the middle which I don’t love since it kind of ruins the afternoon tea vibe.

Service: ★★★★★
Service is by pros and it shows. Friendly and attentive.

Tea & Tea Selection: ★★★☆☆
There’s an additional cost of $10-$15 for some teas, which is something some places do that I hate. I don’t appreciate adding on a supplement when you’re already paying so much.

Savories: ★★★★★
I liked all the savories. No complaints.

Scones: ★★★★☆
Scones are served warm but they don’t give you enough clotted cream and jam.

Sweets: ★★★☆☆
They were all a little too sweet.

Overall: ★★★★☆
It’s worth going to at least once to experience this iconic afternoon tea.

Price: $118 per person
The menu and prices may change at any time.

See my full review of the afternoon tea at The Plaza.

10: Lady Mendl’s

Setting: ★★★★☆
A cozy dining space inside a boutique hotel. Note that this place is not handicap accessible. There’s a set of steep stairs to the front door and there’s no elevator.

Service: ★★★★★
Great service.

Tea & Tea Selection: ★★★★☆
The tea selection is very limited with 6 teas.

Savories: ★★★★☆
Fairly simple and basic but good.

Scones: ★★★★★
This was my favorite course. The scones were served warm and each person gets two.

Sweets: ★★★☆☆
My least favorite course. They were a little sad looking.

Overall: ★★★★☆
A hidden gem in a unique setting.

Price: $89 per person
The menu and prices may change at any time.

See my full review of the afternoon tea at Lady Mendl’s.

Ranked #11-15

Ranked #16-20

Ranked #21-23

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