When my friend Michele and I got together for tea with her three-year-old, the first place that came to mind was Alice’s Tea Cup. It caters to young children complete with fairy wings they can wear during their stay.
With three locations to choose from, we chose the location easiest for her to get to — the Upper West Side.
When you first walk in, you see food and tea items on the right…
and novelty items, little tutus and tea accessories on the left.
SETTING: ★★★★☆
With two rooms, this restaurant serves only an afternoon tea menu. It’s very laid back, which is perfect for kids.
SERVICE: ★★★☆☆
Good, although not as attentive as I would have liked. Very friendly but it took a while to get the waitstaff’s attention.
TEA & TEA SELECTION: ★★★☆☆
A huge tea selection and the tea served is loose leaf. I ordered the Herbal Chai, which comes served with milk and honey. (No where near as good as my chai, although theirs is made with rooibos instead of Assam.) It tasted way too watered down.
SAVORIES: ★☆☆☆☆
Ok, I understand this is a place for kids, but the sandwiches were just not good. Crusts on, super thick cuts of cold cuts, nothing served can be described as delicate. Just slabs of cheese and meats between thick slices of bread. Disappointing.
For the three of us, we ordered The Mad Hatter for two ($45). It comes with two pots of tea, three scones, choice of two sandwiches, assorted cookies, and a cake. It’s really a lot of food.
SCONES: ★★★☆☆
HUGE. MAMMOTH. Check out the size of the chocolate chip scone above. One can be made a meal out of. I know people rave about their scones, but in my book, they’re better than average, but not fantastic. For afternoon tea service, I prefer scones to be much smaller.
SWEETS: ★☆☆☆☆
I didn’t get a shot of the cake, but here are the assorted cookies. It’s a little lazy to have a bulk of your desserts be just cookies. Nothing special about them. We didn’t even finish these since we were so full from the scones.
OVERALL: ★★☆☆☆
I would only go to this place if you’re looking to take a child out for afternoon tea in a more casual setting.
LOCATION:Alice’s Tea Cup Chapter 1 (Upper West Side) | 102 West 73rd Street | New York, NY 10023 | 212.799.3006
AFTERNOON TEA HOURS: All day from 8AM to 8PM.
COST: Food and tea can be ordered a la carte or as an afternoon tea ($20 – $80).
They claim the whipped cream they serve is clotted cream. Very disappointing, and the proof is right there in front of you!
Hi Jadeg, definitely disappointing not getting whipped cream instead!
I’ve been there on several trips to NYC. I’ve never had the mad hatter tea but two different breakfasts and something else maybe. It’s nice for a laid back tea or tea-centric meal. They have scone versions of eggs benidict and a very good fruit and yogurt breakfast. I like the atmosphere and price for a casual tea.
Hi Melissa, I think the breakfasts are a better choice than the afternoon teas. The tea sandwiches there were not for me.
while i agree with most of your criticism, i actually love their pumpkin scones! only thing worth eating there in my opinion! 😀
Hi Esther, the scones are a popular item there it seems since a lot of people rave about them! I’ll have to go back and try it.