Alice’s Tea Cup

Dingy little place. Definitely overpriced for the quality of food they serve. I had an unlimited food & tea service for a friend and her two girls… They ended up ordering some other small food but ALL of it was gross. I was actually a little embarrassed to take them as it was my treat…
If you are already spending $$$ on high tea, you should really really consider going somewhere else. This place isn’t worth it.

Ugh. Don’t know who could possibly give this place five stars. Stopped in with our three year old on a stroll through town. Staff could not have been more off putting if they tried. I mean obviously kids come here, try to cater to them just a little bit. Food was meh. Ambiance is non existing but for some old pictures painted on the walls. And the restaurant needs a good scrub down and some new tables and chairs.

Alice’s Tea Cup has in my opinion, some of the best scones in the city. If you order in the restaurant, these come warm right off the oven and crumble in your mouth. Absolutely scrumptious! And they have a huge variety of teas/​flavors for all palates and tastes. I highly recommend the tea for 2 or the mad hatter tower for a party of 3 or 4.
However, my biggest complain, and one that could be the killer for any establishment, is their bad administration and customer service. This is the main reason for my 2 star rating. Alice’s is a favorite, especially during the cold seasons, but they don’t know how to manage the crowds. The hosts always have a bad attitude and love to make the customer wait, even when there are multiple tables available. It is funny how a place that is so small, with such few tables has waiters and waitresses who can not handle serving in a timely fashion. You will be made to wait either way, to get a table or for the food.
Also, they list the restaurant closing time to be 8pm, but believe me, if you arrive at 7:15, they will tell you they aren’t seating people anymore, despite having tables available. Rule #1 about having a good business: NEVER LIE to your customers. If you say you close at 8pm, that means that you can still seat people until AT LEAST 7:45pm.
Lastly, the waiters always bring the check before you ask them for it. I know that this is a common New York thing, but they could at least ask if the customer would like to order anything else before getting the check. I find this incredibly rude and a basic demonstration that they just want to kick you out fast.
In summary, great scones, very over-​priced, and terrible service.

This is one of my favorite little places to go with a friend. I have been coming for on occasion for years. This past visit was very pleasant but there were a few things I noticed that could be improved !
Food– we only got scones and tea so I can’t review much of the food. The teas are great and the selection is so fun. We tried pumpkin, white chocolate berry, and a vegan banana scone. The white chocolate berry was too sweet for me but that is my fault for ordering because I usually find white chocolate things too sweet. The vegan scone was surprisingly my favorite. Maybe they are using a coconut oil or something but It was the perfect texture and sweetness, I highly recommend trying whether or not you are vegan. I didn’t try the pumpkin scone this time but I have before. It is pretty rich because there is a lot of caramel.
Décor– this was the part that was not at the highest standard. The room seemed dark and shabby and kind of sad. The walls need an update as well as the seating. With a theme like Alice in wonderland they could could really play with some amazing wallpaper, chandeliers and decorations. But the whole place is starting to look a little drab.
Music– CHANGE YOUR PLAYLIST! I don’t know if it was because we came in the morning but there was some weird 80s music playing that was not pleasant.
I will still be coming back on occasion because I love the food. But I won’t be bringing my friends from out of town anymore because it isn’t looking so special.

I’ve been wanting to get afternoon tea for years, so this had been a very long-​awaited experience. I wouldn’t say I loved the food, but I think the atmosphere and tea was awesome!
Waitlist:
When we got there, we were told that there would be a 45-​minute wait so we gave them our phone number for them to call us when a table was available which ended up being just about 25 minutes later. My friend visits here often and says that she almost always gets the same 45-​minute estimate which ends up turning into a 15 – 30 minute wait which isn’t bad.
Atmosphere:
This place is super cute. The whole store follows the Alice in Wonderland theme and they even sell little items like body glitter amongst other cute things. The tea area is also really nicely decorated with pictures and even some of the tables have glass tops with little displays of Alice in wonderland things which I thought was a nice touch.
Our Order:
We ordered the Mad Hatter (tea for 2) which included 2 large pots of any tea, choice of three scones, choice of two sandwiches, and assorted cookies with choice of mocha cake, lemon tart, or chocolate mousse which came out to $ 60.
Tea:
The selection of teas was extremely extensive. You could literally find everything in the book they gave.
I don’t remember the exact names of the teas we got, but they were somewhere along the lines of green chai tea and oolong tea. The green chai was really aromatic and they steeped it with milk and honey in the pot which was interesting. This one was really good and unique, a great one for normal chai lovers! The oolong (super fancy, said something about hints of peach and medicinal qualities that clear the skin haha) was awesome too! It was a more traditional tasting tea, but it was a really good one. You can also ask for milk and honey on the side with any tea so I added honey to mine.
Size: These are LARGE pots of tea. They give you jars of water but we had a hard time finishing the tea alone.
Food:
Scones: We got the ham and cheese scone and the dark chocolate almond scone. I haven’t had scones before so I have nothing to compare them to, but I wasn’t a fan of these. I thought they were kind of dry and lacked flavor/​ham and almonds. The ham and cheese barely had any ham and the pieces it did have were absolutely tiny. The dark chocolate almond scone just kind of tasted like it had some cinnamon and chocolate, but the flavors were faint. These were mostly just bread haha
Sandwiches: We got the Smoked Salmon and Alice’s BLT. You get 3 small slices of each sandwich and these were actually pretty good! I’m a huge fan of smoked salmon so that one was good but simple (just salmon on pumpernickel bread with some dill). I the bread was a little old tasting, but it was still pretty good. The BLT was better than I expected, it had a hint blue cheese which added pretty good flavor and was just a solid BLT.
Cookies and Chocolate Mousse: Cookies were really so-​so and the chocolate Mousse was a disappointment. The chocolate mousse didn’t look very good and was too sweet and just tasted like chocolate icing in my opinion. The cookies just weren’t anything special.
Had the Mad Hatter for lunch and was really surprised to come out completely full; we even had to take some to-​go! Probabaly wouldn’t come back to this place since the food wasn’t anything special and because I would want to try some different ones out, but it wasn’t bad for my first tea time!

Spectacular experience. I enjoyed the food, atmosphere and most of all the service. We were warmly attended to the minute we entered the Tea Cup. We received a little bit of Southern Hospitality in the heart of New York. Thank you Michelle for making our holiday in New York an experience to remember.
The Soulful Traveling Sisters

This is such a cute brunch spot! The theme is Alice in Wonderland and it’s in a great location. We got there at 5 so I can’t give the most accurate account since we missed brunch. We wanted eggs Benedict but ended up with egg and salmon finger sandwiches. They weren’t bad, the weren’t great. The tea and scones were amazing! I got buttermilk and my friend got the berry one, both could substitute as their own meals they’re so big! I got a pot of this amazing black tea, I think the name was Mauritius, my best friend got a pot of the African Dew, also a black tea – we were in heaven! The hostess was so pleasant and looked like a Disney character. The server was also pleasant. Overall great experience, I just deducted two stars bc I didn’t get what I went for (all things considered, I did arrive for brunch at 5pm)

Charming but loud, especially on the weekends. Extremely overpriced for what you get.
Reservations: They don’t take them for less than 6 people from Thursday-​Sunday which means that the 4 or 5 of you have to wait around for at least 45 minutes during the best tea time slots. In this sense, it is just as expedient as arriving without reservations to The Palm Court at the Plaza for Saturday afternoon tea (and it is only modestly more expensive at The Palm-​$ 70 per person compared to $ 50 per person here). Alice’s also used to have all sorts of fun novelty items for sale in the waiting area (similar to the quirky offerings at Serendipity) but over the years they’ve slimmed down their merchandise which makes the wait particularly colorless.
Menu: Confusing. They have a few different types of categories of offerings with different titles (for example, the standard is The Mad Hatter but you can also get The Gluten-​Free and a few others) but you can also order sandwiches that are not part of the titled groupings and it isn’t clear what can be supplemented and when/​if they are charging you more for the off-​menu items even when you are forgoing some of the items in the titled list and replacing them with a la carte items. This is especially irritating if you are on a special diet and need to pick and choose.
I also feel like they gyp you. The last time, I came with 4 people and we were brought out one tower for all of us when we each ordered The Mad Hatter. Yes, they continued to refill some things *when we flagged them down to ask*, but we left with each of us getting 1 sandwich, 1 scone, a few small cookies and a ¼ sliver of a slice of stale cake. For over $ 200 for 4 people, you should be getting much more. The rabbit hole, indeed.
–Sandwiches are generally all tasty but often the bread seems stale or too dry.
–Scones are delicious but the clotted cream isn’t like the real clotted cream I had while living in London.
–Cookies are uninteresting and hard. Cakes are too dense and heavily sweetened.
–No matcha and generally poor green tea selection.
For what you get with their prices, I much prefer the cozy and quiet atmosphere at The Pierre (at Two E Bar) for special tea service. There, you have more privacy, you aren’t rushed by the waiters, and kids aren’t Unilocaling around you. And only for about $ 15 more per person.

I’ve been to the other locations, but never this one until today. I picked up tea and a scone to go. The server behind the counter handed me a menu and let me know that all the teas in it could be served to go, as well as the prices for a small or large tea. I got a large Phoenix Dessert tea and a blackberry scone, which came to $ 7.50. The tea was served hot but not scalding, and the flavor was great. The scone was moist but not sticky, crumbly, and awesome. Super cute location with fast and courteous service!

Where do we begin? «Alice’s Wonderland» as my son likes to call it, is a wonderland indeed. One of the most authentic looking restaurants I have ever been to in NYC. You may feel like you are in your own wonderland as you sip their hot cup of tea.
Calling all tea lovers — nothing beats Alice’s when it comes to tea. They carry a variety of teas from all over the world. They even have their own blends to give you the taste you’re looking for. The tea menu has a long list of teas, tea leaves you have never heard of. My favorite? «Earl Grey Herbal». A mix of decaf Earl Grey and Rooibos teas. The tea is served old British style, like the queen of England would drink her tea. Probably the closest you can get to Buckingham Palace:-) They have the most beautiful little tea pots, along with nicely decorated little tea cups. Tea cups are on saucers, just as tea should be served
The food compliments the tea. I only come here for two things and two things only; tea and their variety of scones. My favorite scone is the old classic «buttermilk» scone. The scones are served warm with cream and jam (yum!). I have been here with others who loved their other scones (ham & cheese; blueberry; chocolate; pumpkin; and all the others). They have other food too on the menu, served British-​style. They have food options good for sharing too, definitely a good place for a group of girlfriends.
The décor is just pure bliss, it takes you way back. You know when you walk into your 90 year old grandma’s house? When you see worn out cabinets she had since 49 years ago? Old wooden dining tables with scratches? Lots of precious items all over her house? This place is just like your grandma’s dining room and kitchen, with her valuable pictures hanging on the walls. This is the wonderland Alice is:-). If you’re in love with anything antique, you will like Alice’s.
Good for kids too, my 5 year old loves it, along with the scones, cookies and children books they have there.
Only con is: there is a wait time at peak hours, especially brunch on a weekend. Maybe go when not too busy, but it is worth the wait if you ever have to wait

After a long day wandering around Manhattan with one of my girlfriends, we ended up here as our dinner conclusion to our lady date. I always wanted to try Alice’s Tea Cup, and I’m glad we came when we did (around 6:30pm on a Saturday) because their kichen closes at 7:15, who knew? When we arrived the hostess told us it would be a 20 minute wait, but she would get us seated before the kitchen closed. Within 20 minutes, we were seated. Perfect.
We opted for the «Mad Hatter» option, which is tea for two and comes with a dessert, cookies, sandwiches, and scones. It didn’t seem like it would be much food at first, but WOW were we full, we couldn’t finish it all! The teas we got (both were fruity varieties of their white tea options) were delicious, obviously, and the combination of savory sandwiches and sweet scones and desserts was great for a super-​sensory meal! Out of the three scones we got, buttermilk, peanut butter butterscotch, and pumpkin, the buttermilk was by far the best one. Keep it simple, people! We had the smoked chicken breast sandwich and the smoked salmon sandwich, both were great. The cookies were fresh and the chocolate mousse was divine. All this for $ 30 per person!
The atmosphere is perfect too. With Alice in Wonderland themes throughout, mismatched tableware, and great service, I’ll be back soon!

Love tea time !
Various tea and dessert, sandwich that u can enjoy
The restaurant itself is very cozy and small
But its good to have a time with freind or family
Also tasty scone !! Must to try !!

Well, this has been a disappointment.
Alice’s Tea Cup is a cute place to eat. It is «hidden» in the basement, much like a rabbit hole. Because of that, keep in mind how small it is and how long the wait will be (waited for an hour)!
The menu is ridiculously expensive for what it is worth. The price that Alice’s Tea Cup charged would have made sense had the food been extraordinarily good, but it wasn’t. My friend and I got the Mad Morning Tea Brunch off the menu. The poaches egg were just like any other eggs, the granola for the yogurt was stale and soggy, the yogurt wasn’t very good either, and the scone were dry.
Definitely a cute place for a date or just to grab tea for hours (since a pot is so expensive). Would not come here for food.

I’ve heard amazing things about Alice’s Tea Cup but this was a pure disappointment. As soon as I walked into the restaurant I felt like I had walked into an old beaten up basement. The place looked very old and run down. The furniture was beat up, not purposely rustic looking, but actually depressingly sad. I was disgusted by the chairs in the «seating area» which is actually 3 random old chairs with ruined cushions placed outside the bathroom. The actual dining area was equally disappointing. There are these little pillows that are on the bench side of the table which look extremely old and dirty. I wouldn’t dare mistakenly even lean against them. No 2 silverware matched and it was a bad feeling using utensils that felt very old and something even a thrift shop wouldn’t sell. Some spoons and forks we’re mildly lustrous while others were sharp and dull and all from different sets. The two glasses of water didn’t even match and were majorly scratched up. The plates and tea cup set were also extremely old and damaged. My plate of granola was broken and chipped on both sides. The gold on the brim of my teacup and saucer were faded and the colors and patterns were distorted. I was overall very uncomfortable eating out of these substandard plates and cups and using those utensils.
The food was just as disappointing as the rest of the restaurant. We had gotten a 3 tier breakfast with scones, eggs, and granola with yogurt. The scones were the best part but nothing extra special. It was exactly what a scone is supposed to be. I asked for the eggs to be scrambled and I’m surprised eggs can possibly be cooked so simply and bland. The granola was slightly bitter and too hard (even the couple next to my table was complaining about the granola so it wasn’t just me who thought that).
The teas are the only exception to this restaurant and I loved how there were many different types of teas and they were delicious. So I basically only enjoyed my tea out of my whole breakfast meal which is sad if you ask me.
Although the restaurant was dingy and had among the worst breakfast I’ve had for what I paid, the staff were exceptional people. The waiter was extremely nice and was very helpful in helping me find a tea that he thinks I would like. The waiter was the best part of my entire experience here. I would never come back here and I wonder if the other locations are as beat up as the west side location.

I need to go again!
Came here with a friend for some after work tea. In one sentence – it’s a small place with a big personality.
If you’re looking for a place to enjoy some good tea, not your Starbucks like tea, not your diner tea, not your fancy restaurant tea, I’m talking legit tea and this is what we do, then you should bring yourself over to Alice’s Tea Cup.
The place is an absolute darling to sit in. When you walk in, you’ll notice dozens of tea on the wall. It all smells amazing! Walking deeper into the Tea Cup, you’ll notice an interesting décor, very much reminiscent of what you’d imagine.
I’ve been made to understand that their scones are the best in the business, but I didn’t find that to be the case. I’ve had better scones, but I cannot say I’ve had better tea.
The staff is incredibly nice, the Tea is delicious, and Alice’s is well worth going out of your way to visit. I know I’ll be going there again soon.

Wandering through the rabbit hole will get you to new places you’ve never been before…
— what she said
The boo and I had an impromptu date here one lovely Saturday afternoon, the sun was gleaming and bright smiles all around (thanks to global warming). He’s been wanting to try vegan high tea and I’ve never been to one, so off we go and without reservations. When we arrived, we were told there was an hour wait, hmmm no surprises there, thanks Obama. To be honest, I’m like the rabbit in the story, always running from time! (Side note: if you ever need me in court I’ll be there in a double).
After perusing the shops nearby we were promptly called on his cell and made our way back. Our table, albeit cute, was tiny! Perfect for me, but not so much for my dining partner. Okay I lied, I eat more than him and too add I’m very clumsy so I was a bit apprehensive when we were seated.
We opted to get high tea for two, aka the mad hatter, two choices of brewed teas, two types of dainty vegan sandwiches, scones with berry jam, and desserts. We informed our server that we were vegan, obviously because we didn’t want any cheese or dairy on the sandwiches (although bragging rights are always a given). The desserts i.e. cakes were out of the equation, they substitute extra vegan scones & to our surprise a plate of fresh berries with oranges which we gladly accepted. The servers were swift, and before you know it filled our tables with delectable treats.
The room was filled with chatter, but all I heard was my heart flutter. Was it the white champagne tea, the sweet scones, or the hand holding that had me so delighted!
This afternoon couldn’t have been any better. Thank you Alice for our lil escape into wonderland.

Un gros coup de coeur pour les scones!
Le lieu est très mignon, la deco très enfentine, mais on s’y sent à l’aise. Et les tables sont grandes, c’est agréable.
La vaisselle est dépareillée, comme dans Alice au Pays des merveilles!
Concernant la carte, il y a le tea time, composé d’un thé en vrac, d’un scone, d’un sandwich et de petits sablés.
Les sablés sont très bof…
Le sandwich est bon, quand on le prend à la carte il est accompagné d’une bonne salade de laitue et carottes râpées, ça fait du bien de manger du vert.
Le gros point positif est les scones, qui doivent être fait à la demande, ils arrivent tout chaud, bien croustillants à l’extérieur et moelleux à l’intérieur. Et il y a plusieurs recettes, pour ma part coco cranberry, c’était top! J’aurai pu en manger deux mais ils sont déjà bien gros!
Par contre ce n’est pas donné… Et il faut moeux y aller en semaine au dej il y a moins de monde!

This restaurant is cute. Alice in Wonderland themed tea shop. I brought my goddaughter here for a tea party date. I got a deal on Travelzoo for the Mad Hatter Tea for two. This came with 3 scones, two sandwiches, cookies, a serving of cake and two pots of tea. It was surprisingly a lot. I was pretty full by the end we even took some home.
There are so many choices for tea and they were so good. We tried Christmas brew and the chocolate chai tea. The scones were yummy. We had a fun time here. The staff was very nice.

My Sunday brunch at Alice’s Tea Cup was a magical fairy tale experience. Everything was perfect. The tea, the food, the whimsical décor and the friendly employees all helped make our experience very memorable.
My mom and I split the Mad Hatter (choice of two pots of tea, three scones, two sandwiches and one dessert). It was the perfect amount of food and it was displayed so beautifully! Although it was difficult to choose from the many options, we decided on a pumpkin scone, a ham & cheese scone, and a classic buttermilk scone. They were served with butter and jam. Although we loved all of them, the classic scone was our favorite! We also chose the Albacore Tuna sandwich on whole grain and a grilled chicken sandwich with goat cheese and Granny Smith apple slices. Both sandwiches were fresh and delicious! Lastly, we chose the chocolate mousse as our dessert. It was divine!
In addition to the great food, the people who work at Alice’s Tea Cup certainly add to the enjoyable experience! When we arrived at the restaurant, we were greeted by a very nice woman named Magan. We also spoke with Blaine, JP, and Brian. All of them were so cheerful! Despite the estimated one-​hour wait, Magan seated us right away with a smile.
Our server, KC, was very sweet and attentive! I was a bit overwhelmed by the several menu pages of different flavors of tea. KC recommended «Alice’s Tea,» which is Indian black tea, Japanese green tea, vanilla and rose petals. It was so good! I was drinking it straight, but KC insisted that I try it with a splash of cream and a drizzle of honey. The combination was amazing!
The restaurant itself is so cute! There are several Alice in Wonderland-​themed decorations in the lobby and dining room. The walls are covered in hand painted quotes from the book. The tea cups and saucers are all hand picked from antique shops and garage sales.
It’s definitely a must-​visit in the Upper West Side of Manhattan. It was an especially great place to take my mom. We were both so happy throughout our entire «tea party.» I can’t wait to return!

Happiness lives here! What a magical little place tucked away in the Upper West Side. And it isn’t just princesses who dine here, there’s a great mix of old and young and lots of dutiful men who accompany their lovely ladies here. So you most likely won’t feel out of place :)
I ordered a birthday tea because I heard it was awesome (and it was just my birthday a couple days before, so you know). I asked the waiter if I could have iced tea and he gladly accommodated my request even though that option wasn’t on the menu. The tea was wonderful and I had enough for at least three cup refills. For breakfast/​brunch I ordered the salmon Benedict, which came with asparagus and poached pears. It was heavenly. The salmon Benedict was one of the best I’ve ever had and just melted in my mouth because it was sitting atop their buttermilk scone. I think the scone really made the dish perfect. I also got a pumpkin scone with caramel icing to go because obviously I had to! It was absolutely delicious.
Since the place is so popular, I got a bit of a feeling of needing to leave so my table could be cleared for the next patrons, but other than that, I had a really great experience. The price was basically what I expected for a place like this, although it’s higher than what I would pay for brunch on a regular basis. It’s definitely a must try though, and if you can’t make it to this specific location, there are two others in Manhattan!

I’m being genuinely fair with my star rating. The staff tries really hard to look like they enjoy working here. They don’t. An establishment would want to keep its appearance welcoming. It doesn’t. Music should liven up the atmosphere. There isn’t any.
So what is one to expect here? From experience: getting seated first but the server will attend everyone else before you. Water comes with piece of floating organism which you ask for a replacement, only to be dying of thirst and giving up hope that your server will return with another glass of h2o. And last but certainly not the least, palate offending food. Paltry with a horrible selection of sweets as part of their three-​tier offering such as The Madhatter. I can easily make and present a better Madhatter than this joint. Heck, Keebler’s bag of cookies taste far better than these sorry sack of sweets!
Trust me on this, don’t do it!

Unbedingt die Scones probieren. Toller Laden!

Salon de thé merveilleux! Etroit, comme si on rentrait dans une tooooute petite maison. Tasses, couverts, déco dignes du chef d’oeuvre Alice au pays des merveilles, on s’y croirait. On né sait quel gâteau choisir parmi tous ceux proposés sous cloche… et avec quelle variété de thé? Finalement, le chocolate cake m’a eu! C’était une pure tuerie! Une tranche généreuse 100% délice! Et je né suis pas devenue toute petiiite… mon ventre non plus :/
Si vous passez par NY, faites le détour, ça en vaut vraiment la peine! ;)

Hunderte Teesorten (eine kleine Kaffeeauswahl gibt’s zum Glück auch); riesige, leckere Scones und wunderbares Wunderland-​Ambiente inkl. Bedienung mit Flügeln.