Arium

I stopped in for an afternoon cocktail outside. I should have noticed that at 4:30 PM there was no one sitting outside, even though it was not that warm at all. Someone came for my order, and I ordered a signature cocktail from the menu. I was shortly after offered water, which came promptly. However, at least fifteen minutes later, possibly twenty, I had no cocktail, and no one was outside to flag down. So I left. I’m sure it’s a wonderful place, and I was dressed completely appropriately for an afternoon out and about, but I can’t abide poor service — not at those prices.

i can’t believe i forgot to write about this place!
this place is quintessential old-​english proper tea. it’s so cute! it’s very proper and i definitely felt uncomfortable in jeans.
the service is flawless and these ppl really know their teas! the dessert chef comes from a really high end bakery in the city (the name slips my mind, but i know that when he told me — i was like ‘wow you worked there?!’)
the desserts are good, the tea is just really really extravagant. a piano player played music while i sipped tea.
loved it — but its a bit fancier for my taste — i don’t feel like dressing up for tea most of the time. i am intrigued to try their brunch menu though — maybe some day…

This place is very perplexing.
From the outside (and considering the area) I thought it would be really ghetto. But low and behold they carry so many luxe brands and often have good prices or SALES.
I think their brand is really weak though as a store since not even the storefront logo seems to visually jive with the high-​end garments they sell. Worth checking out every so often, I think. You’ll be so surprised at what’s available! I recall some hot Costume National and McQ in particular.

I’m with Marcus on this — Arium is a little out of place for this part of town, and it leaves me a little cold — like a refugee from the Upper East Side that somehow found itself adjacent to a trendy Meat Packing District hair salon. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think everything down here needs to look like something out of a Sex & the City shoot (cf, my Los Dados review:
), but a little downtown edge would do this place some good.
That having been said, I came here for an event not too long ago and enjoyed the space — it’s open and airy enough to accommodate a decently sized crowd — also I love any place that finds room for a baby-​grand piano. Good wine, tea, and appetizer options and a friendly staff. Should I find myself in need of high tea after a little high-​end shopping, I know the place.

Arium serves a delicious menu of organic dishes at affordable prices, has an excellent wine list, and offers over 200 varieties of tea. It’s also an oasis of calm energy, beautiful music, and friendly service — amidst a sea of designer overpriced restaurants that treat their customers like dirt and serve subpar food in designer bowls.
Arium is, however, somewhat old-​school and conservative. Its waiters wear pretty bowties, and the service is exceptionally attentive, the kind you’d beg for at a fancy French restaurant. This may throw many customers off when they first walk in – but don’t be fooled. This Café is the real deal, and those of you are lucky to have the place all to yourself will no doubt enjoy it greatly.
Oh – great place to bring mom. Probably great for marriage proposals, too. :)

I don’t know what to think of Arium. It has a comfortable and relaxed gallery-​like interior and a beautiful grand piano, with a good selection of little bites and teas, but at the same time the atmosphere is lifeless and almost bleak, like sitting in the parlor of a funeral home. The few times I’ve been here you could count the number of customers on one hand.
And there was so much construction happening around this area that sometimes the noise carried into the place. This was over the summer 2007, so I don’t know for sure if so much of this construction is still ongoing. I also wasn’t impressed with the server, who was a bit blatant about how much he hated working at Arium, commenting on how he really disliked the owner. I felt it was unprofessional.
Honestly, Arium has the makings of something good, but my hunch is that it won’t thrive enough to stay in business.

This place is great. I’ve only been here twice and both times my table was THE only ones there so I do wonder how they stay in business. They serve lunch/​afternoon tea is what appears to be the front of a gallery. The wait staff is extremely friendly and cheerful. The scones are yummy and the food is tasty. I highly recommend stopping by this place. It’s a few doors down from Pastis (but don’t mention the «P word» there as the wait staff will joke about it).