Best High Tea in NYC: 10 Restaurants Serving Afternoon Tea

Having afternoon tea (popularly called high tea in New York) can be a fun outing with kids whether you are celebrating a special occasion or looking for a memorable part of your visit to New York. This is especially a great winter outing in New York that puts you in the mood of old victorian New York, particularly fitting during Christmastime.

There are several places that do high tea in New York City each with varying degrees of appropriateness for children of various ages. From the Eloise Tea at the Plaza Hotel for big bucks to the funky afternoon tea served at Moby's East Village tea spot, there are teas great for kids of all ages and parents of all budgets. We took kids to each of them and here's what we thought:

(PS. Taking kids for afternoon tea is a great birthday party idea.)

Tea with Madeline at the Carlyle Hotel
35 E 76th St
212 744-2600
www.thecarlyle.com
Largely due to the marvelous singer/pianist Tina deVaron, Tea with Madeline at the Carlyle Hotel ranks as one of our favorites in the city. Taking place in the famous Bemelman’s Bar, Madeline’s Tea pays tribute to the creator of the Madeline children’s book series, Ludwig Bemelman. Surrounded by the author’s delightful murals, DeVaron tells her audience that Bemelman stayed in the Carlyle Hotel for 18 months painting the depictions of famous NYC monuments in exchange for room and board. The setting is small and intimate, the food and tea are plentiful and the music rocks. A big thumbs-up for that little French girl. This tea is seasonal and runs from October through December.

KIDS WILL LOVE: Kid-friendly foods and Madeline dolls, books, napkins and plates strewn about, but the star of the show is Tina deVaron the pianist who gets the children up on their feet singing requests, everything from The Sound of Music to the Twelve Days of Christmas to Taylor Swift.

CHILDREN'S TEA: Yup. This one is kid heaven. A buffet offers kid faves like chicken fingers a well as more traditional tea sandwiches.

BEST FOR: Children under 10 who love dressing up fancy and music.

COST: $65 per person ($20 for children under three years).

Lady Mendl's
56 Irving Place, Manhattan
212 533-4600
www.innatirving.com
Lady Mendl's is a true Victorian tea salon in a brownstone on Irving Place near Union Square serving an elegant, classic English afternoon tea in a Victorian era brownstone parlor. Sit on couches by the fireplace or at elegantly set tables.

KIDS WILL LOVE: The fancy room, service and touches like decorative rose sugar.

CHILDREN'S TEA? No. There are no gimmicks here or a child's menu. The five course tea includes sandwiches, scones with Devonshire clotted cream and jam, desserts and bottomless pots of tea from a wide selection, including several of their own blends.

BEST FOR: Ages 8 and up. The five course afternoon tea takes at least an hour and a half and so, while children are welcome, use your discretion as to whether your younger children can sit through it. During the week there's a little more room for squirminess as the salon will be more empty.

Lady Mendl's is a great spot for a special occasion outing, whether for a family get together or a girl's birthday treat. I think girls ages 8 and up will appreciate get the most out of this more formal and grown up atmosphere.

COST: Afternoon tea at Lady Mendl's is $35 per person and is served daily. An 18% gratuity will be automatically added to your bill. Reservations are required.

Read about our full experience and see photos.

Alice's Tea Cup
Three locations on the Upper West and Upper East Sides.
Check website for more information.
http://alicesteacup.com/
You would have to have a heart of stone to not be enchanted by Alice’s Tea Cup. With three locations in the city, it has the most magical atmosphere and the best food of any teahouse we’ve sipped at. Note: It’s a tiny place so expect to wait to be seated.

KIDS WILL LOVE: The butterfly wings everywhere (you can buy a pair for your little fairy in the gift shop) and the “Menu for the Small” with items like apple slices and peanut butter and the tea selection for the grown-ups is extensive.

CHILDREN'S TEA: 'The Nibble' includes a a pot of tea, a scone with preserves and cream, choice of one sandwich and assorted mini cookies. There are larger options and sharing options as well on the menu.

BEST FOR: Everyone. The food is great. There are lots of options. And it's not too pricey.

COST: Tea prices range from $25 for The Nibble, to the Jabberwocky, $60. Served daily.

Children and adults can also order off the regular menu.

American Girl Tea
609 5th Avenue
Book reservations online
www.americangirl.com
Parents have a lot of opinions about American Girl dolls, ranging from “too expensive and too commercialized” to “love them!” I fall somewhere in the middle, but I truly enjoyed the American Girl tea experience as did my daughter. The room and tables are lovely and cheerful, if a bit crowded, and I thought the food was surprisingly good. Overall, this is a wonderful experience that your little girl will cherish.

KIDS WILL LOVE: Having a doll sit beside them in her own little seat with her own place setting. The café provides plenty of dolls to choose from if your daughter does not have her own doll.

CHILDREN'S TEA: Of course. Tea sandwiches, butterfly cookies and chocolate mousse flowerpots.

BEST FOR: Girls who love dolls.

COST: $20 per person. Served daily at 4pm.

The Russian Tea Room
150 West 57th Street, Manhattan
212 581-7100
www.russiantearoomnyc.com
The Russian Tea Room offers a Children's Tea with a few Russian touches like peanut butter and jelly blinis, but overall this tea lacked the charm of many others and suffered a bit from the soulless feeling of a tourist destination. On the other hand, the lack of frilliness made it possibly the best tea to take boys to, if you wanted to take boys to tea for some reason.

KIDS WILL LOVE: The hot chocolate served with marshmallows and whipped cream. Kid friendly eats and a whole plate of desserts just for them. Seeing the fancy Russian toys in the gift shop.

CHILDREN'S TEA: Tea served Russian-style or hot chocolate, a tiered carousel of kid-friendly tea sandwiches, and a plate of dessert.

BEST FOR: Boys, since the art deco room is not frilly like many other tea salons. The restaurant is frequently empty so the antics of small children are accommodated.

COST: The Children's Tea at the Russian Tea Room is $35 per child. Adult tea menus start at $50. One thing I liked is that you can take your children for the tea, but you can order off the regular menu, if you prefer. I ordered a cup of tea and a salad, because I was not in the mood for sweets. The kids had their special outing and I was able to sit with them, but saved myself the calories (and about $20).

Children's Tea is served Daily from 2pm-4:30pm. You can have a kids birthday party at the Russian Tea Room either by simply reserving a table for Children's Tea (you pay regular menu prices) or work out a package for a private room.

Read our full review and see photos

Eloise Tea at the Plaza
Fifth Avenue at Central Park South
212 546-5300
www.theplaza.com
For several years the Plaza Hotel's Palm Court was closed for renovations and so there was no Eloise Tea in New York City. The stunning Palm Court reopened this year and The Plaza has reintroduced the Eloise Tea as well as an Eloise Shop and even an Eloise Suite ($995/night!).

KIDS WILL LOVE: Stop by the pinked-out Eloise Shop where kids are invited to play dress up, watch Eloise movies in the "reading room" or play pretend tea.

CHILDREN'S TEA: The ultimate classic English Afternoon tea includes "Eloise's favorite" tea sandwiches like peanut butter and jelly, grilled cheese and cucumber and cream cheese, plus cookies and pink jello, all served on a tiered platter along with a choice of five teas.

BEST FOR: Special occasions. This is a wonderful special outing that your child will remember for a lifetime.

COST: $30 per person child, $50 per adult. Served daily, but reservations do fill up especially during the Holidays.

IN BROOKLYN:

Sweet Melissa Patisserie
175 7th Ave, Park Slope, 718-502-9153
276 Court Street, Cobble Hill, 718-855-3410
sweetmelissapatisserie.com
Known for their decadent desserts -- think caramel apple bread pudding and chocolate praline eclairs -- Sweet Melissa is a cute and cozy patisserie with French flair.

KIDS WILL LOVE: Sweet Melissa's dress-up chest, which they can loot and pretend to be a prince or princess while sipping their tea.

CHILDREN'S TEA: Kids 12 and under can choose between tea, milk, or juice, plus cranberry, sour cherry, orange, or currant scones with devon cream and homemade preserves, finger sandwiches (peanut butter and jelly, egg salad, tuna salad, cucumber and dilled cream cheese), and petits fours. (The menu is not currently online.)

BEST FOR: It's the only place that serves afternoon tea in Brooklyn!

COST: Children's Tea is $15.95. Adults have three options: the afternoon tea menu which is similar to the children's tea but has grown-up finger sandwiches ($25), the Queen's Tea which includes a cup of homemade soup and a light salad ($30), or they can go all out and add a glass of Champagne ($35). (Adults can also order off the main menu).

Afternoon tea is served 11am-5pm daily at both of its locations.

IN STATEN ISLAND:

La Tea Da
7485 Amboy Rd., Tottenville, Staten Island
718-303-7074
With a name like La Tea Da you can imagine that this is a place that takes the girly fun of afternoon tea to the extreme. Step out of the real world and into the Mad Hatter's Tea Party. La Tea Da is a little girl's dream of what a tea party should be.

KIDS WILL LOVE: Miniature tea sets, dressing up in fancy hats and boas, and the pretend cottage play house in the back.

CHILDREN'S TEA: Alice in Wonderland themed tea sandwiches, cupcakes, and tutti frutti tea served in a children's tea salon.

BEST FOR: Birthday parties. Definitely worth the trip over the bridge for this fun party place.

COST: Reservations are required and only for parties of five or more. Prices vary, but start around $28 per person. They are undergoing renovations soon and will have even more offerings, including the chance to drop in and have a spot of tea or a scone without a reservation.

ALSO WORTH CONSIDERING:

The Rose House — The Rose House is in Queen's Chinatown at the Queens Crossing Mall. I'm sorry I didn't get out there to see what it was like first hand, but it sounds like a really nice place, in a somewhat odd location.

Teany — Singer, Moby's, Tea Shop on the Lower East Side offers a vegan afternoon tea. We tried it out and while the tea and food were great and it was inexpensive, it does not have the magic of the other places, so I didn't include this one. A great option for vegan kids though.

Thanks to Shari and Lia for contributing to this post.

For more ideas of special outings and party ideas, see our NYC Party Guide.