Reviews

Variety:     Artistry:     Service:     Food: First the good stuff--the place is beautiful in an understated way; the food is good--there are pastries, scones, and sandwiches. The tea itself is very good (all Marriage Freres, I think) and while there are not hundreds on the menu as at some other places, there are certainly enough to choose from, green and black, China, Japan, and India. There are even five (!) varieties of Earl Grey. The service is also very good. There are only two complaints. One--the place is filled with the pungent odors of onion soup and grilled cheese sandwiches--which kind of ruins the experience of a fragrant jasmine tea. Two--the noise level is deafening. I tried to spend a quiet peaceful hour with a book and a cup of tea. There were about fifteen people there, mostly women, and at ... (more)any time I could hear distinctly every word spoken by at least five of them. Of course that New Yorkers do not know how to control their volume is not the fault of the excellent proprietors of this place, but is does detract from the experience unfortunately.

- Christopher 02/08/09