Alice's Tea Cup, Chapter II
(30 reviews)156 E 64th St, New York, NY 10065, USA 212-486-9200 Website Suggest Changes
Recent reviews
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Aria Miller
Went here in 2017 with a friend of mine and it was so very fun! We enjoyed the themed tea place. Alice is a dear character to us and the foods and teas were perfect. They were very accommodating and I very much enjoyed my visit here. I'll need to come back again soon.
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Meme Black
It’s been a short time since I was last here. Hope to get back soon. This place was amazing. The theme was on point. I enjoyed my experience here. Everyone was pleasant and friendly and the place was clean.
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Olive Pegler
Went here on my honeymoon and my husband and I both loved it. The Alice theme was throughout. Everything was quaint and adorable, and I would love to go back.
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AmazonV
After shopping at Kusmi I headed down to Alice’s for lunch. The reviews on Steepster left me a little wary but friends on Facebook had recommended I visit it next time I was in town.
I did need to look around a bit to find it as it was around the corner and the entrance was set down below the sidewalk.
Once I found it I headed in and asked for a table for one. The hostess was pleasant and happy. I did feel a little guilty coming in at peak time alone.
I was seated on the level below sidewalk next to the kitchen; there was definitely a second floor that plates were being brought up to.
The restaurant was skinny and long. The décor was mismatched china and framed prints of pictures of various Alice films, and artist pictures and painting inspired by the same.
There were little notes around (think eat me and drink me) like on the dessert case (come closer, come closer).
They did pull off the wonderland tea party, grandmomther’s parlor theme well.
The tables were wooden with wooden chairs; the table I was on was actually an old converted sewing desk with footpedal.
The staff seemed to have droopy too large and mismatched attire as a uniform (which makes sense) that added to the theme.
The tea menu was very large and descriptive – and sorted by type. I wished I were not alone and could order more than one tea to share and try with someone. The food selection was also diverse and tea themed (scones and such).
The wait staff didn’t seem happy with me; I guess I was taking up space at a four person table for only one person. I felt a little bad but wished they didn’t seem so grumpy about it.
I ordered Alice’s Tea (house blend and apparently a favorite).
The tea I received in a whole, not small, teapot with an interesting drip catcher sponge attached. It was served abruptly with my cup only half poured and sloshed about. Was this thematic to the mad hatter’s tea party or just an angry waitress that she got the one patron table?
The tea itself was a translucent orange brown color. There was not a strong aroma to the brewed tea. The tea was slightly astringent, so I added sugar to the first cup, but as I kept refilling it I didn’t bother as it was so slight. The tea was a smooth, medium bodied black with citrus notes. I couldn’t taste the green tea they blended into the black. It was a little floral.
For lunch I ordered the cumin carrot sandwich. It was delicious and filling and presented well.
I tried not to be a burden and to eat and drink in a not dawdling way, but I could not resist the cookie plate at the end.
There were chocolate peanut cookies; butterscotch chip cookies, crasin macadamia cookies and what I believe were shortbread.
Overall good food, not bad tea, and a grumpy wait staff.
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S. Peterson
I was just strolling down Lexington Avenue last Friday and Alice's Tea Cup stuck out so I went inside to see if they had room for 1. I am so happy they did! I have gotten tea at many different places and I really enjoyed their interpretation. The Alice's Tea blend that I ordered was delicious and 'The Nibble' did not disappoint either! I had the curried Chicken salad and a buttermilk scone- both great! The place is cozy, but the only downside was that since they also serve upstairs, people were bounding up and down and it was a little distracting. But that's minor- Overall, a delight!
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Crystal
I gone to Ch. I & II for years (still haven't made it to Ch.III yet), with Ch. II being the one I frequent the most. I love this place. It's such a welcoming little gem from the hustle and bustle of the city. It is a small place and you often have to wait a long time to get a seat, but the tea variety is amazing and the food is delcious. The whimsical decor and friendly wait staff make it a fun retreat, especially for a weekend brunch or unique party.
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Catherine
I've been to Alice's (all three Chapters) a number of times. This review was just for yesterday. We were seated straightaway, and the staff were really friendly. I tried a tea cocktail there finally, and it was out of this world. It was a Mojito with Moroccan Mint tea. If you're in a tea cocktail mood, definitely give this place a try.
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shesallthat
I was very disappointed, I took my 15 year old to enjoy an afternoon tea. Truthfully I was expecting noise, lots of kids, etc. because of the Alice in Wonderland theme but besides a kid's party going on, it wasn't bedlam which was a good thing. On to the tea. First of all the room wasn't as cute as I thought it would be, there were wings on the ceiling and some photos of children on the walls - maybe that's charming for some people but it was no great shakes for me. Our waitress 'Michaela' comes by and just sorts of stands there, she's not helpful as I have to practically pry the answers out of her. We shared the Mad Hatter. It came with three very large scones - I think plain, potato and cheese and pumpkin. We enjoyed these...they were warm and very fresh. We requested more jam/cream as the tiny ramekin it was served enough was barely enough for a mouse. Our teas arrived after the food was served which I did not like. Tea should be served first I think. Which reminds me when the food arrived all together on a tiered tray, it was delivered by a tatooed guy and he kind of threw it on the table. Miachaela brought the tea out about 5 minutes after that, the teapot had no cozy on it to keep it warm and there was no sugar or cream on the table...I had to ask dd to fetch it from another table. The sandwiches were not tiny but whole sandwiches cut into quarters. The cucumber while it was tasty was served way too thickly sliced, I removed some of the cucumber inside and it was much better. The ham and gruyere sandwich was meh. Chocolate mousse was okay, the cookies were not. I think if we had just went for lunch we would have liked it better...there are better places in the city to go for tea, I do not recommend Alice's at all.
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Jill
after reading positive reviews for sometime I and after visiting many tea house I ventured in to the city with my 9 year old daughter and 11 year old niece! What a treat! Since our
decision to go was last minute we did not have a reservation. we arrived about 4:30 pm on a friday afternoon. told the wait would be about 30 min. while
waiting for a table we ventured upstairs & found the decor to be much brighter & sunny due to the light from the beautiful windows.unfortunately, the first available table was downstairs ( a little dark but still cozy & cute) after ordering our tea, I noticed that a large party upstairs had just started to leave- asked if possibly we could move upstairs- staff was so wonderful! The waitress carried our pots of teas & sodas upstairs for us and made us comfortable at our new table. I have read about some less than flattering reviews regarding the service but nothing could be further from the truth! The waitress was so pleasant even when my niece asked that her grilled be sent back because 'the cheese wasn't melted enough' ( very patient with kids!) As for the
decor, whimsical & delightful! The scones are to die for- especially loved the pumpkin_ the scones are large & flaky!We ordered the tea described for those who 'very hungry- famished' -was a delicious assortment of sandwiches, scones & dessert- The highlight of our visit - when Julia Roberts & her kids were seated at the table right next to us! What a great day!!! Can't wait to go back- We're trying Lady Mendyl's first , though.
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Joe
We had a wonderful time at this tea room. We came here specifically to film an episode of our show, which might count for the great service, but I would definitly come here again when I'm in town. The food was really good and the tea selection was the best that I've seen in any tea room I've yet been to. Highly recommended.
www.steaptv.com
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Stef
This place butchers the tea experience. While the tea selection is large, most types are of poor quality and weird blends. It is always better to have a small quality menu then a bulky menu of poor selections. The staff is untrained on the art of preparing tea. The food taste terrible, almost inedible. The service is very very slow and unenthusiastic. While the place looks cute, it also looks a bit run-down and tired.
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Yana
Nice place to spend a Sunday morning. The food is good, scones are great. They have a nice tea selection. Initially I really liked Alice's tea (mix of black and green sencha and some rose petals), but the components of the mix vary, plus you cannot really mix black and green tea, they have different temperature of steeping!
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Sandeep Saggar
I lived on the Upper East Side during the summer of 2006, and Alice's became quick favorite. The variety of teas, scones, and sandwiches and salads was matched only by the charm of the interior and the staff. I bought a family full of avid chai drinkers and they all loved the experience. I tried some of the teas iced and they were excellent as well.
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Ari www.bakingandbooks.com
A friend and I visted the 64th street location on a Tuesday afternoon and the service was excellent - our hostess was friendly and attentive. The food was also superb, I ordered the 'roasted pear and belgian endive salad' and a slice of carrot cake. Carrot cake is hard to mess up (my slice was delicious) but this was one of the few times that I've relished every single bite of a salad. Charming atmosphere, I was sad to go.
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Patricia
The tea selection is vast, the food enjoyable and fresly prepared, the restaurant lovely. The service is abysmal. An initial phone call to make a reservation revealed that they only accept reservations for parties larger than 6 on the weekends. The well-published 'tea service all day' on the menu was met with great confusion and refusal 'we only serve tea after 11:30am' when asked for at the table around 11am. While we were seated quickly and the young girls we were with treated well, we waited over an hour for a simple tea service. The waitress never once stopped by to check on us, although we were seated in a busy hallway where people all around us were served before us. When we finally were able to ask when our tea service would arrive, the waitress explained that they had to take care of the large party first.
All in all, a very disappointing experience at this location.
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nycteagirl
I went there this afternoon with a friend of mine. We shared the afternoon tea, which was more than enough for the two of us. The tea was delicious (I recommend the Birthday Tea). The Pumpkin scone was excellent, but the buttermilk was dry and crumbly. We had two kinds of sandwiches, salmon (good) and cucumber (dry). It seems that many reviewers have commented on the sandwiches being dry, so that ought to be something the staff should try to improve upon. A little pricey, but a fun place. Service was friendly, fast, but not outstanding (our water glasses weren't refilled, we weren't asked if we needed anything). The biggest gripe I have is that we had a lot of leftover food, including a few untouchged sandwiches; we asked to have it packed and when I got home and opened the box, there were no sandwiches. Very annoying. I'm sure they didn't want to reuse them but still, makes you wonder.
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laura
I had a late lunch with my husband and baby. It was delicious! The scones were the best I have ever had and the tea was really good, not to mention the salads and sandwichs which we devoured. The staff was very accommodating considering we had a little one with us... they gave us a big banquet and tons of things for our daughter to play with. They made it very easy to have a nice lunch out!
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maria
From the first time I stepped foot at Alice's Tea Cup Ifelt right at home. It is warm and inviting. The food is delicious, I don't know what I would do without my weekly fix of the Croque Monsieur with the Lapsang Suchong chicken. You have to try it. My daughter can't get enough of everything Alice's. We have been going to both the West side and now the East side since she was in my belly and I had my baby shower there. Needless to say, the perfect place for a shower, party (my 32nd),etc...I just wish I had come up with the idea myself so that I could be there every day.
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Ethel Barber
My experiences at Allice's Chapter II have been delightful and welcoming, They staff is always cheerful and eager to please. They have recommended some new additions to the menu which have been tasty and interesting. Personally, I LOVE Alice's scones and her soups are always delicious. I find it hard to choose with the intention of enjoying dessert. It takes planning. I LOVE stopping there where I can relax, refresh myself. My grandchildren just love the wee tea!
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Jerseyshoregal
My friend and I went to Alice's II on the East Side and enjoyed 'The Mad Hatter' for 2, which was an excellent deal!! The scones were the best I've ever tasted!! We had a choice of 3 different scones, from a menu of about 8. The finger sandwiches were OK, a little dry. The tea was very good, but got cold quickly. The pots were not covered by tea cozies and we were not given hotter tea, or even asked if the tea was cold. The service was awful, though. We did not see our waitress very often and had to wave down someone else many times to ask for a new napkin, additional items, etc. I noticed that some of the other tables waited for their food, check, etc. and became a little agitated. Also, there were many people waiting for tables, that semed to be 'forgotten' and had to remind the service that they had been waiting. There was no seating list and one poor group was waiting for about the entire time we were eating. I would recommend this place for the food and tea, but make sure you have some time to spare, since your wait may be VERY long!
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Disappointed former customer
I have been to Alice's on the West side many times and have taken international visitors on several occasions, all very pleasant experiences. However, we had a very bad experience at the East side location of Alice's when they tried to overcharge us for sharing. In our party of five, we ordered a tea set for two of us to share while the remainder ordered desserts and drinks (one of which never arrived). The entire time we were there, one of the staff (not our waitress) periodically hovered in the vicinity of our table and stared at us to the point that we were uncomfortable, and when we were given the bill, we found that we had been charged an extra $10 for 'sharing' the tea set amongst the five of us. Since this was not true, we informed the staff of this but were still treated as if we were being dishonest. I absolutely would not return there after seeing the overzealous focus put on charging patrons extras for (perceived) sharing, and I have told my friends and colleagues, especially those who have young children who might actually end up sharing with their kids as a part of their dining experience, about this incident. The staff at this Alice's location were very rude to us and seemed more intent on 'policing' their customers--and inaccurately so--rather than providing hospitable service and allowing their customers to enjoy the dining experience. Needless to say, we won't be going there again.