Afternoon Tea at Alice's Tea Cup

Recently, I have been indulging in one of my favorite activities: afternoon tea. This quaint British tradition is near and dear to my heart and something I absolutely adore. I would go as far as to say that this is my favorite meal. It's fun, low key, relaxing, and yummy. What could be better? In the UK, this is a cultural landmark and a common occurrence, but in the USA…not so much. New York City has some places that serve afternoon tea, however, I haven't found one as good as the UK yet. Still, that hasn't stopped me from enjoying afternoon tea in New York!

Over the past few weeks, I have been visiting Alice's Tea Cup on the Upper West Side (73rd & Columbus). Alice's Tea Cup has three locations --- Upper West Side, Midtown East, Upper East Side --- however, the UWS location is the original and the one that I have been to. Whilst Alice's Tea Cup also serves breakfast and brunch, it's primary focus is afternoon tea. 

You've probably guessed this from the name of the restaurant, but the theme of Alice's Tea Cup is the Lewis Carroll story Alice in Wonderland. The walls are decorated with Alice in Wonderland pictures and quotes, some of the tables have Alice memorabilia within them, and there is even a small library in the waiting area containing Alice in Wonderland books! It is quite a theme. 

A few weekends ago, R and I went to Alice's Tea Cup for brunch. Neither of us had been here before and I was eager to introduce him to afternoon tea. We were fortunate in that although it was Saturday at around 1 pm, we did not have to wait long at all. 

From the moment we arrived, I knew that I was going to order afternoon tea. The only questions on my mind: what kind of tea, what kind of scone, and what kind of sandwich? All important questions. I wanted to try the signature house Alice's blend, but unfortunately, they were out of it! Not to worry, our waiter was very helpful and recommended a lovely black tea that smelled of vanilla. Yum! 

My milk tea

R opted to try "Alice's Curious French Toast." This dish consisted of "bites of brioche infused with apricot brandy tea and baked bread-pudding style, served with raspberry couli, vanilla creme Anglaise, maple syrup, and fresh berries." His dish was very tasty, however it was painfully sweet. 

Alice's Tea Cup has several types of afternoon tea that range in size and price. There is: Alice's Mad Morning Tea, The Nibbler Tea, The Mad Hatter Tea, the Jabberwocky Tea, and the Wee Tea. I decided on the Nibbler Tea, which is designed for one person. In addition to my pot of tea, my order came with a single scone, a single sandwich, and a cookie platter. 

When my three tier afternoon tea arrived, I was beyond excited. After consulting with our waiter, I decided upon the pumpkin caramel scone, which is the house speciality, as well as the chopped tea-egg salad sandwich, which was "made with eggs that have been infused with out mate carnival tea; with watercress and mayonnaise on seven grain bread." 

It certainly wasn't a traditional afternoon tea, but I still thoroughly enjoyed it. The sandwich was creative, although it lacked a bit of flavor. My favorite part of the afternoon tea was the scone. Yes, it was massive and very sweet, but it was very very very tasty! I can see why this is the house specialty. 

A few weeks later, I was back for more afternoon tea, but this time with my best friend, E. This was a real treat. E moved to Australia last September and is currently back in NYC visiting. I have been counting down to her trip and have been doing everything in my power to maximize my time with her whilst she is in the US. 

Mad Hatter Tea for Two

I had such a great time with E. We had so much to talk about! Since we were both rather hungry, we ordered the "Mad Hatter Tea" for two. For our sandwiches, we ordered the curried chicken sandwich (with red onion, celery, granny smith apple, & tomato slices on golden raisin semolina) and the smoked salmon sandwich (served open-faced with a light lemon-dill butter on pumpernickel).  The curried chicken sandwich was ok, but a bit hard to eat. The bread was a bit stodgy and the curried chicken was too thick and falling out of the sandwich. Taste-wise, it was very nice. 

The Mad Hatter Tea comes with 3 scones and since E had never been here before, I let her select them. She ordered the pumpkin caramel scone, the chocolate-orange scone, and the raspberry-almond scone. YUM! They were all absolutely scrumptious!!!! Yes, they were massive, but we still managed to polish them off. The scones were nice and toasty on the outside, but very soft on the inside. I really must find a recipe for them.

We also had a cookie platter, however, by the time we got to it, we were too full to eat it. (I told E to take them home). Our tea came with the option of one cake, in addition to the cookies, so I let E pick that as well. The lemon and berry tart was refreshing, however, the lemon custard was a still too runny, making it a little hard to it. 

Alice's Tea Cup may not serve the most traditional British afternoon tea, but it's still a really fun spot. The scones are very tasty and so is their tea. If you are looking for a place to shmooze, I would recommend Alice's Tea Cup, but go at an off time because when crowded, it can get a bit loud.