I could not get a photo so took drawing off internet (Postcard from place)--
Yelp likes it....and is plugging it as I said
My favorite review here is a schizophrenic one that says something like " I love this place but actually not"
Lady Mendl's Tea Salon
Inn at Irving Place
56 Irving Pl
New York, NY 10003
Neighborhood: Gramercy
(212) 533-4600
56 Irving Pl
New York, NY 10003
Neighborhood: Gramercy
(212) 533-4600
- Nearest Transit Station:
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14 St. - Union Sq (4, 5, 6, 6X)14 St. - Union Sq (N, Q, R)Union Sq - 14 St. (L)
- Hours:
- Mon-Tue, Thu 3 pm - 6:30 pmWed, Fri-Sun 12 pm - 6:30 pm
- Price Range:
- $$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- No
153 reviews for Lady Mendl's Tea Salon
Review Highlights What's this?
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"5) petit fours and chocolate covered strawberries." In 29 reviews -
"The only delicious one was the mille crepe cake." In 33 reviews -
"Scones with devonshire clotted cream & preserves (Berries jam." In 32 reviews
Rating Distribution | Trend
Virginia T.'s Review
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Review from Virginia T.
Manhattan, NYA freshly baked scone with real clotted cream and raspberry preserves is easily my idea of the perfect breakfast and/or snack food and Lady Mendl's gets this down to a Tea (pardon the pun).
I came here on a girls' date for their five-course afternoon tea and it felt like I was momentarily transported back to London. Each guest gets his/her own pot of premium tea and the selection covers a nice variety of green, black, and herbal teas. Standouts during the tea serving were the smoked salmon finger sandwiches, the scones with clotted cream, and the Lady M signature crepe cake. Of all the tea salons I have been to, Lady Mendl's is the only place that serves real Devonshire clotted cream. Several other places serve whipped cream as a sorry excuse for clotted cream and it's just not comparable.
Overall we had a fun experience and left with our stomachs achingly full. On an unrelated note, I did feel like I had to be on my best behavior here (no squealing or laughing loudly!)
153 reviews in English
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Review from Bryce W.
The cake. The. Cake. THE CAKE.
I was here for the 5-course high tea last Sunday, with a group of six other women. The last thing I remember is being shown to our table by a pleasant and incredibly professional waiter... all other memories of the day have been eclipsed by The Cake.
There is a hazy flash of a very long tea menu... a perhaps some adorable china and a sugar cube topped by a perfectly formed red sugar rose. Sandwiches. There were definitely sandwiches. And the sweet smell of flowers wafting through the air. I could almost testify to the good service and perfectly timed courses.
But really: THE CAKE.
It's a crepe cake... a dozen or so layers of fluffy, puffy crepes alternating with sweet cream. And it melts in your mouth. And it makes you contemplate yelling "Oh my gosh! Look over there!" in an effort to distract your table mates so you can steal their cake from their plates. And it's beautiful. And it haunts my dreams. And it's delicious. And it's my one true love and we will be very happy together forever and ever. -
Review from Christine N.
Manhattan, NYI always find it strange when there are inconsistencies between my reviews of places and what other people have written. For instance,
What I have found inconsistent:
- Does this place smell heavily of perfume? No. Flowers, maybe, and I felt like everything could use a good dusting, but I did not leave this place smelling like perfume.
- How is the service? Impeccable. They did not rush us and treated us with great hospitality. We chatted for 15 minutes after the 1.5 hour allotted tea time and after all the other patrons in our room had left and it was fine.
What I have found somewhat consistent:
- Is the decor a bit like stepping into a Victorian English novel/house? Yes, it is an actual house and it is heavy on random antiques. More quaint, than outwardly fancy or regal like the Plaza or Pembroke or St. Regis or Mandarin Oriental, but you will feel like you are having tea in someone's house in England.
- Would a guy patron fit in here? No, and I actually did not see any on the Sunday I went.
- How is the actual afternoon tea experience itself? This blew me away. I was not expecting it to be as good as it was. I had the "Lady Mendl's" tea. It is the house tea obviously and is the perfect black tea, not too strong/weak, they have adorable sugar cubes (and I don't take my tea with sugar, generally), yummy sandwiches (loved the salmon and cucumber, in particular). They have clotted cream for scones (not all places do). The cake was amazing. This was not the over caffeinated, sugar-overload or stale bread high tea experience (all of which I've experienced at other places), but this most perfect balance, which shocked me. It is suppose to be a five course afternoon tea experience (hot starter, cold sandwiches, warm scones, cake, and then chocolate-covered strawberries with cookies) and they bring the sandwiches around twice in case you want more.
What I have found consistent:
- Do they use real china? Yes, and it is beautiful.
- Is all the staff male? Yes, from the maitre d' to the servers.
- Would this place be an amazing place to host a wedding shower, baby shower, birthday or just to catch up with girlfriends? Yes, and quite frankly, I think people would applaud you on your good taste and ability to find such a unique "tea speakeasy".
- When are the high afternoon tea times on the weekends? Noon, 2:30 pm and 5:00 pm, and the service goes for 1.5 hours. I'd say it felt a bit regimented in this respect, but they are still a business (you are not actually having tea in someone's home). There are at least two rooms. One for small parties and one for large parties (bridal showers, baby showers). Get there on the dot and you can pick your table in your room. As others have noted, they will not seat you until your whole party has arrived but they have a waiting/living room. -
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Review from Alicia K.
Chicago, ILI recently had my baby shower at Lady Mendl's and it was the perfect venue. The location is almost hidden, as the entrance looks like a private brownstone residence. The sign that reads Lady Mendl's is super small. Inside, there is a comfy waiting area with flowery, wingback chairs and love seats. The decor was to-die-for cute. The maitre d' will not seat the party unless everyone is present.
We were seated in a cute little room with 2 other small tables and a grand fireplace. Since we were a party of 7, we had one of the larger tables. They had chiavari chairs, which was such a classy touch! The first thing we were asked was to pick 4 different types of tea. We tried:
- Gramercy Pearl: this was a fragrant jasmine pearl tea; flavor was perfect
- Lychee Red: didn't try this myself, but my friends all loved it
- Lemon Verbena: my least favorite of the 4, but still very fruity and tasty
- White Peony: didn't try this, but I could smell it in everyone else's cup. I'll definitely try it next time
Tea service came with cute little tea sandwiches; my favorite was the egg salad. The smoke salmon one looked great, though I couldn't eat it due to being pregnant. Then we had some scones with cream and jam, followed by a choice of millefille (sp?) or chocolate cake and a tray of sweets.
Overall, we had a spectacular time. The waiters were always running around and busy, and I felt a little bad that we were a bit loud and noisy. Though the staff was very tolerant of us and even helped to take a few pictures of our group! -
Review from Chi E.
Manhattan, NYI LOVE, LOVE, LOVE tea. So I thought it fitting to invite my closest friends to celebrate my birthday at Lady Mendl's. We had a 5 pm seating time on a rainy Sunday afternoon. Two of my friends arrived over 15 minutes late (oops!), but the staff at Lady Mendl's was kind enough to wait (despite their pretty strict 15 min grace period policy) and seat us once everyone arrived.
The interior of the building is beautiful. It's like walking into a Victorian novel. The tea service includes 5 courses. My favorites being the sandwiches (the Cucumber with Mint Crème Fraiche on Brioch was to die for) and the scones. Yes, the scones were amazing! They come with fruit preserves and clotted cream. The crepe cake, followed by cookies and chocolate dipped strawberries round off the 4th and 5th courses. By the 3rd course, we were pretty full, but that stopped none of us from continuing to indulge in the yummy treats.
As far as the teas, there is a good variety that compliments the food nicely. I very much enjoyed trying their different blends.
In all, I came for the tea, but enjoyed the entire experience much more than I expected. It is a bit pricey, but definitely worth it. -
Review from J W.
New York, NYMy favorite tea place in NYC! I wouldn't take kids (or a dude) here, but for a girls afternoon out in a cute Victorian setting, it's the best! FYI - they are going to bring you a ton of food at their Mille feuille cake at the end is AMAZING so don't eat a meal before you head over! -
Review from Ammu K.
I came to Lady Mendl's for a bridal shower, and had I not been given the address beforehand, I would have walked right past it and not known where it was. So, word to the wise, use your eyes!
That being said--the thing I liked the least here was the tea. I guess it just wasn't the best tea, and their little pretty sugar clumps made it taste worse. BUT...that was just my doing. The food, on the other hand, amazing!! Delicious. The scones were perfect, the cold soup was fantastic and the sandwiches were divine! The dessert (if we had any room to fit any) was also amazing.
Now what I did not mention was the decor or just the general ambiance. If you want to feel as though you have been transported to an Edith Wharton novel, just go to Lady's Mendl's. It's such a cute spot, I love it.
Since we did not pay for our way, I couldn't say if I could afford to go back, but I would want to, just to have a nice girls' afternoon outing :) -
Review from Yunqian W.
Manhattan, NYI love the place. I took my mother there and she was fascinated by the delicate decoration of the house, like the grand mansion of wealth Shanghainess in 1930. The food is great. -
Review from Tori N.
Came with a few friends because we wanted to go to Cibar, but alas, Cibar was closed for a private party last night. The guy who informed us of this directed us up some steep steps, however, and into a quaint little building. He told us to go into the back room; Mendl's was the name on the menu.
Once you step inside, it feels like you've been transported back in time. It's classy, quiet, intimate, and so laid back that it's hard not to snuggle into the large chairs and chat the night away with a few friends or a date. There were multiple rooms, and in one there was a fireplace. So cozy.
I believe our waitress worked at Cibar. I saw her running back outside after we were done. Also, our bill had Cibar on it and not Mendl's, so I'm only going to rate this place on the atmosphere. I'll have to come back and check out the tea service sometime soon. -
Review from Jane J.
Burbank, CAThey charge over 18% guarantee tips. I want to love this place but actually not. The tea room is elegant, and the pastries is ok just not the right stuff for me. -
Review from Christine L.
Manhattan, NYI've been to high tea at more than a half dozen places in NYC. I love going to high tea and Lady Mendl's is in my top two favorite places (next to Russian Tea Room). This place is so intimate with great decor, excellent service, and a great menu (priced very well). I came on a Sunday afternoon for their 5pm seating (perfect for coming after a 3pm performance at the Union Square theater) and we really enjoyed the high tea. You get 8 sandwiches (whew, it's a lot), 2 scones, an amuse, and dessert. I really loved it and will be coming back. You must make a reservation (they are on open table). -
Review from Adina B.
Brooklyn, NYThis place is amazing. When you walk in, its as if your set back in time, as your walking into an Edith Wharton or Henry James novel.
The tea menu is incredible, the food is delicious. Yes, it is a bit on the expensive side, but if your going for something new and different, this is new and different. -
Review from Asish P.
Having lived in England, i do enjoy my tea, as does my wife.
So, A few of us went here as part of my wife's bday celebration.
The place is nice and inviting, and warm.. you enter into a hallway, where there is a living room area on the right, and the tea rooms on the left. The living room area was decorated for the holidays, and had a nice tree, a very nice chess board, etc.
We were seated in the tea room, and were immediately started with some food choices and tea selections (we were a little late for our seating).
One of the waiters walked around and surprised us with a little baked savory tart (small bite sized item). This by far was one of the best things we had there. The little thing was amazing, and it made us really want to see and taste anything else that came up.
tea was brought to the table in decent sized pots.. and then came the finger sandwiches. Salmon was good, turkey was ok.. egg salad was also good, and there was another one which i cannot recall (but it was very mild in flavor and had cream fresh in it). i ended up having a lot of the Salmon!
They also brought over some cookies and pastries, which i did not have any of. The rest of the table seemed to enjoy them, especially the chocolate covered strawberries.
As we started late... unfortunately, we were a little rushed... but even still i just didn't like the tone and manner of which we (and a neighboring table) were requested to leave. It took away from the experience of this place.
It's not a bad place, and everything was good... but i much prefer Bosie in the Village.
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