The Palm Court - New York City

Tea at the Palm Court couldn’t have been more magical the staff was incredible especially Fariz our server! He truly made the entire experience so special we were celebrating our bride who is gluten free and they were so accommodating. Had plenty of delicious gluten free options! everything from beginning to end was perfect!

Gorgeous surrounding, no questions asked when it comes to decor and beauty of the plaza. However, our service was left to be desired. We were seated 30 mins past our arrival, even though we had a reservation; our server’s demeanor was also quite abrupt and pushy, to the point of rudeness (though it was much more pleasant towards the end). Fun but a gimmicky experience.

The whole afternoon tea experience was underwhelming. The standard of food is not comparable to other 5 star hotels globally offering this experience- this was my second visit to the Plaza for afternoon tea and this experience was incomparable to my first visit which was excellent. The scones were dry and small, no butter provided which had to be requested. Sandwiches were good but the sweet treats were under par. Ambience was noisy and service was inattentive. Not good value for money in terms of the cost of this experience- disappointing in all respects.

Tea service was mediocre at best. It’s very clear that the Plaza is riding their name and their previous reputation, because there was nothing at all satisfying about this experience and it is clearly through lack of effort. tea was ok…boring options with no refill option food was mediocre. Sandwiches and desserts were ok if paying half the price, but nothing special, scones were so dry as to be inedible…tasted like prepackaged EVERY detail you expect from a formal tea service was missing. Sugar was in packets, crème fresh instead of clotted cream, scone toppings on the table when you got there instead of brought out with the food, food dumped unceremoniously on table without any description of what was offered, bar in middle of the room was loud and area not partitioned from lobby at all. If this was tea at a Holiday Inn, I’d be slightly more generous, but even then it would be a three at best. I’ve had tea in Philly for half the price with all of the extras you expect ins quiet space with a pianist or harpist playing. I don’t book tea at the Plaza for $300 for two people to get what I’ve described. Very sad that such an iconic hotel has clearly just given up and is cutting corners. Will never return.

Didn't have high expectations but definitely have standards. Wasn't expecting to pay so much for stale bread, dense scones and cakes and very basic tea. The saddest part was the stale and dry bread. Wanted to celebrate my 40th bday with panache and left feeling awful. Only saving grace was the wait staff Kazi. He was outstanding. But the food quality albeit presentation looked good. Maybe its only for pictures and not edible. I'm never coming back here again. Want to save tourists from this experience if possible.