All NY metro area tea houses and shops (Radiance . . . etc.)
Radiance –
I recently stumbled upon this gem nestled in upper midtown on 55th st between 6th and 7th ave (closer to 7th) right under Central Park.
It is a Chinese-centric establishment that is somehow neither pretentious and trendy or flaky and new-agey.
Check out their food (mmm . . . dumplings for sure) and tea menus here: http://radiancetea.com.
They have at least one offering for every taste and some are very, very good regardless of what you like.I am not affiliated with them in any way other than being a very satisfied guest. Enjoy.
Those tea espresso dessert drinks look DEVINE! Feel free to give me the recipe if anyone knows how to make them;) Yet another reason I want to go to NYC.
This is our favorite tea house in NYC! They have amazing tea and food; combine that with friendly and knowledgeable staff and it’s an awesome experience (we also have no affiliation with them, just satisfied customers).
During the early phases of Steepster, on several different occasions we actually setup shop and worked there for several hours. When we were featured in Adagio’s Teamuse newsletter, they used pics of us that were actually taken inside Radiance. Here’s the link to the article and pics http://www.teamuse.com/article_090901.html.
If you stop by there, say hello to Ben or Dayin (pronounced Dan) for Steepster.
Ben is what we refer to as “the Man”. Totally sweet dude, makes going there that much more of an enriching ’sperience.
I’m not seeing any fried ice cream (http://www.radiancetea.com/food_menu.html) …that would be killer though!
Wow, this place looks stunning. Definitely will have to go sometime very soon. Have you ever been to Cha-An? It’s a little place on 9th between.. I think it’s 3rd and 2nd Ave. Japanese tea house, but a little less steep pricing than Radiance seems to be, methinks.
I’ve been to both and Radiance was the better deal of the two. Cha-An does have amazing deserts though.
Steepster Overlords, I almost went here the other day, but backed out at the last second. Do you guys know whether they get their tea from an outside source, or is it all their own stuff? I was curious about that.
I’ve heard of Cha-An! That’s another one I’m supposed to visit. Non tea-house related, but there’s the Ito-En store on Madison in the 60s, I believe!
When I was there once, Ben was raving about a Dragonwell that had just come in from China, so I’m pretty sure it’s their own stuff.
Radiance does source their own stuff for the most part. Unfortunately Ito-En closed their store in April :(
There is indeed, teaplz, on 69th! I walked by it the other day, and it looked so cozy and warmly lit from my frozen perspective.
Also on my recommendations list for other spots: Alice’s Tea Cup, Tea & Sympathy, McNulty’s, Lady Mendl’s, Takashimaya, M. Rohr’s, and of course, the Russian Tea Room. Heck, we should all go to someplace and tea ourselves to death!
I’ve only been to Alice’s Tea Cup. Loved the sandwiches there, my tea tasted way too light. Then again I had it iced.
Yeah, sometimes you have to make them brew things properly… More often than not, they kill some delicate teas. But when it’s right, it’s so right.
Whee, thanks for the awesome and extensive list! I’ve heard rumors that Mariage Freres and TWG plan on opening shops in Manhattan, which would be too cool for words!
Absolutely! I mean, there’s tons more recommendations where that came from, but… Eh! I would die for a Mariage Frères shop!
I adore Alice’s Tea Cup!! The scones!!!
I went to McNulty’s once, and I must have chosen poorly, because I didn’t like any of the teas I brought home.
If anyone decides to tea themselves to death in NYC, count me in! I don’t live there, but come up all the time for museums and tea. :)
YES. The scones are also to die for on a daily basis, particularly pumpkin! Used to get them for free, but all their waitresses have been rotating so fast these days… Darn actress dancer types.
I have been there once recently on a trip to NYC and really enjoyed the dumplings and the tea! i ended up with 3 packages of tea to come home (only one reviewed so far)
if you can do go eat and enjoy the teas
Radiance Tea House & Books is high on my short list of great yet affordable NYC tea locales. I try never to leave without having a bowl of homemade matcha green tea ice cream, garnished with candied pecans. I am a great admirer of their extensive selection of oolong and pu’erh teas. It’s refreshing to find great tea, good food and knowledgeable, friendly service.
No, I’m not affiliated with Radiance. I know good things when I see (and taste) them.
www.admaritea.com
Midland Park, NJ (Bergen Co.)
A friend of mine brought me news of this place along with a couple of samples. The real deal for those in northern NJ.
bumping this for anyone interested in a private tea experience in SoHo . . .
http://www.themandarinstearoom.com/tea_tasting_ep_48-1.html
by appointment only, 4 person max, price depends on what you want. haven’t done it yet myself, just throwing it out there.
btw, the tea he sells on his website are amazing. expensive, but amazing. def worth shelling it out for sample sizes, you’ll see what i mean (i plan on ordering more of the Menghai Green Brick).
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