There are certain experiences in New York City that just feel like New York, and having afternoon tea at The Plaza Hotel had been on my list for a long time. Savannah and I decided that if we were going to do it, we were really going to do it. We dressed up, made an afternoon of it, and treated ourselves to tea at The Palm Court inside one of the most iconic hotels in the city.

And I’m so glad we did. I love experiences that feel a little special. The kind where getting dressed up is part of the fun and you’re not just going somewhere to eat, you’re creating a memory. That’s exactly what afternoon tea at The Plaza felt like for us.

The Central Park Tea

We chose the Central Park Tea, which includes a selection of sandwiches and savories, freshly baked scones, pastries and sweets, along with your choice of tea.

The presentation is exactly what you would expect from afternoon tea at The Plaza. Everything arrives beautifully displayed on the tiered stand, and honestly, part of the fun is slowly working your way through it and trying everything.

Our sandwiches and savories included:

• English Cucumber with mint labneh, lemon zest, tarragon and pickled mustard seeds.
• Cambridge Smoked Salmon with citrus crème fraîche, dill, shallot and trout caviar.
• Deviled Egg Salad with smoked paprika and chives.
• Reuben Sandwich with corned beef, sauerkraut, Swiss cheese and Russian dressing.
• BBQ Chicken Sandwich with shredded BBQ chicken and jalapeño cheddar cheese on carrot bread.

I liked that the selection went beyond the traditional cucumber and egg salad tea sandwiches. The Reuben and BBQ chicken gave it a little more substance, which brings me to something I think is important to know before you go.

Come hungry.

We were both much fuller than I expected to be by the time we finished. When you look at afternoon tea, everything seems so small and delicate that it’s easy to assume you’ll want to eat before or after. I wouldn’t. If I were doing it again, I would absolutely plan my day around the tea and skip a big meal beforehand.

The Scones Might Be My Favorite Part of Afternoon Tea

Along with the sandwiches, we were served freshly baked dried cherry and plain scones with Devonshire cream, Kalamansi curd, and house-made berry and lime preserves. There is just something about a warm scone with Devonshire cream that makes afternoon tea feel like afternoon tea.

By this point, we were already starting to get full, but obviously we still had dessert to tackle.

Save Room for the Sweets

The pastries and sweets were almost too pretty to eat. Almost.

Our selection included:

• Plaza Brownie with coffee caramel Chantilly.
• Raspberry Macaron with raspberry jam.
• NYC Cheesecake with graham crackers, chocolate cheesecake and vanilla Chantilly.
• Strawberry Tart with almond cream, strawberry and strawberry crémeux.
• Lime & Kalamansi Tart with citrus crémeux, Italian meringue and citrus zest.

This is definitely an experience where you want to take your time. There’s a lot of food, and part of what you’re paying for is the opportunity to sit in The Palm Court, enjoy the atmosphere and make the afternoon feel like an occasion.

The Tea We Chose

Of course, the tea itself is a big part of the experience.

I chose the Tropical Garden, a vibrant and tart herbal tea made from dried exotic fruits including mango, pineapple and papaya. I tend to love fruity flavors, so this was an easy choice for me and I really enjoyed it with the food.

Savannah chose The Plaza Signature Blend, a custom Ceylon black tea with citrus, delicate rose, hints of almond and spices.

I also loved having two completely different teas at the table because we could each try something different.

About That Plaza Dress Code…

This was probably my biggest surprise of the afternoon.

Before going, I had read about The Plaza’s dress code, so Savannah and I planned accordingly. We dressed up, and honestly, I’m glad we did because that was part of the experience for us.

What surprised me was how casually some other guests were dressed. We saw people in very informal clothing, including jeans, being seated for tea.

That said, The Plaza does have a posted dress code, and I would absolutely recommend following it when you visit. Just because we saw guests being seated in more casual clothing doesn’t mean that will always be the case, and I certainly wouldn’t want anyone planning their outfit based solely on what we happened to see that afternoon.

For us, getting dressed up was part of the fun anyway. We don’t always have an excuse to put on a pretty dress and spend an afternoon having tea at The Plaza Hotel. Sometimes treating yourself is reason enough.

Don’t Leave Right After Tea

One thing I definitely recommend is giving yourself extra time before or after your reservation to explore The Plaza.

If you grew up watching Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, you already know why walking into this hotel feels familiar. There are fun little nods and artifacts celebrating the movie and its connection to The Plaza, and I loved taking the time to look around.

It’s such a small addition to the afternoon, but if you love the movie like I do, it makes being there even more fun.

And then there’s Eloise.

Visit The Plaza’s Eloise Shop

If you know the story of Eloise, you know The Plaza is basically her home.

The Eloise shop is absolutely worth stopping into while you’re there. Even if you aren’t buying anything, it’s adorable to walk through and adds another little piece to the whole Plaza experience.

I think this is one of the reasons I would tell someone not to simply arrive for their reservation, have tea and immediately leave. Give yourself time to experience the hotel. Look around. Take pictures. Visit Eloise. Find the Home Alone pieces. Enjoy being inside The Plaza.

You’re already there, so make the most of it.

The Souvenir I Brought Home

I’m a big believer in bringing home something from a trip that will actually remind me of the experience, and this time I found something I loved.

The Plaza sells its signature gardenia scent as a Plaza Rollerball Fragrance, and I bought one for $30.

I love fragrance because scent has such a strong connection to memory. Now I have something small that can instantly remind me of our afternoon at The Plaza without buying another typical souvenir that ends up sitting on a shelf somewhere.

For me, that made it the perfect thing to bring home.

Is Afternoon Tea at The Plaza Worth It?

I think the answer depends on what you’re looking for.

If you’re judging it purely as a meal, there are certainly less expensive places to eat in New York City. But that’s not really why you book afternoon tea at The Plaza. You’re going for the experience.

You’re sitting inside one of New York City’s most iconic hotels, having tea beneath the beautiful Palm Court ceiling, eating tiny sandwiches and pastries, getting dressed up if you want to, taking pictures, wandering through a hotel you’ve probably seen in movies, and doing something that feels completely different from an ordinary afternoon in New York.

That’s what made it worth it to me. And for us, there was another reason the day was so special. We were celebrating Savannah’s birthday, and it happened to be her actual birthday that day.

At the end of our tea, our server, Elvis, surprised Savannah with a cupcake and a candle, and we all sang Happy Birthday to her right there in The Palm Court.

It was such a simple gesture, but those are the hospitality moments I always remember. We were already having such a fun afternoon together, and that little extra touch made it feel even more special.

Savannah and I had fun dressing up, slowing down for a few hours and treating ourselves. Sometimes when we travel, we become so focused on seeing everything that we forget how nice it is to choose one experience and really enjoy it.

This was one of those afternoons.

Stacey’s Hospitality Take

Would I do afternoon tea at The Plaza again?

Yes. Especially for a special occasion or with someone who has never experienced it.

Who would love it?

Mother-daughter trips, girls’ weekends, couples celebrating something special, Eloise fans, Home Alone fans, tea lovers, and anyone looking for a classic New York City experience that feels a little more elevated.

What should you know before you go?

• Come hungry. There is much more food than you might expect.
• Give yourself time before or after tea to explore The Plaza.
• Don’t miss the Eloise shop.
• Look for the Home Alone memorabilia and connections throughout the hotel.
• The Plaza has a posted dress code, so plan to follow it. We did see guests dressed much more casually during our visit, including some in jeans, but I wouldn’t count on that being permitted every time.
• That said, I still recommend dressing up if you want to. It made the experience more fun for us.
• Take your time. This isn’t the kind of experience I would squeeze between two other reservations.

My Favorite Part

I thought my favorite part would be the food or even finally having afternoon tea at such an iconic hotel.

But looking back, I think it was simply the fact that Savannah and I made an afternoon out of it, especially because we were celebrating her birthday.

We dressed up. We tried different teas. We ate way more than we expected. We sang Happy Birthday over a cupcake in The Palm Court. We wandered around The Plaza afterward and just enjoyed being there.

Travel doesn’t always have to be about checking another attraction off a list.

Sometimes the experience is giving yourself permission to slow down, dress up for absolutely no reason other than it’s fun, celebrate someone you love, and treat yourself to something you’ve always wanted to do.

And afternoon tea at The Plaza was exactly that for us.