Alice’s Tea Cup offers whimsy, comfort and delicious tea in Manhattan’s Upper West Side

Narrow storefront entry to Alice's Tea Cup defies the rambling, charming space inside.

Alice's Tea Cup provides a whimsically delicious comfort tea in Manhattan's bustling Upper West Side. A deceptively narrow storefront entry defies the rambling interior with rosy red and pink walls and fanciful Alice in Wonderland-themed decor. The enchantment extends beyond the surroundings to the menu, the service, and the surprisingly reasonable pricing for afternoon tea.

Earlier this month, following a morning of museum touring in Midtown, our party of three—my husband Chris, our daughter Rachel, and me—headed north for a 1:00 reservation at Alice’s Tea Cup. It was our first visit, and we quickly discovered that it’s the perfect spot to unwind, recharge, and indulge in a delightful tea-time escape.

Our party enjoyed the "tea for three" which included two pots of tea, scones, sandwiches and dessert.

The menu features a variety of lunch and brunch options, but our sights were set on the afternoon tea. Guests can opt for tea and scones alone, or choose full tea service for one or two. In our case, we added a third guest to the “tea for two” option—offered at $88—with an additional $20 for our trio. This package includes two pots of tea, assorted tea sandwiches, four freshly baked scones, and a shared dessert. The mixed berry and chocolate chip scones were clear favorites, served warm with cream and jam.

Mixed berry and chocolate chip favorite scones.

Enjoying a cup of Earl Grey.

For our tea choices, we selected Earl Grey and White Champagne Raspberry. Both were perfectly steeped and satisfying—so much so that we bought a bag of the white tea to take home.

The cheerful ambiance invites guests to come as they are, whether casually dressed or in full tea-time finery. It’s a charming oasis in the heart of Manhattan, where visitors can sip, relax, and enjoy afternoon tea without breaking the bank.

Retail counter up front.

Guests can purchase tea to take home.

We’ll definitely be back. And to borrow a line from Alice’s delightfully mad host: at Alice’s Tea Cup, “it’s always time for a wonderful tea time.”

Scones served with cream and jam.

Cake, macarons and cookies for dessert.

Alice's Tea Cup changed owners last year, after Haley and Lauren Fox sold the tea business to Jeni He. The Fox sisters ran Alice's Tea Cup for over twenty year and expanded operations to "Chapter 2" and "Alice to Go".  The Chapter 2 location recently closed, but the carry out "to go" spot in Brooklyn is still open. For more information, visit their website at alicesteacup.com.

Alice's Tea Cup:  We'll be back!

Bottger's teapot that struck gold! A close encounter at the Frick Museum (aka "rock star status for red stoneware")

The moment had arrived! Seeing Bottger's highlighted teapot (far left, second shelf) was golden!

During the height of quarantine in 2020, the Frick Museum launched a weekly video series titled Cocktails with the Curator, where a museum expert would present a curated object—be it a painting, clock, or ceramic—paired with a themed drink. My favorite episode, which I replayed like a Casey Kasem chart-topper, was Böttger’s Teapot, a riveting dive into Europe’s first successful attempts to replicate Chinese porcelain. As tea, coffee, and chocolate swept into western Europe in the 17th century, so, too, did the desire for elegant serving ware among the royals and aristocracy.

In our BTS blog, Böttger’s Teapot, Cocktails, Mocktails and the History of European Porcelain from the Frick Museum (February 2021), we shared the remarkable story of Johann Friedrich Böttger. Born in Germany in 1682, Böttger began in his family’s trade of coin minting before spinning tales that he was an alchemist capable of transforming base metals into gold—a claim that piqued the interest of European royals, starting with Frederick of Prussia. When the illusion couldn’t hold, Böttger fled to Dresden, only to be captured by Augustus the Strong, who also hoped to cash in on Böttger’s miraculous promises.

Cocktails with Curator, much watched episode, Bottger's Teapot

A fellow prisoner, Ehrenfried Walter von Tschirnhaus, was already experimenting with replicating Chinese porcelain, and it was here that Böttger pivoted—abandoning alchemy and embracing the chemistry of ceramics. After many trials using kaolin, red clay, and feldspar, Böttger produced stoneware—close, but not quite porcelain. A few years later, he finally struck the right combination for white porcelain.

As noted in our May BTS blog, Treasures from Holland: Windmills, Delft and Wooden Shoes, the Dutch had long admired Chinese porcelain and attempted their own interpretations in Delft. However, without kaolin, their ceramics were less durable and of lower quality. Once kaolin deposits were discovered in England and other parts of Europe, demand for Delftware declined.

Portico Gallery includes many ceramics

. . . and other fancy servingware

Still, Böttger’s red stoneware stood out for its beauty. It could be polished or left matte, and many of his works combine both finishes. Several pieces are now housed in the Frick’s collection—including that dazzling 2020 centerpiece, Böttger’s Teapot.

BTS were quick to purchase tickets.

The Frick reopened April, 2025 after renovations.

This April, good fortune came to us as Frick reopened its doors after an almost five-year renovation, and our BTS crew were quick to book tickets for our New York visit. Last week, I stood face-to-face—or more accurately, face-to-pottery—with Böttger’s teapot. It felt like attending an all-star concert of one of America’s Top 40: all the fanfare, none of the noise.

Bottger's teapot, rock star status for red stoneware!

Located in the portico gallery just off the Frick's library, Böttger’s porcelain is part of a hallway lined with exquisite ceramics and serving ware. Seeing this diminutive teapot in person—and its stoneware companions—was nothing short of a golden opportunity.

Angelina's Tea Time: Paris, 2008 - New York, 2025!

Angelina's with the family in New York City

Seventeen years ago, my husband, Chris, and I spent a memorable week in Paris celebrating our 25th wedding anniversary. Alongside the must-see landmarks every tourist checks off—the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, and the Louvre—our well-traveled friends insisted we visit Angelina's for tea. We did, and we especially fell for their blend of Earl Grey (which those same friends eagerly requested we bring back some for them, too).

Recently, we discovered that afternoon tea at Angelina’s is now possible a little closer to home. Our favorite New York couple, Matt and Jenna—who also fondly recall their own delightful experience at the original Paris location—had told us a few years ago that a new Angelina's tearoom had opened in Manhattan and that the offerings were just as delicious.

At Angelina's in Paris, 2008, celebrating 25th wedding anniversary!

Last week, while in New York, our family made a nostalgic pilgrimage to Angelina’s in Bryant Park. We were thrilled to once again be surrounded by the rich décor and delectable tea treats that had enchanted us in Paris all those years ago.

Back in Paris, I had been captivated by Angelina’s ambiance: large murals, cream-colored walls and elegant moldings, and wood tables with marbleized tops. Yet what lingered most in my memory was the charm of the space and the gently aged patina of its furnishings.

Afternoon tea, small but reasonably priced.

Each sweet and savory artfully presented!

The New York location faithfully echoes the original with its French provincial flair—similar murals and leather-cushioned chairs adorn the space—but having opened in 2020, it gleams like a freshly minted coin. It will take a few decades to acquire the well-worn character of its century-old predecessor.

Two of three opted for Angelina's hot chocolate (see whipped cream accompaniment on table).

According to their website, Angelina’s was founded in 1903 by confectioner Antoine Rumpelmayer, who named the tearoom after his beloved daughter-in-law. It quickly became the "epitome of French sophistication," attracting Parisian luminaries such as Marcel Proust and Coco Chanel (and, one hundred and five years later, your humble BTS blogger).

Lemon tart - as delicious as it is beautifully presented!

During this visit to the NY Angelina’s, my daughter Rachel and I opted for the afternoon tea: an elegant array of sweets and savories served on a two-tiered silver tray. Though scones were absent, we were treated to a steaming pot of tea—naturally, I chose the Earl Grey. At just under $50 per person, it felt like a reasonable indulgence. The tea treats were beautifully presented and exceptionally flavorful.

Angelina's Earl Grey is the best!

Chris chose a Caesar salad, while Matt and Jenna shared a croque monsieur and a lemon tart. A few in our party couldn’t resist Angelina’s legendary hot chocolate: warm, thick, and gloriously sweet.

Rachel purchasing chocolate mix, but no Earl Grey. 

To cap off our delightful visit, we stopped by the glass counter to purchase some Earl Grey to bring home, only to find it sold out. I told the gentleman behind the register that Angelina's Earl Grey is simply the best. He smiled and said, "I know—that’s why it’s sold out."

Mais bien sûr!

Angelina's in NYC's Bryant Park

One thing we’re certain of—we’ll be back (for all the above!).

Frick Museum: Gilded Age Cast and Barb's Tea Service reap dividends from visit!

The Frick's Garden Court

The Frick Collection, aka "The Frick", is a Gilded Age legacy - a palatial structure built as an impressive residence on Manhattan's Fifth Avenue to house an equally impressive art collection. Construction was completed in 1914 and twenty-one years later it morphed into the art museum Henry Clay Frick had envisioned. After nine decades of operation, it closed down in 2020 for renovations. This April, it reopened and among its early guests this month: the cast of HBO's "Gilded Age" and the Barb's Tea Service cohort. 

Last weekend, I was joined by husband, Chris, daughter, Rachel and our favorite New York couple, son and daughter-in-law, Matt and Jenna, as we walked past the iron gates to the former home of Gilded Age businessman, Henry Clay Frick. The recent updates include access to the second floor, used previously as staff offices, now restored to gallery and living space as the Frick's would have known it, complete with restored wallpaper and period furniture. 

"George Russell" from Gilded Age

Old and new money, free reign of staircase

There are a few restrictions for patrons:  limited areas for photographs and the grand staircase is one-way - guests can only go up, but not down. However, after seeing a recent post of the cast of the Gilded Age on said staircase and pictures snapped throughout The Frick, their group may have been allowed a few more exceptions.  But, whether you play a fictionalized "new money" railroad magnate or are but a humble Gilded Age-obsessed blogger, there's much to enjoy at this museum.

For most guests, staircase is only one-way; you can go up, but you cannot go down.

Henry Clay Frick began his fortune in the late 19th century in coking, essential in steel production. Later, he teamed up with Andrew Carnegie, becoming Chairman of Carnegie Steel. Eventually both enterprises became part of U.S. Steel, one of the companies formed by Gilded Age banker and financial investor, J.P. Morgan. Like Morgan, whose former house is also a museum/library, Frick was a great collector of art, and at times, both were in competition to acquire the same treasured masterpiece..  

We visited in March, 2024 (see Tuesday Tea and Tomes: Personal Librarian) and also this month (stay tuned for future blog story!).

Favorite NYC couple, Matt & Jenna

With Rachel in Garden Court

Ian Wardropper, a former director of the Frick Collection, was quoted in the New York Times (April, 2025), stating "[Frick] hated losing a painting he wanted."

Wardropper also explained that Frick had "traditional tastes, favoring landscapes and portraits of famous men and beautiful women, over anything edgy. He typically passed on nudes or religious paintings, except for Giovanni Bellini's "St. Francis in the Desert."

Clock collection - a Jack Trotter invention?

A portion of the porcelain collection.

In addition, Frick bought paintings by Vermeer, Salomon van Ruysdael and Hobbema, as well as Rembrandt, Gainsborough, Reynolds, Manet, Renoir and Degas.  There are also collections of clocks, watches (perhaps one from Gilded Age's Jack Trotter?)  and ceramics, including early pottery from Meissen and Dresden. The latter includes the  Bottger's teapot that we wrote about in 2021 (Bottger's Teapot) and finally got to see personally - it was AMAZING and future blog story to come!)

We plan to return for more returns at The Frick!

Our BTS cohort so enjoyed viewing all the masterpieces in the galleries, and though we may not have had run of the house like "Mr. Russell", we were in awe of all the incredible art in this home-turned-museum. 

Frick said that it made sense to keep some of your wealth in art that surrounds you, not just invested in bonds. With the former, he said, "you can draw your dividend daily". We certainly felt we received ample return on our admission investment. 

In fact, we plan to return for more returns at The Frick.