Most little girls love to host tea parties so you can imagine my daughter’s excited face when I told her we would be celebrating her fifth birthday with afternoon tea at The Plaza Hotel. Most of her teatime knowledge comes from Fancy Nancy (Pinkies up!) which meant she immediately started planning her “fancy” tea party outfit.

I thought about bringing along one of my daughter’s friends but then decided on the safer and saner option of bringing along one of my friends! The three of us arrived at The Plaza Hotel and settled into our cozy table at The Palm Court restaurant. After a warm welcome and extended conversations about the newly spruced up space and gigantic palm trees, we peeked at the menus.

The Palm Court offers a choice of three afternoon tea selections: The New Yorker (featuring bagels & lox and New York Style Cheesecake), the Champagne Tea (hello lobster roll and bubbly) and the Eloise Tea (classic favorites and lots of pink, pink, pink). Naturally, we all decided on the Eloise Tea…

My daughter debated between the strawberry lemonade and vanilla iced tea for a moment and eventually settled on the tea which was poured over frozen tea cubes (super fancy, right?). The grown-ups ordered the Tropical Garden tea which went nicely with the palm trees.

Tea at the Plaza is as much a performance as it is a meal. The waitstaff team, always in sync, arrived with silver tiered trays filled with finger sandwiches and more. Our eyes widened… There were classics like egg salad on white bread and cucumber and cream cheese on rye, hearty turkey and Prosciutto options, and last but certainly not least, organic PB&J.

Miss G tried everything and it was clear that the PB&J was the winner. Luckily, the waiter noticed and brought her out some more which she immediately finished off…

Next, we moved on to the scones which were served with double Devonshire cream, lemon curd and preserves. These were a hit with everyone and went perfectly with the grown up tea. They were so good, I didn’t even manage to take a photo…

Just as our bellies were getting full, it was time for the grand finale – an impressive assortment of pastries, tarts, cupcakes and pink cotton candy served lollipop style on top of a pretzel rod. The cotton candy stole the show — so simple, yet so chic when delivered in silver cups. Everything was as delicious as it looked and we took what we couldn’t finish home for later.

This is definitely a once in while splurge that is perfect for a big birthday or celebration. Its also a fun treat for New Yorkers planning a staycation with or without kids. Don’t forget to visit the Eloise store downstairs afterwards…

Details: $55 per adult and $39 for kids under 12. ($60-$105 per person for the other teas)

What’s your favorite spot for afternoon tea?

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