Mandarin Oriental Lobby Lounge

Classy interior with stunningly gorgeous NYC views made for a delightful overall experience. While delicious and well-​designed, cocktails are certainly expensive even for NYC standards. Would love to return, but only for those extra special occasions.

One of NYC’s gems with a view. The Mandarin combines understated design, lighting and skyline views with a formal modernity that impressively creates an environment of ease and relaxation. You can put your feet up or loosen your tie for a moment. There’s a reasonable diversity of people in the lounge and a buzz at the bar. The service is professionally friendly and warm. Unless you have a bigger penthouse to retire to, you’ll appreciate the time they give you to enjoy this space.

Worst tea service EVER!!!
Absolutely horrible service! IF this is all NYC has to offer for tea service, then they are in deep trouble.
The good:
— The actual tea itself was quality (although somewhat limited selection of about six or eight options)
— The view of Columbus Circle (I guess this is what you are really here to see, so in that you can’t be disappointed!)
— The finger sandwiches and scones were delicious, and the cream and marmalade were fresh
— Table was ready at time of reservation and they had our table set with small plates ahead of our arrival (of course, they also require a 24 hour advance reservation so this should perhaps be expected)
— The seats are very comfortable, a lot of couches for sitting and enjoying the view
The bad and the ugly:
— SERVICE (or the lack thereof), I mean this is supposed to be the Mandarin Oriental for God’s sake? How can they mess this up?
— The server stopped by our table twice during our hour and some time there, once to take our order and once to bring our bill (that it!) — we had to stop various other people who happened to be walking by to ask for anything (another napkin, a glass of water, etc., etc.)
— There were plenty of staff working, but they mostly stood around talking with each other and checking their cell phones. Even the management seemed disinterested (saw two men in suits appeared and disappeared, but they seemed interested in speaking with each other most of the time rather than checking on guests)
— Whenever we needed anything (e.g., another napkin, freshening our tea with more hot water, a fork, etc.) we had to try and catch someone who worked there as they happened to pass by our table. No one ever stopped and actually asked us if we needed anything. To top this off, their attitude when we asked for anything seemed to be that this was not their job to serve us and half of our requests seemed to fall on deaf ears (i.e., they never brought us some of the small requests we made!)
— Another example: when the food server brought the three-​tiered plate stand with sandwiches and scones there was no room on the small tables in front of us, which seemed to be a huge surprise for him. He stood there with the sandwiches trying to determine what to do with it! We suggested that he find and bring over another small table on which to place it, which he eventually did. Others who worked there also seemed perplexed about the situation in trying to track down another small table — which was shocking to us, as don’t they need to serve this same set up for all their tea service customers? It’s not like our small tables were different from every other set of small tables in the restaurant!
— They didn’t do many of the basics that you expect with a tea service (never offered to refresh our tea with hot water, didn’t have any serving utensils for the sandwiches or scones, no sugar tongs, etc., etc.)
— They serve more sweets than sandwiches. We thought they brought too few sandwiches and too many sweets. Our request for additional sandwiches was one of those requests which was ignored.
— As an aside, there is no dress code. While we looked at this as a «nice» experience there were plenty of other guests wearing jeans with holes in them (fashionable sure, but appropriate for afternoon tea?)
The extraordinary lack of service was our big complaint. It really felt like a «self-​service» tea, which is not what we expected.
I would STRONGLY encourage you to find another place for afternoon tea in NYC.

Pleasant experience with my gay friend. I thinks this was a classic spot for overviewing the whole Columbus Circle and the Central Park.
First of all, the lobby is high enough to get rid of other crazy skyscrapers around. The view is clear and you won’t be blocked.
The view is phenomenal, whichever season. Winter snow, autumn leaves or summer trees!

Best afternoon tea service in NYC! I came for my birthday and got quite an experience!
I usually don’t like scones, because most places make them too hard but the mandarin oriental’s were pure perfection! Soft and tasty, very fresh! I feel a ton of other places just use frozen, but I could tell that the chef (s) here put a lot of heart into their creations! I would definitely come back. The portions may look small but we’re very filling for a party to two!
Tea– I had the rose of New York, very delicious!
View-​beautiful!
Ambiance– clean, modern and relaxing

Great view that’s for sure! service was ehhh, for God knows what reason it took them forever to bring us water. The waiter perhaps forgot but hey they weren’t busy and we were sitting right in the middle of the room, you can’t miss us! food and drinks are pricey. The drinks was good not wow tho I tried better ones out there. We ordered the chicken lollipop for appetizer and my tongue was getting numb cause it was too sour with the all the sauce they put. Maybe it was just me. LOL. So if you need a place to work or talk with whoever this place can be good for that cause not too loud and you have a great view of central park.

Their food is very good, but too small! You need 3 – 4 dishes for two people, and it will cost about over $ 200.
I go there only when I have a meeting for the business. But It’s one of the rare places in NYC that you can have an intimate conversation. It’s quiet and the view is great both at day and night times. The service is very good as well.

Have been here few times for lunch and came only for the view. Food and drinks are not necessarily worth that price. I had curry chicken with paratha and fried rice dishes and both were very Westernized. I liked the jasmine pearl tea, but again for $ 9 per pot, it has to taste good.
The view is great though. Cant deny that.

Lovely view. Came here for a quick bite with a friend. Posh interior. Stuffy but in a non-​pretentious way. Great for people watching. Servers were excellent and non intrusive

We popped into the Lobby Lounge before and after our spa service at the Mandarin Oriental.
In the morning, we enjoyed sweeping views of Manhattan with delicious coffee and croissants.
In the afternoon, we had the same lovely views but had an actual meal.
We ate:
Fried Rice with Peking Duck — very tasty
Green Salad with Prawns — also very tasty
2 glasses of wine
What prevented this from being a 4 star meal is the price. It was over $ 100 for the meal detailed above. I don’t mind spending money on food and you all know I am not cheap, but DAMN!
Way overpriced for what you receive.

Afternoon Tea at the Lobby Lounge-​Mandarin Oriental NYC.
Not as nice as the one in Mandarin Washington D.C.
Less options & more expensive here ($ 52 includes tea; glass of champagne add another $ 30).
Nice view of NYC from the 35^th floor.
Service was very slow at times.
: B

The view is great but the prices are ubsurd. And the drinks are no where near worth the price.

Gorgeous views are worth it says the jaded NYer. That being noted, the food was lovely but not necessarily worth the price. The most surprising thing was the mediocre service. We had 3:30 reservation and our table wasn’t ready until 3:45. And since they knew we were having afternoon tea, all we needed from the menu was a list of teas to pick from. It took another 15 min to give is the menus.
The food, as previously noted, was good. The tea got cold fairly quickly and we had to grab someone’s attention to get more hot water.

Luxe /​/​Spectacular View
Service with a Smile
Modern with oriental inspiration, this lounge consistently delivers quality and excellent service over the years. Whether you are entertaining family, friends, co-​workers, clients or a date this is a beautiful spacious comfortable place to have a conversation.
Some people prefer the Plaza for tea, but this is a fantastic experience as well.
The Scene: Timeless, classic
Destination Rating: 8
Date Rating: 8
Hob Nob Potential: 4
Note: you are paying for the view, it is worth it.

This lounge area is also served as a restaurant, with a nice view of the Central Park South West Entrance and the Columbus Circle; perfect place to unwind after long walk for coffee or lunch ($ 20+ range, non alcoholic drinks are $ 10 range) with a nice view of the Central Park.
They also have high tea which needs reservation. They have a more upscale dining next door, «Asiate».

Came here for a Tinder date (haha). I had actually never been here, but I always wanted to come for the view and the drinks. We got two Stella’s, and two Jameson’s to start with. The setting is very ambient and inviting; the bar in the middle is well lit and surrounded by shelves of mirrored drinks. The view is great, no matter what side you are sitting on. The trays of snacks that they gave us to go along with the drinks had potato chips, nuts, and oriental mix. Good snacking foods! We got two perfect Manhattans to finish the night off with– the drinks here are very, very strong and great to the taste. I’ll come here again someday when I can afford it!

The view is worth everything!
ATTN:
Afternoon tea needs separate reservations.

I have been here twice, and both times it was a treat. Sitting in their lobby lounge is very relaxing.
TIP: make a reservation early, and ask for a seat by the window. You get an amazing view of Columbus circle and Central Park.
The sandwiches: A+ unique and delicious
Pastries: A like the variety of about 8 pieces
Scones: A good. But I can eat the jam and fancy cream straight up
Tea: A it was good, I like the aroma
Taking off a point because last time we got chocolate macaroons– but I saw another table got green or got orange. So I wished they would have asked what flavored we wanted, not a big chocolate fan

Best part is the view of Central Park and the concrete jungle of Manhattan. Aside of that, the se vice is amazing with top quality food. A must go to while here.

Wow. I’m speechless. The service was amazing and the view from the 53^rd floor is amazing. Although it was cloudy today the view was still great. You get to see Columbus circle, Central Park and the building so I can only imagine the view when it’s nice out.
We went for afternoon tea and the ambiance was quiet but still very comfortable and enjoyable. The afternoon is expensive but if it’s a treat yo self day then this is a good place to go try at least once. Okay so when you go to a place like this for afternoon tea you already kind of know that everything will be delicious but here is the run down.
The scones were on point although they were small and I wished I had at least two or three more. The jam was yummy but I like my scones with the cream!
The sandwiches were all good but my favorite was the egg salad and tomato basil one.
Then the desserts came out. My favorites included the cheesecake, the chocolate dessert cake and the green tea coconut cake. The macaron was average. They do have different flavors but we didn’t get to choose. The éclair was okay the cream inside was good but the pastry itself was very doughy and dense.
I got the jasmine pearl tea and that was really good. My sister tried the lycée green tea and she enjoyed that. I’m not a fan of highly caffeinated teas so the jasmine pearl was perfect because it was a white tea and not as strong.