Pembroke Room

Friendly staff, quiet environment, great service and food was great. What else can you ask for during afternoon tea?

I took my five year-​old niece for afternoon tea. I specifically chose the Pembroke room because I wanted a more adult/​sophisticated experience than some of the other tea rooms in NYC that cater more to the kid crowd. The Pembroke Room did not disappoint. The service was amazing. The crowd was older and very proper. My niece has very good manners, but it’s much easier for her to exercise those manners when the environment is conducive. The music was quiet, the lighting was perfect, the space was cozy. And, of course, the tea and accompaniments were excellent. Also, for the adults in the crowd, there is a full bar. I highly recommend this place for afternoon tea.

This is one of my favorite afternoon places in Manhattan. We went Christmas of last year after a day of shopping on fifth avenue. The service is exceptional. I will warn you that this is the most filling and delicious afternoon tea I have ever had. Seriously though, so. much. food. It was rainy and cold on the day we went, which just made us love the tasty sandwiches and hot tea even more.

Two of my friends and I went to the Pembroke room for tea on Saturday. We had an excellent experience.
The setting is intimate and fancy. It is pretty quiet, so not the place for a rousing group.
The staff were polite and welcoming, explaining the menu and our choices, answering questions. Tea was served quickly, and food was served before we knew it.
The sandwich and pastries were delicious. Macaroons were a highlight for me. Wow. We especially liked the blintz with caviar and the smoked salmon sandwich. Scones were perfectly done, served with a sweet cream, lemon curd, marmalade and jam.
We were able to stay at our leisure. The staff were not pushy as opposed to those at the Palm Court. A much better experience at the Pembroke for my taste.
I would definitely return here for high tea.

Fantastic spot for afternoon tea in NYC. After such a disappointing experience at the 2 E Bar & Lounge for my last tea, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I’m happy to say that the Pembroke Room offers a lovely traditional afternoon tea with great service and delicious nibbles.
Tea:
Huge selection, and the hostesses/​waiters are more than happy to offer a suggestion. Tea is brewed in individual teapots, and served with a strainer for when you pour. I chose L’Oriental; it was very light and refreshing, even after steeping a second time.
Savories:
AMAZING. Bread was fresh, and everything tasted like it had just been prepared moments before arriving on our table. My favorite was the poached shrimp with dill butter and the open faced foie gras canapé (served only with the Royal tea).
Scones:
Also amazing. Scones are served table side after the savories and sweets arrive, and you get a choice of three: plain, cranberry, and blueberry. The blueberry was definitely my favorite (especially with their wonderful devonshire cream), but all three were just the right amount of sweet and crumbly. One lovely touch is that the scones are served warm; I can’t tell if they were right out of the oven or just heated a touch, but they were still deliciously moist. The scones also come with lemon curd and 2 types of jam/​marmalade for spreading.
Sweets:
Alas, I was very full by the time I reached the sweets, and ended up taking most of them home. No complaints here though, and the petit fours were especially good. They also focus on quality rather than quantity; no generic filler cookies here.
Service:
This is what elevates a good afternoon tea from a great one, and I’m happy to say the Pembroke Room delivers. I barely poured any of my own tea or sparkling water the entire time, and the waiters were constantly checking on the levels of water in our teapots. They were very attentive, and we all felt very well taken care of. Service did dip off towards the end of our tea, but we had also been taking our time and didn’t need much assistance.
Ambiance:
Very posh and intimate; windows let in natural light which is lovely, although the lighting inside isn’t the best for photos.
Overall, a wonderful afternoon spent in the comfort of the Pembroke Room. Definitely high on my list of places for afternoon tea in New York.

The Pembroke Room at the Lowell Hotel was everything I could have imagined for my bridal shower high tea! As soon as we walked into the hotel, each guest was welcomed and escorted to the tea room, immediately a noticeable touch. The room was classic, grand, yet very intimate and ideal for my group of 14 guests. The salon set up a royal-​table style seating accompanied with chivari chairs for guests and old-​fashioned couches at the head of the table for the me and my groom. The ambiance was very special indeed. As one of my guests informed me, she felt that she was in someone’s gorgeous living room with great friends.
The high tea menu a was also impeccable. The menu included five different sandwiches served on the first tier, including quail egg salad (my favorite one), poached shrimp and dill butter, roasted turkey, smoked salmon on cream fraiche with caviar, and cucumber with dill butter. The petite four were honestly the best I’ve ever had! Clearly, these were baked in shop. Some other dessert highlights included the eclairs, fruit tartelettes, and the macarons. The tea itself was also such a treat. My favorite was the menthe (mint tea), which they served me as soon as I finished my cup. One of my friends felt the English breakfast tea might have been over steeped, but I didn’t notice.
The Pembroke Room service was also impeccable. For my party of 14, 2 waiters worked with us and presented each food beautifully. Vernon was so friendly and warm with all my guests; he definitely made the high tea experience something special!
Overall, I would highly recommend the Pembroke Room for your next big event– whether it be a bridal shower, baby shower, birthday party, etc. Truly a memorable experience!

I go to afternoon tea a lot. I’ve probably been to every single place in the city that serves afternoon tea. I just love it!
I introduced my boyfriend to the tea life about a year ago, and this was the place I chose for him to start. He loved it here, and refuses to go to any ‘lower’ standard tea now.
The ambience is amazing– I personally love delicate porcelain cups and silverware, rose tapestries and vintage décor.
Food was amazing and delicious! We were both stuffed to the brim all the times we went.
Service was pretty good, for the most part! Each time I’ve gone, the service has been a range. There were times when the staff was aloof, and there were times when the staff was very attentive.
So, besides Lady Mendl’s and other $$$ tea places, my boyfriend refuses to go anywhere else. Pembroke was just that good.

My daughter received a gift certificate (from my very generous cousin) to the Pembroke Room for «Tea for 2,» and we finally had a chance to go yesterday.
In short, this tea was a giant disappointment and I felt terrible that my cousin spent so much money on a tea that was lacking in just about every aspect.
Ambiance:
–The restaurant is tiny and was nearly empty when we arrived for our 3pm reservation. There was nobody at the hostess stand to seat us, and we waited awkwardly for 5 minutes until she returned.
–Décor is shabby chic and a bit overstuffed. There are windows but the curtains were all closed, giving the place a dated and claustrophobic feel.
Service:
–Our server was fine, she was nice enough to substitute the turkey sandwiches for more cucumber, and our tea trays came out quickly. I had to ask for the scones, however, which was very odd.
Food: Here is where the Pembroke Room really failed… I mean, for $ 52 per person, I really expected a whole lot more than just a decent presentation of a few tiny (and I mean tiny) little things:
– Cucumber sandwiches — these tasted like absolutely nothing. I mean, they were as bland as bland could be.
– Poached shrimp — these were marginally better than the cucumber, but needed seasoning /​salt.
– Smoked Salmon — again, totally bland and unremarkable.
– Egg salad — finally, a good sandwich! And I love that the egg was organic.
– Scones — these weren’t authentic in any way. They were more cake-​like and were a bit greasy. I’ve had similar «scones» at Starbucks.
– Desserts — I’ll be brief here… the petit fours were dry, the fruit tarts soggy, and the eclairs, while tasty, looked like they’d been piped/​filled by someone who had absolutely no idea what they were doing. (My 9-​year-​old pointed this out, if that tells you anything).
I’m giving Pembroke Room 2 stars instead of one because they very kindly brought out a piece of cake for my daughter’s birthday.
The Bottom Line: Yesterday was truly one of the least memorable teas I’ve ever had. Not sure if I have high expectations as I’ve had great teas during many of our travels, but I won’t be returning to Pembroke Room. Ever.

There aren’t many formal tea rooms in NYC. No one seems to have the time to sit down for a leisurely cup of tea. But if you are so inclined, the Pembroke Room in The Lowell Hotel is wonderful. The room has no views, but also lacks the distraction of traffic, noise, or pedestrians, and the décor is very comfortable. This place just feels like a departure from any place you would go to «grab» a cup of coffee or tea, with loud music, a long queue, milk steamer hissing in the background… it’s RELAXING. No one is on their cell phone (in fact, I’m sure it would be frowned upon), the staff are polite and attentive, and the tea fare is really good, too. Worth a visit!

A disappointment. My wife and I were excited to try this out for her birthday. We had a prepaid reservation as a gift. Upon arrival no one was there to see us to a table. We waited about 5 min then someone finally was there. I gave the waiter our reservation name he sat us handed us two menus and walked away saying nothing. We finally had to get up and find him to talk to him.
It took a good ten minutes before anyone took our tea order. Then another 15 to see the sandwiches and desserts. The sandwiches were small and nothing amazing. The lobster mango tasted frozen still. The desserts were covered in sugar and way to sweet to eat. The scones and tea were very good. Also for my wife’s birthday they gave a small chocolate cake which actually was the best dessert there.
It’s a shame this place lacks in service and quality. I hope they read reviews and make changes as you ruin someone’s special celebration.

Well I found this place to be absolutely elegant and the food very tasty cup of the scones were absolutely delicious I wish we would’ve had more scones and less of the sweet stuff because scones with T what can be better? The reason I’m reading this three starsinstead of five is because I felt the two waiters that we had one was Hispanic and one was a black male bald with glasses he had a very strong somewhat of a nasty demeanor about him and we all felt very in Syria in the way in which he treated our group as opposed to treating the other guest. When the tall Hispanic waiter poured my water and something black came into the class I asked him for a new glass his response was «maybe it’s something you ate how the hell could be something I ate if you just poured my water and even if it was once I request a new glass you should automatically give it to me without suggesting it was anything on my plate first of all there was nothing on my plate that was black so why would I have thatI would love to come back to this place again but I would prefer to do it who with a nicer waitstaff that’s my only thing other than that this place was absolutely beautiful and I hope to come here in the very near future for a girls night it’s worth it

The place is fabulous for afternoon tea. I love this setting because its quaint and fancy and serene. The course were exceptional. the food tasted fresh. they have a coat room. i actually visited this year on our snowy day as i tend to enjoy afternoon tea experience even more in the winter!
I would be comfortable coming for tea on my own in this establishment. this place may sit 30 – 40. its pretty small and i like that. I was told by the waiter you can reserve the floor for baby showers or private parties. Ill have to consider that one of these days. (not the baby shower of course… Aint nobody got time for that)
This is also a nice place to take your mom. theres just something about this place. they have couches seen on Gone with the Wind with the fabric sown and wood frame. They also have tables for 2 or for large parties… they have distressed mirror that make it look like its part of the guilded ages. very very regal. bacurette (sp) crystal chandeliers takes me back to atlanta. the service was nice. and i love that a large group of black women were sitting near me and having the time of their life. there’s nothing better than being in a place where other people are also enjoying the service, ambiance and time spent. definitely a place to make memories. (and the violin fades off)

I had tea here back in February. Beautiful room, great ambiance and stellar service. Going back for a bridal shower this weekend. Can’t wait!

I’m running late for afternoon tea because mass transit’s in shambles over the weekend (typical). I rush towards a low key hotel that looks like an entrance to someone’s apartment. The nice man opens both doors for me and says «Welcome home». Uh… sure man. I am frazzled, run up to the first person I see and ask him «Where’s the tea room?» His response was «Sorry Miss, the Pembroke Room’s been reserved for a bridal shower.» Merr?!
I sit in the lobby, get a text from my friend. «Ask the front desk for 13B. We’ll explain when you get here.» The front desk asks for my name and says «Yes, they are expecting you.» I arrive at 13B. It’s a spacious one-​bedroom suite with a small kitchen and a dining /​living room combo overlooking the city. Now I’m even more confused. «Girls? So… what’s up with this hotel room?»
Turns out the Pembroke Room forgot to tell my friend that our reservation from months ago was canceled and in order to make good on the situation, they set us up with private tea service. Um? Score? Yes!
Our lovely sandwiches, fruit tarts, petit-​fours, teas, and scones were served on a spacious six-​person dining room table. They have excellent choices of teas ranging from black to green, to herbal, to fruits. I settle for the Jardin Des Tuileries Oolong. Smelled great, tasted even better. The sandwiches are bite-​sized and I thought they would not be filling but I was wrong. After layer one, sandwiches (my faves being the turkey and the salmon w/​caviar and crème fraîche) and layer two, the fruit tarts, I was ready to call it quits. Oh wait what? More food? Our wonderful Viennese server presents the freshly made scones: plain, blueberry, and cranberry. The scones were perfect. Crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside. A little jam, a little devonshire? Delish! The basket contained seven scones for three people. He asked us if we wanted more. Too full! Too full!
Our teapots are refilled with hot water. I think by this time we might’ve each had 6 or 20 cups of tea and water. How nice it is to have access to your own private bathroom. Several times (yes… many many cups of tea) I was tempted to hop in the shower or take a bath whilst watching TV. Lovely facilities. Back to the food.
We struggled to eat the last layer of petit-​fours which consisted of macaroons and truffles. Unfortunately, tier three won. Humans lose.
I think that might’ve been one of the most relaxing food filled afternoons I’ve had in a while. They did not rush us and we sat, chat, and ate in the suite for over three hours. I don’t think our experience could’ve been any better than this. Maybe we could’ve phoned three additional friends to join us.
Thank you Pembroke Room for accommodating us in such a lavish fashion and providing excellent service.

I treated my friend to tea for her birthday. Based on the reviews, and the fact that Pembroke Room appeared frequently in the lists for best places for afternoon tea, I was pretty excited.
However, both the food and the service disappointed me. The food ranged from just okay (sandwiches, dessert) to terrible (scones). While they offered us several varieties of scones — they were all hard to the point of being inedible.
The service seemed well meaning but intrusive — while I was waiting to be seated one of the waiters pushed by me to key in an order. I think they were trying to be helpful, but they kept on fussing over the table (refilling tea, adding pastries) and it felt like they were looming over us and we didn’t have any personal space. I get that the ceremony is part of the tea service, but other places are less intrusive. They were also pretty disorganized, a couple of different people checked in on us to see if we had already ordered.
They only redeeming fact is that I liked their china and all of the other patrons (who seemed to be from out of town) were dressed up in their Sunday best!

I’m on a pilgrimage to find the best afternoon tea in NYC. This is such an expensive undertaking that I’m thinking about a Kickstarter campaign. In the meantime, I’m ticking the boxes as cash flow allows. The Pembroke Room took a $ 44 bite out of the budget, but it was well worth it.
The room itself is beautiful, as a tea room should be. Not Downton Abbey, but more like Age of Innocence, with heavy drapes, brilliant napery, and gleaming silver. I was a bit too casually dressed but wasn’t made to feel out of place.
It’s the little things that make a great afternoon tea. The loose leaves left in the pot and the individual tea strainer to deal with them. The extra pot of hot water. The quality of the clotted cream and conserves. And of course the service.
My waiter Steve was superlative. He guided me on tea selection, explained all the offerings, and best of all, offered me second helpings. I managed all the sandwiches (lobster and mango, cucumber, smoked salmon, turkey, and deviled quail egg) and a scone (heaped with Devonshire cream, and alternating between lemon curd, jam and marmalade), but took the pastries home for later.
I stayed for a couple of hours, nibbling and reading and eavesdropping on other patrons: a group of young Asian women, and some friends celebrating a 65^th birthday. I felt coddled and totally comfortable (even the temperature of the room was perfect).
If you are looking for a classic tea experience, I recommend this one.

Of all the tea services I’ve had so far, the Pembroke Room (located on the 2^nd floor) is the only one where I’ve had an experience that I could call both complete and near flawless in its presentation.
The size and library-​like quietness immediately set it apart with a sort of Queen Anne/​Late baroque class. I would recommend a reservation for a large and presumably well-​mannered party.
Silverware — actual silverware (If i’m being exceptionally picky, the ONLY flaw is the lack of a dessert fork and tea/​stirring spoon).
Tea — the Earl Grey we had had was good without following the recent trends of excessive bergamot oil; just don’t let it over-​steep as it can become quite bitter rather quickly.
Tea sandwiches — each and every one was at the very least satisfactory.
Scones — served after the sandwiches, slightly sugared and with just the right amount of fruit. We were also offered more scones after the initial round as a service (many places will no longer do this for scones and/​or sandwiches).
Marmalades — were a touch too sweet for me but the Strawberry and Orange/​Ginger (quite potent) stuck out.
Double Devonshire cream — house whipped, thick but light in taste compliments some of the richer items nicely.
Tarts/​Small Pies — rich and heavy with a good balance of tart fruit that just cuts the heaviness of the butter.
PetitFours/​Macarons — just as the tarts push the limits of richness, the desserts push the limit of acceptable sweetness. Sweet enough to be almost natural without piling on the sugar.
Service — was extremely attentive. Champagne was brought out promptly, hot water refilled almost instantly upon being emptied and descriptions of items (in case of allergies or picky eaters) were very clear, concise and accommodating.
It was a very comfortable and complete experience both in the ambience and the food but maybe because it reminds me of my lady’s living room.

The service here is impeccable. I came here for afternoon tea with a girlfriend and we ended up staying three hours. We originally had a regular table for two, but the waiter was able to accommodate my request for one of the bigger tables with a couch.
The afternoon tea itself was good, but not exceptional. The tea itself was high quality as to be expected and exceptionally strong (me likes). They have clotted devonshire cream (not available at all places) for your scones, which were toasty and warm. But their sandwiches could use some work. The bread was a bit stale. I want my cucumber watercress sandwiches to be larger. Take out the turkey sandwiches (are you kidding me?). The salmon and caviar did not taste fresh enough though were a nice addition. The deviled egg sandwich was good but we did not touch the unfriendly looking lobster sandwich. Things tasted like they’d been sitting out. The sweets tasted like sweets you could pick up at any café. We didn’t even finish them. I did like the coffee Macaroon. The whole afternoon felt a bit like sugar overload and we tried to counterbalance it by ordering more tea, but we just ended up feeling super hyper afterwards. LOL.
I probably would not come here again as there are so many other afternoon tea places to try in the city, but I will say the décor was beautiful, the service was impeccable, the lobby of the Lowell smelled soothingly of jasmine, and the afternoon tea itself was a decent experience. This a solid place to try out at least once.

I LOVE afternoon tea. Especially in pretty, decorative tea rooms that just scream «ladies who lunch.» And I really wanted to like this place. But I just couldn’t.
I’ll concede that the biggest issue I initially had with the place was not Pembroke Room’s fault. The table of snippy Asian chicks and their self-​important white dudes had no business drunk-​brunching in this lovely, serene restaurant.
I’m not really a hater, but when your conversation is so loud that the entire dining room can hear you, that’s a problem. When I can’t hear my own mother sitting across the table from me because your conversation about Hall and Oates is drowning her out, that’s a problem. Yes, PLEASE move on to Sambuca and become someone else’s problem.
And thank god, the annoying fivesome mercifully left and the rest of the dining room suddenly realized they weren’t mouthing their conversations to each other. And we dined on cute little tea sandwiches, lovely desserts, and fresh, warm scones. That was the good part.
The bad part was, suddenly the wait staff went AWOL. Perhaps they went to Sambuca as well. All I know, is that getting our dessert wrapped up took 10 min. Getting our check took another 30 min. This after asking for it TWICE. And then, getting the check back to sign the receipt, there’s another 20 minutes gone. WTF?
I was willing to overlook the horrid table that was ruining the atmosphere. I know that’s not your fault. But when you start ignoring us and leaving us hanging for nearly an hour, that’s just ridiculous!
I’ve been to nearly every afternoon tea place in the city. Yours is not worth it.

Afternoon Tea here was an absolute delight! The service was amazing and the Pembroke Room was gorgeous. Built in the late 1920’s, the décor is opulent and timeless. We were the only table dining here which was cool.
On the menu, there was a large selection of black tea, green tea and even «sparkling tea» which was not available but sounded fun to try! I went with Earl Grey. Soon after, the tea sandwiches and small desserts came out. My favorite was the lobster salad. Although a bit different from the traditional watercress & cucumber selection, the lobster salad was a bit spicy but light.
Also, the warm scones (blueberry, cranberry & plain) came with 3 different jellys as well as crème fraîche. Overall everything was delicious and I’d love to go back!