Teavana

This Teavana is different from any I’ve been to. This setting is the embodiment of Upper East Side meets Trendy Hipster, Corporate Conformity meets Uniquely Creative. As i sat down and waited for my order, i saw classy ladies clad in luxury brands and trendy young men on their latest iphones roam the café/​shop. «Gregg…GREGORIOUS!?» shouted the barista hesitantly, as a stylish man reached out his hand for his drink. Yes, I thought to myself, this does seem like a place someone named «GREGORIOUS» would frequent.
They serve all the teas that they have available for purchase as well as a few specialty drinks. What sets them apart from their corporate motherlord (starbucks) is that they are exceedingly precise in their preparation and attention to detail, putting in every effort to do justice to each and every tea. They set a timer next to each cup to ensure the right brewing time. I also noticed that they have the traditional mini wooden whisks to prepare matcha green tea. Nice touch, Teavana, nice touch.
I personally prefer a stronger brew so the Jasmine Pearl Green Tea was on the light side for my tastes, but i appreciate that they tried.
They serve food as well. Their food is Starbucks-​esque in selection but slightly more high end, ranging from Macaroons to mini tarts and probably some types of organic salad with locally sourced ingredients loaded with «power foods» (what else would you expect from the Upper East Side?)
Overall it was a pleasant place to sit and sip on a lazy Saturday afternoon.

The service is not very good because it takes way too long to get your food but the tea comes really quickly and tastes good. It is a bit pricy but they usually have free samples of two teas outside and those teas are pretty good. Overalls it is a good tea shop with free wifi but not a lot of space
To sit and very few seats.

Excellent place to study. It is quiet. There are usually seats. Tea soothing. People nice. Atmosphere is beautiful. I highly recommend it!

Having some time to kill before a doctor’s appointment, I was looking for a place to grab coffee or tea and maybe read a little of the book I had with me. I had previously only been to Teavana retail stores, so I was familiar with them having samples ready and associates coming to you right as you walk in.
I went into this Teavana around 10:30 am on a weekday, and it was fairly empty. The store is shaped like a long rectangle– on the right side of the store, there are a couple tables and chairs lined up, and you have the choice of sitting on the booth side or chair side. On the left, there is a long counter where the tea bar and food/​pastry case is. I thought that this was a new twist on Teavana and would be a more relaxing, personal experience.
The employee I spoke to was helpful in describing the difference between the salads they had, and told me about the different types of Earl Grey teas. But, in general the store felt a bit impersonal. For a salad and hot tea, the total came to around $ 15. For the price and the atmosphere, I felt like it was overpriced. Because the seats are on the opposite wall from where people order, it didn’t feel cozy to me at all.
The food was good tasting but it was just an odd experience for me– I am used to Teavana employees offering me to try new tea flavors or showing me around. Then here I am in this big, fairly empty store and I just felt out of place. There was no one offering help like I usually picture when I think of Teavana, but also not the cozy vibe you get from a small coffee/​tea shop. It’s like Teavana couldn’t decide if they wanted to go for an intimate tea experience or a typical retail store, so they tried to combine the two and ended up with this. It’s not that I was expecting to be offered samples or anything of the sort– I had actually been looking for somewhere to just relax and read for a little. It just didn’t do it for me, and I left without looking at any of the merchandise because it didn’t have that aspect of eager-​to-​help employees either.
I am glad I tried this out but would likely not dine in here again. They had some interesting looking seasonal tea offerings that I saw so I would maybe try a tea to go next time.

Love very creative new brew if teas that hey have in the stores as well as options to buy. It’s awesome!

Hidden gem, on the upper east side. Excellent tea, reasonable prices, solid light food. Good place to bring a book or an iPad.

Interesting new Starbucks venture. I’m not a big tea fan, so came here for a healthy snack. Probably not the cheapest joint around, but nice relaxed atmosphere and good quality food options.

Guess things are fancier when you’re in the Upper East Side. Now where’s Blair Waldorf?! Sike she’s too cool to be drinking at Teavana.
I actually got sucked into coming here after seeing people walking around the area with these delicious green looking drinks. I spotted the Teavana logo and started walking toward where they came from.
The Teavana here was probably the biggest one I’ve ever seen. This is the first Teavana I know that sells drinks instead of just tea. They have a few tables for sitting here and a huge selection of teas to buy. You can get samples of your liking before you commit to purchasing the teas.
Currently there’s a deal where you can get $ 3 off your drink (that’s a free latte by the way!) just by uploading pictures of Teavana on Instagram with 3 hashtags. It’s a dollar off per hashtag.
Thanks to that, I snagged a large iced dragonfruit devotion tea for a dollar! You can also modify the amount of sugar and ice in your drink.
This might be my favorite Teavana but too bad I don’t go to the Upper East Side enough to become a regular. Worth checking out, skip the pastries and food though, they look awful and it’s overpriced.

I didn’t understand why Teavana runs 2 locations within a few blocks of each other until I walked in this behemoth. It was packed midday on a Saturday with people of all ranges, with the selfie-​inducing décor distracting from the utter lack of sensibility with the layout… You walk in to a counter, and a line, leading you to believe this is where you order. Unfortunately, they accept orders at the register at the back, which involves snaking around the line due to their own horrendous design. Also greeting you when you enter is a lone, narrow garbage can overflowing in the center of the space; instead, it should be right next to the samples area, where instead they place shopping carts, which collect the sample cup trash. Ordered up a free iced winterberry, and they first charged me, then seemingly processed the freebie, but apparently it never went through, as the barista finally asked me what I was waiting for, and let me know the order never came through. Fortunately, it was tasty and the staffer was apologetic, but would’ve been an easy 1 star had I paid full-​freight for this experience.
Not unique to this location, the timers are obnoxious and bafflingly still around given the typically-​savvy Starbucks ownership.

From the moment I walked in I was impressed with the minimalistic earth tone inspired setting. The teas of course in my opinion are of highest quality and potency so when you are having a chocolate mint tea you’re drinking it most likely low carb or carb free lol. The gentleman behind the desk was SO polite and pleasant, told him what I wanted and he knew exactly what I needed.
The tea was made with precision and was timed to be like the most perfect brew concoction I’ve experienced.
Only drawback. Their cook looking espressos and coffees don’t have decaf. However THATs a drawback for ME, not most people out there.
I will def be coming back again… This is like a great atmosphere to come for a quiet business meeting with a co worker or sit with a friend and chat.
Love it.

I really like this Teavana. It’s a nice space and there are so many different teas to choose from. The staff has always been super nice and helpful.

Really good. It’s delicious and the décor is beautiful!
I work next door so I’m in here every now and then. The staff here is really kind. They are always helpful and polite! One day it was literally pouring as I waited outside for cab. Even under an awning, I was soaked! One of the employees was outside on a break I’m assuming, and quickly offered to let me stand under her umbrella as I waited for a cab. Genuine kindness in NYC can be hard to find sometimes!

As far as tea shops go, I wasn’t super impressed by Teavana. There’s some room for sitting, but it doesn’t really feel like the kind of place where you can hang out or do work. There is some food, but it doesn’t look very fresh. Obviously lots of tea choices and the people who work here know there stuff. But overall, it just doesn’t feel very welcoming. It feels much more like a place where they’re trying to sell you a lot of product.

Helpful and knowledgeable staff. Good selection of bulk teas.

Excellent customer service for someone like me, that doesn’t know the minor thing abt tea. (Addicted to coffee). I got a nice hot cup to go, right after getting done w my Central Park jog on a Saturday. Just perfect.

Very spacious tea shop with cheap drinks. This place is great for studying or doing some work. They got clean bathrooms too. I got the blackberry Mokito which was pretty decent. They need to add more tables bc so much open space!

I’m giving this place a serious «like» not only for the best «public» bathroom on Madison Ave but also for zen like atmosphere and nice food featuring– gasp– vegetables! Afraid to go in here too much or I will soon own a $ 70 teapot and some tea that costs more than pot. But, since I don’t smoke pot maybe I should spend all the money I’m already saving on pot on a nice $ 70 teapot. Finally, the rationale. Think I’ll head over in the morning and get that teapot.

Huge space… more seating would be good! Friendly service, good teas and tons of samples. I always hoped Teavana would come to NYC after I first found it 8 years ago in Chicago! However, tea should be natural so you have to be very careful here to read the labels as most of the flavored ones seem to have artificial ingredients.
Also wish they had more sales, as it is pricey!

Pretty spot! I got the coco caramel sea salt latte, which ended up being too sugary and sweet for me, even after they remade it without putting any syrup in it!
The jasmine silver needles in a pot was good, though!

Well this is it, Starbucks’ very first foray into fancy shmancy tea shops, and I am here to say that it is indeed pretty darn good.
High end treats such as elegant fritatas with such fillings as caramelized onions and goat cheese, smart little pastries, and even a pretty solid cous cous salad are all on the menu here. You can also get these small cups of really fancy (and I think pretty tasty) granola. Honestly, the staff seem almost as stunned and confused as the people who enter but really this is a solid concept.
Having spent plenty of time at Teavana locations in Boston, I was always annoyed that I couldn’t just score a cup of tea they sell and try it on the premises. I am glad you can now try any Teavana flavor of tea to go. You can also get tea that has been carbonated as well as iced tea varieties and even a whole line of milk/​tea combinations. This place is super fancy and smells great but I wish it had more seating.
As a tea junkie I want to give this place 5 stars SO badly but I just can’t. I payed about $ 5 for a large cup of tea (I got the fancy Gyokuro, but still…) and you will wait quite a bit as they steep it for you. If you know where to go you can get better tea in the city, but this is a solid concept that I believe will take off and make a whole lot of money for good olé Starbucks. Definitely give it a peek if you are ever on the Upper East Side.