The Russian Tea Room Review

Maybe bc it's restaurant week, but we only saw our waiter to place our order and pay the bill. We wanted to order coffee but instead had a bill placed in front of us. the appetizer (mushroom crepe) was delish but entree and dessert were Meh. Felt like we got a bum's rush even though there were 5 empty tables there. And yes, we had a reservation. In the plus side it's not too loud, looks exactly like the movie Tootsie, and they have nice big booths.

Wonderful place. Delicious food. Excellent service.

One can't argue with the history and reputation of this place, but as a recent visitor, I saw NONE of that. It felt more like a lame tourist trap for those who don't know any better!
We went there for a Vodka tasting and, perhaps it is just me being a spoiled brat, but, when I pay that much money for it, especially at a place with Russian Tea Room's reputation, I expect top shelf, exotic vodkas and/or interesting infusion. I am not interested in or expecting to see things like Smirnoff or Absolute (the majority of the tasting menu was on par with these). The caviar selection wasn't that much better and the buckwheat blini were too dense and tasteless to even speak of.
As Eastern Europeans, our table requested pickles (a traditional chaser to vodka), only to be told that none were available (REALLY?! this from a Russian themed restaurant?!). They eventually managed to scavenge up some pickled cauliflower and green tomatoes (quality was nothing special) and then decided to charge us $8.00 for that pitiful presentation.
The service was terrible - our waiter was rude, condescending and generally unpleasant.
The only redeeming quality to this place is it's interior and ambiance. It really is like a place from anther place and time - it's beautiful, unique and over-the-top. But they can't expect to continue to just skate by on their reputation and pretty trappings. Uninspiring food, sub-par liquor and atrocious service are no way to attract and retain clientele.
Personally, It was on my list of things to do. Now that I've done it, I will be spending my money elsewhere going forward; thank you very much.

Beautiful place, but medium quality if foods and expensive

The bathroom was not functioning on the first level. Over priced and cold food. The only redeeming qualities were the ambiance and waiter.

I don't like anything that's Russian anywhere in the United States!!!!

Nice atmosphere and decor loved the down stairs gift shop while my husband loved the vodka tasting. It s very much a Manhattan/expensive vibe and something to knock off the bucket list.

It was nice. Had the afternoon tea with a glass of champagne. The savories were better than the sweets. I liked the tea with the addition of the cherry syrup. The service is nice and attentive. They refill your pot and the room is as opulent and cozy as you'd expect. They let us sit as long as we wanted which was really nice as I was having a long chat with a friend and it was cold outside. Overall still a nice experience for the NY institution. I do wish the sweets were less of an afterthought.

This place was pretty cool, and definitely a change of pace. We tried a variety of different dishes and vodkas.

Stroganoff - Excellent! Can't recommend it enough! The perfect balance of cream to savory beef. Seriously good, for real.

Vodka:
Jewel of Russia - Wild Berry - Is there such thing as a desert vodka? If not, then this can totally be one. Very delicious!

Bison Grass - Very herby, vegetal with a hint of vanilla. Very good! We bought a bottle as soon as we got home!

In short, ambiance is great, food is even better! Definitely worth a visit!

Overrated. Past its prime. The service was so-so, and the food was bland. I was hoping for more given its storied past. Important lunch meeting? Go somewhere else. Its time is done.

The restaurant went there, the service was nice and the decoration was very good. It was too unpalatable. There is no reason why it is so unpalatable?

Friend told me about the big bear ice sculpture only real Russian spot get on your laptop have a fancy after meal

Fabulous! Just fabulous. Friendly and efficient staff. Great food. Wonderful surroundings. You really shouldn't miss this place. Really. A great NY tradition.

Great setting for cocktails and business discussion. Place does a nice business even in mid-afternoon. Downstairs restroom area could use a facelift.

Fabulous food, super service, exquisite decor and reasonable price

What a beautiful place.. Love it a must when visiting NYC.. Modanna was a hat girl at this place before she became modanna.

I use to go to the original Russian Tea Room many years ago. It was fantastic. I was not as impressed with the new Russian Tea Room. It is very pricy. It is worth going for a visit just to say that you went to the Russian Tea Room.

I went there and the service was wonderful, the food great and the atmosphere charming! The prices were just fine because you get your $$$ worth in food and service. I don't drink so I don't know about the vodka (Smile) but It is one of my favorite places in New York.

It is sort of a "tourist" place for tasting exotic flavor

A New York classic that is kitchy but thoroughly enjoyable with delicious food and attentive service.

Great food, stylish interior, excellent service. Highly recommend.

It has been years since last I've been to the Russian Tea Room. I was happy to see that it was exactly the same as it was from the last time. The food was as good as I remember it. The service was prompt, friendly, and was very quick to fix the issue of an over cooked steak. And best of all my party was seated at the time of our reservation.

This place is amazing...excellent service and the staff is very attentive and welcoming i highly recommend it

?????? ?????? ???????? ... to eat is to love. this being the first time back in 35 years, the rtr exceeded expectations! california white sturgeon caviar was a delicious and less expensive alternative. the fish special was perfectly cooked, tender and crusty. the chicken kiev was succulent and flavorful. the little desserts at the end were a nice touch. the servers were helpful. the only slight disappointment were the overly chewy and not all that interesting dinner rolls. rtr delivers, and at these prices, it should! the menu may be a bit americanized but the experience is all russian!

This is a beautiful place to go and experience afternoon tea.

It fell below my expectations for these reasons:

1) should allow more than one teabag per customer
2) I was expecting a pastry cart so I could select what I liked
3) our server disappeared and I had to flag someone down to pay
4) there was no clotted cream for the scones

There was a nice assortment of sandwiches on a nice variety of breads. Loved the lump sugar and cherry preserves for the tea.

Ah, who doesn't remember Dustin Hoffman in the movie Tootsie, in which there is a legendary scene from this place. The Russian Tea Room is a historic site, with small exhibition cabinets in the basement. MUST be experienced. Book a table in advance.

Very nice atmosphere. Waiter was very nice and really explained things for us and how things are traditionally enjoyed in Russia.

Very expensive for an average cocktail. They try very hard to give the place an air of opulence, however, the decor comes across as borderline tacky. Best avoid unless it's on your bucket list.

Perhaps there was a day when the Russian Tea Room was authentic. That is not the situation now. The food is not well prepared, the Borscht is the absolute worse prepared anywhere in the world. The beef stroganauf is tasteless and a huge chuck of beef on top of grocery store noodles. This restaurant is a disgrace to the Russian culture. Excellence and excuse cannot occuply the same sentence. This restaurant should close or change the name to Russian Tea Room Imposter!

As my granddaughter said, a life changing experience.

The food was fine, but should be much better than fine for a place this expensive. When you're paying $75 for tea and you get one tiny pot (two cups, max), then they want to charge you for another tea bag, that's obscene. They should automatically provide a fresh pot with each course, or at least give you a big pot to start. We asked our waitress for clotted cream and she said they didn't have that, and then we were telling her at the end of tea about how good it is when another waiter overheard and said, "We have that! I'll bring you some!" At that point, we had one (now cold) scone left between us, but we couldn't get any more without being charged, in spite of this being the result of our waitress' incompetence in the first place. The price is way too high for that level of pettiness. Get your afternoon tea elsewhere.

Visited to replenish the "Russian impressions." The surroundings correspond - everything is in the red gloom, but otherwise everything is very average. The prices are not small (a portion of stuffed cabbage is 20 bucks! What are they from?), Set up for a culinary masterpiece, but in reality everything is so-so ... A glass of vodka $ 20, the menu is great, but the waiter poured somewhere on the sidelines , and left with a strong feeling that still not what was ordered. It didn t work out - his partner, putting a plate of borscht, knocked over the vodka in the bread. Giggling (!) Promised to change, did not change either one or the other, divided his wife s bun. The borscht itself is also not a "high cuisine", the most delicious is the pie attached to it. After the Kiev cutlets, the wife suffered heartburn, in my opinion, for the second time in her life. Tea - in the Russian teahouse! - from a bag with coconut cookies. But the biggest shock was the beef stroganoff. Everyone remembers what it is? Striped meat in sour cream sauce. They brought a piece (!) Of stewed beef with mushroom sauce on noodles. In itself, it was just nothing, but what did Stroganov have to do with it? Were disappointed. Could spend $ 200 more profitably.

It was an incredible experience. The food was amazing I loved the borscht. Worth every penny.

Not sure how this is "fine dining", but the prices dont justify the experience. The building is nice, but thats about it.

Not bad food but the service was pretty rushed and inattentive. Pricey for what you get.

I want to work in this restaurant. Can I work? I live in Uzbekistan.

So sad this is temporarily closed. This place is the best for tea in New York

I went to lunch at Restaurant Week because I wanted to enter once. Well, it's an interior decoration.
I chose the main and appetizer or dessert for the restaurant week meal, but I chose the main and dessert, but this was a bit unsuccessful ... The main was very satisfied with delicious beef, the dessert was also a delicious chocolate souffle, but it looks like Even if you eat it and eat it, it's not over I came to the stomach a little.
Unless Japanese people like sweets very much, it is safe to keep only appetizers and main dishes. When ordering desserts here, it is better to think of one for a few people.
Also, even if you read the reviews of other people, it seems that there is a tendency, but the staff is Bimyo. I saw a group of Russian speakers who didn't speak much English, but they said, "I don't have any people who can speak Russian right now. Please make a reservation online!" I guess, after that, the staff members talked to each other (my seat was just near the staff's hangout) as if they were stupid like "I don't speak English." I sold Russia this much and thought that it wasn't a little.
Overall, the meal was delicious unless the amount was wrong, but the bread was garnished with ordinary white bread and it was cool, and as the staff on the table can understand from the above response It was cold (it was crowded from the middle, probably because of Restaurant Week, and the waiter came out with an air pounding like "Go home!" But I think this fancy interior is worth seeing, so I'll go again if someone else's money (laughs).

Excellent brunch, great service. So good to be back!

This place is beautiful, I love the seats and the food is amazing

The Russian Tea Room was such a fun dining experience. We ordered tea and vodka, of course. And tried the caviar sampler. Absolutely delicious, and NOW I am a fan of caviar. Service was impeccable and the rest of the meal was served with excellent presentation and endless flavors.

Opulent and with very good food, but a a little stuffy and very expensive.

Excelent service, meals and appreciated place. The tea was amazing, i choosed the evenining tea.

Nice atmosphere. Service is okay but not amazing. Food is unremarkable verging on not great. I had high tea, and the savory sandwiches and blinis were good. The sweets were not that good, too sweet and industrial.

Went there last night for Restaurant Week and we had a nice time. I ordered a goat cheese and mushroom warm appetizer and it was okay. My husband ordered the goat cheese salad and that was very good. I love French Onion Soup, so i also ordered the Onion Soup, which was very expensive, but I didnt want to pass up, but it was delicious and I was very happy with that. Salmon dinner was good, it didnt blow me away, my Husband loved his beef dinner. As far as the desserts...AMAZING. We had the vanilla cheesecake and the Chocolate Raspberry Mousse pen which was just oh so good, not to be improved! However the ambiance is just amazing. Even if the food was okay, I loved the decor and the booth seating. Happy we went there for our Restaurant week choice!

Incredible experience. French toasts and teas are exquisite. Go ahead to enjoy the place.

This RESTAURANT doesn't deserve any stars. I don't know where to start from the food or the service or the person that answers the phone. HORRIBLE Restaurant. Over all just Horrible wont recommend for anyone to go please.

It has excellent food, good red and black caviar, good vodka and attentive and good service

The dining room is gorgeous. Very fancy looking. The lobby has some Faberge eggs replicars. The food is average. You don't come for the food but for the atmosphere for the right occasion. Oh. And the service was excellent.

A beautiful place I deftly recommend you go staff was so welcoming

A very beautiful and atmospheric restaurant. Went during restaurant week and was not disappointed by the food and its Excellent tea!

Wonderful....everytime!! Bar is a lot of fun too!! Food is great!!

Afternoon tea is decent. Tea options were good They have way too many scones for one person to eat. Caviar in the vegetarian set was unacceptable

Timing wise, we couldn't make our reservation here for Social Gourmand's Columbia graduation celebration, but seven years later, we practically stumbled upon it during a snow-admiration walk in Central Park.
The three hosts welcomed us, and pressed cups of warm cider into our frozen hands, but unfortunately the rest of the wait staff seemed less thrilled to be working there. Almost all of the two-tops are across the aisle from the window seats, but we still could enjoy the iconic view. The element you won't recognize from movies or pictures is the intense mildew odor. At some point, food smells masked it, but they really need to gut the place or work on the air filtration.
Overall, we were pleasantly surprised by the quality of the food - my pot of herbal tea was made with a strainer of leaves, the bus/bread boy came by a couple of times with a generous assortment (none of which was warm), and the presentation was lovely. The Grilled Portobello Salad contained so many bleu cheese chunks, that I used some as a bread spread - good deal at $14, but the Jumbo Crab Cake at $20 lacked in size for the East Coast. I liked the texture and sweetness the pumpkin added to the huge cuts of paccheri pasta in a braised short rib ragu.
They added on a 15% gratuity though the menu says that's for parties of 6 or more. Nevertheless, the Boathouse could easily be a tourist trap, and we were so happy to find it a legitimate restaurant and wonderful NYC experience.

the bread wasn't so fresh, tasted like it was sitting in the fridge for a while and was just heated. but other then that the food and drinks were really good.

ON FATHERS DAY MY WIFE AND DAUGHTER TOOK ME HERE AND I MUST SAY THE FOOD WAS EXCELLENT AND COMING ALL THE WAY FOR LONG ISLAND WE COULDVE WENT ANY WHERE , PLUS OUR SERVER WAS ON POINT , IF YOU HAVENT BEEN HERE YET PUT IT ON YOUR BUCKET LIST PLUS THIS PLACE HAS HISTORY ALMOST A 100 YEARS OLD .....

Loved having the afternoon tea here, great selection of savoury and sweet food. Super friendly and helpful staff

Pure fun!!
The ambiance, food and service was high, high above average.
And just watching the other clientele was fun. From the young boy lost in a Harry Potter book, to the sweet girls made up with wigs, to the stately mature ladies that lunch, it was pure entertainment.
So glad that we decided to eat here, the experience was most precious.

Nice ambiance, hospitality from hostess. Tea was good. Dessert was not so good for the price. Skip the Creme Brulee.

Amazing decor, great atmosphere. You feel like you are in the steps of Michel Strogoff (except it is cozy and warm). Pretty good food!

My husband and I went here for a late honeymoon dinner and had a fabulous time! Absolutely delicious food and a very romantic, but classy atmosphere. They had a lot of delicious options to chose from and tons of specials, one of which I had. It can be pricey but is definitely worth it. Very professional and respectful staff as well. I can't wait to come here again!!

The Russian Tea Room has been a popular restaurant to go for artists, musicians, tourists, and city dwellers for over 80 years. It was founded by members of the Russian Imperial Ballet in 1927. Their website boasts of their history of famous guests including Dustin Hoffman, Woody Allen, Madonna (who used to work there!) and the cast of Gossip Girl.

My family and I went to brunch at the Russian Tea Room and it was delicious. Call me crazy for getting coffee at the Tea Room, I can t help myself, but it was actually some of the best coffee I ve had. My dad did have the tea, and he said it lived up to its high expectations.russian tea room 3

The Russian Tea Room gets its reputation for its fine dining, high tea, and extensive vodka selection. Make sure you go downstairs to their gift shop, they have a beautiful collection of Russian nesting dolls for sale.

Such an amazing piece of NY history! Elegant, clean and very polite.

We had afternoon tea which was good but the service was not good at all. The server just handed over to us the menus without any explanation.
The next couple which came in got a nice explanation of the afternoon tea and how it works from a different server.
Also when we got a new tray with the sweets nobody changed our plates. We needed to ask for it. We also never got a water refill
The services needs definitely be improved.

Good food,good vodka,lovely ambiance,good customer service.

POOR SERVICE, our waiter was NOT attentive at all , also not friendly . Not one person smiled in the restaurant! Food was average at best as well as overpriced ! ($11.00 for a cup of tea !)

If you are expecting a LARGE meal this is not he place for you. Their portions are on the smaller side which allows you to enjoy the meal without stuffing you face with it. Good for Restaurant Week try or a small dinner date at least once but I cannot imagine paying full price for a meal.

We stopped by on New Years Eve for a quick bite while making our way toward the Times Square ball drop. Sat at the bar and really enjoyed the food, the ambiance and the friendly bartender and other patrons. They also have a unique gift shop on the lower level that is a must see!

A shadow of the former Russian Tea Room - It's still pretty, but the food is mediocre at best.

The cold bread was paired perfectly with cold indifference by the staff. What kind of Russian restaurant doesn't serve pickles with it's overpriced vodka? This one. And the cold "pumpernickel" roll is no substitute for proper black bread. It should be called the "Russian" Tea Room. The $48 beef stroganoff was absolutely divine and was what saved this review from being less than 3 stars. I don't think I'll come back.

We booked this restaurant during restaurant week and we were happy to get a table
It s part of our foodie club
The menus started well we were all happy about the stroganoff and the borsch
Apeetizers and entree are good but the dessert was a catastrophy the chocolate cake was to heavy and tasted like dust the texture was not nice in mouth and it was not good chocolate
But that is not the worst the waitress was a nightmare she was rude and not professional she messed up the bill 3 times and yelled at me when I asked her to correct it exactly saying and I am still choked don t give me an attitude I have never seen that before here in the US she is unable to provide a bill that agrees with what we ordered and she is the one complaining against us in such an impolite way that I will definitely never come back
So unfortunately at the end of the day I can t recommend the restaurant because the entree is not worth all the hassle and the despicable service

Iconic NYC Restaurant...Perfect for dinner or holiday brunch...Save room for champagne and caviar!!

I decided to give a five-star review, based on a very limited visit today (coffee and tea only).

I brought my out-of-town friend inside RTR simply to show him this lovely dining room. We were prepared to look, then stop inside Starbucks for coffee.

I realized we could sit at the bar and have coffee, so we approached the bar, and the bartender warmly encouraged us to take a table of our own and enjoy coffee there.

She graciously called a waiter to seat us, and in the grand style of RTR, he pulled the table away from the banquette seats, let us sit, pushed the table back, and offered to get us water while we looked at the menus.

We selected coffee (me) and tea (him) with a selection of cookies, which turned out to be plates of four fresh madeleines each. Presentation was very elegant, the price was reasonable for what we were getting ($8 each), service was attentive, and we were treated with the same regard as if we were having dinner. I should add that this was the middle of a quiet Sunday afternoon when the dining room was not busy. The waiter answered our questions about the RTR and its art, we took our time, and it was definitely worth the visit to spend the last few minutes I had with my friend in a spectacular space near his hotel. Very glad we popped in. Thank you, RTR, for being welcoming and offering your beauty to everyone.

I'm not a fan of the food, but I love the opulent decor. This place has been featured in numerous TV shows and movies, and it's easy to see why. It's a fun place to take visitors, just come for tea and dessert and enjoy the surroundings.

The worst restaurant I ever been to food it's not good and I spent $400 for food I could find somewhere else for less then $100

Went with my family there because I love russian food and have russian roots, however the personal was unbelievably rude to us, it completely destroyed our mood and atmosphere. If you are seeking adrenaline to fight with personal, that the place to go. DONT RECOMMEND!

Honestly, it was a pretty place but everything else was mediocre. I definitely don't think that the food lived up to the hype. Maybe just an off night, but not as enjoyable of an experience as we hoped.

So like many others this week, I came here for Restaurant Week a while back. The food was VERY mediocre and I totally expected better. The portion was very small - my friend got the hanger steak and it was 1.5X4 inches. I ordered the signature Czar Chicken and it was under seasoned with little flavor. My chocolate desert also had black plastic in it. On the up side I did like the decor, the servers were attentive and the door man was a sweetheart.

Bottom-line, I would never come here again.