Afternoon tea or high tea, a tradition that started in England, has a long history of afternoons spent in gardens, wearing cottagecore dresses, and sipping tea while daintily eating tiny sandwiches and cakes.
I’ve always loved having afternoon tea, though it costs a pretty penny. Something is just so lovely about patterned china and bite-sized cucumber sandwiches! While I’ve been to many afternoon tea parlors in my time, Prince Tea House is one of the most affordable options in New York. It sits at around $30-40 a person, which is a great deal considering many of the other tea parlors often start at $50 per person.
Prince Tea House is a fusion of Asian and European tea styles. They have locations all across the northeast, including several in New York and others in Philadephia and New Jersey. I’ve been to Prince Tea House twice, two different Manhattan locations, but the photos from today’s article are from the Chinatown location located on 134 Bowery St.
Prices and menu differ slightly between the different locations. For the Chinatown location, the price is $69.95 for two, $99.95 for 3, and $134.95 for 4. Each person’s afternoon tea comes with 5 finger sandwiches, 4 small desserts, a scone with clotted cream and jam, and your choice of hot tea. They have both plain teas and milk teas!
I went with two friends this time and we got the Rose of Prince Black Tea, Lavender Green Milk Tea, and Rose Lover Milk Tea. We’re nothing if not flowery gals!
Check out their menu here.
While the tea set might seem rather small, we were actually completely stuffed after eating all of our food. The tea was absolutely delicious! I actually prefer the non-milk teas as they are less sweet, acting as a great palate cleanser between desserts.
Prince Tea House doesn’t often take reservations, but you can call about an hour ahead to make sure they have space or can put you on the list. Weekends are extremely busy, especially because teatime generally only lasts from early afternoon the evening. We arrived there on Friday afternoon around 3 and there was almost no one in the cafe, but by 4 we saw a few more tables fill up. The other time I went to Prince was on a Saturday and it was quite a wait, so it doesn’t hurt to call ahead!
So next time you’re craving your own cottagecore afternoon tea experience, consider stopping by Prince Tea House. We had a wonderful time and naturally, I’ll be back for more afternoon tea in the future!
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