If you know me, you know there are very few things I’d rather be doing on any given weekend than going to Afternoon Tea. I love the vibe of it; the aesthetic, the classiness; the rose teacups, the warm tea, the cute little finger sandwiches, scones, and desserts. It just makes me feel so aligned to my truest soul.
I think my love for it actually started when I went to London in 2015. I had only recently stared drinking tea before that (at the time peppermint was my favorite!), and since I went to London in January, and was accompanied by my British friends, we literally got tea everywhere we went.
More specifically, we did a mini afternoon tea in Harrod’s in London. They gave us our own little tea pots, fancy tea cups, and scones with jam and cream (probably the first time I ever officially had those, honestly). And I remember just being like I love this, I felt so posh and London-ish. Lol
So after that, once returning home to America, throughout the years I would try out different afternoon tea’s regularly (The Plaza in NYC and the Grand Floridian hotel in Disney being two of my all time favs just because they were the fanciest!)
I have also since found two local tea places on Long Island to go to regularly and have become of my favorites.
Funnily enough, one’s in Nassau County and one’s in Suffolk!
First, in Suffolk, in Stony Brook, Robinson’s Tea Room.
I definitely go here most often. It really has such a cute, warm, welcoming vibe. It’s exactly the type of tea place I’d love to own one day. It’s really cutely decorated and feels more modern (and is nowhere near old and stuffy like some tea places are). The staff is always really friendly and nice. They used to have a more open floor plan, but since 2020 they have put up dividers and spaced it more out, which honestly I like better because it helps your tea experience feel more private and intimate.
We always get an Afternoon Tea Tier (they have a vegan one too) … and they are so nice enough to allow us to have the finger sandwiches be only cucumber sandwiches since we don’t eat most the foods in the other types of sandwiches. 🙈
They have an extensive tea list. I always say I’m going to branch out, but I usually always get my favorite Paris, or Cherry Green Tea. My boyfriend usually gets a peach or strawberry variation and always says it’s really good too.
The scones are jam are spot on. They have several scones options, we usually get the butterscotch one and the chocolate chip one. And the top tier with all the desserts always changes seasonally, which makes it super fun and encourages you to come back! They usually have some sort of rainbow cookie (different colored based on seasons), a random flavored macaron (they’re always good no matter the flavor), a cake and a pudding.
^The November seasonal desserts
^December seasonal desserts
Not on the tier though, I’ve gotten the Baked brie with apples and that is always perfectly delicious. And my boyfriend and I are obsessed with their Victoria sponge cake, which is pink. I don’t even usually like cake but I love this and will eat it all 🤣
Bonus: We’ve never gotten it for obvious reasons, but they do have a kid’s version of the Afternoon Tea Tier and we’ve seen little kids get it! It has cotton candy and peanutbutter and jelly sandwiches and looks amazing! If I knew a child in my life who would enjoy this (I solely know boys who are just into trucks and video games and unfortunately not fancy tea hahaha) I would totally take them there.
Overall, Robinson’s Tea Room is such a cute, friendly, nice enjoyable place to spend an afternoon. It’s great for a fun date or for a gathering with a bunch of your besties.
Lastly, their bathroom has the cutest blue wallpaper I’ve ever seen - I don’t have a picture of it, but maybe next time 🤣
Here’s their website to check them out: https://robinsonstearoom.com
My other favorite, in Nassau County, in Rockville Centre, Chat Noir
While I’d use cute to describe Robinson’s, Chat Noir would be described as classy. It’s a nice open space, very white and pristine. I celebrated my 30th birthday here with my family, and simultaneously there was a bridal shower going on! (They all wore fascinators and gloves too, definitely goals haha) Honestly, it really is the perfect place for an adult family birthday gathering or a bridal shower, it has the space and really feels the right level of class for that.
They have an extensive list of teas as well, and they have a full lunch and dinner menu aside from just the afternoon tea.
The tea service is just listed as “finger sandwiches, scones, pastries, and a pot of tea” , but your waiter will let you know about more customization I’m sure.
In 2020, we actually were able to get the tea service to go for my 29th birthday haha, and that was a lot of fun, and I believe we did have more customized sandwiches and such.
^setting it up at home when we got it to go!
The food is always great, the vibe is nice, so if you’re looking for a fancy day definitely go here!
Here’s their website to check them out: http://www.chatnoirtea.com/index.html
