Dear Friends,
It is with sadness and excitement that I announce that The Harlem Tea Room will be closing its doors at the end of September. The official close date is September 28th.I would like to thank you all for your encouragement and support over these last 4 years. Whether you came as a regular patron, hosted an event, or told your friends and family, I appreciate it.
Please stay tuned for updates as to what is to become of The Harlem Tea Room and what will occupy its current space in the future.
If you are seeking to join us for one last Afternoon Tea which includes tea, scones, tea sandwiches, and dessert pri-fixed at $20pp plus tax plus 20% gratuity, please call to make a reservation at 212-348-3471. We offer seatings weekdays at 3:30pm and Saturdays and Sundays at 1pm and 3:30pm.
Our business hours during the month of August are as follows:
Mondays- Closed
Tuesday thru Thursday- 10am-7pm
Friday- 10am-8pm
Saturday & Sunday- 10am-7pm
Also please join us for one of the following events beginning at 7pm:
Sunset Over Harlem Gospel Soul Music- Friday, Aug. 22nd
Flowing Vibrations in Harlem Poetry Set- Friday, Sept. 12th
Sunset Over Harlem Gospel Soul Music- Friday, Sept. 19th
Ascension Open Mic Set- Sunday, Sept. 28th
Sincerely,
Patrice Clayton
The Harlem Tea Room
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She was rude and aloof, the food quality was uneven, the staff inattentive and amateur. I love tea and tried to support it, but…….
Really sorry to hear the Harlem Tea Room is shutting down. It’s been a pleasure enjoying service there.
Unfortunately I have to agree with the commenter called I love tea. I think Patrice got in her own way. She would have done better to hire a nice friendly manager to do all the front of house business and she could have stayed her tense self behind the scenes. Maybe not rude but definitely aloof, distant, detached, and cold are good words to describe her. Not good for creating the warm and inviting environment I think she envisioned for the Tea Room. I’m sorry to see it go but we’d heard these rumors for a while now. Business was not good because she didn’t make it a warm and inviting space. Although the locatiyon is off the beaten path, with the new-ish development in the area it could have been a neighborhood favorite. I would like to see a nice neighborhood lounge in that space with live music and drinks.
I have lived in Harlem for 1 year now and as a bonafide black gentrifier with I eye towards change in Harlem – I have two bones to pick.
1) Deplorable service in Harlem – need I really say more?
2) Non-sensical business strategies. There seems to be a push to rapidly change the neighborhood without an eye towards spending habits and shopping patterns. A tea room at $20 a person? Why not an upmarket cafe with daily traffic? A now defunct caviar restaurant on 120th and Lenox? Why not a clean and healthy sushi joint? A now defunct children’s boutique? The rental space was too big to possible carry the type of revenue from such a niche business? Plus, never enough merchandise to make the store look anything other than a flea market? Make My Cake charges 50 – 75 cents more per cupcake than any of its upmarket competitors downtown? I want to support but let’s be real, that’s price gouging.
I think new entrepreneurs need a lesson in business strategy: location, price points, traffic patterns, spending habits, customer service, etc.
Again, Harlem is on the come up
Thank you for all your comments. What’s important is the many truths that make up our community.
Let us know how we can assist you more?
Thanks,
Daniel
Nice bog you have here. I pretty much lurk the internet when I’m bored and read all I can about the organic lifestyle, but I really liked you view on things. I’ll bookmark the site and subscribe to the feed!
We traveled from Long Island for afternoon tea and were sorely disappointed. I was in a party of three and hoped to forgo the $20 afternoon tea after seeing the pre-made finger sandwiches that were exceptionally meager and unappetizing. However, I was told that I could not order anything other than the tea. We were also told that they did not have any scones and could have muffins instead. After discussing it with the other members of my party, we decided to leave and were told that we must pay a $15 cancellation fee, plus tax and a mandatory gratuity. I was outraged, but one of the other ladies paid it. I would have left because there was no warning of this fee and how dare they impose tax and gratuity. It is no wonder that this place is closing.
I am late late late…I didn’t even know that the Harlem Tea Room shut its doors. I always enjoyed myself there…simply because of the ambience…
This is sad. sad. sad. People really do try their best only to get criticized for their shortcomings…I loved the Harlem Tearoom…never had a problem with their service and their sandwiches and desserts were out of sight!
Everyone’s user experience is different. Just wanted to post a positive one.
GT
this is so sad. i just moved to 117th in december and i walked past only to see it EMPTY!!
i almost shed a tear. the mango tart was off the hook. my friend had a tea party there for her daughter. i loved that place. i dragged a few coworkers there (despite their fear of harlem) just to try the scones.
i never had a bad experience there and it will be sorely missed.
i never understand why ppl go to a restaurant and complain about the prices when they can get it how they want it for free AT HOME. if youre broke stay in the house. eating, drinking and being merry cost money.
Never again will I deal with, or recommend anything Patrice opens up.
Never again will I spread the word about her future endeavors.
A respected colleague (and Harlem native) of mine who knows Patrice from college – recommended I visit Harlem Tea Room, and show support. While the Harlem Tea Room was VERY nice in terms of decor, my experience there with very close and long time friends,
was terrible.
Patrice personally “served” us with a “stank” attitude one Sunday. More “stank” than a McDonald’s Cashier with “whatever” was available on the menu.
We are broadcast industry & business professionals (2 are Harlem natives, 2 others (+me) drove from Queens, and one from drove from Brooklyn) who simply came to relax, and enjoy Harlem Tea Room.
Due to the “stank” service, we decided to purchase the FEW items that were available on the menu, pay the bill, leave the money + our purchased items / food untouched on the table – and leave.
We went to a Harlem establishment that actually CARES about customers.
Never will I deal with or recommend anything Patrice is involved with. Never.
Good riddance.
Patrice I will miss the Harlem Tea Room and the wonderful service that I received any time I came to your establishment. As a former food service business owner in Harlem, I know how hard it is to please every customer. I also know the toll trying to run things by yourself can take on your personal life. May God be with you in your future endeavors. Don’t let the comments from the haters stick to you.
On my way to NYC this weekend and the Harlem Tea Room was at the top of my list: regret I did not have the opportunity to “see for myself”. However, there seemed to be a fair balance of pluses and minuses regarding the overall service and menu. I’m sure any wise entrepreneur will take it all into consideration for future endeavors.
In the meantime, what’s the next best place in Harlem for afternoon fare?
I have only been there once but I enjoyed my self very much. The staff especially were great. 1 in particular. He was very attentive and took care of me whenever it was necessary. Sorry to hear it closed down. Wanted to make another visit.
For a very long time I sat back and watched and read all of what people had to say. I never commented because I felt that people were entitled to express their opinion. Additionally as a business owner, you have to be open to criticism. However, some people’s comments were a little too personal. Don’t judge anyone until you walk in their shoes. People can be overly critical about how a business should be run but most have no idea all that is involved in running a restaurant.
To all the supporters, I thank you for your well wishes and kind words. I thank everyone for their support. At the end of the day, I always said the Harlem Tea Room was not for me but for the community. It has been almost 2 years since I closed but I still miss it and I miss the supportive customers in particular.
Thank you all.
A few things:
1. Don’t go out to eat if you can’t afford to pay (meal and gratuity). Why go to a restaurant and complain about the prices. Stay home and cook or buy a happy meal.
2. Did you expect Patrice to shuck and jive and dance the jig because you were dining at her establishment? Did you go for recognition of your patronage or did you go to have tea? I never entered the HTR without receiving greeting of the day nor did I ever leave without receiving a thank you. What more did you want?
3. Don’t want “high tea” in Harlem then don’t go to an establishment that serves high tea in harlem. You want peach cobbler at 2pm then go where they serve peach cobbler at 2pm.
4. The HTR was a small business and it was a good idea for a new and small business to have a manageable menu. You want a different business model then create it for yourself. It takes a lot of guts and drive to accomplish what Patrice accomplished and I am proud of her for it.
5. Many of the comments were personal and as I read them I was able to recognize what they were really about. Some of my college mates wouldn’t have had anything good to say no matter what their experience was at the HTR.
6. I was a the HTR one day when a couple of college acquaintances and their friends arrived to dine. I was unfortunately not shocked to find that from the moment they walked in and were seated all they did was pick apart the establishment from the decor to the service to the food. They even picked apart Patrice personally. Since they obviously did not like the place from the minute they entered, I thought that they should have been ladies about it and did an about face and left, but they did not. They were intent on having a miserable experience. They talked about why Patrice was not there and when she did enter the dining room they went on and on about her personally. They were condescending to wait-staff and made snarky comments about the menu. Their attitudes were so off-putting that I had to leave because never being one to hold my tongue I was concerned about what I might say. I left fuming because it was a sad realization that the crabs in a bucket theory is alive and thriving.
7. My experiences at the HTR were always great. My grandmother and her girlfriends traveled from Queens and had tea there at least 1 dozen times and they always raved about it. My mother and sister live in Harlem and they loved it. I sent in-laws, friends and coworkers from NC and CA there on several occassions when they were visiting NYC and they all loved it.
8. There is a difference between constructive criticism and mean-spirited comments. If the HTR was not a good fit for you then it was reasonable for you not to continue your patronage. It is also reasonable for you to post comments about your experience, but keep it clean, fair and mature. Everything is not for everybody and for as many people that didn’t like the HTR, there were dozens who did. Also it is not unique for a restaurant or dining establishment to have some hiccups –most don’t make it past the first couple of years and the reasons for this are are varied. I am sure Patrice will take the constructive comments posted into consideration when she begins her next business venture.
9. Patrice you are a pick yourself up by your bootstraps type of lady with a fierce intellect only matched by your tenacity and grace and I can’t wait to support your next venture.
I LOOOOOVED the Harlem Tea Room and went there at least once a month for “Ladies’ Tea” with women from my church for years, as well as blessed events (baby showers, graduation and birthday celebrations). It was my go-to place to bring a loved one for a special occasion or just to treat someone to a peaceful and tasty afternoon.
I found this blog when googling HTR in order to show a friend who just moved to NYC what it was like. I wanted to share my praise because it is truly heartfelt. I’m sorry some of y’all didn’t find what you were looking for, but there are hundreds of us who did.
Patrice was always an angel to us, and made special accommodations in advance whenever we needed. The rest of the staff was also exceptionally kind and down to earth. I also applaud Patrice for opening her doors to Harlem artists and musicians on a regular basis to showcase their talents and artwork. I still have a beloved winter cap (from a fabulous multi-generational Knitwear Fashion Show) and hand-made greeting cards that I treasure for my HTR days.
We did not go there for a quick bite and didn’t expect speedy service. We went to sit and relax and soak in the love that permeated the Tea Room. But I’m southern so waiting for something worth waiting for was never a problem for me. And we were never hurried out the door like many places seem to do. That was so refreshing, and much appreciated. We came and enjoyed our tea (Amor Paris is still my all-time favorite) and soup/sandwiches/scones and felt at home. We looked forward to each visit, and I was so sad when it closed. I still walk by where it used to be and remember HTR with much fondness.
Patrice, whenever you set up a new shop, I’ll gladly be first in line to be one of your patrons again. God bless you!