Afternoon tea outdoors is rare in New York City, but Ladurée Soho offers a charming garden setting for tea. Below is a clear, updated review of the tea service—from finger sandwiches to sweets—based on recent visits.
Ladurée Soho
Known for its signature macarons, Ladurée operates two New York City locations (Soho and the Upper East Side) plus several retail kiosks in malls. The Soho outpost includes a pastry counter and an attached restaurant with outdoor garden seating, where a full menu is available beyond pastries and macarons.
Note from Jee
I’ve visited Ladurée Soho several times and want to highlight two practical points. First, outdoor garden seating behind the host stand requires a minimum spend per person: $25 Monday–Thursday and $35 Friday–Sunday. Front tables across from the pastry counter do not have full table service—staff will deliver food and drinks after you pay at the counter. Second, the menu leans heavily toward sweets, so keep that in mind when you go.
Reservations
Reservations are handled through Resy; the restaurant does not accept phone reservations reliably. You can try walking in for afternoon tea since the space operates as a restaurant, but availability is not guaranteed.
Dress Code
There is no formal dress code, but smart casual attire is a good choice for afternoon tea—look put together and feel free to dress up.
Afternoon Tea Hours
Afternoon tea is served daily from 4 PM to 6 PM, with the last reservation at 5 PM.
How Afternoon Tea Works at Ladurée Soho
The afternoon tea is a set menu delivered as a three-tiered tray; you do not choose individual items from the food offerings. You will, however, choose a beverage. The server will ask for your drink preferences and provide a QR code with the drink menu to scan at the table. The food is brought out alongside the drinks.
Ladurée Soho Afternoon Tea Menu
Currently there are two set teas on the menu:
Ladurée Teatime
$70 per person
2 finger sandwiches
2 scones
4 savory tartlets
1 pastry, 2 macarons, 2 Eugénie (cookie)
1 coffee, tea or hot chocolate
1 mocktail
1 box of 3 macarons to take home
Teatime for Kids
$39 per kid
2 finger sandwiches
2 savory tartlets
1 pastry, 1 macaron, 1 Eugénie (cookie), 2 marshmallows
1 hot chocolate
Menu items and prices can change, so check at the time of booking.
Ladurée Soho Setting: ★★★★☆
The Soho location offers both indoor and outdoor seating. On a pleasant day, the garden makes for a delightful setting. The decor is understated but consistent with Ladurée’s aesthetic—tables and chairs in the signature pale green, and comfortable lightly padded metal chairs. If seated near plants, expect occasional flies and bees; seating toward the middle of the restaurant reduces that issue.
Service: ★★☆☆☆
Staff are courteous but explanations about how the set menu works were limited. The printed menu lists several pastries, yet diners are not asked to choose among them, which can be confusing. A frequent frustration is the difficulty reaching the restaurant by phone—calls often go unanswered, which undermines customer service.
Tea and Tea Selection: ★★★★☆
The tea selection includes several traditional options; I chose Darjeeling. You can also select coffee or hot chocolate, and there are a couple of herbal choices. While not exhaustive, the selection is sufficient to find something enjoyable. Teas are steeped and strained in the kitchen and served without loose leaves or bags in the pot, so oversteeping is avoided. A mocktail is included with the set; on my visit it was a light sparkling raspberry beverage.
Savories: ★★★☆☆
The savory items were flavorful, though not all were easy to eat neatly. The smoked salmon sandwich was straightforward, but the chopped cucumber sandwich tended to shed pieces while eating. Each guest receives two finger sandwiches, and the kitchen brings an assortment rather than individually plated portions, which can make sharing ambiguous. An extra sandwich per person would make the savory portion feel more substantial alongside the many sweets.
Ladurée Scones
During an earlier visit scones were not served, but the menu now includes them.
Sweets: ★★★☆☆
Macarons crown the top tier of the stand. Expect classic and seasonal flavors; I tried a green macaron that turned out to be lime basil rather than pistachio. Each guest also receives a full-size pastry and marshmallow squares. While the pastries are delicious and true to Ladurée’s reputation, the portion sizes lean large for an afternoon tea, creating a sweets-heavy experience rather than a selection of small bite-sized confections. Many items were messy to eat but flavorful; the marshmallows were a personal highlight.
Ladurée Overall: ★★★☆☆
Ladurée Soho earns a solid three stars overall. The positives: a charming outdoor garden—one of the few in Manhattan that serves afternoon tea—and excellent pastries and macarons. The drawbacks: heavy emphasis on sweets, limited savory portions, occasional service confusion, and unreliable phone contact. For a more balanced experience, consider visiting for a relaxed lunch in the garden rather than the pricier afternoon tea set.
Location:
Ladurée Soho
298 West Broadway
New York, NY 10012
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