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I'm probably not a typical tea person but my girlfriend of three years wanted to have tea in the city after we booked a trip to London, where I spent a summer a long time ago. We walked around to various places, and ended up at Podunk, first because Tea and Sympathy was so crowded for brunch, and second because Alice's Tea is too far away and a little, well, fey. The ten tables or so were mostly filled, so we squeezed into a bench by the cash register, and watched all of humanity go by. Neighbors came in for scones and cupcakes, the UPS man scored some chocolate chip cookies--very friendly. We ordered a rustic tea for two, less than 20 bucks each. While we waited other people paid for their tea or ordered and it was lively and sort of fun, because I remember tea rooms as being kind of hushed and serious. We were comfortable, happy with the food, and pleased by the unexpected people-watching opportunity. The woman at the counter, though always in motion, is the queen of comebacks and snappy lines. I can see how people might read her differently, but I was charmed. Our plates of food were eyefilling and stomach-filling, with savory cheese and warm bread, special dipping sauces, olives and veggies, and tea, and cookies. We'll go back soon.

$23.90 for two mini scones and two pots of tea, they were not even fancy teas; a plain herbal tea and a chai! Ouch. A beautiful quaint madly overpriced tea house...

Podunk is the best little tea shop in the whole world. I have never written a review for any restaurant before and didn't want to really write one for this either (mostly because I don't want my favorite tea place run over by horrible EVillage tourists) but I feel like this place deserves every little bit of credit it can get. Elsabeth, who runs the place, makes everything from scratch and bakes her goodies daily. The scones and pies are to die forso fresh and moist, you could be in Scotland for cream tea and scones. I can't believe the people who complain about the price, especially considering that they would think nothing of dropping $50 on sub-par food at crappy restaurants in the neighborhood. Maybe its a cultural thingPodunk is a place you should go to have "high tea"where you go to socialize with friends over a nice pot of perfectly brewed Orange Pekoe as you nibble on delicious snacks, not some sleazy American cafe chain where you get a mini diaper filled with half dead tea leaves floating in luke warm water in a styrofoam cup. All in allif you know good tea and if you know the traditions of high tea make haste and go to Podunkyou wont be disappointed!

My mother and I visited Podunk for the first time on a late Friday afternoon. It was quite chilly outside, so it was a nice stop for a bit of late lunch and tea. The atmosphere is the best part...With mismatched chairs & tables, old ice skates hanging on the wall, vintage bookshelves, I feel like I'm sipping tea with some characters out of "Little Women", only in a more relaxed, funkier place. The space is light, airy, bright, with lots of natural light coming in from the window. This is not Alice's Tea Cup, where there are long lines, chaos, and lots of food on the menu. This is more mom & pop. You find a seat, plop down, and then go up to the counter to place your order. When your order is ready, the woman who owns the place will call you up to retrieve your goodies. I know a lot of people say they were yelled at by this woman, and people vow to never return. However, she was incredibly nice. It was only when the woman sitting behind me began to talk ridiculously loudly on her cell phone, that the owner walked towards the counter and gave her a threatening glare, before the loud cell-phone talker finally walked outside to continue her conversation. I can understand how it must be difficult for the owner to deal with people like this all day, every day..especially since she put in the effort to post a sign, asking people not to speak on cell phones when inside her establishment. I think this rule is great when visiting tea shops..I go there to relax, to study, to read a book, and to enjoy the quiet. I would definitely go back. The only issue I had was that there doesn't seem to be many lunch/ sandwich selections. At least not vegetarian options. The cucumber sandwiches were good - but it is just cucumbers with butter. I do wish they would add a hummus sandwich. The tea was probably the best tea I've ever tasted (and I've been to many, many tea shops around NYC). You should try it..Toasted Green Vanilla. Perhaps it is because all of their tea is loose-leaf tea, and I'm so used to drinking tea made with tea bags. Whatever it was, this tea was so fresh, so tasty, we had 2 pots..and still craved a 3rd as we walked out the door. And ah, the scones. So delicious.. The owner had made many varieties, and we tried almost every single one. The plain is delicious, but try the coconut-apricot. Yummy! Plus, there was also a big layout of other tasty goods.. homemade cookies, focaccia breads, cakes...

There are many teashops in the city these days, but this is the nicest. It's a really lovely room with an extraordinarily peaceful atmosphere . The prices seem high only until you see the huge and perfectly-presented trays of great food that are actually very good value. Of course, the tea is excellent, too.

The tea here is good, and so are the scones. However, compared to other area teashops like TeaNY, it's a bit pricey, esp if you want food. If you just want a pot of tea and some quiet atmosphere, this is a good place for you. The chocolate mint tea is terrific, as well as the verbena rose. Be aware: there is no bathroom!