MenuPages

I ate here last night and was anticipating the meal. While the wait staff was cordial and accommodating; the wine list was wonderful - the food was fair at best. The portions was small and the tables are crowded together and intimate conversation is impossible. This restaurant is definitely a tourist trap and I will not be going back.

I took my parents to the tea room, and was a little nervous after reading a bad review about the wine list and service, but we had a fantastic dinner. The food especially the beef stroganoff was very good, the wine list was extensive, and the sommelier was lovely. He acknowledged there had been "issues" previously but he made it a point that every wine on the list had to be in stock or the list had to be reprinted. We had a decent rioja, their "special" wine, for a very reasonable $40. My one disappointment was the chocolate fondue, which had very little substance, but everything else was perfect. And we asked to see the famous bear aquarium, and although that floor was closed, a very kind host took us upstairs and turned on all the lights for our viewing. Overall, it was a fabulous evening.

Went for brunch. Bottom Line: don't waste your time and money here. The food is expensive and barely passable, and the decor is heinous. While the service was actually pretty good, the unimpressive food, cheesy venue, and outrageous cost underscore their intent to take advantage of ignorant tourists...and remind me to stay downtown to eat. I hope, for their sake, that dinner is better, but I doubt it based on their brunch performance.

My husband and I took our son, his significant other, and two teenage grandsons to the Russian Tea Room for Christmas Dinner this year, and we were very pleased. The wait staff was very cordial and attentive even though the restaurant was full. They went out of their way to help our grandsons find substitutes for the meat courses, indicating which would be more filling. We found the servings to be appropriate considering the number of courses to the meal, and the presentation was very inviting. We would recommend this restaurant to anyone looking for a special treat.

My sister was visiting me from out of town, so I decided to show her the infamous glass bear at this NYC institution. We'd asked her concierge to make a reservation for us on the second floor because that's where the glass bear is located and the RT confirmed that reservation, but when we arrived we were seated on the first floor and told that there was a private party on the second floor. Later (as in one hour later at 9:00 p.m.), we were the ONLY people left in the entire restaurant (which in my opinion speaks volumes about the RT. what sort of NYC restaurant has only two diners left at 9:00 p.m.) and it was obvious that there was no party on the second floor, so I asked if they would please show us the glass bear (seriously, that is the only reason I chose the RT). This time they said that the second floor was locked and that no one had the key and that we must have misunderstood earlier. So, the meal was mediocre at best, especially for a NYC institution and with institution prices to match. I know that the RT was once wonderful, but those days are long gone. From what I can tell, they are now solely reliant on tourists. Whatever their current customer base, the RT should be treating it’s customers with friendliness and respect.

Was here last night and disappointed. Very expensive even for Manhattan, with miniscule portions. Biggest complaint : wine list. 3 of our rquests could not be fulfilled & the wine we were finally convinced to buy turned out to be MUCH more expensive than the wines we had requested - the old bait-and-switch. Would not recommend there are better food values out there

I recently dined at the Tea Room. At first, the many empty seats were a surprise given this restaurant's famed history. After the spotty service and food, it was quite understandable. Some of the wait staff were ignorant of their own menu. They couldn't identify the ingredients in certain dishes. The wait time between courses was too long considering that the restaurant was nearly empty. The ution of the dishes were at best mediocre. The decor is quite opulent but an overkill of red which makes it appear tacky.