Russian Tea Room - NYC

Review summary

1. C

   Camille

   VIP

   New York City

   44 reviews

   4.0

   44 reviews

   Dined 1 day ago

   1. Overall 4
   2. Food 4
   3. Service 4
   4. Ambience 5

   This is my second time at the Russian Tea Room, this time with my husband who was a little reluctant to go to a tourist place for lunch. We live in Manhattan, after all! For me , it was iconic NYC. So, bear that in mind as your read this review. I ordered something "Russian". He ordered Eggs Benedict. My Chicken Kiev was very good but very small. Small, especially for $48. All around us were towers of cakes and cookies and small sandwiches. I prefer real food rather than cake, and who needs all that sugar? Think A1c. But the place is gorgeous! It's like eating in a private museum. Amazing paintings in lovely frames cover the walls. If nothing else, you should go for that. The decor is elegant. This is imperial Russia for sure. The owners are Ukranian so you don't have to think you are supporting Putin. And the food was good.
   

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2. j

   john

   New York City

   2 reviews

   3.0

   2 reviews

   Dined 2 days ago

   1. Overall 3
   2. Food 3
   3. Service 2
   4. Ambience 5

   History of the place is amazing. Great art and ambiance. Food was so-so. The quality doesn’t match the price. Service was lacking.
   

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3. R

   Ryan

   San Francisco

   1 review

   5.0

   1 review

   Dined 2 days ago

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   Definitely a bucket list event, I would recommend for anyone
   

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4. L

   Linda

   VIP

   New York City

   3 reviews

   5.0

   3 reviews

   Dined 2 days ago

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   Food delicious. Service could not be more gracious. I would put 10 stars if your rating scale allowed that.
   

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5. P

   Pamela

   New York City

   1 review

   5.0

   1 review

   Dined 3 days ago

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 4
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   Overall good service, food was delicious., however was extermerly disappointed by serving size of the wild mushroom stroganoff, could not have been more than a cup serving size- very over priced at $40!!! Extremely slow wait time for our entre almost over 1hr, was not offered any bread and butter had to ask for spoon for onion soup it was not not provided - would return to try the afternoon tea, not likely for dinner.
   

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6. R

   Robert

   New York City

   1 review

   1.0

   1 review

   Dined 3 days ago

   1. Overall 1
   2. Food 2
   3. Service 1
   4. Ambience 2

   A few crustless sandwiches and desserts accompanied by a pot of tea and half a glass of champagne were served by a pretentious waiter for $145 a person plus tips. The atmosphere was that of a busy railway station with waiters, cleaning staff and other workers briskly waiting around, talking loudly, but never refilling water or checking on the customers’s experience. The quality of food was poor and its authenticity non-existent.
   

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7. A

   Alison MJ

   Atlanta Metro

   14 reviews

   5.0

   14 reviews

   Dined 3 days ago

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 3
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   Dee is as wonderful! LOVED it!! Food was okay. Love her!
   

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8. R

   Rachel

   VIP

   San Francisco

   20 reviews

   5.0

   20 reviews

   Dined 3 days ago

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   We come often when in town - it’s a classic - and to be honest it’s never been about the food. So we weren’t expecting a lot in that area. But we were pleasantly surprised to find that our food was actually very good. I just got the caviar service, which is pretty consistently good, but my son got the duck and my husband got the sea bass and both were excellent. We also shared one of their RTR salads and it too was very good. Really happy we came.
   

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9. K

   Karen

   Houston

   1 review

   5.0

   1 review

   Dined 4 days ago

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   This was an amazing meal. Our waiter was great. Not only did he serve us the best meal ever, he took time to chat with us and give us the history of the restaurant!
   

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10. K

    Karen

    New York City

    2 reviews

    1.0

    2 reviews

    Dined 4 days ago

    1. Overall 1
    2. Food 1
    3. Service 1
    4. Ambience 3

    I had the worst restaurant experience I’ve ever had in Manhattan last night at the Russian Tea Room. I dine at many upscale restaurants. I knew RTR was a touristy and mediocre spot, but thought it would be fun to take the family for a pre-theater meal. The service was terrible and the response from management was non-existent. They simply did not care. The waiter asked if we had theater to get to, and my response was yes at 7:30 but given the time we should be ok. After appetizers, the waiter asked if we were ready for our entrees. We proceeded to wait 45 minutes before the entrees arrived. After about 25 minutes we started asking, since it was getting close to our theater time. After saying 3-4 times that the food was about to come out, I asked to speak to the manager. Still no food, and no manager appeared. We were getting ready to leave and grab a slice of pizza, when the food finally arrived. The two orders of Beef Wellington arrived way too rare – almost uncooked. They offered to put it back in, but we were out of time. The four of us shared the two dishes which did come. All of the food was mediocre. As we wolfed down the two dishes, and were getting ready to pay, the waiter asked if we would like dessert on the house. This was the biggest insult as the offer was completely disingenuous. They knew we couldn’t possibly stay for dessert. Never again. Don’t waste your money on this overpriced terrible experience with staff that simply does not care.
    

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