The Inn at Irving Place

The Inn at Irving Place - Reviews

10 October 2011

Top 2 reasons to stay at the hotel:

1. Lady Mendl’s Tearoom

   Women tend to enjoy afternoon tea as a chance to chat and have fun.  Men are always much less enthusiastic about tea.  But this tearoom is quite special with good attention paid to the ambience of the room, quality of food served, and wide variety of teas offered.  For those reasons, both my husband and I thoroughly enjoyed our time in Lady Mendl’s.  The wait staff was most attentive and well versed on the tea variations.  The room was quiet, cozy and relaxing – especially nice as we chose to have tea before heading to the airport and home.  This tea is a 5-course menu with two pots of tea served for each person.  The food is quite

   plentiful for a tea and has a nice variety, all made on premise.  The smoked salmon sandwiches are especially tasty (two rounds of all sandwiches are served).  The sconces are perhaps the best I’ve had anywhere, and the clotted cream was excellent.  The menu ends with a special layered cake (layers of crepes with cream filling), followed by an assortment of cookies and chocolate dipped strawberries.  All nicely done and well paced!   

2. The neighborhood

   This hotel is nestled in a quaint area near Gramercy Park.  The downtown hurry and bustle doesn’t happen here, so it’s much more relaxing.  It’s only a short walk to Greenwich Village and the shops and restaurants along the way.  There are numerous quaint (and family type) restaurants nearby.  In particular, one Italian restaurant around the corner is open late, has good food, unobtrusive service, soft jazz music playing in the background – and has been family-run for three generations.  Despite its distance from the shopping along Fifth Avenue, it’s possible to walk there if you’re so inclined.  We did on both days and, though a very long walk, it was never dull because we made numerous stops along the way, popping in and out of shops as we went.  

Overview: