I went to Bergdorf Goodman's tea room once frequented by Meghan Markle. It was fancier than afternoon tea at Kensington Palace.
Talia Lakritz
- I had tea at Bergdorf Goodman in New York City, where Meghan Markle used to meet friends.
- The beautifully decorated BG Restaurant had gorgeous views and a great tea selection.
In the Netflix docuseries "Harry & Meghan," Meghan Markle's "Suits" costar Abigail Spencer said the two would often meet for tea at Bergdorf Goodman in New York City.
"It was 2016, Meghan and I met up in New York,'" Spencer said in the docuseries, which premiered in December. "We really enjoyed going to have tea and champagne at Bergdorf Goodman. We'd be like, 'Let's meet at the tea room at Bergdorfs.'"
It was there that Meghan first confessed to Spencer that she was in love with Prince Harry.
"I could just feel everything in her body vibrating," Spencer said. "We have a photo from that moment. I was screaming because I could tell it was different ... It was very clear from the moment she told me about him that they were in love and they were going to go to the ends of the earth to be together."
Meghan was also a fan of the Italian restaurant Rubirosa in the Manhattan neighborhood of Nolita, which she called her "holy grail of pizza" on her now-defunct blog, The Tig.
I visited Bergdorf Goodman's BG Restaurant in Midtown Manhattan to check out one of Meghan's favorite spots.
Located opposite Central Park on the corner of Fifth Avenue and 58th Street, Bergdorf Goodman features three restaurants. BG Restaurant serves lunch and afternoon tea; Palette serves lunch, brunch, and drinks, and offers a plant-based menu; and Goodman's Bar serves cocktails and light refreshments.
Upon walking into the luxury department store, I was greeted by chic displays of designer accessories.
Bergdorf Goodman was built on the site of a mansion that belonged to railroad tycoon Cornelius Vanderbilt.
During the Gilded Age in the late 1800s, Vanderbilt was the richest man in America with a net worth of $100 million (around $200 billion today), more money than the US Treasury had at the time.
BG Restaurant is located on the seventh floor of the women's store at 754 5th Avenue.
Bergdorf Goodman's women's store spans eight floors, while the men's store across the street has three floors.
At 4 p.m. on a Wednesday afternoon, the space was bustling with patrons.
Even with a reservation, it took a few minutes for a member of the waitstaff to check me in and another short wait to be seated because of how busy it was.
BG Restaurant's art-deco stylings included geometric patterns on the walls and brass furnishings.
The bar served an assortment of mixed drinks in a lounge area, with tables for lunch and afternoon tea in an adjoining room.
Even the ceilings were beautifully decorated with sunburst light fixtures and more geometric designs.
The walls in this back room, which wasn't being used for lunch and afternoon tea, featured mirrored tiles in various shapes — both classic art deco characteristics.
The restaurant offered breathtaking views of Midtown Manhattan and Central Park.
The window sills also featured bouquets of fresh flowers.
A waiter showed me to my table, which was set with monogrammed "BG" teacups and what looked like hand-blown water glasses.
I was offered a choice of tap or sparkling water while I perused the menu.
Some tables featured chairs that looked more like thrones than restaurant seats.
I could definitely picture Meghan sitting in a corner of the restaurant, discussing her latest date with Prince Harry with her "Suits" costar.
Full afternoon tea service costs $75 per person. I opted for a cheaper version by ordering two types of tea and a dessert, totaling $41.84, including tax and tip.
The waiter said I needed to order something from the lunch menu in order to sit in the tea room. Meghan's friend Abigail Spencer didn't share their order in the "Harry & Meghan" docuseries, but I opted for tea and one of the menu's elegant desserts.
BG Restaurant's Nuit D'été tea featured hibiscus, dried apple, raspberry, and strawberry flavors.
The tea came in a small teapot with an infuser that housed the loose-leaf blend.
I also ordered Nuit à Versailles, a green-tea base with kiwi, yellow peach, and orange blossom.
The waiter also provided small jars of honey. Each cup of tea cost $8.
I chose a $16 trio of mango, raspberry, and lemon sorbets with fresh berries from the dessert menu.
The sorbets were smooth and refreshing, and the fresh berries at the bottom soaked up a mix of all three flavors.
I had afternoon tea at Kensington Palace when I visited London in January. In my experience, BG Restaurant was even fancier.
When you have afternoon tea, a quintessentially British pastime, it can be a posh experience. However, at Kensington Palace, afternoon tea was served at the Kensington Palace Pavilion, an event space in the gardens that I found surprisingly plain and informal given the location.
While it was cheaper than Bergdorf Goodman's $75 full afternoon tea service at £42 per person (about $51.66), the setting wasn't nearly as posh in my opinion. It had unadorned walls, minimal views of the grounds, and light fixtures that looked like the ones in the lobby of my New York City apartment.
I can see why Meghan was a fan of Bergdorf Goodman's tea room.
The art-deco interiors, stunning New York City views, and delicious menu items make this spot a fitting destination for a duchess.
Popular Right Now
Popular Keywords
Advertisement