The Palm Court inside the infamous New York City Plaza Hotel has been a destination in its own right for more than 100 years. Tucked inside the historic midtown hotel overlooking southern Central Park, the Palm Court has not only mastered Afternoon Tea — it stands as a shining beacon for how luxury is served. Relaunched in 2013 to include a grand bar, a new and revised menu, and tea by Palais des Thés, the masterfully re-engineered structure, helmed by Thierry Despont, celebrates the Court’s vintage 1907 design while adding a thoughtful modern flare to the building. Seated at the heart of the restaurant is a stained-glass dome, very much reminiscent of the room’s original fixture. And, according to an editorial by CDCLifestyle.com, “the Palm Court at the Plaza is the location where the grand tales of royalty are set.” It’s “the place” where royals and celebrities relax, “the establishment where history continues to be written and re-written,” adding that the “the Palm Court is the heartbeat of The Plaza.”

They’re not wrong.

Tea at the Palm Court is a lavish, sophisticated affair. Its signature Afternoon Tea is served daily between 12 and 5 p.m. The menu boasts the signature Hemingway Daiquiri (which was created for Ernest Hemingway at the El Floridita Bar in Havana, Cuba) and the Leche Dulche, made for two people. Tea is served three ways: the New Yorker Tea, the Champagne Tea, and the Children’s Eloise Tea. Eloise is served 7 a.m. until 1 p.m. and on Sundays from 11 a.m. until 6 p.m.

The Palm Court has been home over the years to a number of celebrities, political dignitaries, artists, musicians, and international figures, like John F. Kennedy and his wife Jacqueline, Frank Sinatra, Truman Capote, The Beatles, Marilyn Monroe, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Nacho Figueras (who is a Ralph Lauren Ambassador), Princess Eugenie of York, Sacha Baron Cohen and his wife Isla Fisher, Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert Redford, Madonna, Daniel Day Lewis, and thousands more.

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