Tea on the Upper West Side

(Updated October 23rd, 2021)

I am not a coffee drinker, which is a slap in the face to many. *gasp* I have nothing against the taste, as I love a good scoop of coffee ice cream, and I find the aroma absolutely intoxicating. That being said, caffeine and I are not always simpatico, and the caffeine in coffee affects my nerves in the worst way. One day, many years ago, I was exhausted. A friend suggested I take a little of her cold brew to perk me up. “The taste is smoother than when it’s traditionally brewed, I think you’ll like it!” I consumed roughly 3 or 4 ounces of it and had to take a 1/2 milligram of Xanax because my heart felt as though it was going to beat out of my chest. (Kind of like how I felt a few nights ago on Election Night…)

So, I stick with tea. Ha!

Many of my previous neighborhoods uptown have had wonderful local spots to buy tea – Cafe Buunni will long hold a very special place in my heart, as I still remember the day its Pinehurst Avenue location opened! – but I am always on the search for my tea spots on the Upper West Side. Some places are dedicated to tea, while others are coffee shops with great tea options.

And for the sake of of this post, I am extending the Upper West Side up through Morningside Heights, as there are so great tea options between West 110th and up through West 125th. (Neighborhood purists, come at me. Ha!) Many of these locations offer black teas, green teas, chai, matcha, or other specialty teas, either hot or iced; please click on business links for more details.

Tea on the Upper West Side

Coffee Shops, Cafés, & Dessert Shops with Tea on the Upper West Side

• – Birch Coffee
  • 750 Columbus Avenue
• – Blu Café
  • 120 Riverside Boulevard
• – Blue Bottle Coffee
  • 279 Amsterdam Avenue
  • 2901 Broadway
• – Blue Marble Ice Cream
  • 2578 Broadway
• – Bluestone Lane
  • 417 Amsterdam Avenue
• – Daily Provisions
  • 371 Amsterdam Avenue
• – Demitasse Coffee & Tea
  • 973 Columbus Avenue
• – Filicori Zecchini
  • 2541 Broadway
• – Gertrude
  • 204 West 96th Street
• – The Hungarian Pastry Shop
  • 1030 Amsterdam Avenue
• – Irving Farm
  • 224 West 79th Street
• – Joe Coffee
  • 271 Amsterdam Avenue
  • 187 Columbus Avenue
  • 514 Columbus Avenue
  • 550 West 120th Street (Inside Columbia University)
• – Kuro Kuma
  • 121 LaSalle Street
  • – Maman
  • 429 Amsterdam Avenue
• – Oren’s Daily Roast
  • 2882 Broadway
• – Orwasher’s
  • 440 Amsterdam Avenue
• – Peaky Barista
• 667 Columbus Avenue
  • 2860 Broadway
• – Plantshed Café
  • 555 Columbus Avenue
  • 723 Amsterdam Avenue
• – Plowshare Coffee Roasters
  • 2730 Broadway
• – Sensuous Bean
  • 66 West 70th Street
• – Silver Moon Bakery
  • 2740 Broadway
  • – Zai’s Dessertery
  • 470 Amsterdam Avenue

Tea Shops on the Upper West Side

• – Alice’s Tea Cup
  • 102 West 73rd Street
• – Chalait Matcha Bar
  • 461 Amsterdam Avenue
• – Culture Tea Bar
  • 3111 Broadway

Bubble Tea on the Upper West Side

• – CoCoFresh Tea & Juice
  • 124 West 72nd Street
• – Culture Tea Bar
  • 3111 Broadway
• – Gong Cha
  • 2810 Broadway
• – Kung Fu Tea
  • 2851 Broadway
• – Mellow Tea
  • 1268 Amsterdam Avenue
• – Shiny Tea
  • 2667 Broadway
• – Tea Magic
  • 2878 Broadway

Anything I missed? Be sure to leave a comment so I can check it out and add it to the list!