Update: We went back to The Cauldron NYC only four months later, in late September 2023. I was shocked at how much changes they made to everything… The only thing they didn’t change was the decor. We could no longer choose which sandwich we wanted, and the portion was significantly smaller. The waitress was not attentive at all, and we were forced to howl like a wolf in order for the waitress to come to us. Service was super slow, we were left hungry and frustrated, and yet they automatically added 20% gratuity on our check. It was a pretty bad experience, very disappointed with their changes…
Original Post from our experience in May 2023:
We went to The Cauldron NYC in 2018 for The Cauldron Magical Cocktail Experience. It was so much fun! We were given a cape and a wand (just to borrow during the experience) to complete the mood. With all sorts of magical spells and the wand to create “potion” cocktails, it sure was memorable! This time, we went back for their Wizard Afternoon Tea ($59.99/adult) with friends. Up the stairs, the inside was still nicely decorated for the magical feel. This time, there was no cape, and we were given a wand per table during the afternoon tea. It seems like you can bring your own special magical want if you have it. Maybe the pandemic time has changed their policy.
We were excited to see the castle with a large dragon egg on top at each Fairy Castle. They had several different color variations, and we got the blue castle with purple-pink egg. How awesome is this? The reservation was made for “4 Magical Beings” at noon on Saturday. You could add cocktails and other drinks on top of what you normally get with the afternoon tea, but we thought what we received will be more than enough, so we opted out of any add-on.
Our table was set with a teapot, cute pink teacups, magical box, sand timers, magical potions, and few other things. The seating was a wooden bench, not individual chairs, so that makes it slightly harder to get in and out of your seat. With your Wizard Afternoon Tea, which is timed to 1 Hour & 45-minute experience, you get: 2 interactive teas brewed by magic wand, “Tea Sand-Witches”, Elven Scones, and Wizard Sweets.
Once of their Wizards took care of us, Wizard Griffin, and he was quite awesome. Informative, efficient, and fun. He told us how to open the red wooden box, called a Sorcerer’s Box, with a wand and a magic spell. I successfully casted a spell, I was able to unlock it, and there were some potions and tools to make all sorts of teas.
There were several glass containers, holding different tea leaves and such, a mortar and pestle, and tea bags. We were instructed to choose three bottles (up to three, it is all up to you), make them into a magical tea potion with mortar and pestle, and create our own tea.
Everyone chose something different, I went with Jasmine, Lemon & Ginger, and Breakfast Blend first. Just use a pinch of each ingredients, grind them slightly, and brew your tea!
Put our creation in a bag, and time to steep. Each one of us made a different tea, different colors and aromas. So much fun! and we decided to make different kinds of tea each time so that we can explore and try different magic potions.
We had a tea pot with hot water on a candle to keep it hot. Once we were done with the hot water, Wizard Griffin filled it with more hot water. Love getting unlimited amount of tea, all our own magical creations!
They had eight sandwiches plus more vegan/vegetarian sandwiches (additional cost) to choose from. We were told to choose Two Tea Sand-Witches per magical being. (LOL) I chose Smoked Salmon, and Egg Salad. My hubby went with Tomato, Pesto & Mozzarella, and Avocado Honey Butter. Our friends went with Cucumber & Cream Cheese, Ham & Cheddar Cheese, and 2 orders of BLT. Tomato, Pesto & Mozzarella, and Avocado Honey Butter were the most interesting and tasty of all the ones I tried. I didn’t have high expectations on their food, as this is more “experience” than anything, but the quality of the sandwiches were pretty good!
I heard that you can add more sand-witches for additional cost as well. But I will tell you, the amount you receive is pretty darn good! Everything, including scones and sweets were brought out at the same time, and our Wizard server placed them on the magical tower. How awesome do these look???
My smoked salmon was forgotten, so he had to go get the kitchen to make the sandwich. It took a bit for the sandwich to come out, and I must say, it was not impressive. The Smoked Salmon is made with Dill & Cream Cheese, and Onions, but it was so dry, with a small amount of salmon. And, we thought they also forgotten the cucumber one, but it was on the tower. The Cucumber & Cream Cheese sandwich was very small, like a regular finger sandwich. Compared to all the other large sandwiches, we felt it was so tiny…
Once everything was placed and all ready, Wizard Griffin also casted a spell on our tower for more magical and whimsical atmosphere. How fun! The Elven Scones were Cranberry Scones, with Clotted Cream and some jams. They were surprisingly good! Nice size, fluffy and airy, warm and fresh.
Wizard Sweets were French Macaroons and Assorted Sweet Treats. They were separated into four small dishes, placed on the tower. It was easy to just pick one per magical being (yes I like saying that). They were not the best sweets, but they were tasty. Some more delicious than the others. I liked how they were small bite-size portions, as we were getting full.
And it was time to cast another spell for our second type of tea. This time, my hubby successfully casted the magical spell at the bottom of the glass tea pot.
That made the Fairy Castle and the dragon egg on the top to light up. So much fun! Wizard Griffin told us to use the contents of three jars that were set aside to brew this tea. It was Rooibos, Lemongrass, and Butterfly Pea Tea. We brew the special tea in a glass tea pot, let is brew on the Fairy Castle under the spell.
Once the green hourglass finished, it was ready for more magic! The tea were poured into three different glass cups, the tea had beautiful dark purple color.
From here, we used their transfiguring serum to change the tea into even more magical tea. These serums will transform the tea.
My hubby was trusted with the serums, which might or might not have been a good idea (LOL). Wizard Griffin instructed us to pour about a half of the serum into each glass cup. He poured a bit too much serum in them, which we would pay for after with our taste buds (LOL!). We watched the transfiguration happening right in front of our eyes!
They did transform into different colors like magic, and we tried all three concoctions. As we were sharing the tea among the four of us, just a small amount. The flavor was…let’s say powerful. From my fun experience at Mad Hatter’s G&T Party, I learned that the Butterfly Pea syrup reacts to acid, like lemon juice. So, the serums are made with some acidic liquid like a lemon juice. The magical concoction was beautiful to look at, but not-so-beautiful to taste. I think the lemongrass tea and the lemon/citrus serum was a bit too much, and it came out too bitter. It sure was fun though!
We had such magical, whimsical, super fun time here at The Cauldron NYC. It was a big hit with our friends too. We were full, satisfied, and we laughed like crazy. The food was much better than I expected them to be, and creating our tea concoction was interesting. Our server, Wizard Griffin was awesome, it sure was a memorable afternoon tea! If you are looking for a magical, interactive afternoon tea, you might want to try The Wizard Afternoon Tea at The Cauldron NYC.
The Cauldron NYC – 47 Stone Street, New York, NY 10004