The Map Room Tea Lounge

Cool atmosphere in the old meets new Boston Public Library. It’s a modern twist on the Southern tea room experience. Bar makes cocktails which all include some flavor of tea. Experience is interesting. Could easily kill a bunch of time between here and the library cafe on a rainy day.

Chic but cozy atmosphere. Excellent staff shoutout to Alejandro who is amazing!. Drinks have clever literary-based names and are well-crafted. Small plates pictured offer a nice selection of both savory and sweet tea foods. Great stop in the city for casual afternoon drinks and a snack. One thing to be aware of if you're there around library closing time though is the fire alarm. That's your cue to finish your drink and go. If you're still there when it goes off the second time, you'll find out it's also accompanied by library security shouting for everyone to GTFO, which could be fun if you're looking to feel like you're caught in a Prohibition Era raid, but can otherwise be a bit disorienting if you're not expecting it.

A beautiful high tea experience. The food was delicious and honestly way more than I was expecting. The teas were tasty with a good variety. Cool vibe, edgier than your traditional high tea.

terrible service. we had to wait more than an hour. they don't take reservations in tea lounge, and don't write waiting names in the list. first they say come back after 30 minutes. when we came back, bunch of people were lined up, and they don't know what line they are in. no staff explaining, everybody just waiting and waiting. had to wait another 20 minutes till they seated first people in line. even the bar seats were less than quarter full all the time. they should get more staff or serve by reservation only.

Cozy space! 100% worth the visit for high tea, snacks, or more adult beverages. Loved the intimate atmosphere; great for couples or small friend groups. The library theme was tastefully done. The biweekly Friday fashion show from the next-door Courtyard Café also extends into this space, so plan accordingly if you want to catch it or not. One of the most reasonably priced afternoon tea options available.

Depends on which end you sit in; old-school pub vibe or high-res stylings. Regardless of where you are located, this is a pretty cool experience in the middle of the epic BPL. One of the menus is offered as a bookmark in a randomly selected book. Skim while you enjoy your treats! Fun, themed drink menu. I had a rum drink named The Mad Hatter that uses organic peppermint tea, along with fresh mint, lime & bitters. Yes, there are plenty of tea/tea service options, but I haven't tried them yet. A neighbor's finger food tray set looked tempting enough. Off the dessert menu, the lemon pound cake is light & tasty, then they piled on a generous fresh fruit assortment & some whipped cream.

I spotted this place on google maps and knew it would look gorgeous. A cavernous room full of maps and coffee? Sign me up! And it was great. Not packed even on a Saturday. We took our lattes to the courtyard and enjoyed some sun. If you’ve been walking around the library, it’s a good cafe to reflect on what you’ve seen and take a break. We didn’t eat at the restaurant, though. Only non dairy option is soy milk.

Beautiful tea and drinks experience at the Boston public Library. Totally recommend it!Dine in: Yes

I've always wanted to do afternoon tea, and when I heard about this place immediately added it to my list. The spread was fantastic: perfectly steeped tea, tasty savory tea sandwiches lobster was my favorite, scones, and oversized Petit fours loved the eggnog cheesecake. However - and this is a major however - the staff was not pleasant. When you overpay $48++pp for a special prix fixe experience you pay for just that. The experience. Yes the atmosphere is amazing and the food was great, but when you start this experience with a rude and snarky hostess, it's really not a good start. The highlight was when I wanted a menu while I was eating to see what I was eating and asked the hostess for a copy. She told me that copies of the menu were not for sale and not available to take home. It was almost surreal, it caught me so off guard . It could be that we were the only people of color in the entire room, but who knows. If you go, go for the bar menu. I wouldn't overpay for the tea menu again.

Wow! This was one of the most awesome places I've visited! Cool concept. Cute bites. Amazing drinks with interesting names. The decor is fabulous. Chic and cozy. The bartender was very courteous. Must stop for a drink!!