Prince Tea House is a splendid place to sip & savor

Happy Monday, Capital Region! Today, we’re taking you to Prince Tea House in Colonie for an afternoon of tea & oh-so-pretty cakes. Plus, we’ve got loads of events leading up to Mother’s Day and the Albany Tulip Festival this weekend 🌷🌷

—Phat X. Chiem & Karley Sullivan

Prince Tea House is a delightful afternoon of sipping & savoring

Prince Tea House is a very pretty restaurant. 

It seems to have popped up on the scene ready made for your social media feed. When we visited recently, pretty much every table had their phones out shooting Reels or TikToks, including us. 

This regional franchise chain already has numerous locations in NYC, Philly and Jersey, so they’ve got the formula down pat. Reborn out of the former Hong Kong Bakery & Bistro space on Wolf Road, the new location in Colonie oozes with charm that’s just shy of being overly precious. 

The decor is tastefully done in neutral beige and white tones with pops of Prussian blue. The mini-chandeliers are adorable, and so are the comfy booths with cute pillows. Laid back and sophisticated at the same time, this would be the perfect place for Mother’s Day brunch—if they haven’t been booked for weeks now.

Fortunately, Prince Tea House tastes as good as it looks.

Although we didn’t go for the afternoon tea service ($65 for two), we did order a wide assortment of items à la carte. Of course, they have an extensive menu of high-quality, loose leaf tea—black, white, green, and herbal infusions. We opted for a fun one: a pot of the Prince Passion fruit tea with passion fruit, peach and mango ($11). It was very fruity but not too sweet.

For our mains, we chose the beef sukiyaki sandwich ($14)—marinated sliced beef, sauteed onions, lettuce and crispy onion—and cod & chips with twister fries ($15). Although the portions aren’t huge, both dishes were really well done. The onions perfectly complemented the juicy beef. And the cod was light and crispy.

The desserts are really the main shows here. Phat’s 14-year-old and 11-year-old were agog by the assortment of beautiful cakes, parfaits and puddings. After much deliberation, we chose the strawberry shortcake parfait ($11) and the brown sugar boba mille crepes cake ($12). Both were totally delicious and delightful, light and not overly sweet.

The service was warm and attentive, and the vibes were 10/10. Simone, the 11-year-old, did leave one suggestion for the restaurant: Ditch the fake flowers. Haha, if you’ve seen our Airbnb in Albany, you’ll know this is on brand for the Chiem household.

The deets: Prince Tea House, 8 Wolf Road, Colonie. Afternoon tea for one ($35); two ($65), and three ($98). Pots of tea and desserts ($11-$13 each). Appetizers ($9-$12) and entrees ($13-$18). Full menu here. Pro tip: Reservations highly recommended, especially on the weekends.

Get out your rain boots and prepare for a deluge—it’s gonna be a wet week ahead. Hang in there and stay hydrated for a weekend of plump blooms at the Albany Tulip Fest!

A word from our sponsor

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Get $10 off tix with promo code: THE518 🙌 

🎨 Cultural institutions throughout the Capital Region are feeling the impact of massive cuts planned for the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Institute of Museum and Library Services, with the termination of at least 1,200 grants. But nonprofit leaders remain defiant. “We’re not going down, we’re staying here, and we’re going to keep going,” says Mary Liz Stewart, co-founder of the Underground Railroad Education Center. [Times Union]

🎭️ May brings a vibrant mix of theater to the region, including comedies, musicals, and dramas. Highlights include the world premiere of Rosie is Red Everyone Else is Blue at theREP, classic musicals Oklahoma and Pippin, and powerful dramas such as Things I Know To Be True, Mary Jane, and The Elephant Man. Bob Goepfert picks this month’s best bets. [WAMC]

🔉 EMPAC at RPI, known for its experimental sound and music, continues to push boundaries with innovative performances. Its spring season concludes this Friday with the world premiere of Ontopoiesis, a commissioned work blending experimental music theater and multimedia. Looking ahead, EMPAC aims to deepen its integration with the broader community. [Nippertown]

Built in 1870, this elegant 3 bed, 2 bath village home in Nassau has the well-crafted details to prove it. Swoon over the wraparound porch, double parlor rooms, French doors and colonnades, butler’s pantry, and stunning staircase. Bonus points for the abundance of natural light that streams through the seven original stained-glass windows. Double brownie points for the excellent public schools in the area!

Lush perennial gardens encircle the home, and the sunny half-acre lot extends well beyond the garage. Don’t miss the fenced-in organic garden area, level 2 EV charger and one-block proximity to the Empire State Trail.

The deets: 3 bd, 2 ba, 2072 sf. Asking: $324,900. Days on market: 3. See the full listing here. 

Our full weekend roundup publishes on Thursday! Keep an eye on your inbox.

🌷 The 2025 Albany Tulip Festival is one of the biggest festivals of the year—and a perfect date with that special mom in your life.

🍄 This week, Collar City Mushrooms and Indian Ladder Farms host the Foraged NY festival. Exclusively for our subscribers: Get 25% off the May 10th performance with Sean Rowe (does not include the VIP dinner). Use promo code: readthe518foraged 🥳 

🥕 On Wednesday, the Vegetable Project invites you to An Evening in the Garden.

👏 Also Wednesday, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah celebrate the 20th anniversary of their debut album (really, 20 years?!) by performing it in its entirety at The Egg.

🎻 On Thursday, join the Albany Symphony for an album release + listening party at Hippo’s. Michael Daugherty, a much-loved composer and collaborator with the Albany Symphony, is releasing Blue Electra.

🎬️ Also Thursday, Proctors screens Dario Argento’s Phenomena (1985), a very weird but whimsical film about a girl who communicates with insects.

🖼️ On Friday, Opalka Gallery hosts its regular PechaKucha night. What’s a PechaKucha? It’s a slideshow of 20 images, with 20 seconds devoted to each slide. This evening, Phat will be one of the speakers!

🎥 Also Friday, Movie Under the Stars opens for the season in Washington Park with the hit flick, “Wicked.”

🏎️ On Saturday, the Saratoga Automobile Museum puts on its 2025 Spring Auto Show.

🎸 Also Saturday, The Music Experience tells the stories behind 16 of the most iconic rock songs with stunning visuals and live performances. Use promo code THE518 for $10 off tickets!

🏡 View some of the most architecturally significant private homes and buildings in Saratoga as part of the 2025 Saratoga Springs Preservation Foundation Historic Homes Tour.

💀 On Saturday, Albany Twilight Market returns to Quackenbush Square for its first market of the season. This year, there will be an official afterparty following each market. This week, it’s happening at the Larkin Hi-Fi.

🌱 Also Saturday, the Delmar Farmers Market invites kids to put together a Mother's Day seedling pot for their mamas. Starts at 10a—while supplies last!

🌸 For Mother’s Day, DeFazio’s will be serving a delightful brunch at Indian Ladder Farms, with seatings from 10a-2p.

👗 This weekend, Hudson Depot at Basilica welcomes back the Spring Farm & Flea with new vendors and all the cool finds.

🖼️ Currently on view: Outcasts: Mary Banning’s World of Mushrooms | NYSM Art+Design BFA Exhibit | Opalka Gallery 2025 MFA Thesis Exhibition | UAlbany Art Museum (opening reception this Friday!)

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