What's closing and how to book a last tea
The Plaza (768 Fifth Avenue) is closing. The hotel at Fifth Avenue and Central Park South will shut in January 2027 for an exterior restoration expected to take at least four years, according to Time Out and Euronews. NY1 reported that the last day of service is scheduled for January 19, while Luxury Travel Advisor reported that no firm day within the month had been set. Either way, this holiday season is the last chance for a while to have tea at the Palm Court, and no reopening date has been announced.
Here is what is closing, how to book a last afternoon tea, and the shops within a few blocks that make it a full day on Fifth Avenue and lower Madison Avenue.
What Is Closing, and What We Don't Know Yet
6sqft reported that the closure covers the hotel's event spaces and the Palm Court restaurant, and Time Out, citing The New York Times, reported that Palm Court and event-room staff said those venues would also close in January. The union representing the hotel's 378 workers says they have the right to return to their jobs when it reopens.
Some things are still unclear. Fairmont, which runs the hotel, has not said whether residents of the building's condominiums will need to leave during construction. None of the closing reports mentions the Plaza Food Hall on the lower level, and the hotel's own dining page lists only the Palm Court, in-room dining and the Champagne Bar. We could not confirm on an official page that the food hall is operating, so check before you plan a meal around it.
A Last Afternoon Tea at the Palm Court
The Palm Court (768 Fifth Avenue) is the hotel's restaurant for afternoon tea. The hotel's page says it is open daily for breakfast, afternoon tea, light fare and cocktails. Afternoon tea runs from 11am to 4pm in set seatings, the first at 11am and the last at 4pm.
Book it now. Reservations are taken on OpenTable or by phone at (212) 546-5300, and the Palm Court charges $75 per person for no-shows and for cancellations made within 72 hours, so only book a table you will use. The tea price is not posted on the hotel's page, so ask when you reserve. Through November 10, the Palm Court is also serving a limited High Society Tea tied to the TV series The Gilded Age.
If you can't get a tea table, the Palm Court also serves light fare from 5pm to 10pm, and its bar is open until 11:30pm. Breakfast reservations are currently held for hotel guests.
Shopping within five blocks
The Plaza sits at the top of the avenue's luxury run, so the shopping starts as soon as you step outside. Everything below is within about five blocks.
Bergdorf Goodman, Across 58th Street
Bergdorf Goodman (754 Fifth Avenue) is the department store directly south of the hotel. It is the only Bergdorf Goodman, with couture and ready-to-wear, accessories, bedding and housewares, and the menswear store has its own building. BG Restaurant inside serves high tea daily, which makes it the natural backup if the Palm Court is booked. Bergdorf's holiday windows are a reason to walk the block after dark; our Fifth Avenue holiday windows guide has what has been announced for 2026.
The GM Building: Apple and Moncler
Across Fifth from the Plaza, the GM Building plaza holds Apple Fifth Avenue (767 Fifth Avenue), Apple's underground store that is open 24 hours a day, every day. It is the one stop on this route you can visit after a late dinner. Genius Bar appointments, Vision Pro demos and Today at Apple sessions are booked through Apple.
In the same building, Moncler (767 Fifth Avenue) opened its largest store anywhere in September 2026. The main collection and the Genius line are on the ground floor, and the Grenoble ski and hiking gear is upstairs. With winter coming, it is worth a look even if you are only browsing.
Jewelers at 57th Street
Walk two blocks south to the corner of 57th Street. Tiffany & Co. The Landmark (727 Fifth Avenue) has been Tiffany's flagship since 1940 and reopened after a redesign in April 2023. It has engagement rings, a Patek Philippe salon, fine stationery and the Blue Box Café. It is open Monday to Saturday 10am to 8pm and Sunday 11am to 7pm, so it works for an evening stop after tea.
On the southwest corner, Mikimoto (Crown Building, Fifth Avenue at 57th Street) is the cultured-pearl jeweler. The company's founder invented the cultured pearl in Japan in 1893. It sits on the ground floor of the Art Deco Crown Building.
East to Madison Avenue
From the Plaza, walk one block east on 59th or 60th Street to reach the bottom of the Madison Avenue shopping strip. Montblanc (635 Madison Avenue), between 59th and 60th Streets is open daily and hosted scent and Pen to Paper events during the Madison Avenue BID's Fragrance Week. Celine (650 Madison Avenue) is a block north, in a store NYC Tourism has described as the label's largest. A few blocks farther, Hermès (706 Madison Avenue), between 62nd and 63rd Streets, is closed Sundays, so do it on a Saturday if it is on your list. Our Madison Avenue walk continues north from there.
Dinner, transit and a simple plan
Dinner Nearby
If tea at the Plaza is the afternoon, make dinner on the Upper East Side. Café Boulud (100 E. 63rd St.) is an Art Deco-styled French dining room in the MICHELIN Guide, a few blocks northeast of the hotel. For a bigger night, Daniel (60 E. 65th St.) is Daniel Boulud's formal French dining room, with multicourse menus, two blocks farther north.
Getting There
The 5 Av/59 St station (N, R, W) is at Fifth Avenue and 59th Street. The 57th Street station on Sixth Avenue and the 5 Av/53 St station are short walks. The F and M swapped routes in December 2025, so check the MTA map for the 53rd and 57th Street stops. The subway is the practical way in. If you want to stay in the area after the Plaza closes, our hotels guide lists places close to the shopping.
A Simple Plan
Book the earliest Palm Court seating you can get. After tea, cross 58th Street to Bergdorf Goodman, then walk south to Tiffany and Mikimoto at 57th Street. Loop back past Moncler and Apple at the GM Building, head east to Madison for Montblanc, Celine and Hermès, and end with dinner at Café Boulud. If you only have an hour, keep the tea and skip the shopping. The shops on this route are not closing; the Palm Court will be closed for at least four years. For the rest of the avenue, see our Fifth Avenue shopping walk.
