If you are an Anglophile, a home-sick expat or simply a fan of afternoon tea, there is only one place for you in New York City — Tea and Sympathy, a quaint little tea shop that looks as if it has been plucked from an ancient village in England and dropped down in the middle of Greenwich Village, New York.

Ten tables, adorned with floral oilcloth tablecloths, are squeezed together in the one-room shop, seating no more than 24 at any one time. Rows of eclectic teapots decorated with clocks, castles or even Henry VIII line the shelves behind the trompe l’oeil bookshelf counter. Good old fashioned delicate porcelain teacups and saucers wait to be conveyed to the tables. Mouth-watering frosted cakes and cupcakes sit primly under glass bells, tempting you to have a slice. The tea and dessert specials of the day are scrawled on a small chalkboard.

British memorabilia cover the walls– pictures of the Queen and Princess Diana; a poster of cockney rhyming slang, porcelain bulldogs. At Christmas the green garlands festoon the tin ceiling with garlands, tiny lights, and ornaments, creating a festive and welcoming atmosphere.

Outside the door are two wooden benches to accommodate those customers who are waiting for friends. As the rules on the door clearly outline, you will only be seated when your entire party is present, no reservations and NO exceptions, irrespective of the weather. On weekends, the line can be long, as people patiently wait their turn, but you can always call before you go to get an idea of how long the wait might be.

Presiding over the tea shop, opened 20 years ago today, is Nicky Perry, a Londoner with a sharp Cockney wit and a hand of steel, capable of throwing a customer out if the person cops an attitude or is rude to her “girls.” (The rules posted on the door are very clear about the need to be nice to the staff!!!)

In addition to the tea shop, Nicky and her husband, Sean, own the adjacent Carry On Tea and Sympathy Shop with its red Telephone booth entrance. Inside you will find all manner of English products from Bovril to Weetabix, Christmas crackers and mince pies, as well as Union Jack tea cozies and T-shirts. You can even pick up a quarter pound of Sherbet lemons, the candy made famous in the Harry Potter books. A London cab, parked outside the restaurant, adds to the feeling that you have been transported across the sea to Merry Olde England.

To add to the feeling, next door is a fish and chips shop, A Salt and Battery, where you can eat-in on the white counter or take your cod and haddock home wrapped in a page of a newspaper.

To truly experience Tea and Sympathy, you have to go often and at different hours of the day. Breakfast is only served on Saturdays and Sundays but there is nowhere else in New York to savor an authentic Full Monty Breakfast complete with creamy scrambled eggs, crisp bacon, plump sausages, grilled tomatoes, mushrooms, baked beans and thick slices of toast to be slathered with butter and jam. It is guaranteed to leave you in a lovely stupor all day.

Feel like having lunch or dinner? Try the traditional Sunday special of roast beef and Yorkshire pudding or pub food like bangers and mash, crusty chicken and leek pie or shepherd’s pie accompanied by a heap of steaming yellow mashed potatoes and green peas — comfort food at its best.

But the piece de resistance is the afternoon tea — not the fancy, pretentious event that the pundits say is fashionable again but the down-to-earth tea you would have in your grandmother’s sitting room, had she been English. Choose from one of the two dozen flavors of tea. This is the real thing, every variety housed in its own container. There are no plastic sachets of tea dust in sight. The tea is put directly into a pot and covered with boiling water before being served.

As you wait for your tea to steep, a three-tiered stand arrives. On the bottom plate are mountains of delicate finger sandwiches with the crust cut off the bread. Cucumber and cream cheese…smoked salmon …. egg salad … watercress…tuna salad. They almost make a full meal by themselves. On the second plate, you will find slices of moist ginger cake, tangy lemon cake, raspberry-filled Victorian sponge cakes, and cupcakes. Delicate scones that practically fall apart with every bite and small pots of clotted cream and strawberry jam complete the meal. Pour yourself a cup and dig in. It is the perfect way to spend a snowy Saturday afternoon with a close friend or two.

In a town where so many restaurants fail within their first six months, Nicky and Sean have created this cozy haven where the food is unfailingly good and where you can escape to a magical place of time gone by.

If you are in New York City today, stop in and raise your cup to 20 years of success and wish for 20 more to come. Congratulations to Nicky and Sean!

IF YOU GO
Tea and Sympathy is located at 108 Greenwich Ave between Jane and Horatio Streets in New York Tel 212-807-8329).

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