Little Britain NYC: A Guide to the West Village's Most British Block
Afternoon Tea at Tea and Sympathy.
Debbie and I have spent a lot of time in the West Village over the years.
We know the neighborhood well. But there's a section of one block on Greenwich Avenue that always feels a little different from everything around it. Tiny restaurants with Union Jack tea towels in the window. The smell of frying fish. Bone china mugs stacked in a shop doorway.
Locals call it Little Britain. There's no official sign or designation. Just a handful of British businesses tucked into one of Manhattan's most charming streets, doing their thing since the 1980s and 90s.
For anyone who loves London, it's worth going out of your way for.
| SPOT | ADDRESS | WHAT IT IS | HOURS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tea & Sympathy | 108 Greenwich Ave | British restaurant & Afternoon Tea | Mon–Fri 11am–9pm Sat–Sun 9:30am–9pm |
| A Salt & Battery | 112 Greenwich Ave | Fish & chips shop | Daily 11am–9pm |
| Carry On Tea & Sympathy | 110 Greenwich Ave | British gift & import shop | Mon–Fri 11am–9pm Sat–Sun 9:30am–9pm |
| Myers of Keswick 5 min walk | 634 Hudson St | British grocery & deli | Mon–Sat 10am–7pm Sun 12pm–5pm |
Tea & Sympathy: Where to Have Afternoon Tea in NYC
108 Greenwich Ave
This is the anchor of the whole block and the place Debbie and I always come back to. Tea & Sympathy has been on Greenwich Avenue since 1990. The room is tiny, the tables are close together, and the walls are covered in British kitsch and royal memorabilia. It feels exactly like eating in someone's grandmother's kitchen, if her grandmother happened to be British and very opinionated about tea.
We visited for Debbie’s birthday and had the Afternoon Tea. A tiered stand arrives with finger sandwiches, scones, clotted cream and jam, and assorted sweets. Our sandwiches included cream cheese and cucumber, tuna, and cheese with Branston pickle. Debbie got a kick out of the mismatched lid on my Brown Betty teapot. That kind of charming imperfection is very much the point here.
Afternoon Tea for two runs around $68 total, which is actually reasonable by New York standards. If you want to make it a celebration, they also offer Champagne Afternoon Tea. Since it was Debbie’s birthday, we ordered the champagne.
The full menu goes well beyond tea. You'll find Steak and Guinness Pie, Shepherd's Pie, Chicken and Leek Pie, Bangers and Mash with onion gravy, and Fish and Chips. They also do a traditional Sunday roast with all the trimmings.
One of our favorite details is a photo on the wall showing King George VI on the porch at the Roosevelt estate in Hyde Park during the famous 1939 royal visit.
Debbie has a particular fondness for King George VI, and she actually stood in that same spot on a visit we made to Hyde Park. If you've been to the FDR estate, you'll recognize it immediately. (We have a full post on visiting Hyde Park if you want to plan that trip too : Visiting FDR’s home and Presidential Library)
Afternoons on weekends fill up fast. They don't take reservations through the usual apps, so either call ahead at (212) 989-9735 or just arrive early and be prepared to wait. We've always thought the wait was worth it.
Carry On Tea & Sympathy: British Gifts and Groceries Next Door
110 Greenwich Ave
Sandwiched between the two restaurants is the gift and import shop. On our most recent visit, Debbie finally bought a cup and saucer made in England that she'd been eyeing on a previous trip. She had looked at it before and decided to wait. This time, she didn't let it leave the store without her.
Debbie enjoyed the salesman’s Scottish accent almost as much as her new cup and saucer.
It's a great place to browse even if you're not buying. Pick up McVitie's digestives, Cadbury Flakes, Marmite, Yorkshire Tea, British crackers, and all the pantry staples that are hard to find in the States. Cards, tea towels, and Union Jack gifts round out the shelves.
A Salt & Battery: The Best Fish and Chips in the West Village
John and Debbie eat fish and chips outside A Salt & Battery.
112 Greenwich Ave
Right next door is the fish and chips shop. The place is tiny, with a few seats along the wall inside and a couple of benches out front. On our most recent visit, we got lucky and grabbed an outside bench, which turned out to be the perfect spot.
You order at the counter. The menu covers cod, haddock, sole, and whiting, all fried to order, running around $12 for a regular portion. A side of chips is $8. They also offer traditional British sides like mushy peas and baked beans. We went with cod and a side of chips.
The fish was fresh and genuinely delicious. Sitting outside in the sun, the golden battered fish was practically glistening. It looked like a food magazine photo shoot.
The cod and chips at A Salt & Battery.
Myers of Keswick: The Most British Bodega in New York
Debbie finds a jar of Tiptree jam, which happens to be a favorite of both her and the late Queen Elizabeth.
634 Hudson St
Walk five minutes to 634 Hudson Street, and you'll find something special. The best way we can describe Myers of Keswick is a British-themed New York City bodega. And we mean that as the highest possible compliment.
Peter Myers opened the shop in 1985 after realizing how many homesick British expats were living in the New York area. The whole thing got started when his father visited and began making sausage rolls and Cornish pasties to hand out during happy hour. Now his daughter Jennifer runs it. The shop even has its own bodega cat wandering the aisles, which is about as authentically New York as it gets.
The shelves are stacked with British staples. Tiptree jam, which happens to be a favorite of both Debbie and the late Queen Elizabeth. Every variety of McVitie's biscuits you can imagine. An impressive selection of Heinz baked beans, which are a much bigger deal in Britain than they are here.
The hot food is where Myers really shines. We shared a sausage roll standing right there on the sidewalk, and it was honestly one of the best things we'd eaten in a long time. They also make Cornish pasties and a wide variety of meat pies fresh in-house daily.
Listen to the accents of the people around you when you visit. It's pretty clear that Myers of Keswick draws a genuine crowd of British and Scottish expats who know exactly what they came for.
Making a Day of It around the West Village, NYC
The West Village is one of the best neighborhoods in Manhattan for wandering. Our Greenwich Village guide:Tips for visiting Greenwich Village, NYC covers the broader neighborhood in detail, including Washington Square Park and some of the most photogenic streets in the city.
The High Line entrance at The Whitney Museum is a short walk west. From there, you can walk the full elevated park up through Chelsea. Our Chelsea guide: Visiting Chelsea and Hudson Yards covers that whole stretch if you want to keep going. Hudson River Park runs along the waterfront all the way back to the Village with great views of lower Manhattan.
Two TV landmarks are right in the neighborhood too. The Friends apartment building is at 90 Bedford Street. Carrie Bradshaw's townhouse from Sex and the City is at 66 Perry Street.
The High Line is nearby and a wonderful spot to explore. Read more:Visiting Chelsea and Hudson Yards
Getting There
The closest subway options are the 1, 2, or 3 at 14th Street / 7th Avenue, or the A, C, or E at 14th Street / 8th Avenue. Both are a short walk to Greenwich Avenue.
Read our post: NYC Subway Guide for Visitors
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you need a reservation at Tea & Sympathy?
For groups of three or fewer, you can walk in, but be prepared to wait, especially on weekends. For groups of four or more, call ahead at (212) 989-9735 to make a reservation. The room only seats about two dozen people, so things fill up fast. We usually try to arrive early in the afternoon to beat the rush.
Is Tea & Sympathy cash only?
No, they do take credit cards. It looks like the kind of place that might be cash only, and we totally understand why people assume that. Worth knowing, though: they do add a small surcharge for card payments, so bringing cash is not a bad idea.
What should I order at Tea & Sympathy?
The answer is right there in the name. The Afternoon Tea is what this place is known for, and it's the right call for a first visit. You get a tiered stand with finger sandwiches, scones with clotted cream and jam, and assorted sweets, plus a pot of tea. It runs around $68 for two. If you want to make an occasion of it, the Champagne Afternoon Tea is a lovely upgrade. We did that for Debbie's birthday one year, and it was perfect.
What should I order at A Salt & Battery?
You really can't go wrong with the classic: fried cod and a side of chips. The fish is battered fresh after you order and the chips are proper British thick-cut, not American fries. Grab a bench outside if you can, douse everything in malt vinegar.
What is Branston pickle?
If you order the Afternoon Tea at Tea & Sympathy, one of your finger sandwiches will likely include Branston pickle, which confuses a lot of Americans. It's not a pickle in the American sense. It's a chunky, sweet and tangy British condiment made from vegetables and spices, and it's been a staple in British kitchens since the 1920s. It pairs particularly well with sharp cheddar, which is exactly how Tea & Sympathy serves it.
Does Myers of Keswick have a cat?
Yes, absolutely. There's an orange and white cat with a bed behind the counter, which makes the whole "British-themed NYC bodega" description even more accurate. Any proper New York bodega has a cat, and Myers of Keswick is no exception.
This post was researched and written by John O'Boyle of The Empty Nest Explorers.
John is a professional photographer whose work has been published by the New York Times, NBC News, and Getty Images. He has been part of a Pulitzer Prize-winning team and nominated for New York Emmy Awards. You can learn more about John and the Empty Nest Explorers here.
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Greenwich Avenue in the West Village is home to one of New York City's most unexpected neighborhoods: a cluster of British restaurants, shops, and a grocery store locals call Little Britain.
This is our honest guide to all four spots.