If you find yourself with an afternoon free in NYC and you want to experience a charming, authentic, English-style high tea in a welcoming cafe atmosphere, I strongly recommend you check out Tea & Sympathy in the West Village. It’s one of the places that immediately calls to mind sweet memories of my mother. She was the ultimate Anglophile, and Mom was so delighted when I took her there when it first opened, she talked about it for weeks.
The British-themed restaurant and shop was established in the early 1990s, and they’ve offered outstanding food and service ever since. Their offerings include everything you’d expect from an English menu, from beans on toast to high tea with finger sandwiches and scones to a full Sunday roast. The attached shop is full of iconic British goods including popular chocolate bars and sweets, crisps, biscuits, dry goods, and, of course, tea.
According to their Instagram feed, Tea & Sympathy is about to become the subject of a reality show, maybe hosted by Andy Cohen. I can’t wait! The Insta post below is a great look into the T&S world.
You can learn more about Tea & Sympathy on their website and on Instagram.
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My OBT 
September 15, 2025 at 2:37 pm
I love a proper high tea. My Gran used to take me out for them as a once in a while treat and I always loved it. I was actually planning on going out for a fancy high tea for my birthday but, alas, I now have to be gluten-free in addition to being dairy-free which doesn’t work for high teas at all.
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September 17, 2025 at 2:44 pm
What a bummer! When my father’s office was on W 57th St, my mom and I used to visit him, then go to high tea at the Plaza and shopping (looking) at Saks Fifth Avenue and Tiffany’s. We got a lot of fun out of his working in that neighborhood. I worked in the same building years later, and enjoyed it just as much as a (poor) adult.
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September 18, 2025 at 10:39 am
That sounds like a lovely tradition and treasured memory.
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