Dining
BY ANDREW CREELMAN
Aside from classic English cuisine, the eatery has afternoon tea sessions.
COURTESY THE OLD ENGLISH TEA SHOPPE & CAFE
The Old English Tea Shoppe & Cafe serves classic sh & chips, complete with mashed peas and a side of tartar sauce ($21).
ANDREW CREELMAN COMMUNITY IMPACT
Local cafe brings the taste of Britain to Stone Oak After leaving Manchester, England, for a work trip to Texas, Robb Kelly said he never looked back.
The most popular item, Kelly said, is the tradi- tional Fish and Chips, hand-breaded and complete with fries and mashed peas. Of course, there’s a large tea selection, featuring an array of black teas imported from England and served hot with traditional cups, saucers and spoons. “Everything here is handmade,” Kelly said. Additionally, there’s a myriad of British goods like chocolates, pastries, candy and boxes of tea that guests can choose from. “We have proper English goods and food, it’s some of my favorite stu ,” Kelly said. “It’s proper English food, straight from my family; there’s nowhere else like this in Texas.” The restaurant also o ers weekly afternoon tea sessions, room for private events, kids’ birthday parties and more. Kelly said he’s even hosted bridal showers and other special events at the tea shop. The outlook Looking ahead, Kelly said the business may be outgrowing its current space in Stone Oak, hinting at a future expansion. “We might try and do a shop up in Austin and maybe down in Corpus Christi,” Kelly said. However, while The Old English Tea Shoppe & Cafe may be growing in the future, Kelly said he wants to maintain its rm sense of community in North San Antonio. “We’re a family restaurant serving families, that’s what we love to do,” Kelly said.
The Old English Tea Shoppe hosts weekly afternoon tea sessions and other themed events.
That was almost two decades ago—now, he’s a local practicing recovery specialist and owner of The Old English Tea Shoppe & Cafe, an authentic British cafe and restaurant in North San Antonio. Some context In England, Kelly said he had an eclectic past, having worked as a session musician at Abbey Road Studios, and performed with artists like David Bowie and Elton John. After receiving his PhD in psychology from Oxford University, he said he found himself homeless and su ering from addiction. Then, after deciding to turn things around, he became an addiction recovery psychologist. Kelly said he started his own practice, eventu- ally traveling to Texas for work conferences—with one trip to the Lone Star State 18 years ago keeping him here for good. “I really liked it here, so I stayed here,” Kelly said. “But I did miss the food. Going to restaurants in the area, they didn’t really do it right.” So, Kelly thought it would be a good idea to open up a place of his own that was authentic and true to the British food he grew up enjoying in Northwest England. On the menu Classic British dishes are served at every meal, from the full English breakfast in the morning to entrees like Bangers and Mash in the afternoon.
ANDREW CREELMAN COMMUNITY IMPACT
The cafe is owned by Robb and Janet Kelly (left), his sister Sandra and her husband, Peter Marley.
ANDREW CREELMAN COMMUNITY IMPACT
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20122 Stone Oak Parkway, Ste. 105, San Antonio www.theoldenglishteashoppe.com
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NORTH SAN ANTONIO EDITION
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