At Passyunk Avenue, a London bar founded by a Philadelphia transplant, the authentic touches go beyond cheesesteaks (but there are cheesesteaks).
Benjamin Franklin, the consummate colonial wanderer, once observed that home was not just a place, or a thing, or a food. “A house is not a home,” he said, “unless it contains fire for the mind, as well as the body.”
Centuries later, J.P. Teti, Philadelphia’s own accidental ambassador to England, has learned this, too: A city — nay, a people — cannot survive on cheesesteak alone.
If the seat of American power in London resides at the embassy, a good chunk of its spirit can be found on Cleveland Street in central London, sandwiched between traditional British architecture, in the shape of a gritty Philly dive bar: Passyunk Avenue, named for South Philly’s famous thoroughfare.
To step inside is to be transported. Pendants from Philadelphia schools frame the windows; T-shirts and jerseys hang from the rafters. Dollar bills with scribbled signatures paper the walls. Among London’s many manufactured American bars, Passyunk Avenue stands apart for the simple fact that it isn’t a gimmick.
The brainchild of Mr. Teti, the bar is a Mecca of sorts for American sports fans far from home. Cozy, raucous and drawing heavily from Philly’s (in)famous sports obsession, Passyunk Avenue caters to nearly anyone hoping to watch mainstream American sports. But it has cornered one emerging market: the N.F.L., which is surging in popularity among international audiences. Commissioner Roger Goodell has said he is hopeful that the league might expand abroad and, someday, even see a Super Bowl played in Europe.