Manhattan/Upper West Side

Sourced from Wikivoyage. Text is available under the CC-by-SA 3.0 license.

The Upper West Side (including Morningside Heights) covers a large area in upper Manhattan bounded by 59th Street on the south, 125th Street on the north, the Hudson River on the west, and Central Park and Morningside Park on the east. The area encompasses four distinct Manhattan neighborhoods – the Upper West Side, Morningside Heights, Bloomingdale, and Manhattan Valley – and includes one of its finest parks, Riverside Park, which runs along the river all the way from 59th Street to 125th Street.
Often called the city's quintessential neighborhood, the area includes delightful residential streets, the twin-towered facades of the old apartment hotels on Central Park West and Riverside Drive, two of the city's best-known markets (Zabar's and Fairway), one of its major museums (the American Museum of Natural History), an Ivy League university (Columbia University), and the Neo-Gothic Cathedral of St. John the Divine and Riverside Church. The area is an architectural historian's delight with many of its buildings (especially in Morningside Heights) built before the Second World War and quite a few built before the First World War, though the area is changing with the construction of large condominium buildings south of 110th Street. The Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, running from 62nd Street to 66th Street, contains the Metropolitan Opera; the David H. Koch Theater, home of the New York City Ballet; Avery Fisher Hall, the home of the New York Philharmonic; the Juilliard School; and the New York Public Library's Library for the Performing Arts, among other institutions.

Understand

Get in and around

By subway

The primary subway service to the Upper West Side is the 1 local train and the 2 and 3 express trains, which run under Broadway. All three lines stop at 72nd St. and 96th St., with the 1 also stopping at 59th St. (Columbus Circle), 66th St. (Lincoln Center), 79th St., 86th St., 103rd St., 110th St., 116th St. (Columbia University), and 125th St. The 1 line continues north along Broadway, while the 2 and 3 lines branch east north of the 96th St. stop and head into Central Harlem.
Also serving the neighborhood are the A, B, C, and D lines, which run under Central Park West (called 8th Av. north and south of Central Park), although the A and D express lines usually stop only at 59th St. (Columbus Circle) and 125th St.(at St. Nicholas Av.), except after midnight, when the A goes local for a few hours. The B (weekdays only) and C local lines stop at 59th St., 72nd St., 81st St. (Museum of Natural History), 86th St., 96th St., 103rd St., 110 St., 116th St., and 125 St.

By bus

Numerous bus routes serve this neighborhood, including:

M5, on Riverside Drive north of 72 St. and Broadway south of that street
M104 on Broadway
M7 and M11, which go uptown (north) on Amsterdam Av. and downtown (south) on Columbus Av.
M10 on Central Park West.
M4 on Broadway coming from the north to 110th Street, then crosstown to 5th Avenue.
M60 from Broadway and 106th Street to LaGuardia Airport via Broadway to 120th Street and Amsterdam Avenue to 125th Street.

There are also crosstown buses on 65th/66th Sts., 72nd St. (the M72, which uses the 66th St. transverse through Central Park), 79th St., 86th St., 96th St., 106th St. (to and from East 116th St.), and 125th St.

On foot or by bicycle

A walk or bike ride to the Upper West Side is a very pleasant way to get in in good weather, whether going through Central Park from the Upper East Side or heading north from the Theater District. The Hudson River Greenway provides easy access through Riverside Park to Upper and Lower Manhattan. The Citibike bike share system has stations all around the neighborhood and most of Manhattan.

See

Landmarks

Ansonia

address: 2109 Broadway
This pretty 17-story Beaux Arts building was completed in 1904 and designed to be New York City's first air conditioned hotel. It was a residential hotel, and housed a number of very famous people, including the Hall of Fame baseball player, Babe Ruth; the Italian tenor, Enrico Caruso; the modernist composer, Igor Stravinsky; the Italian conductor of the NBC Symphony, Arturo Toscanini; and writers Theodore Dreiser and Isaac Bashevis Singer. The building is now a condominium.
Apthorp

phone: +1 212 799-2211

address: 2211 Broadway and 390 West End Avenue
A beautiful early 20th-century high-rise luxury apartment building, taking up the entire square block between 78th and 79th Sts. between Broadway and West End Avenue. Its companion, the Belnord, takes up the square block between 86th and 87th Sts. between Broadway and Amsterdam. Both buildings were completed in 1908, at a time when the Upper West Side was still full of wide open spaces.
Central Savings Bank building

address: 2112 Broadway
This building, which is occupied by Apple Bank for Savings, is a notable Italianate palazzo whose stone facades and metal-barred windows are meant to ooze a sense of security.
Dakota Building

address: 1 West 72nd St
This massive apartment building has been (and is!) home to many celebrities. Probably best known was the former Beatle John Lennon, who was gunned down outside the building on December 8, 1980, by a crazed fan named Mark Chapman. Lennon had been living at the Dakota with his second wife, Yoko Ono, who still resides in the building. A memorial to the former Beatle exists nearby in Central Park. The building has become a popular place of pilgrimage for many who admire Lennon.
Time Warner Center

phone: +1 212 823-6300

address: 10 Columbus Circle
Has the Mandarin Oriental Hotel for dining, drinks, and Chihuly chandeliers. It also has a small, ultra-high-end mall with luxury shops and Botero sculptures. In the basement is a large Whole Foods Market, and there is seating for eating their prepared food and salad bar items (cheaper than eating in a restaurant). Or better yet, on nicer days, pick up a prepared meal to go and venture across the street to Columbus Circle or Sheep's Meadow in Central Park for a nice outdoor meal.
The San Remo

address: 145 and 146 Central Park West
The historic building with the distinctive, iconic twin towers and a star-studded housing cooperative board. Built in 1930 in a vaguely art-deco style to the design of Emery Roth, the San Remo actually has two separate addresses, lobbies and sets of shafts, each for a half of the building topped with a tower.

Museums

American Folk Art Museum

phone: +1 212 595-9533

address: 2 Lincoln Square

User PerryPlanet

American Museum of Natural History

phone: +1 212 313-7278

address: Central Park West between 77th and 81st Streets (entire block)
Holding a remarkably large collection, each of the 5 floors of this massive building has expansive and well-designed exhibits devoted to astronomy, biology, geology, anthropology, climatology, and paleontology. You will want to allow a full day if you hope to see the entirety of the museum. Some of the highlights are the Rose Center for Earth and Space on the northeast corner of the building, which contains a seven-story glass cube holding the Hayden Planetarium, a huge sphere suspended above the exhibit halls below and holding a "cosmic pathway" exhibit; the numerous habitat diorama halls on the first, second and third floors, with recreations of African, Asian, North American, and ocean plants and animals, including a full-size model of a Blue Whale suspended above the Ocean Life Hall; a Hall of Minerals and Gems, which contains many rare and beautiful specimens, including the largest star sapphire in the world and a chunk of a massive meteorite; extensive anthropology halls on the first, second, and third floors, with exhibits devoted to people of Asia, Africa, Central America, the Pacific, and Native Americans; and the natural history halls on the fourth floor, with one of the largest collections of dinosaur skeletons in the world.
New York Historical Society

address: 170 Central Park West
Americana including Audubon’s watercolors of birds.
Nicholas Roerich Museum

phone: +1 212 864-7704

address: 319 W. 107th St

Churches and cathedrals

Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine

address: 1047 Amsterdam Ave
The world's largest neo-Gothic cathedral, the place has been a work in progress for over a century! There are also resident peacocks on campus, and many songbirds stop by during their seasonal migrations.
Riverside Church

address: Riverside Av. and 122 St.
A large and historically important Protestant church and center of progressive social activism. Also neo-Gothic.

Institutions of learning

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Columbia University

phone: +1 212-854-4900
A famous Ivy League college that has existed since British colonial times, when it was called King's College.
Barnard CollegeOne of the Seven Sisters colleges, and is affiliated with Columbia University.
Teacher's College

address: 120th Street
Affiliated with Columbia, Teacher's College is an architectural gem with its block length Beaux Arts and neo-Gothic façades.
Juilliard School of Dance, Drama, and Music

address: 65th St
One of the foremost conservatories of those disciplines in the United States.
Manhattan School of MusicAnother conservatory of music.
Fordham College at Lincoln Center

address: 60th St
A branch of Fordham University.

Monuments

King of Hearts

Grant's Tomb

phone: +1 212 666-1640

address: Riverside Drive and 122nd Street
General Ulysses S. Grant and his wife are buried in this imposing mausoleum, the largest tomb in North America. If you come when it is closed, you can still see the impressive facade, but coming during open hours gives you the opportunity to view the murals, the tomb and various documentation inside. Across Riverside Drive, there is a viewpoint to look across the Hudson River, a museum, gift shop and restrooms.
Shinran Shonin

address: 331-332 Riverside Dr
Staring pensively across Riverside Drive at the children playing in the park is the statue of Shinran Shonin, a 13th-century Buddhist reformer. In another life, the statue stood in Hiroshima and witnessed the devastation caused by the bomb. His New York home is between two Riverside Drive buildings right next to the New York Buddhist Center.
Soldiers and Sailors Monument

address: Riverside Drive at 89th Street
A memorial to the Civil War dead (though, in typical New York fashion, it wasn't constructed till 1902, almost 40 years after the Civil War ended!). The Hudson Warehouse stages plays (mostly Shakespeare) on the steps of the monument every summer.

Do

Performances

Beacon Theatre

phone: +1 212-465-6500

address: 2124 Broadway
This is a major music performance venue for big-time solo acts and groups, and many, many famous artists have performed there, including The Rolling Stones, Jerry Garcia, Aerosmith, Michael Jackson, James Taylor, Radiohead, Queen and the Allman Brothers. Prices are not cheap, and tickets sometimes sell out well in advance.
Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts

address: between West 62nd and 66th Streets and Columbus and Amsterdam Avenues
The world's largest cultural complex, where you can see theater, symphonies, ballet, opera, movies, art exhibits or just wander the architecturally beautiful buildings. The buildings are modern, and even have modern chandeliers. There are two opera companies, and the famous Juilliard School of Music is also here. Also part of the complex is the New York Public Library's Library for the Performing Arts, containing circulating and non-circulating collections in music, drama, and dance, as well as special collections of priceless documents that scholars from around the world come to look at.

Metropolitan OperaConfusingly referred to simply as "the Met" (together with the Metropolitan Museum of Art), the premier opera company in New York has been housed at Lincoln Center since 1966, behind five soaring glass arches in the east facade, and within a vast white travertine-clad building. Two Marc Chagall murals grace the foyer. The hall has wonderful acoustics, and its ceiling is lined with gold leaf and chandeliers.
Walter Reade TheaterThe home of the Film Society of Lincoln Center, the premier film society in the United States. The theater itself is a good place to catch the latest trends in cinema from all over the world with annual showcases from Africa, Spain, France, Italy, Israel, and Asia. The film society organizes the annual New York Film Festival in early October, one of the country's best film festivals, with great films from around the world accompanied by interesting discussions, lectures, and panels. Tickets go on sale the Friday after Labor Day and sell out quickly.
David H. Koch TheaterThe home of the New York City Ballet. The Nutcracker staged by the Ballet every December is a holiday classic, popular with New Yorkers and tourists alike.
Jazz at Lincoln Center

phone: +1 212-258-9800

address: Frederick P. Rose Hall, 5th Floor, Broadway at 60th St
This organization was founded by the well-known jazz trumpeter and educator, Wynton Marsalis. Many famous jazz musicians perform solo or small combo sets at this venue and there is also a Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, which is quite excellent.

Merkin Concert Hall

phone: +1 212-501-3330

address: 129 W. 67th St.

Important and fairly prestigious venue for classical music, much of it contemporary, and various other kinds of performances. The hall seats about 250 people and has good acoustics for chamber music. This hall is near Lincoln Center but is not part of it; instead, it is part of the Kaufman Music Center, which also runs music schools for children.

Symphony Space

phone: +1 212-864-5400

address: 2537 Broadway

Symphony Space used to be the Symphony movie theater back in the 1970s, and it still occasionally screens films, but it is more often used, nowadays, as a performance venue. The offerings are eclectic, and though ticket prices have crept up, there are quite a few inexpensive shows, especially at the Leonard Nimoy Thalia, another former movie theater around the corner on 95 St. between Broadway and West End Ave.

Miller Theater

phone: +1 212-854-7799

address: 2960 Broadway

Miller Theater is Columbia University's main performing arts venue and is well known for its classical music performances.

Music clubs

Cleopatra's Needle

phone: +1 212 769-6969

address: 2485 Broadway, New York, NY 10025
Jazz (and pop) club with a middle eastern menu
Cotton Club

phone: +1 212 663-7980

address: 666 W 125th St
A dance club/dinner club near Columbia University. Swing dancing is on Monday nights (8:30PM-midnight, $25), with a 13-piece swing band! Friday nights at 8:30PM are taken over by Latin Dance ($20) with a live 14-piece band playing merengue and bachata, appropriately for Dominican-heavy West Harlem. Th 8PM and Sa 9PM are jazz/dinner and dancing nights ($55) for a southern cooking buffet and swing band, while Sa-Su have gospel brunches at noon and 2:30PM ($45).
Smoke Jazz Club and Lounge

phone: +1 212 864-6662

address: 2751 Broadway
Live jazz seven days a week. Performers often jam late into the night so go for the late set if you can.

Parks and walks

Andreas Faessler

Riverside Park

address: west of Riverside Drive
While nearby Central Park is justly famous and finds its way onto a "must see" list for most visitors to New York, Riverside Park also has its charms, as its riverfront location provides pleasant views of New Jersey and sometimes breezes off the river. Summer brings al fresco movies, plays and music to Riverside Park.
Morningside Heights Walking TourMorningside Heights remained relatively bucolic till the turn of the 20th century because of its relative inaccessibility, and most of the existing apartment buildings were constructed between about 1900 and 1910. The buildings survive because elevators were being introduced then, and consequently most of the buildings are ten- to twelve-story apartment blocks rather than smaller townhouses or single family homes. Juliet balconies, details on the facades, and grand lobbies make this neighborhood a great place to explore the local architecture. The Cathedral of St. John's the Divine and 115 buildings in the area bounded by Riverside Drive, Amsterdam Avenue, 110th Street and 119th Street are designated as landmark buildings by the New York City Landmarks Preservation committee. On the border between Morningside Heights and Harlem is Morningside Park, once the murder capital of Manhattan in the 1970s but now a peaceful, beautiful space of greenery with some plunging hillsides.

Cinemas

Lincoln Square 13 Cinema

phone: +1 212 336-5020

address: 1998 Broadway
A multiplex two blocks from Lincoln Center, showing major, first-run films on 13 screens. It also contains an IMAX cinema showing mainstream feature films.

Buy

Eat

Budget

Absolute Bagels

phone: +1 212 932-2052

address: 2788 Broadway
A true New York bagel shop with a fanatical following, often ranking among the very best bagels in the city. There's usually a long line out the door, but it tends to move quickly. Lots of spread and sandwich options are available.
Ayurveda Cafe

phone: +1 212 932-2400

address: 706 Amsterdam Ave
Eat in and take out lunch and dinner. The restaurant/cafe serves a daily fixed menu ideal for vegans, vegetarians and celiacs. Exceptionally friendly and warm, while light and charming.
Chirping Chicken

phone: +1 212 787-6631

address: 355 Amsterdam Ave
El Malecon

phone: +1 212 864-5648

address: 764 Amsterdam Ave
A Dominican restaurant known as one of the best places for pollo a la brasa (rotisserie chicken) in Manhattan. They also serve a number of daily specials for lunch and dinner.
Flor de Mayo

phone: +1 212-663-5521

address: 2651 Broadway
This is a Peruvian-Chinese restaurant, owned and staffed by Peruvian immigrants of Chinese descent. However, because there are way more Dominicans than Peruvians in the area, they have catered to the Criollo taste. They have long been known in the neighborhood for reliably tasty pollo a la brasa (rotisserie chicken), served with a delicious garlic sauce (if they don't automatically bring it for you, ask for it). More recently, they added a section of specifically Peruvian dishes, which are well worth your trying if you are not in the mood for the chicken. Their Chinese dishes are in a style similar to the American-Chinese restaurants of the 1970s - perfectly acceptable, though perhaps a bit oily. They have another location at 484 Amsterdam Ave, between 83rd and 84th Sts, which some people prefer.
Gray's Papaya

phone: +1 212 799-0243

address: 2090 Broadway
One of the best hot dog joints in Manhattan (the "Recession Special" is a popular favorite), Gray's also serves up some excellent tropical drinks.
The Heights

phone: +1 212 866-7035

address: 2867 Broadway
Tex-Mex. The bar is the best part. A rooftop terrace is open on warm days for al fresco dining.
Jerusalem Restaurant

phone: +1 212 865-2295

address: 2715 Broadway
Serves very tasty shawarma and falafel, and also very worthwhile spinach pies and grape leaves. The place is a little hole-in-the-wall, but you're there for the food. They also do a brisk takeout business and deliver in the area.
Koronet Pizza

phone: +1 212-222-1566

address: 2848 Broadway
A very good pizza parlor serving the Columbia University area. They specialize in large pies and large slices, amongst the largest in the city.
Le Monde

phone: +1 212 531-3939

address: 2885 Broadway
Faux French food but a great international beer selection and good burgers.
Metro Diner

phone: +1 212 866-0800

address: 2641 Broadway
Has everything you could look for in a diner breakfast menu.
The Mill

phone: +1 212 666-7653

address: 2895 Broadway
Started life as a diner many years ago but when the owner started adding a few of his native Korean dishes, they caught on and now it is an excellent Korean restaurant.
Massawa

phone: +1 212 663-0505

address: 1239 Amsterdam Ave
One of the oldest Ethopian (Eritrean) restaurants in the city, recently renovated. Good food, service, and a well stocked bar.
Ollie's To Go

phone: +1 212 877-2298

address: 2425 Broadway
Workday Chinese. Fast and cheap lunch or dinner, but don't expect anything close to average Chinatown quality.
Peacefood Cafe

phone: +1 212 362-2266

address: 460 Amsterdam Avenue
Vegan food only

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Tom's Restaurant

phone: +1 212-864-6137

address: 2880 Broadway
The restaurant from the comedy series Seinfeld. This place is a shrine for many TV pilgrims; for the locals, just a diner.

Street food

Halal Cart

address: 116th and Broadway
Good chicken, veggies, lamb with rice combos for lunch. Coffee and bagels in the mornings.
Italian Ice Lady

address: 110th and Broadway
Late Spring to early Fall only.
Fruit Stands

address: 110th and Broadway, and 112th and Broadway
Spring to Fall only.
The Taco Stand

address: 96th and Broadway
A popular stand with good tacos. Nights only.

Mid-range

Barney Greengrass

phone: +1 212-724-4707

address: 541 Amsterdam Ave
Barney Greengrass has been known as the "Sturgeon King" for a very long time, having opened his original store in 1908. The smoked fish that this establishment is known for is not cheap: Smoked fish platters in the restaurant range from $28-58, not counting the "deluxe platter for two," which will set you back $95. You can save some money by having eggs with a side of smoked fish; that'll still cost you between $14.50 and $20.75, but you won't regret it. This place is a real New York institution, and the only place in Manhattan that is generally considered to rival it for what's traditionally called Jewish "appetizing" (that is, pareve products that are neither meat nor milk but include fish) is Russ & Daughters on the Lower East Side.
Kefi

phone: +1 212 873-0200

address: 505 Columbus Ave
A high-quality and very popular Greek restaurant (not a diner in any sense). Reservations strongly suggested, especially for dinner.
Manhattan Valley

phone: +1 212 222-9222

address: 2636 Broadway
A classy Northern Indian restaurant that serves excellent food. Their lunch special is a bargain; dinner is a little more, but still a fine value.
Pio Pio

phone: +1 212 665-3000

address: 702 Amsterdam Ave
A Manhattan outpost of a very popular upscale Peruvian chain. Serves great rotisserie chicken, and tends to be very loud due to the large crowds of locals that come here.
Salumeria Rosi

phone: +1 212 877-4800

address: 283 Amsterdam Ave
The cuisine of this restaurant is based on excellent salumi (cured meats), and the other ingredients are fresh and high-quality. The "small" selection of salumi is quite substantial, and the salads are large and quite good. The antipasti, while tasty, are rather small, so they're worth getting but can add up more quickly. Good cheeses, too. The front of the shop is a counter that sells salumi and cheeses to take out. Informal atmosphere, serious cuisine, and good service. It isn't cheap, but it is a very good value, especially for the neighborhood.

Splurge

Atlantic Grill

phone: +1 212 787-4663

address: 49 West 64th Street
Seafood; sushi, oysters and simply grilled fish a la carte.
Masa

phone: +1 212 823-9800

address: 10 Columbus Circle
Probably the most expensive restaurant in New York, so go only if money is no object. Those who have been there strongly recommend that you sit at the sushi bar in order to have the best experience. Reservations necessary.
Per Se

phone: +1 212 823-9335

address: 10 Columbus Circle
The New York outpost of Chef Thomas Keller of the French Laundry in Yountville, which is in the Napa Valley of California. Chef Keller is one of the most famous and highly praised chefs in the United States. It used to be necessary to call months in advance for reservations, but due to the recession, same-day reservations may be worth attempting.

Markets

Nate Steiner

Citarella

phone: +1 212-874-0383

address: 2135 Broadway
Started out as a fish market, then added an increasingly large meat section. They also sell some prepared items. Can be pricey.
Fairway

phone: +1 212 595-1888

address: 2127 Broadway
Probably the best-known supermarket in New York, Fairway sells a wide variety of specialty and prepared items, in addition to usual supermarket fare, and has large produce sections. Lots of good values to be had, but watch out for elbows and aggressive shopping cart drivers at peak times.
Milano Market

phone: +1 212 665-9500

address: 2892 Broadway
Italian products with a good deli, reasonable cheeses, and a good selection of international beers.
Schatzie's

phone: +1 212-410-1555

address: 2665 Broadway
Totally friendly, great meats, great butchers, order by phone, and cheaper than Citarella. And they will cook dinner for you if you like.
Westside Supermarket

phone: +1 212 222-3367

address: 2840 Broadway
An old neighborhood establishment gone upscale. Amazing choice of prepared foods and good fruits and vegetables. The cheese section is outstanding, as also are the meats and fish.
Zabar's

phone: +1 212 787-2000

address: 2245 Broadway
A very well-known store in New York, with an enormous selection of delicious (and often expensive) foods. Foodstuffs (cheeses, olives, smoked fish, prepared foods, breads, etc.) are sold on the first floor. The second floor is where you will find all sorts of devices related to cooking and food processing at price points ranging from inexpensive bargains to very expensive luxury items. As with Fairway, do not go the day before Thanksgiving, and think carefully before going on a busy weekend. They also have a small cafe at the corner of 80th St. that has quite decent offerings (for example, frozen yogurt and sandwiches with some the good products sold in their store) and is not expensive.

Drink

O.perrin

Amity Hall Uptown

phone: +1 (646) 930-2501

address: 982 Amsterdam Ave, New York, NY 10025
Food and drink in a large pub like space.
Amsterdam Ale House

phone: +1 212 362-7260

address: 340 Amsterdam Ave #1
Local pub specializing in microbrews.
Dive Bar

phone: +1 212 749-4358

address: 732 Amsterdam Ave
One of the few bars with any type of scene during the week. Good whiskey selection, good bartenders.
Dublin House

phone: +1 212 874-9528

address: 225 W 79th St
Neighborhood bar.
George Keeleys

phone: +1 212 873-0251

address: 485 Amsterdam Ave
Excellent beer selection

Cafes

The Upper West Side has many idiosyncratic cafes, some of long standing in the neighborhood. Of course, there is no shortage of Starbucks in the area, but for something different try one of the following:

Cafe Lalo

phone: +1 212 496-6031

address: 201 W 83rd St
Around in the neighborhood for almost twenty years, Cafe Lalo is packed with a mostly young crowd until late in the night. Excellent cakes and pastries, coffee and tea in many varieties, and digestifs. Featured in You've Got Mail.
Max Cafe

phone: +1 212 531-1210

address: 1262 Amsterdam Ave
A laid back place for coffee, tea, sandwiches, and free wireless in the Columbia University neighborhood.
Oren's

phone: +1 212 749-8779

address: 2882 Broadway
A local chain with good coffee and excellent teas.
Alice's Tea Cup

phone: +1 212 799-3006

address: 102 W 73rd St
Good tea selection, excellent scones and an Alice in Wonderland theme. Very popular with families with daughters
Levain's Bakery

phone: +1 212 874-6080

address: 167 W 74th St
Bakery best known for their big, dense cookies.
Crumbs

phone: +1 917 410-5896

address: 775 Columbus Avenue
Bakery specializing in cupcakes, including the Oreo cupcake and the Hostess cupcake cupcake
The Hungarian Pastry Shop

phone: +1 212 866-4230

address: 1030 Amsterdam Ave
Coffee and super-rich pastries in a "bohemian" setting. A Columbia University neighborhood fixture, the cafe has been in business since 1963. Be warned, no WiFi, but that doesn't stop it from being perpetually crowded.
Magnolia

phone: +1 212 724-8101

address: 200 Columbus Ave
Part of the cupcake bakery chain