Neighborhood Life

Restaurants (see www.cueat.com for full restaurant listings)

• Columbia Cottage (111th/Amsterdam) – Chinese: Free wine with every entrée. Enough said.
• Kitchenette (122nd/Amsterdam) – Good ol’ fashioned home cooking: Prices are a little steep, but it’s still very popular with Columbia students, especially for weekend brunch.
• Hungarian Pastry Shop (111th/Amsterdam) – Bakery: Very popular with students. You can order a cookie and a cup of coffee and work on a paper all day undisturbed.
• Deluxe (113th/Broadway) – American: Very popular with students, as it’s always quality food, and it’s so close.
• Tom’s Restaurant (112th/Broadway) – Diner: famous for the exterior shots used in Seinfeld, and a popular late-night eatery. Prices are good, and the food is edible, but service is not so good.
• Symposium (113th/Broadway) – Greek: Hidden down 113th Street, but well-liked by everyone who tries it. It’s the only Greek restaurant in the neighborhood, and they have a hidden patio in the back so it’s perfect for warm summer nights.
• Max SoHa (123rd/Amsterdam) – Italian: A cozy restaurant that serves top notch pasta for reasonable prices. There may be a wait on popular nights.
• Caffe Swish (115th/Broadway) – Pan-Asian: Marginally more expensive than other options in the neighborhood, but you get what you pay for!
• Mama Mexico (102nd/Broadway) – Mexican: Authentic Mexican food, complete with giant margaritas and a roaming mariachi band.
• Koronet’s Pizza (110th/Broadway) – Pizza: The most food for your money. This place is famous for it’s 3-foot diameter pizzas, which produce HUGE slices that will only cost you $3. Very popular with the late night munchie crowd.
• Pinnacle (116th/Broadway) – Pizza: Open 24 hours and located right across from Columbia’s gates, so it’s very convenient. Serves tons of pizza, sandwiches, and even ice cream for reasonable prices.
• Chipotle (110th/Broadway) – Mexican: Now open

This list is just off the top of my head…there’s a ton more in the neighborhood, and infinitely more in the rest of the city.

Delis

• M2M (114th/Broadway) – A “Korean Convenience Store” by definition, but no one really buys anything but the made-to-order sandwiches/burgers and occasionally the sushi.
• Hamilton Deli (116th/Amsterdam) – Open 24 hours and staffed by incredibly friendly people, “Ham Del” is a favorite among Columbia students (especially those banished to the east side of campus in East Campus or Wein Hall). Reasonably priced sandwiches and salads are made-to-order. Also has a great breakfast menu.
• Milano’s Market (113th/Broadway) – At times more expensive than its competitors, but Milano’s salads and sandwiches are pretty big, so you can a lot of food for your money. Also serves as a quality market for your light grocery needs.
• Nussbaum & Wu (113th/Broadway) – Deli: Great for bagels and coffee in the morning, and paninis, sandwiches, and salads for lunch or dinner.

Bars (for anyone 21+, obviously)

• 1020 (110th/Amsterdam) – Used to be a graduate student hang-out, but when the West End was under construction last Fall, undergraduate students started to discover the joy of 1020. Plenty of tables and a pool table make it a great spot to go with a group of friends.
• The Heights (112th/Broadway) – Packed starting at around 11:30, but Happy Hour (and the flow of $3 margaritas) ends at 1 AM, so it pretty much clears out after that.
• West End (115th/Broadway) – Legendary Columbia hangout (Jack Kerouac loved it when he was here), but has recently become “Havana Central at the West End,” and thus has lost some of its loyal patrons. Regardless, it’s a large, open bar, with plenty of room to move around and friendly service.
• O’Connell’s Pub (108th/Broadway) – Packed from around 1:30 AM to 4 AM most weekends. The crowd is mostly athletes and their undying fans/girlfriends, so if you’re looking for a low-key night out, go elsewhere. Pitchers are regularly $8.
• Lion’s Head (109th/Amsterdam) - $1 drafts on Wednesday from 10-1. Enough said.

Grocery Stores & Markets

• Morton Williams (115th/Broadway)
• West Side Market (111th/Broadway)
• D’ags (110th/Broadway) Milanos Market (113th/Broadway)
• Fairway (131st/12th Avenue)

Bookstores

• Columbia University Barnes & Noble Bookstore (115th/Broadway) – Located on the Broadway side of Lerner Hall, this is the official Columbia Bookstore, where you can get your very own Columbia sweater, or window decal, or shot glass, or boxers.
• Labyrinth Books (112th Street, between Broadway & Amsterdam) – An independent bookstore that supposedly has one of the largest (if not THE largest) academic book collections in the city. Some professors choose to stock their course textbooks here instead of at the school bookstore, to support the local business.