Cafeography
New York · Harlem & Morningside Heights

Cafés in Harlem & Morningside Heights

The Hungarian Pastry Shop across from St. John the Divine, a student coffeehouse under Columbia's chapel, and espresso on Frederick Douglass Boulevard.

Photo: Phil Evenden, Pexels License

Morningside Heights sits on the bluff between Morningside Drive and Riverside Drive from 110th to 125th Street, named for the park Olmsted and Vaux designed in 1873 and finished in 1895.1 Columbia University held its first classes on the new campus in October 1897, and Barnard College faces it across Broadway.1

East of the park, Harlem reaches to Fifth Avenue and north toward 155th Street; it was the center of the Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s and 1930s, and the Apollo Theater opened on 125th Street on January 26, 1934.2 East Harlem, El Barrio, runs from East 96th Street up to the Harlem River.2 New cafés and restaurants clustered around Frederick Douglass Boulevard in the 2010s.2

Local tip: The Hungarian Pastry Shop has no Wi-Fi, so bring a book; in good weather the sidewalk tables face the Cathedral of St. John the Divine.

At a glance

78Cafés listed
21With opening hours
06:00Earliest opening
23:00Latest closing
  • Opens earliest: Love Cafe, from 06:00 (Mon–Fri 06:00–17:00 · Sat 07:00–14:30).
  • Closes latest: Tea Magic, until 23:00 (Daily 11:00–23:00).
  • Most listed streets: Broadway (6), Amsterdam Avenue (4), Frederick Douglass Blvd (3).
  • Most common features: wi-fi (10%), takeaway (9%), outdoor seating (9%).

Acts III Bagels

  • 236 West 135th Street
  • Mon–Fri 07:00–17:00 · Sat 08:00–16:00 · Sun Closed
  • +1 212 2812287
  • Takeaway
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Coffee chains in Harlem & Morningside Heights

The Hungarian Pastry Shop and Amsterdam Avenue

A Hungarian couple opened the Hungarian Pastry Shop in 1961 at 1030 Amsterdam Avenue, between 110th and 111th streets and across from the Cathedral of St. John the Divine. Peter and Wendy Binioris bought it in 1976, and their son Philip has run it since 2012.3 It has no Wi-Fi, yet parts of Sebastian Junger's The Perfect Storm and Ta-Nehisi Coates's Between the World and Me were written there.3

It opens 07:30–20:30 on weekdays and from 08:30 at weekends, with tables on the sidewalk. Farther up Amsterdam, Niko Coffee at No. 1090 opens at 06:00 on weekdays, Nous Espresso is at No. 1150 and Plowshares Coffee Roasters at No. 1351 has Wi-Fi.

Columbia, Broadway and the Postcrypt

In the basement of St. Paul's Chapel on the Columbia campus, the student-run Postcrypt Coffeehouse has put on free acoustic shows since 1964, now on Friday and Saturday nights during the academic year from 20:30 to 23:30. It holds 35 people, sells coffee and baked goods, and gives half off coffee to anyone who brings a mug; Suzanne Vega and Jeff Buckley played there early on.4

Tom's Restaurant, the diner at Broadway and 112th Street, is the one in Suzanne Vega's song "Tom's Diner" and the exterior used in Seinfeld.1 On Broadway, Joe Coffee has a café at No. 2960, Qahwah House pours Yemeni coffee at No. 2869, Tea Magic at No. 2878 serves until 23:00, and Kissaten Jin is at No. 3187, near 125th Street.

Central Harlem: Frederick Douglass and Adam Clayton Powell Jr.

Frederick Douglass Boulevard has Amaretto Espresso Bar at No. 2124, Double Dutch Espresso at No. 2194 and Ganache Coffee at No. 2213, and NBHD Brulee at No. 2620 opens daily 07:00–19:00. PROOF Coffee Roasters at 2286 Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevard has Wi-Fi and opens at 07:00 on weekdays.

On Malcolm X Boulevard (Lenox Avenue), Kaafi is at No. 171 and Il Caffe Latte at No. 189. Sojourner Coffee is at 137 West 116th Street, 787 Coffee at 60 West 129th Street opens daily 08:00–17:00, and Dear Mama at 611 West 129th Street in Manhattanville serves daily 07:00–19:00.

East Harlem and upper Madison Avenue

East Harlem was Italian American before Puerto Rican migration after World War II made it El Barrio.2 Dell'aria pours Italian coffee at 232 East 111th Street, Indomable Coffee is at 228 East 116th, and Dear Mama Coffee at 308 East 109th Street opens daily 07:00–19:00. Love Cafe at 283 Pleasant Avenue opens at 06:00 on weekdays.

Along Madison Avenue in the high 90s, Daily Provisions at No. 1381 opens daily 07:00–21:00, Champignon Café at No. 1389 until 21:00 on weekdays, and Da Capo at No. 1392 until 22:00 from Monday to Thursday.

Sources

  1. Morningside Heights, Manhattan, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  2. Harlem, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  3. The Hungarian Pastry Shop, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  4. Postcrypt Coffeehouse, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
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In Harlem & Morningside Heights, also browse: Specialty coffee Outdoor seating Wi-Fi Bakery cafés Brunch Open late

FAQ

Harlem & Morningside Heights cafés: questions

When did the Hungarian Pastry Shop open in Morningside Heights, New York?

The Hungarian Pastry Shop opened in 1961 at 1030 Amsterdam Avenue, between 110th and 111th streets, across from the Cathedral of St. John the Divine. Peter and Wendy Binioris bought it in 1976 and their son Philip runs it. It has no Wi-Fi and opens 07:30–20:30 on weekdays and from 08:30 at weekends.

What is the Postcrypt Coffeehouse at Columbia University in New York?

The Postcrypt is a student-run acoustic coffeehouse in the basement of St. Paul's Chapel at Columbia, open since 1964. Shows are free on Friday and Saturday nights in the academic year, 20:30–23:30, for up to 35 people. Coffee is half price if you bring your own mug, and Suzanne Vega and Jeff Buckley played there early in their careers.

Where can you get specialty coffee in Central Harlem, New York?

Frederick Douglass Boulevard has Double Dutch Espresso and Ganache Coffee. PROOF Coffee Roasters on Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevard has Wi-Fi and opens at 07:00 on weekdays, and Uptown Roaster is on East 110th Street. New cafés and restaurants clustered around Frederick Douglass Boulevard in the 2010s.

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