The Best Restaurants Near Columbia University

Known to Columbia students as the university's version of a college town, Morningside Heights is basically just a fancy way of referring to the area between 110th and 125th streets, west of Morningside Park. Whether you're a student, visiting a student, attending a conference in the area, or just lost on your way to Harlem or the Upper West Side , there are some pretty good places to eat around the campus. For fueling up between study sessions, family meals, or important first dates, add these 13 spots to your rotation.

THE SPOTS

Jin Ramen

Having a decent ramen spot up by campus means not having to travel all the way downtown just to wait in line at Okiboru House of Tsukemen. Sometimes there's a line, but trust that it's full of other people who need a big bowl of noodles just as much as you do.

Massawa

Need a last minute spot for a whole bunch of people? Massawa. This place has delicious, family-style portions of Ethiopian food, which is actually the perfect thing to eat with a group. Order several portions of meats and vegetables, and then use the bed of spongy injera to scoop it all up.

Milano Market

Milano sandwiches. Game over. Try any one of them—including their viral chicken caesar wrap—and you can't go wrong. Just make sure you have at least two hours to nap after consuming one.

Absolute Bagels

The best bagels in NYC are just south of the neighborhood at 108, with a long line every weekend to prove it. Bring cash, get an everything bagel with scallion cream cheese, and then take it to Riverside Park. Absolute Bagels also makes fantastic Thai iced tea—the place was founded by Sam Thongkrieng, who moved from Bangkok to NYC in the ’80s and worked at Ess-A-Bagel for years.

Thai Market

Thai Market feels pretty scene-y on a Friday night, which can be difficult to find up at Columbia. Also, the food's good. Try the daikon cakes sauteed in a sticky soy sauce with bean sprouts, eggs, and scallions, or the Thai Market egg crepe filled with shrimp, bean sprouts, and tofu.

Roti Roll

At Roti Roll, a Columbia student favorite for over 20 years, you'll find roti, slick with green chutney, filled with onion and tomato, and your choice of protein: try the tender, slightly spicy lamb, and the creamy palak paneer. The rolls have the heft of tamales, or sizable potatoes, and range from $4 (egg) to $8 (lamb). This closet-sized takeout spot is open until at least 2am every night (4am on weekends), so swing by for a satisfying snack, or after a night out, when everything else closed hours ago.

Saiguette

The people behind the counter at Saiguette wear headsets—and this tells you, right off the bat, that this little Vietnamese takeout-only spot is a very serious operation. They have everything from phở and nem to grilled flank steak over rice, but the real reason to come here is for the best (and largest) bánh mì in the area. Our favorite is the pork shoulder, but they also do them with steak, chicken, and shrimp.

Miss Mamie's Spoonbread Too

Miss Mamie's is just east of campus, and it's on 110th, which, for some Columbia students, is equivalent to Brooklyn. But it's worth heading over for serious soul food. Order the Smothered Chicken, and peach cobbler.

Pisticci Ristorante

Pisticci is like a Columbia version of a hot West Village Italian spot, meaning it's good for date night and the pasta is pretty good, but there will definitely be some professor next to you eating with their kids. This will remind you that you are, in fact, not in the West Village.

Community Food & Juice

Community is not actually Columbia's only brunch spot, but you might think it is from the weekend crowds. Try going on a weekday for lunch or dinner and get all the same rice bowls and burgers, without the long waits.

Koronet Pizza

You know that feeling after a night out, when you think to yourself, "Damn, I wish I could eat a slice of pizza that's bigger than my face”? The slices at Koronet are actually that big. If the size scares you, ask them to cut it up.

Doaba Deli

If you're a vegetarian—or honestly anyone who appreciates an affordable meal—put Doaba Deli into your rotation. You can get four curries and your choice of naan or rice for around $10.

The Hungarian Pastry Shop

Filled with lots of Europeans and students who prefer to work in a cramped cafe with no wifi, Hungarian is the kind of place that will make you want to smoke a cigarette while you eat your baked goods. If anyone asks, tell them you're working on a novel.