Loading...
- Restaurants |
- Nightlife |
- Shopping |
- Movies |
- All
Brownie's Cafe
Category: Restaurants Sandwiches Sandwiches [Edit]
1172 Amsterdam Ave300 Avery Hall
(between West 116th St & 116th St)
New York, NY 10027
Neighborhood: Morningside Heights
(212) 854-1754
- Nearest Transit:
-
116 St - Columbia University (1)
116 St (A, B, C)
Cathedral Pkwy (1)
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- No
- Attire:
- Casual
- Price Range:
-
$
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- No
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- No
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Alcohol:
- No
- Caters:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
16 reviews for Brownie's Cafe
Review Highlights
16 reviews in English
-
Review from Angie K.
Los Angeles, CA
11/23/2010
I never thought I would yelp about a deli on a school campus but this deli is delicious. Really made my school days easier since I didn't have to pack lunch. I'm really picky with quick eat-and-go meals. If it doesn't look right, I just don't eat until I get home. That means many days of the week, dinner may be my first real meal of the day. However, I was a very well-fed, happy student during the duration of my school year all thanks to Brownie's Cafe.
Their fried eggplant sandwich is amazing. I see what they put in there and I know what they put in there. And yet, I still don't understand how it's so much better than the countless sandwiches I've tried. They are available only on certain days of the week so I watch out for it. Other days, I get their Mozarella sandwhich which is also as delicious. I'm also in love with Naked Juice which they fortunately carry in-store. I'm seriously thinking of going up to Columbia just for the sandwhiches!Listed in: NYC's Best of the Best
-
Review from Sophia S.
New York, NY
12/16/2011
3.5 years here and I never ate here. WOW.
Coming up on my last days (literally) at CU...I think this is a yelp! goodbye to my alma mater mixed in with finals procrastination and a sprinkle of holy moly why the hell did I never eat here before?
I had a smoked salmon/cucumber/dill/cream cheese sandwich on focaccia. Just perfect. Not too much cream cheese, lots of salmon and cucumber cut such that you could eat it properly in a sandwich. The bread was soft and crisped on the edges, warm and seasoned well.
The selection was great: breads, sandwiches, breakfasts etc... WAY better than the counter at Watson.
Ahh, I'm gonna miss this campus. -
Review from Sarah M.
11/21/2011 1 Check-in Here
Yummy for seven or eight bucks for stick to ur ribs sandwiches soups and wraps. Lines are not too long and the guys in charge of making the sandwiches and like are frindly and seem to put care into wach irder. Awesone. Busy but easy to find a seat at the long table. Only boooo point is no electrical outlets to plug in ur electronics- which really sucked for me and my nearly dead phone. Overall great surprise in the basement of Avery hall.
-
Review from Leon C.
Rego Park, Queens, NY
12/15/2010 2 Check-ins Here
There are some pretty good stuff at this place. It's cash only.
Their salads are in the fridge, pre-made, but they're pretty good. Although I've only had the Salmon burger one, which was amazing. The dressings are on the side. They also have pre-made pasta that are very tasty, but a little more greasy than I would like them to be.
Their sandwich are great, around the average sandwich price in the neighborhood. Can't say they're the best in the neighborhood, but they're close.
Now, their catered food... it's a totally different animal. Their cater food is pretty damn amazing. You don't really get these at the storefront. If you think their sandwich is great the storefront, their catered sandwich is even better. Oh and their dessert... brownies and lemon bars - SO GOOD. The storefront ones are good too, but it doesn't have that fresh catered taste.
The seating by the Cafe is a little meh, not because it's always packed, but the setup just feels a little awkward like the lunch tables from elementary school (Not saying that they have them, just feels like it).
Awesome food, great staff (they're very nice even if you're a sandwich nazi - so be nice to them!), and the price is decent. I can't speak for the catering pricing though. The decor? Well, it's under Avery - the architecture school so it always look like something is happening to the space, which can prove interesting at times. -
Review from Sienna K.
Philadelphia, PA
2/25/2008
When my friend asked me what I thought was the most intelligent cafe in New York, I first thought of Cafe Sabarsky. After all, how do you get brainier than a Viennese cafe paired with German and Austrian art?
But then I thought about it some more, and there was actually a place that could battle for the position. Housed in the basement of one of the three largest architectural libraries in the world (the other two being in Canada and England), situated in a building designed by the famed McKim, Mead, and White (whose other works include Morgan Library, Brooklyn Museum, Boston Public Library, Grand Army Plaza, and the West and East Wings of the White House), and conjoined to a building that was home to influential historians and intellectuals such as Richard Hofstadter, the rather small and humble Brownie's Cafe might be a solid contender for the title.
Located in the basement of Avery Library (the largest architectural library in the United States) and Fayerweather Hall (history department's cozy shindigs) at Columbia University, Brownie's is a non-Columbia owned eatery that serves delicious foods and baked goods that are not only measurably better than rest of the campus options, but on par with the best of Morningside Heights (which isn't saying much, I know).
Their salads are always fresh and crisp and the sandwiches are filling and delicious. As much as I love the food here and as attractive as the prices are compared to restaurants near by, I do wish it'd be a little cheaper since it does cater to the largely starving student population. But if you're ever in the neighborhood, go try their avocado sandwiches-- absolutely amazing.
But more than anything, I love stopping by Brownie's for their baked goods. When the weather was nice and I actually had enough sleep in me, I used to go there in the morning and get the bread and cheese deal. I got a loaf of whole wheat bread (amazingly soft and slightly nutty) with a gigantic slab of cheese; I'd take it outside and munch on it while pretending to read. They also have fabulous yogurt muffins. It has a slight tart yogurt flavor, oh-so-soft center, and has that slight brown sugar crunch on top.
They only serve American coffee, but it's the best coffee on campus without going over to Barnard across the street.
And it's a great place just to visit once. The decorations isn't much-- barren white walls, metallic furniture, but it's always interesting to visit. The bulk of the regulars who actually live down at the cafe are studying architecture, and their done and half done projects lie around. When I went today, they had decked out the stairway with a quasi-installation inviting you to rethink of urban aesthetics. Come around finals, and the place is like an art gallery (think White Columns). And because it's also connected to the history building, there'll always be a table of two angry graduate students arguing about a Marxist readings of the Constitution or what not.
It's not worth coming all the way uptown (or downtown) for, but if you're ever in the neighborhood, it's definitely one of the best ways to feel out Morningside Heights. Come by, get some good grub and a dessert, and eat it outside on campus. It's a beautiful place, and contrary to popular belief, Columbia doesn't riot every time someone comes to visit. Only if you're a Minuteman. Or the president of Iran. Or Ashcroft. Or... kidding. We're nice people.
P.S. The map will tell you that it's near Lincoln Center, but it isn't. It's up on 116th-ish.Listed in: Morningside-ish, Pour some sugar on me
-
Review from Lorenzo V.
New York, NY
3/12/2011 1 Check-in Here
It is a great life-saver during endless hours of study in the library. The space is amazing because every month has a different exposition made by students of the architectural school.
Enjoy the huge sandwiches and the good soups! -
Review from Theo C.
New York, NY
10/3/2010
Secret cafe! Cafe secret!
Sorry, I just was super excited when I learned about this place. Half the fun is just figuring out how to get there. (It's hidden in the basement of Avery!)
I work at Columbia and have no idea how these students can afford all the ridiculously expensive places in the area. But this place is totally affordable and they have tasty snacks! Their sandwiches are yummy, too. I only wish they were open more hours and in the summer. -
Review from Jennifer N.
Washington, DC
2/10/2010
Yes - what everyone else said. Brownie's is good, good, good. With two additions:
1) What I love to get here is the roasted turkey with brie, cranberries, and arugula. I like it on a multigrain roll and it is so good. It's $8, which is a lot for a sandwich, but it's big enough that I eat some for lunch and some for my late afternoon snack.
2) The only downside to Brownie's (aside from cash only) is that the atmosphere, like so many things at Columbia, is no-atmosphere. It's crowded, cramped, and subterranean. Yesterday, I went at 12:30 and it was so packed that people were sitting on the floor. I kept thinking that Brownie's could learn something from my favorite campus cafe in Cambridge- Gato Rojo- play some music (people like soft good music!) get a few long benches to line the walls (benches are good seats for people eating alone) and give the place some aesthetic attention. With a few tweaks, Brownie's Cafe could actually feel like a cafe. -
Review from QianQian Z.
New York, NY
3/31/2010
Brownie's can make a LOT of money if they sold coffee 24/7. There is definitely the demand there.
I like the atmosphere like everyone else. But, since I practically live upstairs from the cafe, I'm completely dependent on it, and therefore wish they had more choices of foods and maybe open a little later?
The sandwiches are just ok, basic. Sometimes I think Brownie's a good deal, and that's when I remind myself to leave Mornignside more often. This around seriously distorts my perspective on how much food should cost.
That said, the people at Brownies' are great, some of the friendliest, even during the crowded lunch hour. They make my long day better. -
Review from Ben C.
Boston, MA
2/28/2008
I think Sienna's review pretty much says it all and then some, but I'll put my own $0.02 in anyway. The sandwiches/wraps here are some of the best around (campus/M'side). Roast beef, ham, tuna, chicken salad, 'seafood'/crab salad, mozzarella-tomato-basil. Probably some veggie thing in there too, but I wouldn't notice. Bread is usually good quality, which I think makes a huge difference as far as sandwiches are concerned. Drip coffee is nothing special, but is also probably the best on campus. Go figure. One thing I really like about this place is that you can buy a hunk of fresh bread and a slab of cheese for like $2.50. I'm just a sucker for anyplace that has some form of bread/fruit/cheese plate. Overall atmosphere is 'comfortable cafeteria', suitable for chit chat or light work / e-mailing, etc...
-
Review from Dan T.
3/22/2010 3 photos
Tucked away below the structure housing literature on such matters, Brownie's boasts a great non-affiliated selection, prices, and ambiance (even if they don't take CCs, let alone Flex) on the CU campus. It's on floor 2 (basement) behind some red doors. It's a big space, yet unassuming; lines are long but the service is phenomenal. Best (and best valued, biggest) roasted/grilled vegetable sandwich I've had in as long as I can remember. The pineapple coconut muffin was not that good, but regardless, if the line wasn't so long I'd be back...a lot.
-
Review from M S.
Brooklyn, NY
7/6/2011
This place makes excellent sandwiches. I would say that they are expensive, but compared to other Columbia U area sandwich purveyors, the pricing is standard while the quality of the ingredients is much, much higher. They have some really excellent multigrain rolls, lots of nice cheeses, and many creative daily sandwiches. The only downside really is that the line is long, but it tends to move quite quickly and it's worth the wait.
-
Review from S W.
Brooklyn, NY
7/13/2011
I've eaten enough brie here to kill a lesser man.
-
Review from AMANDA K.
Santa Monica, CA
2/21/2007
My favorite restaurant on the Columbia campus! I heart Brownie's and their staff. Terrific prices in comparison to other campus cafes. They even have breakfast specials! Great coffee, bagels, sandwiches, pastries and jumbo cookies...and they have punch-cards now!
-
Review from Jenn L.
Poway, CA
9/23/2010
This is such a great place hidden in Avery! They use such fresh and real ingredients, and there is never a problem with getting something something custom made. Great coffee and iced coffee too!
-
Review from Anna L.
New York, NY
2/24/2009
Very shocked at the high ratings, made it sound like a quaint cafe. It's in the corner of the basement in the architecture department, a miss unless you see the gaggle of tired students standing in line for caffeine before the 9 am lecture. Have to say though, it is probably the cheapest place for coffee and tea in the entire university, plus you get a punch card for sandwiches and coffee. Cash only, bummer since there is no atm around.
