Cathedral Gardens girlies know. But the rest of us are in danger of forgetting about a hot contender for the coziest café in the area.

Dear reader, I, like you, mourned when Max Caffé closed its doors this August. But I, unlike you, did not despair, because I am aware of another quirkily-decorated destination for coffee, sandwiches, and wine, located at a slightly inconvenient (but also charmingly fresh) distance from the main campus.

Café Amrita sits at West 110th Street between Manhattan Avenue and Central Park West, right between Morningside Park and Central Park. It is open from 8 am to 11 pm every day, but it is especially proud of its weekend brunch. Sidewalk seating means that the café’s capacity is large, and it boasts wine and cocktails along with soda and coffee. Vintage posters and large mirrors adorn the walls, and a shelf of haphazardly stacked books sits in the back.

The café is across the street from the Barnard residence hall Cathedral Gardens, but for the rest of us, it rests at the distance of one charming autumnal stroll. It is the perfect place to go for a coffee chat, as it is often much less crowded than the Hungarian Pastry Shop (with much less of a line). And the fact that the café rests in a different zip code means that a sojourn there will reward you with exposure to a slightly different side of New York.

So, reader, next time that you find yourself wondering where you should take your book and/or a friend when you want to avoid the hodgepodge of Joe Coffees on campus, give Café Amrita a try.

Photos via author’s iPhone