125th Street (1)
The Broadway restaurant and bar vibe just south of the station - can you spot the above-ground tracks?
This is one of those stops where the train marks a major cultural divide.* With Harlem’s massive Grant Houses complex on the eastern side, and the glassy gentrification of Manhattanville to the west, the high-arched rail line cleaves this area into two worlds.**
This write-up will focus on the western/gentrified side; for Harlem-focused guides of the area, check out 125 (ABCD) or 125 (23).
The Vibe
The pocket of Manhattanville just outside this station is perfect for a vibrant cafe or dinner experience. It’s got a multicultural flavor about it, with the local Black community mixing with diverse Columbia graduate students.
Don’t sleep on Cafe Massawa.
For Noms
In general, there are a lot of great bars and restaurants along Broadway heading south from 125th, almost of all of which have a charming vibe despite the variety in cuisine and aesthetic.
If you’re looking for a drink, a great meal perfect for date night, an intimate friend get-together, or a solo hang, I recommend Cafe Massawa. It’s my favorite Ethiopian in NYC, and it has a true neighborhood-spot feel.
Jin Ramen is another cozy, long-standing favorite.
For Hanging Out
Dear Mama, a Columbia-stamped establishment, is a glassy, airy, cafe-turns-bar with a small stage area for events.
Or, if you prefer a communal space that doesn’t have anything for purchase, the Lee C. Bollinger Forum is set up with cafe-like tables and chairs and is open to the public.
Inside Dear Mama. Lee Bollinger Forum next door has a similar aesthetic, without the cafe.
*Another stop like this is in Far Rockaway.
** In the early aughts, this area felt far more industrial/less gentrified. That changed with the completion of the large concrete-and-glass Lee C. Bollinger Forum building in 2018, and other similarly-architectured university buildings, all just west of the train.
To the credit of the Lee C. Bollinger Forum building, though, anyone can enter. That means it’s open to the residents of the Grant Houses, or whomever else is in the area and is looking for a third space to hang out, or study or read, without the pressure to purchase anything (like you might be at a cafe). Well, I guess if you’re going to plop down a bunch of fancy buildings, the least you can do is not outright exclude the people whose neighborhood you’ve taken over.
