One of the reasons I was so excited to be moving to New York City, aside from being able to go to school here, is being able to explore the city and all that it has to offer. There’s so much to do here and so many places to go, especially for food; for someone who’s majorly indecisive like me, it can be hard to choose where to go! That’s what I’m here to help with, today I’m going to be discussing some of my favorite coffee, lunch/dinner, and dessert spots to go too – so far – in New York City. These spots are all located on the Upper East Side and are all relatively close to the 55th Street Residence Hall. As I get a grasp on navigating the subway system, future posts will have spots in more areas of the city!
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Sprinkles Cupcakes
I’ve seen pictures of the Cupcake ATM’s all over Instagram and have always wanted to go to one. During Welcome Week, I finally got the chance too and I now understand what all of the hype is about. There is a Sprinkles bakeshop / Cupcake ATM located on 780 Lexington Avenue. For those of you who haven’t been to one yet, all you do is pick out which cupcake you want & how many you’re getting, swipe your credit or debit card, then, in a few minutes your cupcake comes in a Sprinkles box from the ATM! You can also go inside the bakeshop, where they sell ice cream, cookies, and have a larger cupcakes selection. It’s adorable inside, the employees are all so nice and the space is very aesthetically pleasing (perfect for Instagram photos!). One cupcake is around $4 – $5 dollars, and I feel that you are really getting your money’s worth. The cupcakes are pretty big, and they’re so good. I got the red velvet cupcake when I went, which is the one they’re most known for, and it exceeded my expectations. I know that’s a lot to say about a cupcake, but it was that good!
2. Angelo’s
This is the only restaurant I’m going to be talking about in today’s piece, but this has been a favorite lunch/dinner spot of mine for a long time. I’m from New Jersey, but I have family & family friends who live here in New York City so prior to going to school here, my family and I would come to the city a lot to visit them. One night we wanted to go out to dinner & we decided to go to one of the many Angelo’s locations in the city. It’s safe to say it quickly became our go – to spot for dinner whenever we would come to the city. When I moved into the dorms, my family and I decided to go for a walk and check out the area around the dorms. We turned left when leaving the dorms and went to the corner of 2nd Avenue. Ironically, right across the street, on 1043 2nd Avenue, there was an Angelo’s. I was so excited when I saw it! Since then, I have gone several times & I love it as much as I did when my family & I first went there. Whenever my family and I go, we always get the margarita pizza; I highly recommend it, it’s amazing! If you like Italian food, I’d highly recommend going to at least one of the multiple Angelo’s locations around the city.
3. Shakespeare & Co.
In the two months that I’ve been here, I’ve become a regular at this spot! Shakespeare & Co. is a cafe / bookstore located at 939 Lexington Avenue. When you walk in, you are walking into the cafe, and there are a bunch of tables and chairs set up. (Just a tip: if you need to get work done where you’re working on your computer, try to get one of the two tables towards the bookshelf along the wall, they have the outlets for computer chargers there!) The cafe offers a variety of food & beverages, from hot drinks like coffee, tea, & hot chocolate – I recommend getting the Nutella Hot Chocolate, it’s amazing! – to a variety of pastries & breakfast foods. As you walk back further, you are walking through the book store. Also in the bookstore, is the separate bookstore downstairs, where one can buy textbooks. Shakespeare & Co. sells some of the textbooks for Marymount Manhattan College and Hunter College. When you buy a textbook from them, they give you a 15% off coupon to use in the cafe! It’s such a relaxing space and the employees are very nice there. It’s a great spot to get work done – I’m there while I’m writing this article right now – or if you just need to get out of your room and get a change of scenery for a few hours.
4. Woops! Bakeshop
This bakeshop looks exactly like the aesthetically pleasing cafes you would see all over Pinterest & Tumblr. Located on 60th Street & 2nd Avenue, Woops! is a cafe/bakeshop that sells macarons, coffee, & tea. The space is adorable; from the colors of the cafe being very bright and warm toned, even down to the smaller details like mini vases with flowers being on every table! The whole vibe of the cafe is very relaxing, and there is a large window with a mini counter top & chairs. The employees there are so nice, and much like Shakespeare & Co. it is a lovely place to go to just get out of your room and get a change of scenery for a bit.
Those are some of my favorite spots in the city so far! Like I said, once I get a handle on navigating the subway system there will be more posts of similar spots – since I love cafes & food – in other areas, because NYC is filled with them! Thanks for reading!