Profile

This cocktail lounge and coffee shop on the southern border of Morningside Heights begins selling hot drinks, breakfast foods and fresh baked bread at 8 a.m. then switches to small plates of cheese, chorizo, gratin de broccoli and the like until last call. Red and black checkered upholstery and brightly colored paintings line the walls, knickknacks such as masks from Bali fill the shelves above the bar, and an equally eclectic mix of Columbia students and neighborhood folks lounge at mismatched mosaic-tiled tables or in the booths in back. Bar regulars know better than to expect apple-tinis: Rather than overly sweet fruit syrups, cocktails like the Last Goodbye incorporate meticulously concocted mystery ingredients such as house-infused cherry brandy. Those who can't decide between the joint’s specialities— vodka and espresso blended by Vermont microroaster Mocha Joe’s—can find an eye-opening marriage of both in the cappuccino martini. — Lucy Cohen

D.J.'s spin and singer-songwriters croon every night of the week.