Café East

The sushi is always so fresh and yummy !

Cafe East is my FAVORITE place to go for a snack and study session. They are so speedy and always have the freshest sushi. Their froyo is SO good too. Egg tart is the best! Vanilla matcha is also so good. So clean too, just the AC is way too cold and you need to bring 3 layers.

joia

Cafe East is my FAVORITE place to go for a snack and study session. They are so speedy and always have the freshest sushi. Their froyo is SO good too. Egg tart is the best! Vanilla matcha is also so good. So clean too, just the AC is way too cold and you need to bring 3 layers.

Summer Brown

The sushi is always so fresh and yummy !

Snizhana Lytvynova

really good bubble tea and nice people working! prob the best food place on campus

御坂天鸾

Best gyudon I’ve ever had! Matcha ice cream is delicious as well.

amanda c

perfectly sweet and balanced with earthy flavors, the milk tea is delicious and not bitter AT ALL. as your residential bubble tea connoisseur, I highly recommend this place, as the teas as well as the acai bowls are tasty

Kylie Pecord

People are right that the bubble tea could be better but I've always enjoyed the tea I've gotten there. If you're a boba connoisseur better to head elsewhere. Go there for the other offerings. The sushi is pretty high quality, convenient, and inexpensive. Nice fruit smoothies and frozen yogurt as well. There is also always fresh iced tea, sliced fruit, and fruit/cracker/cheese/peanut butter combos in the cooler to grab and go. Super fast, convenient, good seating with outlets and wifi.

Cafe East is hands down the best dining option on Columbia’s campus. The menu features a variety of well-prepared dishes like sushi, teriyaki chicken, and other classic East Asian options. What really sets it apart is its surprisingly good boba tea—something you wouldn’t typically expect from a campus cafe. The tea is brewed just right—whether you go for classic milk tea or one of their fruit teas, the flavors are fresh and well-balanced, never too sweet or watered down. The boba itself has a perfect chewy texture that complements the drinks without overpowering them. It’s honestly the kind of quality you’d expect from a specialty boba shop, not a campus cafe. As for the sushi, it’s decent, especially considering the price—$10 for a roll is a great deal for a quick bite between classes. It’s nothing gourmet, but it gets the job done when you’re craving sushi on a budget. But if you’re stopping by Cafe East, the boba tea is the real highlight.

Nice atmosphere and interior to lounge at! Also located conveniently at the lerner center. Came here for the boba since we were here for a pre college program at Columbia. Very good boba and not too sweet! Grandiloquent and stupendous menu. I must say though… business must be very lucrative over here since the boba cost us around $8 (after tax). The cashier was also a bit audacious and impatient with us. The hours are also irregular since they don’t always open on schedule.

got a vanilla matcha latte with no ice. did not realize it came with boba, the menu was definitely not very clear on that. the drink itself was good! not too sweet and the boba was chewy. i had to wait a bit for someone to take my order.

Good place for quick bit. Above the bookstore and fast WiFi. Heaven when you are a student.

Arthur Trusov

Cafe East is hands down the best dining option on Columbia’s campus. The menu features a variety of well-prepared dishes like sushi, teriyaki chicken, and other classic East Asian options. What really sets it apart is its surprisingly good boba tea—something you wouldn’t typically expect from a campus cafe. The tea is brewed just right—whether you go for classic milk tea or one of their fruit teas, the flavors are fresh and well-balanced, never too sweet or watered down. The boba itself has a perfect chewy texture that complements the drinks without overpowering them. It’s honestly the kind of quality you’d expect from a specialty boba shop, not a campus cafe. As for the sushi, it’s decent, especially considering the price—$10 for a roll is a great deal for a quick bite between classes. It’s nothing gourmet, but it gets the job done when you’re craving sushi on a budget. But if you’re stopping by Cafe East, the boba tea is the real highlight.

叶晨丰

Nice atmosphere and interior to lounge at! Also located conveniently at the lerner center. Came here for the boba since we were here for a pre college program at Columbia. Very good boba and not too sweet! Grandiloquent and stupendous menu. I must say though… business must be very lucrative over here since the boba cost us around $8 (after tax). The cashier was also a bit audacious and impatient with us. The hours are also irregular since they don’t always open on schedule.

Brittany Wang

got a vanilla matcha latte with no ice. did not realize it came with boba, the menu was definitely not very clear on that. the drink itself was good! not too sweet and the boba was chewy. i had to wait a bit for someone to take my order.

David Khorram

Good place for quick bit. Above the bookstore and fast WiFi. Heaven when you are a student.

Under renovation currently, they have pretty good sushi that goes half priced 15 min before closing. Hopefully it stays good after the renovations

Skaydi Grossberndt

Under renovation currently, they have pretty good sushi that goes half priced 15 min before closing. Hopefully it stays good after the renovations

Drinks are inconsistent and the tea is sometimes too bitter (even with milk!) but they're lightning fast. Incredibly convenient for Columbia students, but by far the worst bubble tea option in the area (especially with the opening of Gong Cha nearby) even though it may be the cheapest.

Steph H

Drinks are inconsistent and the tea is sometimes too bitter (even with milk!) but they're lightning fast. Incredibly convenient for Columbia students, but by far the worst bubble tea option in the area (especially with the opening of Gong Cha nearby) even though it may be the cheapest.

Definitely agree with the other reviews on the quality of bubble milk teas. Tea magic is so much better. I used to drink here often. Ordered Taiwan oolong milk tea with bubbles and the guy forgot the bubbles. I don't wanna go back in the storm now to get a new tea. Go here for overpriced food and below average bobas. I would anyway choose strokos a couple of blocks down for food and teamagic for teas unless they are not open. On the food front they have sushi rolls, cut fruits and fruit smoothies. You can bring outside food here to have a bite and the ambience is nice.

Vignesh M

Definitely agree with the other reviews on the quality of bubble milk teas. Tea magic is so much better. I used to drink here often. Ordered Taiwan oolong milk tea with bubbles and the guy forgot the bubbles. I don't wanna go back in the storm now to get a new tea. Go here for overpriced food and below average bobas. I would anyway choose strokos a couple of blocks down for food and teamagic for teas unless they are not open. On the food front they have sushi rolls, cut fruits and fruit smoothies. You can bring outside food here to have a bite and the ambience is nice.

Truly the worst bubble tea place I've ever been to. Some of the flavors, like Caramel, are undrinkable. And for the flavors that I do like somewhat, they vary in quality so sometimes it tastes okay, others I can't get more than a few sips through. Do yourself a favor and go to TeaMagic a few blocks down.

Lesley Cordero

Truly the worst bubble tea place I've ever been to. Some of the flavors, like Caramel, are undrinkable. And for the flavors that I do like somewhat, they vary in quality so sometimes it tastes okay, others I can't get more than a few sips through. Do yourself a favor and go to TeaMagic a few blocks down.

I've been getting the banana berry smoothie here for years without strawberry because I am allergic to strawberry. They became annoyed when I requested no strawberry, and told me that changes are not allowed and I needed to choose something else from the menu. I don't understand why they changed their policy after all these years and would love to go back to the days when they were happy to accommodate my allergy.

if you're looking for quality, look else where. Tea magic is just way better and its only a few short blocks away. they have a huge consistency problem. Sometimes the bubble tea is okay at best, but than other times its like why did I buy it at all..

I came here once at 7:50pm and asked for froyo and was told it could not be made... I accepted that as I saw the toppings had been put away but today I came in at 7:45. I asked for a smoothie and was told it could not be made. I then asked for froyo with toppings and was told that it could not be made. The toppings had not been put away yet and froyo truly is not difficult and only requires pulling the lever on a machine (as I have seen done before). There is no reason for this kind of service... don't have closing officially stated at 8:00 but then stop serving 90% of items 15 minutes before closing.

Lauren A

I've been getting the banana berry smoothie here for years without strawberry because I am allergic to strawberry. They became annoyed when I requested no strawberry, and told me that changes are not allowed and I needed to choose something else from the menu. I don't understand why they changed their policy after all these years and would love to go back to the days when they were happy to accommodate my allergy.

Marcia Ojo

I came here once at 7:50pm and asked for froyo and was told it could not be made... I accepted that as I saw the toppings had been put away but today I came in at 7:45. I asked for a smoothie and was told it could not be made. I then asked for froyo with toppings and was told that it could not be made. The toppings had not been put away yet and froyo truly is not difficult and only requires pulling the lever on a machine (as I have seen done before). There is no reason for this kind of service... don't have closing officially stated at 8:00 but then stop serving 90% of items 15 minutes before closing.

Michael Lam

if you're looking for quality, look else where. Tea magic is just way better and its only a few short blocks away. they have a huge consistency problem. Sometimes the bubble tea is okay at best, but than other times its like why did I buy it at all..