Sipsteria Morningside — Restaurant in New York

I’ve been here about 15 times, the coffee and food are always very good although this place is more expensive than most. I really wish they took a dollar off the prices across the board, they’re living in 2026 right now. Plowshares down the street offers probably the highest craftsmanship of coffee in the area and they roast their own coffee on the premises…Sipsteria is more expensive than them. A lot of great things to say though. This place just added outdoor seating which is adorable and nicer than any other coffee shop in the area, it’s going to set it apart with the weather getting nicer.

COFFEE: I don’t really understand why or how a latte is being sold for $6.90, it’s a dollar above the top I’ve seen in the area or even downtown in way more expensive parts of town. But it’s good quality and you can tell it’s done with love and care. $5.90 is fair, not $6.90. The taste is great, they don’t really get the fine milk foam or presentation needed for these prices. It’s too simple but again, the coffee tastes great.

FOOD: This is also what sets this place apart. Many kinds of pastries and ones you don’t find at other coffee shops in the area, although I haven’t tried a lot of them. The financiers, both vanilla and blueberry, are very good but a bit doughier, more sugary than any I’ve eaten but there was something nice about that. The quiche has great taste, very buttery, the crust is a bit soft on the bottom and all 4 times I’ve gotten it, it’s only been warm 80% through but was embarrassed or too short on time to ask them to warm it more. Again, this quiche is almost 10 dollars…I don’t really know why or how it’s this expensive. You do taste the quality though! I’d buy it more often for 8 dollars.

SERVICE: Always great. Super nice people and never had issues. No table service for food like any coffee shop.

ATMOSPHERE: It feels like a living room with great lighting and plants, tables and chairs are like you’re in a cute living room. Very clean, it gets crowded but never loud because of people studying.

I’ve lived in the area for 10 years and there’s been too many establishments in and out of this location. It finally feels like Sipsteria has hit the right spot for Columbia students and locals to have very good coffee and pastries close to campus. I really wish they took a dollar off the prices across the board but I think they’re getting enough student traffic where parents are footing the bills that they won’t need to take them down. ...

In a city with a million coffee shops claiming to provide the best coffee, the best pastries or simply the best environment to relax while sipping a drink and casually scrolling your phone, few of them nail the concept of a third space as seamlessly as Sipsteria does. Located at the heart of Morningside Heights, these folks certainly put the “morning” in MorningSide Heights. The space has been open for a little over a year and in that short time they have managed to embed themselves into the character of the neighborhood. So much so that their presence on the stretch of Amsterdam Ave between 122nd and 123rd feels like the kind of “no brainer” people have come to expect from a neighborhood that is gentrifying at a steady pace. The shop offers fresh staples like muffins, scones, pound cakes and croissants, along with a small but well-executed selection of sandwiches, salads and paninis. The coffee is fresh and flavorful, avoiding any bitterness thanks to their new espresso machine. It's clear they've calibrated it to deliver a perfect cup every time. In the summer they decided to turn the space into an espresso and wine bar venue. As the afternoons turn to evenings, Sipsteria transforms into one of the most exciting wine bars to hit the area in a very long time. The wine bar concept serves natural wines from known natural wine locations in Europe and South America, with a few American and Eastern European options as well. The stars of the wine menu, and what makes it more interesting, is the inclusion of Georgian wines. These wines have garnered a lot of attention in the past few years and continue to entice wine drinkers thanks to vinification techniques first developed in Georgia more than 8000 years ago. The regular jazz bands, usually playing on Saturday nights, are another big draw. Their live music adds to the vibrant atmosphere that keeps people coming back. Overall, highly...

Watch them ring you up carefully: this coffee shop is dishonest about pricing.

I ordered a cappuccino to stay and they rang me up. I asked why it was $1+ more than the posted price. They said that they can only do large cappuccinos to stay because they don't have small ceramic cups. So, the guy said, they charged me for a large. Mind you, the prices on the wall don't mention different sizes--apparently the posted prices are only for "small" sizes. There are no prices posted for large sizes anywhere, or any indication that the prices are higher for staying in versus to go. And I only discovered this because I asked--not because the cashier was being transparent. They offered no receipt.

I went back and forth with the barista, saying this was a super misleading practice, and couldn't he see that it felt a little scammy to charge people more than the listed prices with no explanation? It was like talking to a brick wall.

The worst part was that the cappuccino sucked--apparently what made it "large" was just adding more milk. So it was a latte. This is no way to treat customers. I will never go back and have told friends to avoid, too. RIP Max Caffe.

Edit: If all the prices are indeed posted clearly on the wall that is a change since I was there, which would be good. But saying that ‘the price shows up on the screen’ is not the same as posting them clearly—that info flashes by quickly and someone should know how much the item costs before ringing up. I do hope you have made these...