The Western edge of the city, right above West 125th Street has been almost devoid of hospitable and tasty eateries.* Yet, there’s a promising restaurant in Columbia’s new Manhattanville Campus. Manhattanville Market bills itself as a “Food Court,” but the spacious restaurant inside the sleek, glassy Jerome L. Greene Science Center is really a quartet of distinct restaurants run by celebrity Chef Franklin Becker. There are Sicilian slices from “Benny Casanova’s,” Mideastern dishes from Shai, an “Israeli hummusiya,” inventive salads from The Botanist and—get this—southern and Amish inspired soul food crafted by Butterfunk Biscuits.

It was my Chef who told me M’Ville Market was a potential snack attack: He had been up at the Manhattanville Campus all week, sitting around a conference table discussing south to north migration in West Africa and Central America. Weighty world climate matters to be sure, but still… one has to eat lunch. After the first day of the migration conference, he waxed on about the satisfying pizza slices he’d eaten when the group went to Manhattanville Market. “The slices were as good as, perhaps even better than, Mama’s Too,” he marveled, “and only $5.00 each!” In 2018 a NYT Pete Wells review put Mama’s Too on the culinary map, and hungry throngs still stand outside waiting for their slices. Prices for Mama’s Too square slices now range from $5.75—$7.50.

I bought two Benny Casanova slices, the cacio e pepe and the Arthur Avenue, each generously sized. As you can see, the cacio e pepe was loaded with pecorino Romana and plenty of cracked pepper. The Arthur Avenue square featured sweet sausage, both hot and sweet peppers, broccoli rabe, and Parmigiana Reggiano, of course. What I loved about both was how olive-oily they were, in a good way:. crispy on the outside, light and airy and foccacia-like on the inside. On the Chef’s recommendation, I also ordered a small eggplant salad ($4.00) from Shai. Bright purple eggplant slices were mixed with cilantro, preserved lemon and pickled raisins , the latter two giving the dish an assertive sweet & sour vibe.

Speaking of vibes, appropriately for its location in the science building, the restaurant looks like like a laboratory. Spic and span it even features shelves of seedlings under grow lights. (General manager Ted informed me that the restaurant uses its own greens!) The front has banks of counters with high stools, but walk north up a few steps and you can opt for lower, more comfy seating. The same northern section of the restaurant has a full bar and transforms into Becker’s authentic Spanish tapas restaurant, Oliva, in the evenings. Or as we head into our usual Indian Summer, you can also take your M’ville Market goodies, walk a few blocks west and eat them with Hudson River view at the West Harlem Piers.

And whatever you think of Columbia’s expansion into West Harlem, which has been a controversial move by the city’s largest landowner, you should walk around and experience the angular glass and steel buildings on the new campus, which was designed by the Renzo Piano Building Workshop. Writing in Curbed, Justin Davidson said “all this techno-utopian design announces Disrupters at work…visitors tolerated.” Open plazas feature promising saplings that will one day be trees providing some welcome shade. The campus’ Manhattanville Market and Dear Mama are open to the public unlike other main campus cafes, and each building DOES invite the public into its space albeit for specific purposes, from art exhibits at the Lenfest Center for the Arts to weekly blood pressure and cholesterol checks at the Jerome L. Greene Science Center downstairs wellness center. Maybe do it before you have that cacio e pepe slice. ;)

Manhattanville Market
3229 Broadway (near W. 130th St.)
917-522-0391

*There are two outstanding outliers: Dinosaur Barbecue, where we hosted a gaggle of rowdy hungry boys for our son’s 13th birthday, is still in the nabe, just relocated to a different spot. The Baylander Steel Beach is also a welcome addition and provides surprising value for its great menu items (my favorite are the fish tacos) considering the amazing location—an X14 harbor utility craft that started its life in the Vietnam War! Book a reservation soon, however, because the restaurant closes in November, when the weather turns chill.