"Top 10 BYOB Restaurants"

"Known to regulars simply as 'A Café,' this fusion restaurant combines finely prepared French cuisine with the spicy and sweet flavors of the Caribbean. Nearby Columbia University students take full advantage of the BYO policy and the $25 prix fixe dinner menu which includes an appetizer and a main course. Many restaurants with similar, high-quality dishes to A Café would charge far more, making it all the more appealing to the student population. The dishes are experimental, but the flavor combinations are always on the mark. We love the roasted duck leg confit in jerk spices and the free range smoked chicken breast in a key lime and papaya purée. Cozy and intimate, A Café is a sweet and romantic spot ... Be sure to finish your meal with one of the classically French desserts: you can't go wrong with the creme brulée."

— "Top 10 BYOB Restaurants", D Guides.com-New York

"Do as young coeds do with their crushes and head to A Café, or "A," as it is known locally"

"... organic French Caribbean food served in an exceedingly cozy space... The cafe has a B.Y.O.B. policy, with no corkage fee. One wise choice: the meltingly smooth stuffed avocado with piquant vinaigrette, followed by a rustic wild mushroom ragout with Caribbean beans."

— Sarah Maslin Nir, "Finding College Spirit, Off the Quad", The New York Times, February 2010

"... one of the best-kept secrets of New York dining - A Café."

"No, not just 'a cafe' like any ol' cafe. This is A Café New York - Organic French Caribbean Cuisine, and let me tell you the food is just as incredible as the name is strange... A Café takes a daring risk with "Organic French Caribbean Cuisine" but damn, they are consistently out-of-this-world...every time I have been... Quite possibly one of the best appetizers I've ever had is "A's" escargots."

— Zach Bandler, "A Foodie's Guide to Dining in Bohemian New York City", The Not-So-Starving Artist.com

"(A Café has) infused a bleak stretch of upper Columbus with downtown flavor and a mellow neighborly vibe."

"There's a fiery kick to the escargots with cilantro-chili butter, and the hot grilled avocado with a dollop of spinach mousse where the pit used to be is a nutty experiment that works, smooth as butter in a puddle of shiitake-sesame vinaigrette."

— Rob Patronite and Robin Raisfeld, New York Magazine