Dispatch: NYC, Covacha
A pleasant vibe (if you can find it)
🎵Covacha vibes…
Editor’s note: I normally write my dispatches in groups… once when we first return from a location, then a review and rewrite, then finally I post or schedule the dispatch for later in the week (I aim for Fridays at noon-ish).
This week was different. I’m only now writing this dispatch the Sunday after the Friday when the dispatches are normally posted.
I’d like to blame it on one thing, however it was many things that lead to a late publish. Hopefully this dispatch makes for a good Sunday evening read (and even better Sunday evening visit to Covacha.)
Oh - I wore my new A Box of Corn Dogs t-shirt yesterday while walking Summer Streets. Nice and soft. Get your merch with a $5 discount using the code: QHWQS9UGUC.
I blue myself.
Covacha is weird.
Not the modern-day political use of the word ‘weird’. (Which is weirdly effective.)
Rather the type of weird, like when you first step inside of Covacha, your first thought is “where has this place been all my life?”.
And that’s the curiosity of the place. I don’t think it could be situated in a weirder place. It’s located on the Upper West Side, in between a Shake Shack and a cookie store, across the street from Theodore Roosevelt park and the American Museum of Natural history. All that and it’s tucked behind a bus shelter stop.
I mean, seriously. Did the owners go out of their way to pick a location that hardly anyone could find?
And, when they did find it, those would-be patrons would then have the startling and horrifying choice between Covacha and Shake Shack?
Seriously, what the heck?
While it can be difficult to find, the number of patrons in Covacha is always the right balance. Not too many that you have to squeeze by everyone just to get to your seat, yet enough people where the place has a pleasant vibe. (Hear the vibe above!)
The bar is situated at the back of the space, with a sneaky upstairs that holds a few additional tables. The bar is deceptively big, set up in a horseshoe-like shape. The bathroom is just to the right of the bar as you are walking in.
According to Swarm, we’ve visited nine times. Although we did initially visit Covacha when it was Cafe Frieda. Covacha is a much better and we’re now able to find it.
Funny: The first time we visited Covacha was in January 2023. We weren’t even living in New York at the time!
A recent visit…
Our most recent visit was, unexpectedly, on the night of the Opening Ceremony for the Paris Olympics.
Imagine looking up from your drink and seeing some fella dressed like Tobias Fünke in Arrested Development.
So, that was entertaining.
Actually, it was the first time we realized they had a TV in Covacha. It either must normally be off (which is great for conversations) or they flicked it on for the Olympics.
It’s nice when the TV is not on.
While we were here on a late Friday afternoon, we decided to skip food and just order a drink. I had to take an expected work call in the middle of our time, otherwise it was fairly quiet and uneventful, perfect for an engrossing conversation.
In the past, we’ve ordered a few different plates. Nothing has disappointed us. The drinks are always tasty and the folks behind the bar are always very nice and helpful. It’s just a fun, relaxing place to stash away for an hour.
Covacha
Address. 368 Columbus Avenue, New York, New York. 10023 (map)
Hours.
Happy Hour: Sun-Fri 4-6
Lunch: Mon-Fri 12-4
Dinner: Mon-Thu & Sun 4-9 Fri-Sat 4-10
Brunch: Sat 12-4 & Sun 11-4
Phone. (212) 712-2929
Website. www.covachany.com
Email. covacha@happypeople.team
Reservations: Via Resy
Socials.
Eat this...
Guacamole Ashes. The guacamole is good and the ashes on top make for a fun discussion. The money is in the chips though. Yum.
Enchiladas. The vegetarian enchiladas were dy-no-mite. They weren’t traditional enchiladas, yet they were super tasty. Just the right amount, too.
Quesadilla Negra. Did not disappoint. Super fresh and the avocado was nicely sliced. Also, more ashes (good!).
Drink this...
It’s what you’d expect, and better.
Red Sangria. On a warm day, a glass of chilled sangria was perfect.
Elsa. Elsa and Rita. One is frozen and the other is over ice. Strangely, the frozen dispenser is not behind the bar so they just kinda show up out of nowhere. A pleasant surprise.
Rita. The other one. Just as good. Just different.
Tips & tricks...
Sit at the bar. The bartenders are outstanding and the bar is tucked in the back so it’s away from the street noise. And, sitting at the bar is the best.
Order from the Happy Hour menu. The Happy Hour menu is, um, concise. There’s not a lot to choose from. However, the drinks and snack are all very, very good. We’ve only eaten from the HH or Dinner menus.
Watch the water. Keep an eye on your water glass. The bartenders do an excellent job of keeping your water glass full.
That was fun!
Thanks again for joining me—I hope you enjoyed reading about Covacha.
Mr. and Mrs. Corn Dog are a little wiped out from walking Summer Streets yesterday. While it’s always fun to see the city from a different angle (ie, walking down the middle of Park Avenue with no cars), the humidity was brutal . And, some of our regular spots either were no longer opened or they didn’t open up until much later than the advertised time. (It’d be nice if there was a website that kept an updated list of hours and availability. Ahem.)
I plan on writing about Summer Streets for next week’s dispatch (on Friday!) since it’s running for two more weekends in August.
Psst…merch… store…
There have been several requests for merch. Those requests have mainly come from me because of my affection for corn dogs.
If you are interested in reppin’ A Box of Corn Dogs, check out the merch store…