Cafe Berlin
Here’s a cool cafe that serves up carefully sourced, hearty breakfast and lunch options with a hipster vibe at 220 N. Tenth St. Make it a meal or just a cocktail that you can enjoy, and consider the outdoor seating area for a brief respite from the hustle and bustle.
“One day I found myself feeling a creative drive emerge in me to invent dishes. I would often see a dish or be eating something and find myself with ideas like … man, that’d be good with an egg on it,” says owner and executive chef Eli Gay.
At Cafe Berlin, cooking is a collaboration between heart and desire, not a rote list of ingredients and a checklist of directions to follow.
Cafe Berlin started with the basic idea that by committing to making honest, real, and simple food, the eatery would be successful. It uses real whole ingredients, from organic Vermont maple syrup to organic grains, beans, and flours — and absolutely no high-fructose corn syrup. There are also organic and local meats, local produce as much as possible, and local, organic milk. Cafe Berlin also strives to support other local businesses, including its partnerships with Fretboard Coffee and many mid-Missouri farmers and producers.
Hitt Records
Hitt Records opened in 2012 on 10 Hitt Street (above the Video Store and next to Ragtag Cinema) with a mission to bring a record shop to Columbia that focused 100 percent on music. In those early days, the record store was only open on the weekends. Now, the shop has expanded both products and hours, with two stories of tunes seven days a week. Hitt Records is also a pop-up venue and record label.
The locally owned music store has new and used records, CDs, and cassettes, plus audio equipment. It is Columbia’s oldest operating, independent, locally owned record store, making it the go-to source in mid-Missouri for non-mainstream music.
Want to buy, sell, or trade? Hitt Records pays cash for vinyl and LPs. (Call to schedule an appraisal.) Check out the new, vintage, rare, and used selections for sale. Looking for something different? Call or visit for a fair and honest trade.
Check out the online shop to see what music has been pressed to wax, and follow on social media for details about events and collaborations with Ragtag, Uprise Bakery, Cafe Berlin, and other artsy businesses.
Hexagon Alley
Ready to go from “bored” games to “board” games? Then Hexagon Alley at 111 S. Ninth St. is where it’s at. The casual cafe combines brews, bites, and board games like Monopoly and Clue as well as more eclectic and classic games.
Hexagon Alley loves tabletop gaming and wants to spread that love through the community. It’s a perfect spot for a family event, date night, morning study session, or opportunity to make new friends.
The cafe-and-game shop has a mission that is grounded in a sense of community. Hexagon Alley is an inclusive environment that is a welcoming place for all people of all ages, where board games create an opportunity in a digital age to help forget about our troubles and differences and connect with those around you at the table. Competitive and cooperative play are featured.
