I bought bitcoin at a deli — here's how it works

At first glance, Mario's Gourmet Deli, a New York City bodega on the corner of West 106th Street and Amsterdam Avenue, looks like a regular corner store.

But inside there's an ATM that gives folks access to what some view as the future of payments and finance: bitcoin.

The recently installed ATM was featured in a New Yorker piece by Ian Parker, who described it as a "machine with the body of a regular ATM but the soul of a lottery terminal."

I paid the deli a visit to buy some bitcoin, the digital coin that's up near 500% over the last year. Here's what it was like. (Please excuse my poor photography skills.)

Here's a shot of Mario's.

The bitcoin ATM looks like a normal one, but it doesn't work the same. You can't withdrawal bitcoin, as it's not a physical currency, and it accepts only cash.

A Coinsource bitcoin ATM allows you to buy up to $3,000 worth of the cryptocurrency, which is less than one coin. I bought the minimum amount, $5.