Dinner Near Columbia University: The Ellington on Broadway
For anyone searching for dinner within walking distance of Columbia, The Ellington on Broadway is one of the more reliable answers on the Upper West Side. The restaurant sits at 2745 Broadway at 105th Street, about a ten minute walk south of the Columbia gates at 116th Street and closer still to Riverside Park. Chef John Loughran runs the kitchen at both Ellington locations, and the dinner menu reflects a kitchen that treats a Tuesday the same as a Saturday.
What's on the Dinner Menu
The menu moves from shareable starters into full plates built for people who came hungry. Grilled octopus with chickpea puree and pickled jalapeño sits near a duck confit bao bun on the starters list, giving a table two directions to go before anyone commits to a main. From there it opens into filet mignon with scallion mashed potatoes, skirt steak frites with beer battered onion rings, a lobster rigatoni built around Calabrian chili, and a braised short rib finished with its own au jus. Roasted chicken and butternut squash ravioli sit at the end of the table that wants something lighter, and don't forget our famous, afternoon tea, some say it is the best High tea in the Upper West Side.
Sunday Dinner and Booking a Table
Sunday gets its own version of dinner. A roast chicken for two comes with mash and roast potatoes on one side, carrots and gravy on the other, plus a bottle of wine included, served from four to nine and booked two days ahead by phone. Most other nights, reservations run through Resy, and the bar seats walk ins for anyone who would rather decide once they get there.
Why Regulars Keep Coming Back
Reviews from regulars point to the same thing again and again. Kelly Ver Haeghe, a Local Guide wrote this month that the staff is “absolutely lovely and the food is delicious,” and that she and her partner had engagement photos taken at the restaurant because it had become that important to them.
Owner Glenda Sansone has built a team around exactly that outcome, a room regulars treat as their own rather than a stop on a list.
Getting There From Columbia and Riverside Park
The 1 train stops at 103rd and 110th, both a short walk from the restaurant, and the B and C trains run to the same cross streets on Central Park West. Anyone coming from campus on foot down Broadway passes Riverside Park the whole way, which makes the walk itself part of the evening rather than just transit. This summer, World Cup matches run on the screens through dinner service, and the kitchen keeps the same pace on a quiet Tuesday or a full house around a match.
Part of a Small Group of Neighborhood Spots
The Ellington on Broadway sits alongside a small group of related spots for anyone who likes the vibe here and happens to be elsewhere in the city. Ellington in the Park runs a walk in only bar inside Riverside Park, a short walk from the Broadway location. The Red Lion holds down a corner of Greenwich Village. Tara Mór covers Midtown near Penn Station, and Tara Rose sits in Murray Hill. Each one runs its own kitchen and keeps its own crowd, but the same approach to a proper night out carries through all four.