Happy Hour Near Columbia University at The Ellington on Broadway
Happy Hour Near Columbia University at The Ellington on Broadway
The Ellington is where the Upper West Side does happy hour, and Thursdays, in case you didn't know, it goes all day, noon straight through to midnight. The rest of the week keeps things tighter, four to seven, Monday through Wednesday and again on Friday, and the whole room is part of it every time, not a squeeze of stools by the taps.
That full room detail is worth pausing on. A lot of bars near campus treat happy hour as bar seating only, which means a party of four or five ends up split between standing room and a wait for a table to open. At The Ellington, the whole group sits together in the dining room and stays on the happy hour list the entire time, no negotiating for bar stools required.
The Best Happy Hour Near Columbia University: What's Included
The happy hour list pulls from the same drinks program as the full menu, nothing stripped down or simplified for the discount, so a first visit during the window still shows what the bar can actually do. The Barker Espresso Martini, built on American vodka, brown sugar syrup, and Colombian espresso, tends to close out a long day in the library better than a coffee would on its own. For something that goes down easier across a longer sit, the Broadway Spritz mixes coconut water, Malibu rum, prosecco, pineapple, and lime. On draft, Guinness, Brooklyn Pilsner, Stella Artois, and Blue Point Toasted Lager cover most tastes, and the wine list rounds out with sparkling, whites, reds, and rosé by the glass.
The bar snacks come out of Chef John Loughran's kitchen, the same program the dinner service runs on, built for sharing rather than plated one per person. Truffle fries, tossed with parmesan, garlic, rosemary, and truffle aioli, come in at twelve dollars and tend to disappear fast at a table of four. Crispy fried calamari, with zucchini, squash, chilies, and basil aioli, is seventeen. Tempura cauliflower in sriracha aioli sits at fourteen, and classic wings, in a choice of house sauces, close out the list at fifteen. Splitting three or four of these across a table of six after a seminar covers the middle of the table without anyone needing a full entree.
Who This Is For
A grad student meeting an advisor off campus gets a quieter room than most of the bars right on Broadway near the gates. Visiting parents arriving ahead of a campus event can get a table without booking three weeks out. Faculty catching up after a seminar actually have enough room to talk, and a study group celebrating the end of a problem set can take over a corner of the dining room instead of hovering by the bar waiting on stools. None of them get squeezed into the same small footprint, since the whole room is part of the deal.
Location and Transit
The Ellington is at 2745 Broadway, New York, NY 10025, between 105th and 106th Street. The 1 train stops at both 103rd Street and 110th Street, and either station puts Columbia's main entrance at 116th and Broadway one stop away. For anyone walking down from campus, it's a straight shot south along Broadway, past Riverside Park on the right, roughly fifteen minutes on foot depending on the lights.
Inside the Room
The dining room keeps a grand piano near the bar, the one detail regulars bring up more than anything else on the floor. It gets played into the night for Sunday's jazz brunch and again for Saturday's live DJ set, and even midweek, sitting quiet, it gives the room a settled, proper feel worth sticking around for over a drink and a plate.
Who's Behind It
The kitchen is led by Chef John Loughran, working under owner Glenda Sansone, who built The Ellington around the idea of a proper neighbourhood restaurant rather than a concept bar. That distinction matters for a happy hour crowd specifically: the kitchen isn't running a separate late night menu built to move volume, it's the same food program the dinner service runs on, available earlier in the evening.
From a Recent Visit
A five star Google review from Olivia Torres describes being served by Veronica at the bar on a weekday evening, calling the margarita perfect and the truffle fries just as good, with the room summed up as a genuine neighbourhood spot.
Tables are available without a reservation during the happy hour window, and anyone who'd rather lock in a spot ahead of time can book through Resy the same as any other visit. The full drinks list, including everything above, sits on the site's drinks menu for anyone planning ahead.
If You're Coming From Further Downtown
For a Murray Hill or Midtown group who wants a similar after work stop closer to Penn Station, our sister venue Tara Mor or Tara Rose keeps its own weekday happy hour with the same no reservation ease. The Ellington's version is built for the Columbia and Morningside Heights crowd specifically, close enough to campus that a study session can end and a table can be sat down at within minutes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does The Ellington have a happy hour near Columbia University? Yes. The Ellington sits one 1 train stop from Columbia's main gate at Broadway and 116th Street, with a weekday happy hour that covers the full dining room.
What time is happy hour at The Ellington? Happy hour is four to seven, Monday through Wednesday and on Friday.
Is happy hour different on Thursdays? Yes. Thursday breaks the weekly pattern and stays open all day, noon to midnight, in the same full dining room.
Do you need a reservation for happy hour? No reservation is required; tables are available as they open up, with Resy as an option for anyone who wants to book ahead.
How far is The Ellington from Columbia's main campus? About one 1 train stop, or roughly a fifteen minute walk south down Broadway.
Is The Ellington open for happy hour on weekends? No. The window sits Monday through Friday, longest on Thursday, and weekends shift to brunch instead, with live DJ sets Saturday afternoon and jazz brunch on Sunday.