Live Music Upper West Side | The Ellington on Broadway
Saturday brunch here starts as eggs and coffee and turns into a scene with live music by early afternoon. The patio doors stay open to Broadway at 105th Street, so the music carries onto the sidewalk before a guest even reaches the door. Saturday and Sunday each carry their own rhythm, one loud and one slower, and this is the full weekly rundown of both, plus what is coming out of the kitchen while it plays. No where does it like The Ellington.
The vibe and the layout
Brunch tables run through the main dining room and spill onto the glass enclosed patio, with seating for 100 across the two spaces. Saturday afternoon leans into the DJ. Sunday eases into a slower live jazz set instead. Neither night asks for a dress code or an explanation. The kitchen, led day to day by Chef John Loughran under owner Glenda Sansone, keeps a full dinner menu going alongside both sets rather than switching to a limited brunch only version.
A handful of dishes come up more than the rest when regulars explain why they keep coming back on a specific weekend rather than any weekend. The Braised Short Rib Toast pairs poached eggs and crumbled blue cheese with hollandaise on rustic sourdough. The Chicken & Waffle brings buttermilk battered chicken and strawberry compote together over a waffle. The Peanut Butter & Chocolate Belgian Waffle adds caramelized banana on top, and the Double Cut French Toast comes with mascarpone whipped cream and maple syrup. Mimosas are build your own, a bottle of bubbly with a choice of juice. A shot of Aperol or St. Germain is the classic add for $3, and PAMA or vodka both work too.
Location and how to get here on the Upper West Side
The patio and dining room sit between Riverside Park and Columbia University close enough for a walk before or after to be part of the plan. The 1 train stops at 103rd Street and 110th Street, both a short walk from the door.
Saturday on the patio
Saturday brings a DJ to the patio from noon to 3pm, timed to weekend brunch. The patio is open spring through early fall, so this is a seasonal fixture rather than a year round one, and it is weather dependent by nature of being outdoors. Walk ins are welcome. Tables move quickly during peak brunch hours, so anyone with a fixed arrival time is better off booking ahead on Resy.
Sunday shifts to a jazz brunch, with live music running through service and no cover charge for diners. This is the pairing that gets searched for directly, people looking for jazz brunch on the Upper West Side rather than downtown or in Harlem, and it is the reason The Ellington shows up for that exact phrase. The brunch menu stays on alongside the music rather than switching to a separate limited version, so a table can order a full meal and stay through more than one set.
Live music is a weekend fixture, but the week does not go quiet either. Happy hour is on at the bar Monday through Friday, 4pm to 7pm, with Thursday extending through the night, worth knowing for anyone weighing a weeknight visit against the weekend sets.
What guests are saying
A five star Google review from Lindsey Corcoran, a Local Guide, describes coming back over the years for graduations and New Year's Eve celebrations, and calls it a "great neighborhood spot" with a regular live piano player, adding that Sundays are nice and chill. Posted in May 2026, it backs up the weekend schedule covered here, from a guest with no reason to say so other than it being true.
Booking a table
Reservations run through Resy, walk ins accepted both nights subject to space. Saturday fills earliest because of the brunch crowd; Sunday stays more flexible once the early seatings clear.
Our sister venues
Ellington in the Park, our sister venue a few blocks west in Riverside Park, is the better call from April through November for anyone who wants the same neighbourhood but wants to be outdoors the whole time rather than on a patio attached to a dining room. Tara Mor, a two minute walk from Penn Station, is the right stop for anyone combining a Manhattan visit with a trip through Penn or a game at Madison Square Garden. Tara Rose, in Murray Hill, has an underground speakeasy available for private hire with no venue fee, which suits a group planning something separate from a normal dinner reservation. The Red Lion, in Greenwich Village, puts on live music nightly for anyone staying further downtown who still wants the same kind of evening.
Frequently asked questions
Is there live music on the Upper West Side.
Yes. A DJ plays the patio brunch on Saturdays, noon to 3pm, and live jazz plays through Sunday brunch with no cover charge, both walk in friendly at 2745 Broadway and 105th Street.
Plan your visit
The Ellington on Broadway is at 2745 Broadway at 105th Street, between 105th and 106th on the Upper West Side, a short walk from the 1 train at 103rd or 110th. Saturday brings the DJ, Sunday brings the jazz, and the bar stays open to walk ins either way. Book ahead on Resy if the timing needs to be exact, or just come by.