By early evening the sidewalks along Broadway and Columbus Avenue fill with people heading to dinner, to a concert at Lincoln Center, or to a bar for a drink before a late set. The neighborhood stays busy well past midnight, though its mood is more residential than rowdy.
The Upper West Side is an affluent, largely residential part of Manhattan, and its nightlife reflects that: performing arts, live jazz, neighborhood pubs, and cafes rather than a concentrated club district. It suits visitors who want a full evening of music, theater, or film followed by a drink nearby, and who prefer a calmer, more local atmosphere than the city's nightlife districts elsewhere.
Where to go out in the Upper West Side
1. Lincoln Center and Lincoln Square
The area between West 62nd and 66th Streets, around Columbus and Amsterdam Avenues, is the neighborhood's cultural core. Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts is described as the world's largest cultural complex, with theater, symphonies, ballet, opera, film, and art exhibits, and the Metropolitan Opera and the New York City Ballet's David H. Koch Theater are both housed there. The New York Public Library's Library for the Performing Arts is also part of the complex, and Jazz at Lincoln Center occupies Frederick P. Rose Hall in the Time Warner Center at Broadway and 60th Street.
This suits an evening built around a scheduled performance. Note that Rose Hall venues are in the Time Warner Center rather than the main campus, and that the complex is walkable from the 1 train at 66th Street and the A, B, C, and D trains at 59th Street.
2. Broadway music venues
The Beacon Theatre on Broadway between 74th and 75th Streets is a major music performance venue for large solo acts and groups, with tickets that are not cheap and sometimes sell out well in advance. Its box office keeps specific hours: Monday to Saturday 11AM to 7PM, closed Sunday except when an event is scheduled, and it stays open after showtime for will call and ticket sales for that evening's event only.
Further north, Symphony Space at 2537 Broadway, just south of 95th Street, is a former movie theater that still occasionally screens films but is now mainly a performance venue with eclectic offerings, including inexpensive shows at the Leonard Nimoy Thalia around the corner. Smoke Jazz Club and Lounge at 2751 Broadway, between 105th and 106th Streets, has live jazz seven days a week, and performers often jam late into the night, so the late set is the one to aim for.
3. Classical and university stages
Merkin Concert Hall at 129 West 67th Street, between Amsterdam and Broadway, is a prestigious venue for classical music, much of it contemporary, seating about 250 people with good acoustics for chamber music. It is near Lincoln Center but is part of the Kaufman Music Center rather than Lincoln Center itself. Miller Theater at 2960 Broadway, at 116th Street, is Columbia University's main performing arts venue and is known for classical music performances.
These suit listeners who want a seated, focused concert rather than a bar or club. Check the box office hours in advance: Merkin's runs Sunday to Thursday noon to 7PM and Friday noon to 3PM, opening one hour before curtain on Saturdays.
4. Neighborhood bars along Amsterdam and Columbus
The drinking scene is made up of local pubs rather than a nightlife strip. Amsterdam Ale House at 340 Amsterdam Avenue specializes in microbrews, George Keeleys on Amsterdam Avenue between 83rd and 84th Streets has an excellent beer selection, and Dive Bar at 732 Amsterdam Avenue, at the corner of 96th Street, is one of the few bars in the neighborhood with any type of scene during the week, with a good whiskey selection and good bartenders. Dublin House at 225 West 79th Street is a neighborhood bar open daily from 8AM to 4AM, and Amity Hall Uptown at 982 Amsterdam Avenue offers food and drink in a large pub-like space.
This is the right choice for an unstructured evening, a drink after a show, or a weeknight out when you want somewhere that is actually busy. The sources do not state a legal drinking age or other local rules, so check current requirements before you go.
5. Cafes and late-afternoon stops
The neighborhood has many idiosyncratic cafes, some long established. Alice's Tea Cup at 102 West 73rd Street has a good tea selection, excellent scones, and an Alice in Wonderland theme, and is very popular with families with daughters. Crumbs at 775 Columbus Avenue is a bakery specializing in cupcakes. The Hungarian Pastry Shop at 1030 Amsterdam Avenue, between 110th and 111th Streets and across from the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, serves coffee and rich pastries in a bohemian setting.
These work best as the start of an evening rather than the main event, or as a quieter alternative to a bar. City Coffee & Bar at 914 Columbus Avenue combines a cafe, sports bar, Latin American restaurant, and lounge in one space.
6. Cinemas
Lincoln Square 13 Cinema at 1998 Broadway, two blocks from Lincoln Center, is a multiplex showing first-run films on 13 screens and includes an IMAX cinema. First showings begin around noon and last showings begin around 11PM. The Walter Reade Theater, home of the Film Society of Lincoln Center, is the place for international and repertory cinema, with annual showcases from Africa, Spain, France, Italy, Israel, and Asia.
This suits a low-key night or a late screening after dinner. The Walter Reade's New York Film Festival tickets go on sale the Friday after Labor Day and sell out quickly.
7. Riverside Park in the evening
Riverside Park, west of Riverside Drive, runs along the riverfront with views of New Jersey and sometimes breezes off the river. In summer it hosts al fresco movies, plays, and music. The Hudson River Greenway along the park's river edge is a common route for pedestrians and bicyclists.
An evening walk here suits a warm night before or after a show, or a break from indoor venues. Summer programming is the reason to time a visit to the park itself.
8. Morningside Heights and the northern edge
Just north of the neighborhood, Morningside Heights is worth an evening walk for its architecture: most of its apartment buildings went up between about 1900 and 1910, with Juliet balconies, detailed facades, and grand lobbies. The Cathedral of St. John the Divine and 115 surrounding buildings are designated landmarks. Morningside Park, once described as the murder capital of Manhattan in the 1970s, is now a peaceful green space with plunging hillsides. The Cotton Club at 666 West 125th Street, near Columbia University, is a dance and dinner club with swing dancing on Monday nights, Latin dance on Friday nights, jazz and dinner nights on Thursday and Saturday, and gospel brunches on weekends.
This suits a longer evening that combines a walk with live music and dancing, or a weekend brunch rather than a late night.
How a night out unfolds
The sources describe specific timings rather than a general rhythm: Lincoln Square 13 Cinema's first showings begin around noon and its last showings begin around 11PM; Dublin House is open daily from 8AM to 4AM; Smoke Jazz Club's performers often jam late into the night, making the late set the better choice; and the Beacon Theatre's box office stays open 30 minutes after an event starts for that evening's event only. Taken together, an evening here can start with a film or a cafe in the afternoon, move to a performance or dinner, and continue at a bar or jazz club into the small hours. The sources do not give a general dinner hour or a standard closing time for the neighborhood, so plan around the specific venue you choose.
Festivals and events worth timing a trip around
- New York Film Festival — early October, organized by the Film Society of Lincoln Center at the Walter Reade Theater; tickets go on sale the Friday after Labor Day and sell out quickly.
- The Nutcracker — every December, staged by the New York City Ballet at the David H. Koch Theater, popular with New Yorkers and tourists alike.
- Summer al fresco movies, plays, and music — summer, in Riverside Park.
Frequently asked questions
What kind of night out does the Upper West Side suit best?
A scheduled evening: a performance at Lincoln Center or a concert at the Beacon Theatre, followed by a drink at a neighborhood pub or a late jazz set. It is a residential, cultural neighborhood rather than a club district.
Where can I hear live jazz?
Smoke Jazz Club and Lounge at 2751 Broadway has live jazz seven days a week, with performers often jamming late into the night. Jazz at Lincoln Center in Frederick P. Rose Hall also presents solo and small combo sets and its own Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra.
Do I need to buy tickets in advance?
For some events, yes. Beacon Theatre tickets are not cheap and sometimes sell out well in advance, and New York Film Festival tickets go on sale the Friday after Labor Day and sell out quickly. Symphony Space also has inexpensive shows, especially at the Leonard Nimoy Thalia.
What can I do in the evening that does not involve a ticketed venue?
Walk Riverside Park along the riverfront, or take in the architecture of Morningside Heights, where the Cathedral of St. John the Divine and 115 surrounding buildings are designated landmarks. Neighborhood bars such as Dive Bar, Dublin House, and Amsterdam Ale House are options for a drink, and cafes such as the Hungarian Pastry Shop and Alice's Tea Cup work earlier in the evening.
Decide which performance or bar fits your evening, check the venue's box office hours before you set out, and build the rest of the night around it.