Ella Social: A Columbus Avenue Tapas Bar Where Every Happy Hour Cocktail Is $12
Ella Social is the Upper West Side answer to where you drink before dinner without getting fleeced. Sunday through Thursday, 4 to 6pm, every cocktail on the happy hour list is $12 — house spritz, Tommy margarita, mezcalita, negroni, martini built your way — with draft beer at $6, wine at $10 a glass, and a romesco dip with grilled garlic filone for $6.
It’s a Spanish tapas room and natural wine bar on Columbus between 71st and 72nd, one block off the 1/2/3 at 72nd St and a short walk from both Central Park and Lincoln Center. Walk-ins are welcome, which matters, because the sidewalk tables go first on a warm evening. This isn’t a scene and it isn’t trying to be — it’s a well-run neighborhood room with a flat, honest early-evening list, which on this stretch of Columbus is rarer than it should be.
The Happy Hour
Happy hour runs Sunday through Thursday, 4 to 6pm. Cocktails are a flat $12 across the board: house spritz, Tommy margarita, mezcalita, negroni, a lychee or lemon drop martini, or gin/vodka your way. Wine is $10 a glass and $38 a bottle, red sangria is $10 a glass or $32 for a liter, draft beer is $6, and vermouth runs $10–$12. The food is the half people miss — romesco dip $6, croquetas $8, pintxos $8–$9, Argentine beef empanada $8, kofte slider $8, moules frites $14. Walk-ins are welcome and there’s no bar-only catch. Confirm current pricing before you go; the list moves with the seasons.
The Room
249 Columbus, mid-block between 71st and 72nd, with sidewalk seating that’s the whole point from May through October. Inside is small, warm, and busy without being a shouting match. The crowd is genuinely local — people off the 1/2/3 at 72nd St, ticket-holders killing an hour before a Lincoln Center curtain, couples who live within ten blocks. Order the croquetas and the pintxos, ask what the house wine of the day is, and take a sidewalk table the second one opens up.
Who Ella Social Is For
| Occasion | Why It Works |
|---|---|
| Drinks before Lincoln Center | Short walk to the plaza, and the 4–6pm window lines up with a 7:30 curtain |
| A cheap round that doesn’t feel cheap | $12 covers every cocktail on the list; $6 covers a draft |
| Wine without the wine-bar markup | $10 a glass, $38 a bottle in the window; natural list the rest of the night |
| Making dinner out of happy hour | Moules frites $14, croquetas $8, kofte slider $8 — enough to skip the entrée |
More NYC Happy Hours
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The Upper West Side Bar That Never Needed a Happy Hour
The Dead Poet · Upper West Side
Upper West Side’s Literary Irish Bar With a Serious Whiskey List
The Gin Mill · Upper West Side
A 30-Year Upper West Side Sports Tavern With Half-Price Drinks Until 8pm
Ella Social FAQ
Does Ella Social have a happy hour?
Yes — Sunday through Thursday, 4 to 6pm, with every cocktail at $12, draft beer at $6, wine at $10 a glass, and small plates from $6. Walk-ins are welcome.
What are Ella Social’s hours?
Monday through Wednesday 11:30am–9pm, Thursday and Friday 11:30am–10pm, Saturday 11am–10pm, and Sunday 10am–9pm.
Do I need a reservation?
No — walk-ins are welcome and happy hour is first-come. Reservations are taken, and groups of eight or more should call ahead.
Where is Ella Social and what’s the nearest train?
249 Columbus Ave between 71st and 72nd. The 1, 2, and 3 stop at 72nd St one block west; the B and C are two blocks east at 72nd St and Central Park West.
Happy hour times and deals last verified August 2026. Details can change — confirm with Ella Social before visiting for a specific deal.