An Upper West Side bar crawl on Amsterdam and Columbus
For an upper west side bar crawl that stays on happy hour, go Monday to Friday and walk five stops in this order: Playa Betty's on Amsterdam Avenue, Asset and Da Capo facing each other on Columbus Avenue, then The Wolfe and Hi Life Bar & Grill back on Amsterdam. The route covers about a kilometer, roughly 13 minutes on foot, and starts three minutes from the 72nd Street 1, 2 and 3 station.
The Upper West Side does not have one nightlife strip, which is why a crawl here needs a plan. The happy hours sit along Amsterdam and Columbus Avenues, a block apart, and they keep different hours. We started from the 39 Upper West Side bars and restaurants on our list, kept the ones whose happy hour runs on the same weekdays and has a posted menu, and ordered them so the earliest window comes first and the latest last.
The result is a zigzag north: a Mexican spot on Amsterdam, a pair of restaurants across Columbus from each other, a pub and a bar with oysters to close. You get beer, margaritas, wine, cocktails and real food along the way, with no leg longer than about six minutes.
Live prices and each bar's exact hours are on the cards below. Use this guide for the order, the days and the walking, and check the cards on the day you go.
The route, stop by stop
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Upper West Side, around Playa Betty's. Photo: Nmattson10 at English Wikipedia, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons 1. Playa Betty's Upper West Side
Pacifico Pints $6 · Rose $20
Daily 3pm–6pm · 320 Amsterdam Avenue · 72nd Street (1, 2, 3)Start at Playa Betty's, a Mexican restaurant at 320 Amsterdam Avenue. Its happy hour runs every day and opens earliest of the five, in the middle of the afternoon, and it closes in the early evening, so this is the stop to hit first. The menu lists Pacifico pints, rose and Betty's Burger, a good base for the walk ahead. The 72nd Street station on the 1, 2 and 3 is a three-minute walk.
Deal checked Nov 2, 2026 on the bar's own site.
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4 min walk from Playa Betty's
The street outside Asset. Photo: Epicgenius, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons 2. Asset Upper West Side
Signature cocktails $12 · Selected wines $8
Mon–Fri 4pm–6pm · 329 Columbus Avenue · 72nd Street (1, 2, 3)Walk about four minutes east to Asset at 329 Columbus Avenue. Its happy hour runs Monday to Friday and is one of the two shortest windows on the route, ending at the same time as Playa Betty's, so do not linger at the first stop. The menu covers select starters, signature cocktails, selected wines and craft taps, which makes Asset the place to eat something early.
Deal checked Nov 8, 2026 on the bar's own site.
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1 min walk from Asset
The street outside Da Capo. Photo: Jim.henderson, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons 3. Da Capo Upper West Side
TAYLOR WHO Vodka $16 · LIMONCELLO SPRITZ $12
Mon–Fri 5pm–7pm · 322 Columbus Ave · 72nd Street (1, 2, 3)Da Capo is directly across Columbus Avenue at number 322, about 30 meters away. It is an American and Italian bar whose weekday happy hour starts latest of the five, in the early evening, which is why it comes third. The list is short and leans on cocktails: a limoncello spritz and a Taylor Who vodka drink. Da Capo also takes bookings on Resy if you want a table later.
Deal checked Nov 2, 2026 on the bar's own site.
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6 min walk from Da Capo
The street outside The Wolfe. Photo: Jim.henderson, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons 4. The Wolfe Upper West Side
Beer $5 · Draft $6
Mon–Fri 11:30am–7pm · 425 Amsterdam Avenue · 79th Street (1)Head back to Amsterdam Avenue and north about six minutes to The Wolfe, a pub at 425 Amsterdam Avenue. Its happy hour runs Monday to Friday from late morning into the early evening, the longest window on the route, with beer, draft, mixed drinks and an Aperol drink on the list. It is the cheap-beer stop of the night. The 79th Street station on the 1 is three minutes away.
Deal checked Nov 2, 2026 on the bar's own site.
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3 min walk from The Wolfe
Upper West Side, around Hi Life Bar & Grill. Photo: Nmattson10 at English Wikipedia, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons 5. Hi Life Bar & Grill Upper West Side
Well drinks $8 · Margaritas and daiquiris $8
Daily 4pm–7pm · 477 Amsterdam Avenue · 86th Street (1)Finish about three minutes north at Hi Life Bar & Grill, 477 Amsterdam Avenue. Its happy hour runs every day and ends with The Wolfe's, so arrive with time to spare. The list is the longest of the night: well drinks, margaritas and daiquiris, cosmopolitans, champagne cocktails, house wine, select draft pints and Blue Point oysters by the piece. The 86th Street station on the 1 is four minutes away.
Deal checked Nov 5, 2026 on the bar's own site.
Which days the route works
Monday through Friday. Asset, Da Capo and The Wolfe run happy hour on weekdays only, while Playa Betty's and Hi Life run every day, so any weekday covers all five stops. Saturday and Sunday break the middle of the route.
The order follows the clock. Playa Betty's opens its window first, in the middle of the afternoon, and closes in the early evening along with Asset, which is why those two lead. Da Capo starts later, so it sits third. The Wolfe and Hi Life end together in the early evening, so leave Da Capo with time for both. Plan on about 40 minutes per stop and one round at each. If you start late, skip Playa Betty's and open at Asset. If you only have an hour, do Da Capo, The Wolfe and Hi Life. Exact start and end times are on the cards, and they are what to check before you go.
The route, stop by stop
From Playa Betty's on Amsterdam Avenue to Asset on Columbus Avenue is about 310 meters, around four minutes. Da Capo is across the avenue, about 30 meters away. The longest leg follows: about 490 meters back to Amsterdam and north to The Wolfe, roughly six minutes. The last leg to Hi Life is about 200 meters, under three minutes.
In total that is about 1,030 meters, or around 13 minutes of walking spread over the evening. We measure straight-line distance between each bar's coordinates at about 80 meters a minute, so allow a little more for corners and lights. The mix runs from Pacifico and a burger at Playa Betty's to starters and craft taps at Asset, a spritz at Da Capo, cheap beer at The Wolfe and oysters at Hi Life.
Getting there and home
Take the 1, 2 or 3 to 72nd Street; our listing puts Playa Betty's three minutes from the station. The B and C also stop at 72nd Street, a minute from The Ribbon on West 72nd Street.
The route ends near the 1 train. The 79th Street station is three minutes from The Wolfe, and 86th Street is four minutes from Hi Life, so you can head home without walking back to the start.
If your day does not fit
On a weekend, build a shorter version from the bars with daily windows. Playa Betty's and Hi Life both keep their happy hour on Saturday and Sunday. The Ribbon on West 72nd Street, a minute from the B and C, also runs every day, with a margarita, a UWS Negroni, well drinks, draft and fish tacos on its list. Hoptimist, across Amsterdam Avenue from The Wolfe, adds Saturday to its weekday window, with truffle fries and a baked pretzel.
The table below lists 22 other happy hours within about a 10-minute walk of Asset, closest first, if you want to swap a stop.
More happy hours within a 10-minute walk
| Bar | Walk | Happy hour | Deal | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Asset | 1 min | Mon–Fri 4pm–6pm | Signature cocktails $12 · Selected wines $8 | Nov 8, 2026price seen on the bar's site |
| Da Capo | 1 min | Mon–Fri 5pm–7pm | TAYLOR WHO Vodka $16 · LIMONCELLO SPRITZ $12 | Nov 2, 2026price seen on the bar's site |
| Leyla | 2 min | Daily 4:30pm–6pm | $11 perfect istanbul rye whiskey, tommy margarita | Nov 8, 2026price seen on the bar's site |
| Kissaki Sushi | 2 min | Mon–Fri 6pm–8pm | half dozen oysters $30 | Nov 2, 2026price seen on the bar's site |
| Covacha | 2 min | Daily 4pm–6pm | House Wine (Rose, White, Red) $10 · Sangria (glass) $10 | Nov 8, 2026price seen on the bar's site |
| Arte Cafe | 3 min | Daily 4pm–7pm | Spritzes (Aperol, Campari, or Limoncello) $12 · Margarita $14 | Nov 7, 2026price seen on the bar's site |
| Harvest | 3 min | Daily 4pm–7pm | times only | Nov 6, 2026price seen on the bar's site |
| Dakota Bar | 3 min | Mon–Fri 3pm–6pm | times only | Nov 7, 2026price seen on the bar's site |
| Tessa | 4 min | Daily 3pm–6pm | Parmigiano truffle fries $12 · Prosciutto & ricotta toast $12 | Nov 5, 2026price seen on the bar's site |
| Lilly's Cocktail and Wine | 4 min | Mon–Thu 4pm–7pm; Fri 2pm–5pm | Happy hour cocktails $10 · Select can beer $5 | Nov 2, 2026price seen on the bar's site |
| Playa Betty's | 4 min | Daily 3pm–6pm | Pacifico Pints $6 · Rose $20 | Nov 2, 2026price seen on the bar's site |
| The Ribbon | 4 min | Daily 4pm–7pm | Traditional Margarita $14 · Draft $12 | Nov 2, 2026price seen on the bar's site |
| Ella Social | 4 min | Mon–Thu, Sun 4pm–6pm | Wine (glass) $10 · Wine (bottle) $38 | Nov 4, 2026price seen on the bar's site |
| Cafe Tallulah | 4 min | Mon–Fri 3pm–7pm; Mon–Thu, Sun 10pm to close | Oysters $1.25 | Nov 3, 2026price seen on the bar's site |
| La Perla Nascosta | 5 min | Mon–Fri, Sun 4pm–6pm | Spritz Margarita $10 · Negroni $10 | Sep 2, 2026from the bar’s site |
| Bondi Sushi | 6 min | Mon–Fri 3pm–6pm | Handrolls $5 | Nov 4, 2026price seen on the bar's site |
| The Wallace Lounge | 6 min | Daily 5pm–6:30pm | times only | Nov 3, 2026price seen on the bar's site |
| Sarabeth's | 6 min | Mon–Fri 4pm–7pm | Cocktails (Pamplemousse Spritz, The Painkiller, Classic Margarita, Seasonal Mule) $10 · Wine $7 | Nov 4, 2026price seen on the bar's site |
| The Wolfe | 6 min | Mon–Fri 11:30am–7pm | Beer $5 · Draft $6 | Nov 2, 2026price seen on the bar's site |
| Hoptimist | 6 min | Mon–Sat open to 7pm | Truffle Fries $6.00 · Baked Pretzel $9.00 | Nov 2, 2026price seen on the bar's site |
| Gebhard's Beer Culture | 6 min | Mon–Fri open to 6pm | Happy Hour Drafts $3 · Happy Hour Guinness Pint $7 | Nov 7, 2026price seen on the bar's site |
| Ashford & Simpson's Sugar Bar | 7 min | Tue–Sat 3pm–7pm | times only | Oct 16, 2026from the bar’s site |
| The Gin Mill | 7 min | Mon–Fri open to 3pm | Beer $5 · Top Shelf Drinks $7 | Nov 2, 2026price seen on the bar's site |
| Hi Life Bar & Grill | 8 min | Daily 4pm–7pm | Well drinks $8 · Margaritas and daiquiris $8 | Nov 5, 2026price seen on the bar's site |
| Tasca | 9 min | Mon–Fri 4:30pm–6:30pm | times only | Oct 25, 2026from the bar’s site |
| Cotta Osteria | 9 min | Mon–Thu 4pm–6pm; Fri 3pm–5pm | times only | Nov 5, 2026price seen on the bar's site |
| Viand | 10 min | Mon–Fri 3pm–7pm | Beer $7.00 · Classic Cocktail $6.00 | Nov 8, 2026price seen on the bar's site |
Walking time estimated from straight-line distance (about 80 m a minute). Up to 40 bars, closest first.
Questions
Which day should I do an Upper West Side bar crawl?
Any weekday, Monday to Friday. All five stops run happy hour on those days. On Saturday and Sunday only Playa Betty's and Hi Life keep their windows, so the full route does not work.
How long does the crawl take?
About three to three and a half hours with one round at each stop. The walking adds up to about 13 minutes over roughly 1,030 meters, starting in the afternoon and finishing in the early evening.
Where should I eat on the route?
Asset or Playa Betty's. Asset's happy hour includes select starters, Playa Betty's has a burger, and Hi Life serves Blue Point oysters by the piece at the last stop.
Do I need reservations?
No, but Da Capo takes bookings on Resy if you want a table later. The other four have no booking link in our listing, so walk in and take a bar seat.
Which subway stations are closest to the start and end?
Start at 72nd Street on the 1, 2 and 3, three minutes from Playa Betty's. Finish at 86th Street on the 1, four minutes from Hi Life.
How we put this together
We built the route from our database of New York happy hours, which records each bar's schedule and offers from the bar's own website. The five stops were last checked between October 19 and October 22, 2026. Walking times are straight-line distances between bar coordinates at about 80 meters per minute, so real walks can run a bit longer. Subway stations and walk times come from each bar's listing.
Something wrong or out of date? Tell us and we will check it.