Tired of spending $10 for a beer or $15 for a cocktail in New York City? Don’t worry: there are plenty of options for cheaper drinks throughout Manhattan thanks to an endless supply of happy hour specials.
While happy hour specials vary based on location, this lively Spanish tapas bar and restaurant is great for visiting with a group of friends. The Flatiron location, where happy hour is 3pm to 6.30pm Monday through Friday, has deals on sangria pitchers ($29), draft beer ($5), house wine ($8) and tapas.
This East Village dive bar is old-school – there are CDs in a jukebox and VHS movies projected onto the wall. Its daily happy hour, which runs from 5pm to 8pm, has a “buy one, get one free” policy, and you can also get $5 beer and shot combinations.
Located in SoHo, Pinch Chinese doesn’t just offer discounted drinks during its daily happy hour, but also cheaper food. From 5pm to 7pm, patrons can enjoy $5 dim sum (including pork soup dumplings, vegetable dumplings and spicy wontons) along with $5 draft beer and ciders, $8 mezcal margaritas and old fashioneds, and Taiwan National Gold Medal beer for $4.
Located on the Upper West Side, The Dead Poet – which serves cocktails named after famous writers – offers differing happy hour specials depending on the day. Take $2 off tequila and tacos from 12pm to 4am on Tequila Tuesdays. Local Thursday (12pm to 4am) offers $5 New York beers, and weekends are highlighted by a specialty bloody mary and mimosa menu.
This Lower East Side staple boasts that it is home to “NYC’s best happy hour since 2001.” Occurring daily from 5pm to 10pm, Verlaine, named after 19th-century poet Paul Verlaine, offers lychee martinis, sangria, house wines and mixed drinks for $7, and Narragansett for $4.
A Nolita dive bar, Botanica offers a super-cheap happy hour each night of the week without breaking the bank. Spanning 5pm to 8pm Monday through Friday and 6-8pm on weekends, this cozy space offers $3 beers, $4 well drinks and $5 select wines. Botanica hosts DJ nights as well as karaoke on Sundays.
This East Village neighborhood bar offers innovative cocktails and modern American comfort food. The Wayland hosts a happy hour from 4pm to 7pm Monday through Friday. Enjoy $1 oysters, $5 oyster shooters, $5 beers, $7 wines and $8 cocktails. As if the cheap drinks aren’t enough, the bar also hosts live music four nights a week.
Formerly known as the Bloody Bucket, this New Orleans-themed Lower East Side establishment first opened its doors in 1916. Happy hour at 169 Bar starts as soon as the doors open daily at 11.30am and runs until 7.30pm. There are discounts on already cheap fare, including $1 off cans and draft beer (which typically run $3 to $7), and $2 off everything else.
This Tribeca jazz lounge offers a cozy ambience with upscale food options. Happy hour is 5pm to 7pm Monday through Saturday and 3pm to 7pm on Sunday. Cocktails and saki are offered for $10, while beer is $5 and wine is $7 a glass (or $30 per bottle). Sushi rolls, french fries, edamame and various other food items are also discounted during happy hour.
Head downstairs to this surf-themed bar in Hell’s Kitchen for cheap drink specials and a chilled vibe. Happy hour – which runs from 5.30pm to 8pm Monday, Thursday and Friday – boasts $3 pilsners and specialty shots (including the Acid Drop, a grapefruit-infused vodka), as well as $6 Acid Drop cocktails and tequila-based palomas. Happy hour is all day on Sundays.
Located just east of Morningside Park in Harlem is Mess Hall, a neighborhood bar specializing in craft beer and spirits. Daily happy hour (4pm to 8pm) features can-and-shot specials like PBR and bourbon for $6, select drafts for $5, and pickleback shots, house wines and all well liquor for $6.
Why pay full price for something when you can pay half? Art Bar, located in the West Village, offers just that for its daily happy hour. Enjoy half-price draft beer, well drinks and house wines from 4pm to 7pm at this low-key lounge.
This casual cocktail bar is located in the East Village. Happy hour at Boilermaker is 5pm to 8pm during the week when Miller High Life is $4, well drinks are $6, wines (red, white, sparkling) are $7 and cocktails (including old fashioned, Tom Collins and negroni) are $8.
Located in FiDi, Jeremy’s Ale House has two happy hours – one in the morning and one at the more traditional post-work time. For just $1.75 patrons can enjoy a 32-ounce styrofoam cup of Coors Light known as The Eye Opener from 8am to 10am on weekdays. If drinking before work isn’t your MO, head there for happy hour from 4pm to 6pm Monday through Friday when half-price well drinks and $4 buckets of Coors and Coors Light are on the drinks menu.
