NYCGuide
The Best Happy Hours In Midtown
Where to get a drink deal now that you're back in the office.
Midtown is back. Or at least some of the people who used to fill the desks there are back. If you're one of these people, you might be looking for a place where you can stop after work, have an inexpensive drink, and talk to a bartender about how you used to work from home. Here's where to go. All of these spots have Happy Hour deals, and they'll help you readjust to life in the land of business casual wardrobes and New York-themed gift shops.
THE SPOTS
When: Weekdays, 11am-7pm
The Deal: $8 Select Drafts; $8 Import Bottles; $7 Domestic Bottles; $7 Well Drinks; $7 Wine; $5 Fireball And Jäger Shots
Despite the fact that it's across the street from Port Authority, we fully endorse this place. Beer Authority is huge, it has TVs everywhere, and there's even a big, semi-secret roof deck for when you want to make the most of your time in Midtown. (Also, there's lots of beer.)
When: Weekdays, 4-6pm
The Deal: $12 Select Cocktails; $10 Select Wine; $6 Select Draft Beers
Honesty, for a hotel rooftop bar in Midtown, Castell is pretty pleasant. It's sleek and modern, and it's the kind of place where you'd want to have drinks with someone you've been stalking on LinkedIn. Normally, cocktails here cost around $20—so these Happy Hour deals aren't bad.
Sign up for our newsletter.
Be the first to get expert restaurant recommendations for every situation right in your inbox.
The Houndstooth Pub
When: Weekdays, 12-7pm
The Deal: $6 Bud Bottle; $5 Draft Of The Day; $8 Wine Of The Day; $8 Sangria; $9 Moscow Mule, Appletini, Or Cosmo
One of the most charming pubs in Midtown (technically the Garment District) happens to have a Happy Hour. Bring a few coworkers, enjoy a Cobb salad or some shepherd's pie, and ask about the soup du jour. (You don't actually have to do that last thing. We've never had the soup du jour here.)
Peter Dillon's Pub
When: Weekdays, 5-7pm
The Deal: $6 Select Pints; $4 Jameson, Cuervo, And Jägermeister Shots
Looking for an Irish pub near Grand Central? Might as well go to Peter Dillon's. It's only a few blocks away, it's full of quaint Irish decor, and it has a pool table. There's also a location on 36th, if you prefer something a few blocks south.
Playwright Irish Pub
When: Weekdays, 4-8pm
The Deal: $8 Select Drafts; $8 Select Cans; $9 Select Cocktails; $9 Well Drinks; $9 House Wine
There sure are a lot of Irish pubs in Midtown. This one's called Playwright, and it's about half a block from Herald Square. It has plenty of tables and a big food menu, and it also happens to be a Dallas Cowboys bar. (Although you should really root for the Jets or Giants, because they could use the support right now.)
When: Weekdays, 4-7pm
The Deal: $2 Off Drafts; $3 Off Wine By The Glass
Yet another pub—only this one's English, and it's decorated like something you'd stumble across in the countryside. Try this cozy spot for some after-work bangers and mash.
When: Daily 4-6pm
The Deal: $1.50 Oysters; $6 Estrella; $9 Select Cocktails
If you need an oyster Happy Hour, here's one that should suffice. Crave is more of a restaurant than a bar, but it has an attractive space with a vaguely nautical theme, and it's a good spot to grab a stool, drink a margarita, and go to town on some shellfish.
When: Daily, 11am-7pm
The Deal: $5 Select Beer; $8 Spicy Margarita; $8 Frozen Drinks; $7 Wine
This big, Nashville-themed spot has a pretty long Happy Hour. It also has a charming space with exposed brick walls and vintage decor, and you can and should eat some nachos and watch a game on TV here.
The Junction
When: Mon-Fri, 11am-7pm; Sat, 12-7pm; Sun, 12-10pm
The Deal: $5 Select Pints; $7 Select Wine; $4 Off Cocktails; $7 Well Drinks
The Junction is a sports bar, but a cozy one, and the Happy Hour deals here are actually pretty great. Sit on a comfy banquette and eat a burger as you watch your favorite team lose on TV.
When: Daily, 5-9pm
The Deal: $2 Off All Drinks
Industry Bar is a dark, cavernous gay bar with couches, colorful lighting, and more disco balls than the '70s. You may prefer to be here at 1am on a Saturday, but Happy Hour is when drinks are cheaper. So do the grown-up thing, and host your party at 7pm.
Clinton Hall
When: Weekdays, 3-7pm
The Deal: $6 Select Drafts; $7 Margarita; $7 House Wine
Clinton Hall is a mini-chain with a few locations around the city, and it's where you go to sit a big communal table, drink beer, and play Jenga with your friends. This location is in Midtown East, and it has plenty of bar snacks (some of which are discounted during Happy Hour).
When: Weekdays, 4-6pm
The Deal: $10 Spicy Margarita; $10 Raspberry Cosmo; $7 Hoegaarden Draft; $10 Select Wine
With its booths, Edison bulbs, and quaint wallpaper, this attractive bar (think The Smith, but a pub) tends to draw a younger after-work crowd. It has two floors and an extensive food menu with everything from birria tacos to a Korean steak sandwich.
When: Sun-Tues, 11am-2am; Wed-Sat, 11am-3am
The Deal: $9 Pinot Noir; $9 Prosecco; $7 Fireball Shots; $10 Patron Shots; $10 Margarita; $11 Aperol Spritz; $11 Moscow Mule; $12 Mojito
The Happy Hour at multi-level sports bar Snafu never ends. So is it a real Happy Hour? Depends on your definition. If you're looking for a place to hide in the dark with a group and maybe play some pool near Grand Central, come enjoy a drink deal here.
When: Weekdays, 4-6pm
The Deal: $5 Narraganset Lager; $10 Select Cocktails, House Red, White and Rosé
$10 drinks don’t sound that impressive, but Rum House makes the best cocktails in the neighborhood—and this is quite possibly the only place where you'll find us drinking within a block of Times Square. Drop into this cozy room that looks like a fancy 19th-century saloon, and maybe even bring a date. (There might even be live music.)
When: Weekdays, 4-6pm
The Deal: $2 Off Wine And Drafts
Ardesia is nice in a grown-up sort of way, and it's a good place for after-work drinks with a friend or coworker who hasn’t had a shot of tequila in at least five years. This wine bar has high ceilings and a big marble bar, and you can order a charcuterie board to enjoy with your discounted wine.
When: Weekdays, 11-7pm
The Deal: $6 Select Beer; $8 Select Wine; $7 Well Drinks
The Stag’s Head is a pub on the East Side where you can hang out with friends and watch whatever game is on TV. There is, in fact a stag's head on the wall here, and this isn’t the worst spot to be once Happy Hour ends. If the weather's nice, drink on the back patio.
When: Daily, 11-9pm
The Deal: $4-$6 Wine, Beer, Well Drinks
Do your priorities involve cheap drinks and ample seating for you and your friends? Go to McGee’s. Claim a well-used booth, then get a few rounds of Happy Hour drinks. Wine is technically discounted during Happy Hour, but, um, we'd stick to beer here. (It's just that sort of place.)
Draught 55
When: Weekdays, 4-8pm
The Deal: $6 Beer, Wine, And Well Drinks
If you’re organizing a group Happy Hour for you and most of your colleagues, Draught 55 has the space to accommodate everyone. This bar has multiple levels, and there’s even an an “atrium” area that looks like if someone tried to build a pub inside of a greenhouse (and succeeded). Also, the food menu is enormous, with vegetarian and gluten-free options.
