NYCGuide
The Best Happy Hours In Manhattan
Where to get a discounted drink after work (or before work, if you're on the night shift).
Every day, you show up to work and either accomplish a sufficient amount or look productive enough to not get fired. And after you’ve either crossed enough tasks off your to-do list or read the entire internet, you deserve to get a drink that doesn’t cost $20. So here’s a guide to 15 great Happy Hours in Manhattan for every budget.
THE SPOTS
When: Mon-Thurs, 5pm-8pm
The Deal: $6 Beer; $8 Wine; $13 Cocktails
Las’ Lap is a cool Caribbean bar on Orchard Street with potted plants, floral bar stools, and a cocktail list that emphasizes ingredients like coconut, passionfruit, and rum. It gets pretty busy here, and you’ll probably find it hard to get a seat (it’s a small place), but you won’t encounter the massive crowds you find at other LES bars like Kind Regards and Mr. Purple.
When: Mon-Thurs, 4pm-6pm
The Deal: $11 Cocktails; $12 Half Dozen Oysters; $24 Dozen Oysters; Discounted Wine Bottles
Before it closed in 2014, Milady’s was one of the few dive bars in Soho. Now it’s back and not remotely divey, but you can still save a few bucks on their new, much fancier cocktails during Happy Hour. If your group wants to get oysters and a whole bottle of wine to share, they discount some of those options as well.
When: Sun, 2pm-7pm; Mon 5pm-7pm; Tues-Thurs, 2pm-7pm; Friday, 2pm-6pm
The Deal: $1-$2 Off Most Drinks
You come to Sweet & Vicious for two things: frozen margaritas (they’re especially potent here) and an outdoor patio. If you’re here in the warmer months, it’s great for big groups—but it does get crowded.
When: Weekdays, 4pm-7pm
The Deal: $10 Cocktails; $10 Half Dozen Oysters; $18 Dozen Oysters; $7 Oyster Shooters; $9 Glasses Of Wine; $4-$5 Beer
The Wayland, located on Avenue C in Alphabet City, is your ideal neighborhood bar. It's good for dates, good for casual drinks with a small group, and good for Happy Hour. They make great cocktails, but they aren’t uptight like those bars where you have to enter a phone booth then name every president in order to get seated.
When: Mon-Fri, 5pm-8pm; Sun, 3pm-8pm
The Deal: $1 Off Beer, Wine and Well Drinks; $1 Off Well Drinks; $1 Off All Beer; $5 Jello Shot; $8 Beer and Shot
One of the quirkier bars around (Star Wars memorabilia abounds), this place has a lot going on: sports on the TV, a room with a dance floor, and a small lounge that looks like someone's private library. The bar feels much more like something you’d find in a small college town than something you'd come across in the middle of the West Village.
When: Mon-Fri, 1-8pm; Sat-Sun, 4-8pm
The Deal: 50% Off All Drinks, Food, And Karaoke (Only In the Public Bar And Front Rooms)
RPM is a very large venue that feels like a funhouse with 18 private karaoke rooms, an in-house vinyl shop, and two large bars. Their weekday Happy Hour goes long and relatively late, and they do discounts on more than just drinks. You can get 50% off a public karaoke sesh in the front rooms during these hours too.
When: Mon-Fri, 11am-7pm
The Deal: $7 Beer; $7 Wine; $8 Select Cocktails; Food Specials
Tavern 29 is a two-story bar with TVs, chandeliers, and exactly one thing that sets it apart: a rooftop. It isn’t very high, so you won’t get much of a view, but there a bunch of picnic tables that are perfect for outdoor group drinking in Nomad. And if the weather isn’t great, you can grab a table inside and eat a burger.
When: Mon-Wed, 4pm-7pm; Thurs-Fri, 3pm-7pm
The Deal: $10 Cocktails; $7 Tap Beer; $6 Bottled Beer; $8 Wine Glasses
Cask gets pretty busy, but thanks to its giant size, it’s never overly crowded. It is, however, loud. So come to this super dark, wood-beamed bar when you're looking for a good time with a group. They usually have a DJ supervising the dance floor downstairs.
When: Mon-Sat, 3pm-7pm; All Day Sunday
The Deal: $11 Select Cocktails; $5 Flask of Punch; $6 Select Beers
Porchlight is a bar in Chelsea brought to you by the king of hospitality and hamburgers, Danny Meyer. The drinks are well-crafted, they have interesting Cajun-adjacent bar snacks, and we’re big fans of their space, which is ideally situated for both a two-person meet up and a ten-person get-together.
When: Daily, 4pm-6pm
The Deal: $10 Cocktails
Right in the heart of Times Square at the bottom of the Edison Hotel, The Rum House is a surprisingly pleasant place to grab a drink. The cocktails are great, the space feels like an old-timey saloon, and there's often live music.
When: Weekdays, 11am-7pm
The Deal: $7 Well Drinks; $6 Select Drafts and Cans; $8 House Wine; discounted snacks
Stag’s Head looks like it’s going to be a bro scene, largely due to its Turtle Bay location. But it’s really more of a beer scene. They offer more than your typical roster of Ballast Point taps, so if you’re into deep cuts of craft beer, you’ll be happy here. There's also an outdoor patio.
When: Mon-Fri, 4pm-7pm
The Deal: $6 Drafts; $1 Oysters
The Jeffrey is basically built for Happy Hours, with oysters on deck and a big backyard beer garden. The sandwiches and bar food bites are solid, the atmosphere is laid back, the beer list is huge, and the staff is friendly.
When: Mon-Fri, 11am-6pm
The Deal: $6 Beer & Cider, $8 Wine, $8 Cocktails, $7 Starters
Thyme & Tonic has an entirely gluten-free food menu and an extensive bar featuring “garden to glass” cocktails and elixirs based on botanicals, seasonal herbs, and spices. There’s a lively scene both inside the dining room and out in the flower-powered outdoor area.
When: Mon-Thurs 3pm-11pm; Fri-Sun 12pm-7pm
The Deal: Mon-Thurs 3pm-8pm, $5 Draft Beers, $5 Off Pitches, $2 Off All Other Drinks; Plus Additional Discounts Until Close Every Day
This big bar on Amsterdam Ave feels like the kind of place you might have frequented junior year, complete with foosball, pool tables, and, yes, intense games of beer pong. If you want to pay college prices for that pitcher of Shock Top, come during Happy Hour (until 8pm every day).
When: Tues-Sun, 5pm-7pm
The Deal: Select $10 Wines
Musette is a wine bar in Central Harlem from the owners of Pompette right next door, and it feels like a cross between a European bistro and a farmhouse. Pair your discounted wine with a charcuterie board and some wings made with herbs de Provence.
