NYCGuide
Where To Get Oyster Happy Hour Outside
When you’re in the mood for oysters and saving money, head to one of these 24 restaurants or bars.
As much as we enjoy writing these guides for you, our true goal in life is to invent a way for oysters to grow on bushes. Then, we’d move to the woods with our oyster bushes, submit the idea to Shark Tank, and have pockets full of money and bivalve molluscs. Unfortunately, oysters don’t seem to respond well to dirt, and we actually enjoy being here to provide you with 2020 outdoor Happy Hour knowledge. Let’s put it to good use.
The Spots
When: Daily (except Monday), 5-7pm
The Deal: Half-dozen oysters & a beer for $12 or $16 with wine
Upstate has the best oyster deal in the East Village, if not the entire city. Memorize the fact that they’re closed on Mondays, and come to their covered outdoor dining tables whenever the mollusc mood strikes.
The Hill Bistro
When: Daily, 4-7pm
The Deal: Half-dozen oysters for $9, a dozen oysters for $18
In addition to oysters, this spot in the Bronx has a whole menu of Happy Hour dishes you’ll want to share with someone, including fish tacos and a $9 plate of eggplant parm. They’re not accepting any reservations right now, and you can call 718-708-7770 if you’d rather take your food to-go.
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When: Daily, 5-7pm
The Deal: $1 oysters
Crave takes seafood as seriously as window washers take smudges. You can stop by their patio in Midtown East for $1 oysters as well as raw bar specials and something fresh from the “naked fish” section of the menu. Don’t think too hard about the concept of naked fish, it’ll turn your world upside down.
When: Weekdays, 5-8pm
The Deal: $1 oysters
Super Power in Crown Heights is best in the summer, mostly because it’s tiki-themed, with palm trees and fish bowl cocktails that come with umbrellas. Their selection of oysters ranges from Washington state to New York and Rhode Island. You won’t be able to pick the kind you get during Happy Hour (it’s dealer’s choice), but there are worse things in life than drinking discount rum and eating good, affordable seafood.
When: Daily, starting at 5pm
The Deal: $1 oysters
Even this year, LES bars get fairly crowded. To avoid that situation, go to the Black Crescent, one of the neighborhood’s most relaxed bars. They have sidewalk tables where you can hang out with a friend as you slurp an East Coast oyster (or seventeen). For a particularly memorable 2020 experience, claim the fenced-in table in front of a broken ATM. The Black Crescent staff calls it the “VIP” spot.
When: Weekdays, 5pm-7pm
The Deal: $1.50 oysters, $5 beer, $8 wine, $9 cocktails
If you’re looking for an outdoor brunch plan that involves inexplicable amounts of raw bar, this Astoria spot happens to serve $2 oysters all day on Sunday.
When: Daily, 4:30-6:30pm
The Deal: $1.25 East Coast oysters, $6 beers, $9 wine and cocktails
It’s hard to talk about oyster Happy Hour in Manhattan without mentioning The Mermaid Inn. There’s tons of outdoor seating here, and it’s a great spot for a short break from your apartment (or kids). If you’re not close to the UWS, the East Village location also runs daily Happy Hour deals (which you’ll find on this guide).
When: Tuesday through Sunday, 4-6pm
The Deal: half-dozen oysters for $9, dozen oysters for $18
This all-day American spot on Graham Avenue in Williamsburg is serving a half-dozen Malpeques for $9, and a dozen for $18. There may also be some other deals depending on what oyster shipments arrived, like Kumamotos, Beau Soleils or Blue Points.
When: Daily (except Monday), 4-7pm
The Deal: $1 Oysters
Sel Rrose’s corner space sidewalk seating near the Williamsburg Bridge on the LES is especially useful if you’re looking for a Happy Hour option somewhere in between North Brooklyn and Lower Manhattan. You should reward yourself for Citi Biking the bridge with at least ten of their rotating oyster selection. In case you’re planning ahead, make a reservation for an outdoor table here.
When: Wednesday to Friday from 4-6pm, Weekends from 3-5pm
The Deal: $1 oysters
Red Hook is generally a great neighborhood to eat seafood in, and getting $1 at Brooklyn Crab is an essential stop. This place has a ton of outdoor seating, and it’s right by the piers if you want to do something extremely weird like, perhaps, keep an oyster shell and throw it back into the water.
Sanfords
When: Daily, 4-7pm
The Deal: $1 Blue Point oysters, $7 select whiskey cocktails and wine
Sanfords in Astoria mostly focuses on bourbon, and food you’ll enjoy drinking with whiskey (like burgers, rib-eye steak, and cheesy pasta. But they also have Happy Hour in their outdoor dining area every day until 7pm.
When: Daily, 5-10pm
The Deal: $1 oysters all night
It would be reasonable to only stop by this Crown Heights restaurant just for $1 oysters. But then you’d be missing out on things like sweet corn salad, spare ribs, and olive oil cake on their dinner menu. Mayfield has first come, first served outdoor tables as well as seats they hold for reservations.
When: Monday from 3-9pm
The Deal: A dozen oysters and any bottle of wine for $40
This East Village cocktail bar opened back in May, and now they’re offering a Monday night special that gets you a dozen oysters and any bottle of wine on the menu for $40. They also have a bunch of cocktail options, a $1 pb&j sandwich, and a pineapple mignonette that comes with the oysters. You can reserve a table ahead of time here.
When: Weekdays, 4-6pm
The Deal: $1.50 oysters
This summer, the team behind The Lobster Place in Chelsea Market is running an outdoor oyster project called Cull & Pistol. Stop by for selling $1.50 oysters at the picnic tables outside in Chelsea.
Sea Wolf
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When: Weekdays, 4-7pm
The Deal: $1 oysters, $1 wings, $1 Buffalo cauliflower bites, $5 beer, $6 beer, $8 Painkillers
Seawolf recently opened a location right by Domino Park in Williamsburg (the original is in Bushwick - and they also have Happy Hour). So if you’re looking to eat oysters by the water, this is a great option. It can get busy here on weekends.
When: All night on Monday, Tuesday through Friday 5-7pm, Weekends from 4-7pm
The Deal: $1.25 oysters, $1.25 littleneck clams, $6 draft beer, $9 select wine and cocktails
Unlike the other Mermaid Inn locations, the Greenwich Village one is solely dedicated to alcohol and seafood. Land creatures are overrated anyway. If you’re not near Greenwich Village, know that the UWS, East Village, and Chelsea locations also run daily Happy Hour deals (which you’ll find on this guide).
When: Every Monday 11:30am-9:30pm through September 21st
The Deal: $1 oysters all night
Until the end of September, this Greek spot on 54th Street is offering $1 East Coast oysters on Mondays. If you want to make sure you get one of their outdoor tables, reserve a spot through their website.
Pizzette
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When: All night on Monday, 4pm to 6pm Tuesday to Friday
The Deal: $1 Oysters
This relatively-new pizza spot in Williamsburg has both East and West Coast oysters for Happy Hour, along with sourdough pies with housemade mozzarella. Just be aware that it’s cash-only (they have an ATM on property).
When: Weekdays from 3-5pm, and Weekends from 2-4pm
The Deal: a dozen oysters for $25 & $1 off wine by the glass and draft beer
This Boerum Hill spot is taking reservations and walk-ins for their outdoor dining area every day. They’re limiting groups to four people, but you don’t really want to share a dozen oysters with more than one person anyway. Stay past Happy Hour and order other seafood dishes like a crab roll.
When: Monday to Friday, 5-7pm & Weekends, 3-7pm
The Deal: $1 oysters, $18 wine carafes
If you’re looking for a place to drink some great wine with your oysters, prioritize this LES spot. Their house carafes usually involve wine from the Rhone Valley, but they also have a long list of wines-by-the-glass. You can call 212-228-4450 to make a reservation for a table on their patio, or show up early and secure a spot.
The Mermaid Inn
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When: Daily, 5-6:30 pm
The Deal: $1.25 oysters, $1.25 littleneck clams, $6 draft beer, $9 select wine and cocktails
The Mermaid Inn has a monopoly on oysters in Manhattan. If you’re near Chelsea, you can stop by for a discounted drink, a mini lobster roll for $9, and a bunch of oysters. Their UWS, East Village, and Greenwich Village spots also run daily Happy Hour deals (which you’ll find on this guide).
When: Weekdays, 5-7pm; Weekends, 4-6pm
The Deal: $1 oysters
You can rely on Crave Fish Bar for great, fresh seafood (including oysters and beyond). Unlike the Midtown location, the UWS spot starts Happy Hour at 4pm on weekends This could be useful to you, considering you might be happiest while the sun is still high in the sky.
St. Mazie
When: Daily, 6-8pm
The Deal: Half-dozen oysters and a glass of sparkling wine for $16
The Happy Hour at this relaxed Williamsburg spot also includes $5 beers, $6 glasses of wine, and $2 a la carte oysters. They often have live music in their garden patio area. Check their Instagram beforehand for updates.
When: Weekdays, 4-7pm
The Deal: $1 oysters, $1 wings, $1 Buffalo cauliflower bites, $5 beer, $6 beer, $8 Painkillers
This Bushwick spot by the Jefferson L train stop has lots of outdoor seating available. Bring a mask-wearing friend, eat nothing but protein and alcohol for dinner, and plan your next visit before you even leave your table.
