There are only a few months out of the year when you can comfortably sit outside in New York City. So once the weather gets warm enough, you should be leaving work early to get Happy Hour drinks outdoors. It's the responsible thing to do, and we know exactly where you should go. Stop daydreaming about drinking $5 beers and $8 glasses of wine on a patio, and head to one of the spots on this guide.
THE OUTDOOR SPOTS
Cafe Chili
When: Daily, 4-7pm
The Deal: $9 Cocktails; $5 Beers; $2 Off Appetizers
Cafe Chili has one of the nicer outdoor areas on this list. It’s filled with small, round tables and potted plants, and there’s a round bench built around the trunk of a tall tree that provides a lot of shade. Try some small bites like chicken satay and crispy wontons in the back garden, and forget that you’re in NYC for a few hours.
Vida Verde
When: Monday-Friday, Open-6pm
The Deal: $10 Frozen Drinks; $8 House Wines; $5 Select Beer Cans
Vida Verde—a few blocks south of the park in Midtown—is a huge Mexican restaurant where everyone looks like they’re letting loose after a tough week (or maybe month) at work. They have a rooftop with colorful seating, a huge Frida Kahlo mural, and umbrellas in case you need some shade. The brisket birria tacos aren’t a part of their Happy Hour, but order them anyway.
When: Daily, 4-7pm
The Deal: $9-10 Cocktails; $7-9 Wine; $5 Beer; $6-9 Small Plates; $1.50 Oysters
Vinatería is one of our favorite date spots in Harlem, and we love that you can get a nice glass of Bordeaux and terrific bacalao croquettes for under $20 during Happy Hour (even on a Saturday). You’ll find metal tables and chairs set up on their sidewalk corner, some under big umbrellas.
When: Monday-Thursday, 4-6pm
The Deal: $11 Cocktails; $30-50 Wine Bottles; $2 Oysters
Milady’s used to be a dive bar in Soho, and it closed in 2014. Now it’s back in the same space, run by the folks behind Clover Club, and it isn’t remotely divey anymore. A lot of their cocktails are around $20, so $11 for a drink during their Happy Hour is a great deal. Order a few from one of the tables set up on the sidewalk.
When: Sunday-Thursday, 12-6pm
The Deal: $6 Local Drafts; $1 Off All Wine; $6 Slices; $6 Salads
Public Display of Affection is a slice shop on the border of Park Slope and Gowanus. The centerpiece of this tiny restaurant is a wood-burning oven that churns out exceptional chewy Neapolitan pies. Go for the pepperoni, which you can enjoy at one of the many tables outside.
When: Monday-Friday, 4-6pm
The Deal: $12-13 Cocktails; $18 Wine Carafes; $10 Wine; $5-11 Small Plates; $3.50 Grilled Oysters
The outdoor setup at this Flatiron restaurant from the Colonia Verde team makes you feel like you’re at a resort. There’s a pergola, rugs, and no matter where you sit, you’ll be surrounded by big potted plants. If your Happy Hour turns into dinner, don’t miss the lamb sliders and wild mushroom tacos from their Latin American menu.
When: Monday-Thursday, 4-7pm; Friday, 3-7pm
The Deal: $2 Off House Spirits, Draft Beer, and Wine
Sweet Afton is a bar and restaurant in Astoria that’s great for drinks and a casual meal. They make a good burger as well as things like salads and a falafel sandwich. Their patio has strings of lights and plants, and there are enough seats to hang out comfortably with friends.
When: Monday-Friday, 11am-7pm
The Deal: $8 Tequila and Grapefruit Juice Cocktail; $7 Select Beer and Wine; $5 Beef Slider; $8 Hummus Plate; $14 Margarita Flatbread
Despite being surrounded by taller buildings on all sides, the roof at Tavern29 in Nomad is always packed. The outdoor beer garden has picnic tables, TVs, and the same big selection of drinks and bar food that you can get on the two indoor floors downstairs.
When: Monday-Thursday, 3-6pm; Friday, 12-6pm
The Deal: $2 Off Select Cocktails
Maggie Mae’s is a Sunnyside bar that's like an overachieving Irish pub where you can drink craft beers, margaritas, and a spiked raspberry lemonade with a Twizzler stick. They also offer a popsicle in a glass of Prosecco, which might be just what you want on a really hot day.
When: Extra (Dirty) Happy Hour: Monday-Friday, 12-6pm; Afternoon Fling: Monday-Friday, 3-6pm
The Deal: Extra (Dirty) Happy Hour: $8 Martinis; Afternoon Fling: $8 Select Cocktails and Spritzes
This restaurant at The Standard hotel in the Meatpacking District has a plant-filled outdoor area with lots of well spaced-out tables. This place has two distinct Happy Hour menus, and you can choose from vodka, gin, espresso, and “bartender’s choice” martinis during "Extra (Dirty) Happy Hour," which starts at noon, and a bunch of other cocktails during the shorter “Afternoon Fling.”
When: Tuesday-Thursday, 5-7pm
The Deal: $10 Select Cocktails; $7 Select Wine; $6 Select Beer; $10-13 Small Plates
Kokomo is a Caribbean spot where you can get pastas, flatbreads, and more topped with jerk chicken and oxtail. When the weather's nice, enjoy their "Koko Hour" specials at one of the many outdoor tables set up along a tree-lined sidewalk in Williamsburg.
When: Monday & Tuesday until 10pm; Wednesday & Thursday until 7pm; Friday, 12-4pm; Sunday, 7-10pm
The Deal: $2 Off Draft Beer and Wine; $6 Beer Cans; $12 Beer Flights; $16 Liter Steins; $29 Pitchers and Wine Bottles; $30 Kranz Kölsch
This beer garden on the Lower East Side feels like a spot you’d find on a side street in Germany. It’s a great place to hang with a group in a big backyard with picnic tables, and they serve beer garden-type food like pretzels, sausages, and schnitzel fingers.
When: Monday, All Day
The Deal: $6 Lager, Pale Ale Pints, and Seltzers
This taproom in Ridgewood is a great spot for gathering everyone you like in one place—especially when you don’t know how many people are coming. Just note that there’s no food here, but you can bring your own snacks (a whole pizza, for example) or stop by the taco truck parked out front.
Hidden Lane Bar
When: Monday-Friday, 5-8pm
The Deal: $2 Off Draft Beers; $2 Off Mixed Drinks, Wine, and Cocktails; $5 Bud Light or Narraganset; $5 Well Shots; $8 Margaritas; $8 Bud Light or Narraganset with Well Shot; $8 Specialty Shots
The garden at this two-floor bar, which is just steps away from Gramercy Park, looks like a back deck at your friend's summer house. The only thing missing is a lake to jump into. During Happy Hour, cocktails will run you around $13, and you should know they don't serve any food.
Bar Marseille
When: Wednesday-Friday, 5-7pm; Saturday-Sunday 3-5pm (Only at the Bar)
The Deal: $10 Martini; $1 Oysters
The outdoor patio and rooftop deck at this restaurant in the Rockaways feel like an Airbnb on the beach. The food here leans French, with items like roasted chicken with herbes de provence and steak frites.
Dante West Village
When: Daily, 3-5pm
The Deal: $10 Martinis
The West Village outpost of Dante has something called Martini Hour, during which you can choose from six different types of $10 martinis. Their outdoor seating is covered with a bunch of greenery and flowers, and you can order dishes like salmon tartare and a skirt steak if you get hungry.
Leroy's
When: Weekdays, 4-6pm; Weekends, 3-6pm
The Deal: $10 Select Cocktails
The outdoor sidewalk patio at Leroy’s is dotted with potted plants, and wraps around this restaurant's corner space in Greenpoint. Classic cocktails such as negronis and dirty martinis are included in their Happy Hour, and you can get snacks like scotch eggs and fresh oysters.
When: Daily, until 7pm
The Deal: $8 Select Wine; $3 Snacks
Hanging out at Cherry On Top in Bushwick feels like being at a friend’s place—if your friend had an unusually large collection of natural wine on hand. Try to snag one of the picnic tables on the rooftop, where you can order snacks like harissa roasted nuts and herby olives for $3 during Happy Hour.
Haven at the Sanctuary Hotel
When: Monday-Friday, 5-7pm
The Deal: $6 Select Beer; $9 Wine and Champagne; $10 Margaritas
This rooftop bar at the Sanctuary Hotel near Times Square has plenty of seats and TVs, as well as a DJ. If you want to eat some food here, the menu has stuff like salads, pizzas, filet mignon, and penne alla vodka.
When: Monday-Friday, Open-8pm
The Deal: $10 Cocktails; $9 Wine; $7 Draft/Mixed Drinks; $6 Beer and Well Shot; $4 Pints and Beer Bottles
Blinky’s in Williamsburg has what a lot of the neighborhood’s citizens want: a backyard crawling with ivy, regularly scheduled DJ sets, and a sassy drink menu with high school yearbook superlatives listed below each cocktail. Come here with a few friends and talk about who Blinky might be. (The answer is the owner’s cat.)
When: Daily, until 7pm
The Deal: $18 Wine Carafes; $1 Oysters
A Lower East Side staple for more than a decade now, The Ten Bells is one of those bars that’s always a good time. It’s filled with regulars, and has way better food than a fun wine bar in this part of town really needs to have. On top of that, they have a nice patio, enclosed with a vine-covered brick wall.
