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
When: Monday-Friday, 5-7pm
The Deal: $10 Cocktails; $8 Micheladas; $6 Wine; $4 Beer
Leyenda makes some of the best cocktails in Cobble Hill, especially of the mezcal, tequila, and cachaça varieties. They also serve very good Latin food such as al pastor tacos and enchiladas topped with thick mole. All of these things are best enjoyed on the front patio or in the relatively quiet small backyard.
When: Monday-Thursday, 4-7pm; Friday, 3-7pm
The Deal: $2 Off Select Cocktails, 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 some other 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.
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When: Monday-Friday, 11am-7pm
The Deal: $8 Tequila and Grapefruit Juice Cocktail; $7 Select Beer and Wine
Despite being surrounded by taller buildings on all sides, the roof at Tavern 29 is always packed. The outdoor beer garden has picnic tables, TVs, and the same big menus 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 when it's really hot out.
Osteria Morini
When: Monday-Thursday, 5-7pm; Friday, 2-7pm
The Deal: $15 Tequila and Blood Orange Cocktail; $11 Negroni; $10 Aperol Spritz; $9 House Spirits; $7 House Wine; $5 Select Beer
You may know Oseria Morini in Soho for their pappardelle with braised short rib or other pastas, but they also have an outdoor patio and a pretty extensive Happy Hour. If you're fortunate enough to get off work early on Fridays, come for the "Summer Fridays" series between 2-5pm with music and a different theme every week.
When: Tuesday-Saturday, 4-7pm
The Deal: $10 Select Cocktails, Spritzes, and Wine; $6 Cider; $5 Beer
This Greenpoint restaurant does a rarely-seen Saturday Happy Hour, which you can enjoy outside at one of the tables they've set up on the sidewalk on Greenpoint Ave. If you get hungry, you can order small plates like whipped ricotta with focaccia or roasted mushroom crostini.
When: Monda-Friday, 5-6pm
The Deal: $8 Martinis, Margaritas, Select Wine, and Well Drinks; $7 Select Beer
THEP is a Thai spot on the Upper East Side with a big wraparound patio covered in lush greenery and white flowers. The whole scene makes you feel a little like you're in someone's very nice backyard gazebo. A big selection of small bites, like some tasty bright purple peanut-filled park mor dumplings, are available.
When: Thursday, 5pm-Close; Friday, 5-7pm
The Deal: $9 Select Cocktails; $8 Draft Negroni; $6 Wine; $5-$6 Select Beer; $5 Well Shots
The TL;DR on LoHi is that it’s just a f*cking big rooftop bar in the industrial part of East Williamsburg that could also be correctly categorized as Bushwick. And in a city where big rooftops are rare, that’s a good enough reason to come here—ideally with a group while the sun is still up. If you can't decide what to drink, start with their hibiscus mezcal cocktail.
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 is at The Standard, a hotel near The Highline in the Meatpacking District, and their plant-filled outdoor area has lots of tables that aren't all crammed right next to each other. The Standard Grill has two distinct Happy Hour menus (both featuring martinis), and the "Extra (Dirty) Happy Hour" includes deals like $1 oysters and $12 crispy chicken sliders.
When: Tuesday-Thursday, 4-7pm
The Deal: $10 Select Cocktails; $7-$8 Select Wine; $5 Select Beer
Kokomo is a fun Caribbean spot in Williamsburg where you can get pastas, flatbreads, and more topped with things like jerk chicken and oxtail. If the weather's nice, enjoy their "Koko Hour" specials at one of the many outdoor tables set up along a tree-lined sidewalk.
Baba Cool Williamsburg
When: Daily, 5-7pm
The Deal: $10 Spritz; $55 Pét-Nat Bottles; $2 Off Snacks; $2 Oysters
Baba Cool is an all-day cafe just south of McCarren Park in Williamsburg where you can get raw oysters as well as small plates like crispy chicken wings and olives & cornichons. Their backyard has a disco ball and a Pétanque court.
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; $25 Pitchers; $29 Wine Bottles; $30 Kranz Kölsch
This beer garden on the Lower East Side feels like an average spot you’d find on a side street in Germany. It’s a great place to hang with a group in a big backyard, and they serve beer-garden-type food like pretzels, sausages, and schnitzel fingers.
When: Monday, All Day
The Deal: $6 Lager and Pale Ale Pints
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: Daily, 5-8pm
The Deal: $2 Off Draft Beers; $2 Off Mixed Drinks, Wine, and Cocktails; $5 Bud Light or Narraganset, $5 Well Shot $8 Margaritas; $8 Bud Light or Narraganset with Well Shot, $8 Specialty Shots
The garden at this two-floor bar that's 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. Most of the cocktails cost $15 here (unless you come during Happy Hour), and you should know they don't serve any food.
When: Monday-Saturday, 5-7pm; Sunday, 3-10:30pm
The Deal: 20% Off Any Wine Bottles
No matter how much you know about wine, you’ll have a great time sitting on Ruffian's patio with a date. Eat some Mediterranean food, and drink a bottle of rosé at this East Village bar. The wine list has over 250 natural wines, mostly from small producers in Southern and Eastern Europe.
When: Monday-Thursday, 4-7pm; Friday, 12-7pm
The Deal: $2 Off Selected Cocktails, Beer, and Wine; $10 Beer and Shot
This gastropub in Astoria serves food like pork belly burgers and baskets of fries. It has a large back garden that's surrounded by trees, and it's a great option for a low-pressure first date.
When: Monday-Thursday, 4-6pm
The Deal: $7 Wine; $8 Lolo's Punch ($22 for Carafe); $13 Frozé; $26 Wine Bottles
The backyard at Lolo’s in Harlem is the perfect place to drink rum punch while eating large quantities of crab, crispy white fish, or other types of seafood. This place feels sort of like dining on an oceanless beach, so head here the next time you want to sit outdoors and get peel-and-eat shrimp all over a paper bib.
When: Weekdays, 5-7pm
The Deal: $4 Beer; $9 Wine and Cocktail
Looking for somewhere in Williamsburg for a burger and a beer? The team behind one of our favorite butcher shops, The Meat Hook, opened this sister restaurant as a place to show off their burger and sticky sausages. Come for Happy Hour, and grab one of their many tables out front.
Bar Marseille
When: Daily, 3-7pm (Only at the Bar)
The Deal: $5 Beer; $8 Wine; $10 Cocktail Of The Day
The outdoor patio and rooftop deck at this restaurant in the Rockaways will make you think you're at 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 five different types of $10 martinis. Their outdoor seating is both heated and covered, and you can order dishes like steak tartare and Dover sole if you get hungry.
When: Daily, 5-7pm
The Deal: $6 Draft Beer; $7 Wine ($21 Carafes); $9 Cocktails and Frozen Drinks; $1.50 Oysters
Maracuja in Williamsburg has a large selection of natural wines, and they serve food like crab cake sliders and anchovies with peppers. Don’t settle for the sidewalk patio—you want to be hanging out in the secluded backyard.
When: Daily, 4-6pm
The Deal: $10 Select Cocktails, $4 Select Beer, $8 Select Wine, $16 2-for-1 Cocktail of the Day
The outdoor sidewalk patio here wraps around this restaurant's corner space in Greenpoint. Classic cocktails (such as negronis and dirty martinis) are $10 during Happy Hour, and you can get snacks like deviled eggs and calamari.
When: Daily, Until 7pm
The Deal: $8 Select Wine
Hanging out at Cherry On Top in Bushwick feels like being at a friend’s place that has a bunch of bottles of natural wine. Try to snag one of the picnic tables on the rooftop, where you can orders snacks like cheese and caramelized onion jam toast.
Haven at the Sanctuary Hotel
When: Monday-Friday, 4:30-5:30pm (Bar Side Only)
The Deal: $6 Select Beer; $9 Wine and Champagne; $10 Margaritas and Aperol Spritz
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-Thursday, 5-8pm
The Deal: 2-for-1 Cocktails, Natural Wine, and Select Beers
Nowadays feels more like a park with non-existent open-container laws than a bar. The massive outdoor space at this Ridgewood spot has picnic tables, fire pits, grassy areas, ping-pong tables, and booths with drinks and food. This is a casual place to day drink with a group (or your dogs), and they often host fun shows and parties.
When: Monday-Thursday, 4-7pm and 12am-Close; Sunday, All Day
The Deal: $2 Off Select Beer, Liquor, and Cocktails
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 sit in the backyard while you discuss who Blinky might be. (The answer is the owner’s cat.)
Black Rabbit
When: Daily, Until 8pm
The Deal: $6 House Lager; $9 House Lager With A Shot, $9 House Cocktail
Black Rabbit is the kind of pub that would fit in nicely in an English town. Only it’s in Greenpoint, and there’s a cute little backyard instead of rolling countryside hills. Other people will want to sit out there too, so get there before 8pm.
When: Weekdays, 4-7pm
The Deal: $10-$11 Cocktails; $4-5 Beers; $9 Wine by the Glass; $18 Dozen Oysters; $7 Oyster Shooters
The Wayland is an all-purpose bar: good for dates, good for casual drinks with a small group, and good for ordering a margarita and sitting quietly by yourself with a book.
When: Weekdays, 5-8pm
The Deal: $11 Select Cocktail; $5 Narragansett; $2 Off All Wines; $6-$9 Select Snacks
Unlike most bars nearby, this LES spot is laid-back and has a front patio and a great backyard with lots of outdoor furniture that you’ll want to lounge on all afternoon. Make your way to Bonnie Vee whenever it’s nice out.
When: Weekdays, 3-6pm
The Deal: $5 Well Drinks and Drafts; $5 Draft Beer; $5 Well Drinks; $3 Presidente Cans; $8 Select Wines by the Glass; $2 off All Liquor
This bright pink bar in Clinton Hill serves colorful cocktails and vegan Mexican dishes on a small sidewalk patio and also in their huge backyard.
When: Weekdays, 11am-7pm; Weekends 4-7pm
The Deal: $8-9 Select Cocktails; $7 Select Beer; $6 Modelo Cans; $7 House Wine by the Glass; $8 Wells
If you’re looking for Happy Hour within walking distance of Columbus Circle or the Theater District, Alfie’s has one every day. This neighborhood bar in Midtown has some seating along the sidewalk out front that works well for small groups, plus a few tables inside their brick-walled space on 9th Avenue.
When: Monday-Thursday, 5-6pm
The Deal: $10 Margaritas
Barrio Chino is one of our favorite places to get Mexican food downtown, but even if you’re not interested in eating, you should come to this LES spot for margaritas during Happy Hour.
When: Weekdays, 4-7pm
The Deal: $8 Select Red & White Wine; $9 Sangria; $7 House Mixed Drinks; $6 Select Beer Drafts; $9 Sangria; $10 Cocktail of the Day
Harlem Tavern has a huge front patio, plus a long bar food menu. This place is ideal if you need a big spot where you can meet some friends for drinks, especially if a few of those friends want to watch sports.
When: Sunday-Thursday, 2-7pm; Friday, 2-6pm
The Deal: $11-$15 Margaritas; $10-$14 Select Cocktails; $10 Select Wine; $5-$8 Select Beer
Sweet and Vicious is where you should go when you suddenly have to gather a small group of friends who want to get drinks downtown. There’s plenty of space in the backyard (although it does get crowded), and the frozen margaritas are strong.
When: Daily, 4:30-6:30pm
The Deal: $9 Select Cocktails and Wine; $6 Select Beer; $1.25 Oysters
Come here to hang out at a table on Amsterdam Avenue while you eat a satisfying amount of inexpensive shellfish. There’s also a downtown location the same Happy Hour deal.
When: Daily, Until 7pm
The Deal: $18 Wine Carafes
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 has a ton of character, is 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 serve $1 oysters during Happy Hour.
