Finding a Happy Hour spot is sort of like using Groupon without all the commitment. Because instead of going on a hot air balloon trip in the Hudson Valley or riding an alpaca, all you have to do is show up at a bar before a certain time, and enjoy cheaper-than-usual drinks (and sometimes food). If you’re in Brooklyn, you should know about the best ones. So here are 38 spots organized by neighborhood. Go get ’em.
Williamsburg
When: Daily, 5-7pm
The Deal: $10 Cocktails
A $10 cocktail might not sound like the greatest of deals, but the cocktails here are exceptional, and you’ll probably think, “Wow, this is worth more than $10” while you drink one. Fresh Kills is a long, narrow space just off the main stretch of Bedford Avenue in Williamsburg, and it’s perfect for an early Happy Hour date. Get one of the booths along the wall, or sit at the bar and take a shot out of a little glass boot.
When: Daily, 5-8pm
The Deal: $7 Select Cocktails; $7 Frozen Margaritas; $7 Sangria; $5 Select Beers
When it’s cold outside, hang out in the downstairs living room that feels like an antique doll house. In the summertime, head to the roof and drink frozen margaritas as you listen to the majestic hum of the BQE.
When: Weekdays, 5-8pm
The Deal: $2 Off All Draft Beers, Draft And Frozen Cocktails, And Tacos
The interior of Donna is bright and attractive, and if you stop by during Happy Hour, there might be a man in a beard playing a stringed instrument in the corner. The weekday atmosphere here is reliably mellow, and the cocktail list is huge. Get something on tap, like a paloma or the Dark & Frosty.
When: Weekdays, 4-7pm; Weekends, 3-7pm
The Deal: $2 Off Drinks; $3 Beer
The Commodore is a divey Williamsburg bar that does certain things very well. The fried chicken sandwich, for example, and the house piña colada. Hit up this Happy Hour when you want to hang out in a dark room with a bunch of people and some greasy food.
When: Daily, 4-7pm
The Deal: $1 Oysters Fom 6pm-7pm; $5 Select Beer; $8 House Wine, $8 Happy Hour Cocktail
There’s something about the big windows, the friendly service, and the mostly-healthy food that just makes you feel good at Lighthouse. We suggest you order a sweet potato with smoked labne to split, plus some Happy Hour wine. Then, for round two, get the burger.
When: Daily, 5-8pm
The Deal: $1 Off House Wine and Select Drafts; $1.50 Oysters All Night
Pinkerton is a neighborhood spot with a small bar, some high-top tables, and seating outside when the weather is nice. So get a glass of wine and some oysters. We wouldn’t say Pinkerton is trendy, but it’s ideal for a low-key night out.
greenpoint
When: Weekdays, 5-8pm
The Deal: $7 Old Fashioned & Sazerac; $5 Drafts; $5 Glasses Of Wine
Ramona has earned its place as our favorite cocktail spot in Greenpoint for several reasons: it has a beautiful giant space, it serves excellent drinks, and it’s very close to Paulie Gee’s. Another big reason? The Happy Hour, when some of the well-made cocktails here are discounted.
When: Monday-Friday, 5-8pm
The Deal: $5 Draft Rose; $5 Draft Narragansett; $7 Old Fashioned, Moscow Mule, Espresso Martini
Diamond Lil is a neighborhood cocktail bar where all the barstools and booths are covered in green velvet, and there’s a giant painting of a woman reading behind the bar. But it doesn’t take itself too seriously. This is not a bad option for a Happy Hour Old Fashioned next time you’re in Greenpoint between 5 and 8pm.
When: Weekdays, 4-8pm
The Deal: $9 Frozen Piña Coladas, $7 Rye Old Fashioneds, $5 Draft Rosé, $4 Founders Solid Gold/Modelo Cans, $6 Well Drinks, Wine, And Draft Beer
Broken Land makes some of our favorite piña coladas in the city. To enjoy them fully, you should sit outside during Happy Hour. The backyard is open until 11pm on weeknights (and 1am on weekends), and gets pretty busy. But in a fun, non-annoying way.
When: Daily, 4-8pm
The Deal: $4 House Lager; $8 House Lager With A Shot, $8 House Cocktail
Black Rabbit is a nice pub that wouldn’t look out of place in a small English town, and there’s even a little backyard. On Tuesdays, they host trivia, and if you get there before 8pm, you can prep your brain with a Happy Hour cocktail.
When: Weekdays, 11am-7pm
The Deal: $5 Draft Beers, Well Drinks, And Wine
People who love beer and people who love sports bars will both appreciate Keg & Lantern in Greenpoint. This place makes its own beer, and has a huge back patio with TVs.
Bushwick
When: Daily, 5-8pm; Tuesdays, All Night.
The Deal: $8-$9 Cocktails; $2 Off Drafts
On weekends, you can dance in the big back room at Mad Tropical. But on weekdays, this tropical-themed bar is usually quiet enough for a first date or a drink with a friend that you haven’t seen in a while. They also serve tacos.
When: Daily, 5-8pm
The Deal: $1 Off Drafts And Well Drinks
This is where you should go for a fancy drink in a garden in Bushwick. It’s a great date spot, and very close to a bunch of restaurants in the neighborhood.
When: Daily, 5-8pm
The Deal: $6 Wines, $6 Select Cocktails, And $5 Beers
The Topaz is a cocktail bar in East Williamsburg with live music nights and comedy open mics every week. They also have a nice courtyard in the back with a few tables.
When: Daily, 5-8pm
The Deal: $5 Select Cocktails; $6 Wine
Yours Sincerely calls itself a “cocktail laboratory,” and it serves drinks in little glass beakers you might recognize from your 10th grade chem class. Somehow, it’s much less pretentious than it sounds. Aside from the beaker thing (and the fact that all the cocktails are on tap), this is mostly just a narrow space where you can hang out in a booth and catch up with friends or talk to a date, if you have one of those.
When: Weekdays, 2-8pm; Weekends, 12-6pm
The Deal: $1 Off Drafts, Well Drinks, And Glasses of Wine; $6 Beer And Shot Combos
It might not sound like a huge discount, but that’s a pretty long Happy Hour. Also - these drinks aren’t pricey to begin with. Three Diamond Door is an essential Bushwick bar, and we think that in order to find yourself, you have to lose yourself here one night.
When: Weekdays, 12-7pm; Sunday, All Night
The Deal: $5 House Wine; $1 Off Draft Beer, $1 Off Well Drinks, $1 Off Frose.
If you’re with a big group or you want to sit outside (or both), The Rookery is a good choice. Stop by before 7pm on weekdays for inexpensive drinks, pub food, and board games. Happy Hour goes all day Sunday, so this is where you should head for a brunch that’s more like a party.
When: Daily, 5-8pm
The Deal: 2-For-1 Well Drinks; 2-For-1 Narragansett And Rolling Rock; $1 Off (Almost) Everything Else
Duck Duck is one of those places where everyone always seems to actually be enjoying themselves. It’s divey and ideal for anything from a casual date to some late-night dancing to ’90s hip-hop.
Prospect Heights / Crown heights
When: Monday-Friday, 5-8pm
The Deal: $1 Oysters; $1 Off Drinks
When you need to drink out of a coconut or a golden pineapple in Crown Heights, go to Super Power. This is a nicely-designed tiki bar with a pinball machine and a backyard full of tropical plants, and it tends to get crowded with people who live in the area but are trying to pretend they live in a warmer climate. If you get hungry, there’s bar food like hot dogs, nachos, and oysters (which are $1 from 5-8pm).
When: Daily, 3-8pm
The Deal: $1 Off Drafts; $1 Off Glasses of Wine; $1 Well Drinks
King Tai plays consistently good music any time of day, and looks like it got jealous of Miami and tried to make itself a clone. Happy Hour is an especially good time to take advantage of the space (and try to get a seat at the bar).
bed-stuy
When: Mon-Thurs, 5-7pm; Fri, 3-7pm
The Deal: $8 Select Cocktails; $8 Beer-Shot Combo; $2 Off Wine By The Glass
If Diamond Reef were in downtown Manhattan, there would be lines to get in most nights, because this place has great cocktails, plenty of seating, and a backyard that’s big enough for groups. Fortunately, it’s not downtown, and you can stop by for Happy Hour without having to convince a bouncer you’re a celebrity in disguise.
When: Daily 5-7pm
The Deal: $7 Old Fashioneds, Margaritas, Daiquiris; $2 Off Drafts and Wine
Lunatico feels like a cafe you’d find on a quiet street in a country with a warm climate and an under-40-hour workweek. It has live music most nights, and if you’re looking for a low-key place to grab a Happy Hour drink in Bed-Stuy, it’s perfect. It’s even better for date night.
When: Weekdays Until 6:30pm
The Deal: $9 Margaritas; $3 Tecate; $5 Wells; $6 Wines; $1 Off Drafts; $1 Off Mezcal; $12 for 3 Tacos + Tecate Can
Chilo’s is a divey tequila bar with a truck parked on the back patio that happens to serve some very good tacos. This bar also makes a solid margarita, which should be enjoyed on that back patio (with lots of tacos).
Bed-Vyne Brew
When: Weekdays, 4-8pm
The Deal: $1 Off Drafts And Wine
This tiny bar only serves beer and wine, and usually has a DJ playing music. There’s a little dance floor that can fit maybe 10 people max. Be one of those 10 people.
Cobble Hill/Boerum Hill/Carroll Gardens
When: Monday-Thursday, 5-7pm; Friday 4-7pm
The Deal: $7 Old Fashioned, Sazerac, Wine Punch; $5 Select Beers; $5 Select Glasses Of Wine
Elsa is so nice you’ll want to buy it flowers and ask if it’ll hold your hand. It’s a bar in Cobble Hill with leather booths and expensive-looking light fixtures, and it’s from the same people behind Ramona in Greenpoint. Like Ramona, it has great cocktails, and a few of them are discounted during Happy Hour.
When: Weekdays, 4-7pm
The Deal: $8 Select Cocktails; $6 Select Glasses of Wine; $4 Select Beer
Fact: fancy cocktails taste even better when they cost less than normal. And that’s especially the case at a place like Clover Club, which has been serving expensive, excellent cocktails in Brooklyn for longer than most other bars. There are also some great bar snacks here, in case you realize halfway through your second Happy Hour drink that you should probably eat.
park slope
When: Weekdays, 4-7pm
The Deal: $2 Off All Cocktails; $1 Off Wine And Beer; $8-$10 Snacks
Come to Blueprint for cocktails during Happy Hour and you’ll have some money leftover to buy the big charcuterie platter, which you could either use as a light meal for two or a group snack while you wait for your table at Al Di La down the street.
When: Weekdays, 2-7pm
The Deal: $1 Off Beer, Wine, Cocktails; $4 Well Drinks
You come to Mission Dolores for a few reasons: the covered patio space, the beer selection, and the cute dogs (this bar allows them). There are also pinball machines, but cute dogs are better than pinball machines. Everyone knows that.
When: Daily until 7pm
The Deal: $1 Off All Draft And Well Drinks; $8-$9 Shot And Beer Combos
The furniture in Skylark is a little reminiscent of a thrift store, or your hoarder grandma’s living room. Only with pinball machines, a daily Happy Hour, and some outdoor sidewalk seating.
When: Mon-Fri, 3-8pm
The Deal: $3 PBR; $4 Well Drinks; $1 Off Everything Else
High Dive has free popcorn and plenty of board games, and you can buy someone a drink days or weeks in advance, which the bartenders keep track of on a big chalkboard. There’s also a backyard, so if you need to play Battleship and drink beer outside at 6pm on a Thursday, this is an excellent option.
When: Weekdays, 5-8pm; Weekends, 11am-8pm
The Deal: $5 Draft Beer; $3 Off All Drinks
Wolf & Deer is a good place to drink before a show or game at the Barclays Center. It’s a cool little spot with a U-shaped bar where you might talk to a stranger while you have oysters, charcuterie, and cocktails.
dumbo / Brooklyn Heights
When: Weekdays, 2:30-7pm
The Deal: $5 Mixed Drinks; $5 Glasses Of Wine; $3 Narragansett
You probably aren’t going to travel for 68 Jay Street Bar, but if you live or work in the area, it should be one of your go-to spots for a casual drink near the waterfront in Dumbo.
Ridgewood
When: Thursday & Friday, 4-8pm
The Deal: Two-For-One Select Beer, Wine, And House Cocktails
Nowadays is a bar in Ridgewood with an enormous backyard where you can play ping pong, drink at a picnic table, or dance. If it’s warm out and you can make it here before 8pm on a Friday, you can get your weekend started without spending all of your disposable income. And while this place technically isn’t in Brooklyn, it’s close enough, and it’s a spot you should know about as soon as it gets warm outside.
When: Daily, 2-8pm
The Deal: $2 Off All Drafts; $5 Beer-Shot Special; $6 House Wine; $5 Well Drinks; $6 House Punch
The Bad Old Days is another great Ridgewood bar, although it feels less like a bar and more like the common area of the dorm you wish you’d lived in during college. There are books and board games, and also a couch in front of a fireplace that may or may not be functional. And if you bring your laptop to Happy Hour to get some work done, no one will judge you.
