Finding a Happy Hour spot is sort of like using Groupon without all the commitment. Because instead of going on a hot air balloon ride in the Hudson Valley, all you have to do is show up at a bar before a certain time and some enjoy cheaper-than-usual drinks. If you’re in Brooklyn, here's where to go.
Williamsburg
When: Mon-Thurs, 5-7pm, 12am-close; Sun, All Day
The Deal: $2 Off Select Beer, Liquor, And Cocktails
Blinky's has a great backyard, a fun cocktail list with a "blinky blue cosmopolitan," and occasional food pop-ups that are reliably delicious. Make this casual spot your neighborhood go-to.
When: Daily, 5-6:30pm
The Deal: $1 Oysters; $10 Israeli Nachos; $10 Burger; $8 Beer; $10 Wine Glasses; $35 Wine Bottles; $10 Daily Cocktail
There’s something about the big windows, the friendly service, and the bright, herbaceous food that just makes you feel good at Lighthouse. We suggest you order the grilled escarole covered in tahini, along with some Happy Hour wine. For round two, get the steak tartare (some of the best we've tried).
When: Daily, 5-7pm
The Deal: $6 House Wine, $5 House Beer, $2 Oysters, $14 For 6 Oysters And A Glass Of Sparkling Wine
If you're planning a first date in Williamsburg and you'd like the opportunity to pay less for your drinks, head to St. Mazie. Eat some oysters, and enjoy the dimly-lit space that looks like something you'd find in New Orleans. Stick around until 8pm, and there might even be some live music.
When: Weekdays, 2-6pm
The Deal: $6 Well Drinks; $1 Off Draft Beers; $1 Off Wine
The theme at Dolly's appears to be "1970's dive with a touch of Dolly Parton." There's a disco ball and a jukebox, and you'll find a bunch of Dolly Parton album sleeves up on the wall of the bathroom. Stop by for cheap-ish drinks and fun decor.
When: Mon-Thurs, 4-7pm
The Deal: $1 Off Craft Beer Cans And Well Cocktails
Full Circle Bar is Williamsburg's premier skee-ball destination. So if you want to drink some beer with a few competitive friends, this rather laid-back bar is a wonderful choice.
Greenpoint
When: Weekdays, 4-7pm
The Deal: $4 Bud Light And Narragansett; $10 Glass Of Wine; $10 Cocktail Of The Day; $8 Well Shot; $8 Well Drinks; $6 Craft Beer Of The Day
If it's nice out and you're within walking distance of Greenpoint, go to The Springs. This bar has a massive backyard, and it's a highly underrated warm-weather spot.
When: Weekdays, 5-8pm
The Deal: $8 Old Fashioned & Sazerac; $6 Drafts; $7 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: Weekdays, 4-6pm
The Deal: $8 Wine; $6 Beer; $9 Old Fashioned, Moscow Mule, Hot Toddy
Diamond Lil is a neighborhood cocktail bar where the drinks are well-made and all the barstools and booths are covered in green velvet. But it doesn’t take itself too seriously. This is not a bad option for a Happy Hour Old Fashioned the next time you’re in Greenpoint between 4 and 6pm.
When: Weekdays, 4-6pm
The Deal: $10 Frozen Aperol Spritz; $10 Hot Toddys; $7 Glass of Rosé; $4 Modelo Cans; $7 Well Drinks
Broken Land makes some of our favorite frozen drinks in the city. To enjoy them fully, you should sit in the backyard during Happy Hour. It gets pretty busy, but in a fun, non-annoying way.
When: Daily, 4-8pm
The Deal: $5 House Lager; $8 Beer 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.
Bushwick
When: Daily, 5-8pm
The Deal: $8 Frozen and House Cocktails, Thursdays, $6 Special Cocktail, $8 all night
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, 5-7pm
The Deal: $5 Beer And Shot Combos; $6 Well Drinks; $8 Frozen Drinks; $2 Estrella Jalisco Cans; $3 Bud Light And Coors Bottles; $1 Wings; $10 Cheeseburger; $10 Fried Chicken Sandwich
Abe's Pagoda is a bar in Bushwick with big booths, a couple of pool tables, and an excess of antique decor. Stop by for some after-work drinks with a group, and stick around until late if you're looking to make new friends.
When: Daily, 4-7pm
The Deal: $10 Cocktails, $8 Beer and Shot Combo; $12 Burger and A Bud on Tuesdays
This is where you should go for a fancy drink in a garden in Bushwick. It’s a great date spot, and it's very close to a bunch of restaurants in the neighborhood.
When: Daily, 5-8pm
The Deal: Cocktail And Other Specials, Changes Daily.
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: Daily, 4pm-8pm
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: Mon-Fri, 4-7pm
The Deal: $1 Off Well, Draft and Wine
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.
When: Daily, 4-7pm
The Deal: $1 Off Drafts and Wells
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: Daily, 4-6pm
The Deal: $1 Off All Drinks; $2 Off Drafts
When you need to drink out of a coconut or a golden pineapple in Crown Heights, go to Super Power. This is a tropical-themed bar with a pinball machine and a backyard full of plants, and it tends to get crowded with people who are trying to pretend that they live in a warmer climate.
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 it 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).
When: Weekdays, 3-7pm
The Deal: $2 Off Drafts And Well Drinks
A Prospect Heights classic, Washington Commons has everything you want from a neighborhood bar: good cocktails, a nice backyard, and plenty of beer.
When: Weekdays, 4-8pm
The Deal: $6 Drafts; $6 Well Drinks; $7 Wine; $2 Off All Cocktails
Franklin Park is a big, casual bar with a spacious outdoor area and a handful of arcade games, and it's where you should be drinking (or dancing) with a group in Crown Heights.
When: Wed-Fri, 4-6:30pm
The Deal: $10 House Cocktails; $8 House Wine; $7 Draft Beer; $5 Narragansett; $8 Pickleback Shots
The Ryerson is part restaurant, part bar, and the massive menu here has everything from chicken and waffles to gnocchi and poutine. A pickleback shot would probably pair well with the burger here.
Bed-Stuy
When: Daily, 5-7pm
The Deal: $9 Daiquiris; $11 Margaritas, Negronis, Garibaldis; $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 and snack in Bed-Stuy, it’s perfect.
When: Daily, 5-6:30pm; Game Day Specials Sunday, Monday, Thursday, 5pm-close
The Deal: $1 Off Beer, Wine, Well Drinks, and House Cocktails; 3 Tacos And A Tecate Can Or Jarritos for $15; Free Shot w/ Drink Purchase On Fridays For Teachers
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, 3-8pm
The Deal: $2 Off Drafts And Wine
This tiny bar only serves beer and wine, and it 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.
When: Weekdays, 4-7pm
The Deal: $1 Off Daiquiris And Drafts
The Holler has frozen daiquiris, pinball, neon signs, and drag bingo. In other words, The Holler is a good time. Come by during Happy Hour to get a $1 off your daiquiris.
Fort Greene/Clinton Hill
When: Weekdays, 4-7pm
The Deal: $1 Off Select Draft Beer; $8 Select Wine; $10 Ginger Mule; $8 Margarita
Fulton Hall is a massive bar decorated with old sports memorabilia (as well as a disco ball and a surfboard), and it's perfect for when you want to eat some chicken tenders and watch a game on TV.
When: Tues-Fri, 4-7pm
The Deal: $2 Off Draft Beer
If you just need a nice, normal neighborhood bar where you can sit in the dark and maybe play some pool, try The Emerson in Clinton Hill.
When: Daily, 4-7pm
The Deal: $1 Off Wine Or Beer; $5 Off Bottles Of Wine
This friendly, unpretentious Clinton Hill wine bar is one of our favorite spots to drink a glass of something interesting and catch up with a friend or two. In addition to wine, you'll also find beer, mead, spirits, and pizza on the menu.
When: Weekdays, 3-7pm
The Deal: $5 Select Draft Beer; $8 Select Wine; $10 Select Cocktails
Fancyfree is a nice, no-nonsense pub with big windows and plenty of outside seating. They serve a small dinner menu and have brunch on weekends, and you should probably pair any Happy Hour drinks with a brownie à la mode.
Cobble Hill/Boerum Hill/Carroll Gardens
When: Tuesday-Friday, 5-7pm
The Deal: Discounts On Select Cocktails, Wine, And Beer
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: $5 Select Beer; $1 Off Wine And Well Drinks
A good, old fashioned neighborhood hang with darts and sports, The Brazen Head is where you should go for an inexpensive drink with a friend you've known for at least several years. (They have a decent Scotch selection, if that's what you're looking for.)
When: Weekdays, 4-6pm
The Deal: $8 Select Cocktails; Half-Price Bottles of Wine; $5 Select Beer; $5 Bar Snacks
Fancy cocktails taste even better when they cost less than usual. 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.
When: Daily, 4-7pm
The Deal: $1 Off House Wine, Drafts, And Well Drinks
Abilene is a homey spot in Carroll Gardens where you can play a board game and order from a big menu with a ton of different burgers, sandwiches, and salads (in addition to burritos, quesadillas, and various other snacks).
Park Slope
When: Weekdays, 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 will make a note 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: Monday, All Day; Tues-Fri, 4-7pm; Sat-Sun, 2-5pm
The Deal: $6 Draft Beer; $8 Select Wine; $7 Mac And Cheese
Brookvin is a casual wine bar in South Slope that’s a pretty ideal early-in-the-game date spot. You can share small plates and charcuterie in the narrow, dimly-lit space, or you can drink in the back garden under hanging lights and greenery.
Prospect Lefferts Gardens/Flatbush
When: Weekdays, 4-7pm
The Deal: $2 Off Draft Beer; $2 Off Glasses Of Wine; $2 Off Well Drinks
If you're looking for a neighborhood pub in Prospect Lefferts Gardens, head over to Midwood Flats. The space has a semi-industrial feel, and you can make some friends while you eat a pulled pork sandwich at the bar.
When: Mon-Fri, 3-7pm; Sat-Sun, 1-4pm
The Deal: $5 Well Drinks; $1 Off Wine And Draft Beer; $8 Well Shot And Pint Of Lionshead; $2 Off Frozen Margaritas; $7 Shot Of Jameson Or Four Roses
The front of this bar is a fully-operating flower shop during the day, and the backyard has string lights, a bunch of picnic tables, and some pine trees. The Happy Hour deals are pretty great here—and you can even enjoy them on weekends.
Windsor Terrace/Kensington
When: Weekdays, 5-7pm
The Deal: TBD
When we called, the staff member we spoke to at The Double Windsor was too busy to give us their exact Happy Hour details. And you should take that as a good sign. This place gets busy, because it's a go-to spot for drinks and pub food in Windsor Terrace—and they do have a Happy Hour, you'll just have to stop by between 5pm and 7pm on a weekday to find out what it involves.
Sunset Park/Industry City
When: Daily, 4-7pm
The Deal: $8 Select Cocktails;$4-$6 Select Beer; $7-$8 Select Wine
L'Wren is a semi-upscale cocktail lounge with not-so-upscale prices. Come by for a date or a casual hang with a friend, and sit on velvet chair while you drink an $8 cocktail and eat some tater tots.
When: Weekdays, 4-6pm
The Deal: $1 Off Draft Beer; $1 Off Wine; Food Specials
Do you work in Industry City? Or live nearby? If so, use the Frying Pan Brooklyn as your neighborhood clubhouse. This big bar has arcade games, ping pong, and plenty of food like lobster rolls and fish tacos.
Bay Ridge
When: Mon-Fri, 11:30am-6pm
The Deal: $3-$4 Select Beer; $5 Bud Light Seltzer; $6 Titos Cocktails
Want to eat a burger or some wings and watch a game on TV? If so, you should be at The Kettle Black. This place is very much a sports bar, and they have over 10 different wing flavors to choose from.
Coney Island
When: Wed-Fri, 12-4pm
The Deal: $5 Select Beer; $5 Select Small Plates
Obvious, this is the place to go for a good beer in Coney Island. The tap room at this brewery is casual (and doesn't get too hectic), the staff is friendly, and there are snacks and sandwiches in case you get hungry.
