Happy hours are making a comeback in New York City, as workers return to the offices and inflation continues to drive up the cost of living for city residents. These deals, most common between the hours of 5 and 7 p.m. on weekdays, aren’t just about dollar oysters and watered-down cocktails: The city’s best happy hours include discounted Spam musubi, $5 espresso martinis, and half-off mozzarella sticks served as early as 1 p.m. and as late as 2 a.m. The timing and specifics of these happy hours are subject to change.
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The Best Happy Hours in New York City
Dollar oysters, discounted espresso martinis, and more of the best happy hour deals in town

Vinatería
When: Every day, 4 to 7 p.m.
What: $1.50 oysters, $10 cocktails, discounted snacks
Vinatería is a restaurant with Spanish and Italian food in Harlem, open since 2013. The restaurant’s daily happy hour is one of the best deals in town: A handful of wines by the glass are available for under $10, and cocktails are discounted, too. Fries, croquettes, meatballs, and mac and cheese are all priced under $10.
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Sanfords
When: Every day, 4 to 6 p.m.
What: $1 oysters, $7 whiskey pours
Sanfords has been an Astoria landmark since 1922 and was once known for keeping its doors open 24 hours. It now closes at midnight on weekdays, but it remains a draw for its popular brunch and massive selection of whiskeys, with over 600 on the menu. During happy hour, a dozen of them are available in one-ounce pours along with discounted beers, wines, and oysters.
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The Highwater
When: Monday to Friday, 1:30 to 7 p.m.
What: $10 margaritas, discounted snacks
The Highwater is a cocktail bar in Astoria whose weekday happy hour includes discounted snacks and cocktails. Orders of Spam Musubi, truffle fries, and Kalua pork sandwiches all cost around $10, while margaritas, mojitos, and other cocktails are available for $10 from 5 to 7 p.m.
Bella Union
When: Tuesdays from 4 to 8 p.m.
What: $5 espresso martinis
Bella Union is an American restaurant in Kips Bay, a Manhattan neighborhood known among other things for its bros. You’ll find many of them here, plus weekly specials like cheap espresso martinis on Tuesdays and $10 burgers on Wednesdays. A happy hour with discounted drinks runs from 4 to 8 p.m., Monday to Friday.
Dante West Village
When: Every day, 3 to 5 p.m.
What: $10 martinis
Dante, a Greenwich Village staple that at one point was named the world’s best bar, offers discounted martinis from its West Village location for two hours every day. Versions of the cocktail made with pickled onion brine, olive bitters, and lime cost $10. A sibling to this happy hour special, with Negronis, is offered from Dante’s original location in Greenwich Village.
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Threes Brewing
When: Monday to Friday, 4 to 6 p.m.
What: Beer and a burger for $20
The kitchen at this location of Threes Brewing is overseen by Greenpoint Fish and Lobster Co., a seafood restaurant in the area. Its burger costs $23 with fries during normal business hours, or $20, with a beer, during a weekday happy hour.
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El Pingüino
When: Every day, 4 to 7 p.m.
What: $2 oysters, $12 martinis
El Pingüino opened in Greenpoint in 2021, cashing in on the city’s tinned fish and martini crazes at that time. The Spanish seafood bar with a large backyard runs a daily happy hour with half-off oysters, normally priced at $4 each, and discounted martinis.
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Tile Bar
When: Monday to Thursday, 5 to 8 p.m.; Friday, 4 to 8 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, 3 to 8 p.m.
What: $5 well drinks, discounted beer
Tile Bar is a steal even when it’s not happy hour. The East Village bar has been open since 1984, and proudly identifies as a dive. “We have shots, not spirits,” its website reads. Drinks are discounted from their usual prices.
Joey Roses
When: 5 to 7 p.m., 10 p.m. to midnight
What: Buy two sandwiches, get one free
Joey Roses is a bar known for its daily happy hours, when customers can buy two sandwiches and get one for free. They cost $8 each and come in unusual presentations, like the Fat Kid, made with peanut butter, grape jelly, and potato chips.
Skinny Dennis
When: Weekdays, 12 to 7 p.m.
What: $3 well drinks, $1 off beers
Skinny Dennis is one of Williamsburg’s cheapest bars, best known for its frozen coffee ground drink served in a paper Greek coffee cup. Beers and well drinks are discounted during a weekday happy hour, and on Tito’s Tuesdays, vodka shots cost $2 each.
The Ten Bells
When: Monday to Friday, 4 to 7 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, 3 to 7 p.m.
What: $1 oysters, $6 glasses of wine, $18 carafes
The Ten Bells opened this second location in Bushwick in 2021, after pouring natural wine on the Lower East Side for more than a decade. Happy hour starts when the bar opens and goes until 7 p.m. every day. The bar has a range of tapas for under $10, including meatballs, stuffed peppers, and croquettes.
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Brooklyn Public House
When: Weekdays, 3 to 7 p.m.
What: Half-off appetizers, discounted beers
Brooklyn Public House is a dive bar with locations in Bed-Stuy and Fort Greene. In the area, it’s known for a happy hour that goes heavy on snacks: Appetizers like mozzarella sticks, jalapeno poppers, and onion rings are all half-off, while beers run at around $5 each.
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Medusa Greek Taverna
When: Monday to Thursday, open to close; Friday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
What: $6 beers, $10 frozen drinks
Medusa is proof that Park Slope still has fun. The Greek restaurant has an upbeat party playlist with sea monster murals and tentacles hanging from its walls. An “all-day, all-night” happy hour is offered around the clock on weekdays with discounted beers and frozen margaritas. A number of dips, cheeses, and appetizers are available for around $10 each.
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