The Outdoor Happy Hour Guide
photo credit: Alex Staniloff
There are only a few months out of the year when you can comfortably sit outside in New York City. So once the weather's warm enough, you should be leaving work early to get happy hour drinks at one of these spots with outdoor space.
Unrated: This is a restaurant we want to re-visit before rating, or it’s a coffee shop, bar, or dessert shop. We only rate spots where you can eat a full meal.
When: Tuesday-Thursday, 3-5pm; Friday, 2-5pm
The Deal: $11 cocktails; $6 beer; $8 wine; $25 beer/seltzer buckets; $11 snacks
The bad news: Happy hour ends at 5pm. The good news: It’s on a boat. This former navy vessel parked on the Hudson River near 130th Street has plenty of deck space where you can drink a frozen piña colada and enjoy a view of New Jersey.
When: Monday-Thursday, 4-8pm
The Deal: $6 wine; $6 beer; $6 well cocktails
Bi-level West Village piano bar Duplex has a patio on 7th Avenue where you can nurse a huge pour of wine and observe some heavy sidewalk traffic. Happy hour ends at 8pm, and nightly shows (music, drag, comedy) begin inside an hour later.
When: Daily, until 8pm
The Deal: $6 Black Rabbit lager; $10 boilermaker; $10 daily cocktail
Grab a $6 pint at Greenpoint pub Black Rabbit. Out back, they have a little garden with a few rows of picnic tables surrounded by fences creeping with vines.
When: Daily, until 8pm
The Deal: $1 off wine, draft beer, and well drinks
This tiki-adjacent Crown Heights bar draws a steady crowd, thanks in part to their sidewalk patio with a good amount of tables. They often host food pop-ups, in addition to DJ sets and live music.
When: Monday-Thursday, 4-7pm
The Deal: $7 select draft beer, wine, and well drinks; $6 whiskey of the day; $10 boilermaker
Hell’s Kitchen honky tonk The Waylon has sports on TV, live country music, and a little back patio with picnic tables. If you want to drink whiskey and cosplay Johnny Cash, this is the place.
When: Monday-Friday, 4-7pm
The Deal: $10 frozen drinks; $8 house wine; $6 draft beer; $2 off house cocktails
Vida Verde—a few blocks south of the park in Midtown—is a huge Mexican restaurant where people like to let loose after work. They have a rooftop with colorful seating, as well as some umbrellas in case you need shade.
When: Daily, 4-7pm
The Deal: $13 cocktails; $10 wine; $5 beer; $7-12 small plates; $1.75 oysters
Vinatería is a great date spot in Harlem where you can get a 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: $12-14 cocktails; $2 oysters
A former dive bar, Milady's is run by the folks behind Clover Club, and it's one of the best spots for a quality drink in Soho. Their cocktails typically cost around $20, so take advantage of happy hour, ideally at a table on the sidewalk.
When: Monday-Friday, 4-6pm
The Deal: $14 cocktails; $12 wine; $6-11 small Plates; $3 brilled 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 happy hour turns into dinner, don’t miss the lamb sliders.
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 burger. Their patio has strings of lights and plants, and there are enough seats to hang out comfortably with friends.
When: Monday-Friday, 12-7pm
The Deal: $7 select beer; $10 select wine; $10 select cocktails
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.
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When: Monday-Thursday, 3-6pm; Friday, 12-6pm
The Deal: $2 off select cocktails
Maggie Mae’s is an overachieving pub in Sunnyside where you can drinka spiked raspberry lemonade with a Twizzler stick. Other happy hour cocktails include a spicy margarita and Jameson mule.
When: Monday-Friday, 4-7pm
The Deal: $11 cocktails; $9 house beer and wine
On the ground floor of The Standard Hotel in the Meatpacking District, The Standard Grill has a plant-filled outdoor area out front with lots of well spaced-out tables. It's a good place for people watching with a side of fries.
When: Wednesday-Friday, 12-7pm
The Deal: $10 select cocktails; $7 select wine
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.
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When: Monday-Tuesday, 5-10pm; Wednesday-Friday, 5-7pm; Sunday, 7-10pm
The Deal: $2 off draft beer and wine; $6 beer cans; $12 beer flights; $16 liter steins; $29 pitchers and wine ottles; $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 and eat some sausage in a big backyard with picnic tables
When: Monday, 4-9pm; Tuesday-Thursday, 4-7pm; Friday 12-6pm
The Deal: $6 select drafts
This taproom in Ridgewood is ideal for big groups. There’s no food here, but you can bring your own snacks—a few pupusas, for example—or stop by the taco truck parked out front.
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 a bunch of different types of $10 martinis. Their outdoor seating is covered with a bunch of greenery and flowers, and you can choose from snacks like steak tartare and a cheese board.
When: Daily, until 7pm
The Deal: $8 select wine; $3 snacks
Cherry On Top in Bushwick has an unusually large collection of natural wine and a rooftop with picnic tables. In addition to wine specials, they offer $3 snacks like harissa roasted nuts and herby olives during happy hour.
When: Monday-Friday, 4-6pm
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, the menu has stuff like tuna tartare, filet mignon, and penne alla vodka.
When: Monday-Friday, 4-8pm
The Deal: $10 wine; $7 draft beer; $5-$7 cans; $5 well shots; $6 boilermaker
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.
When: Daily, until 7pm
The Deal: $20 wine carafes; $1.50 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 it has way better food than a fun wine bar in this part of town really needs to have.