Best Happy Hour Bars in New York: Deals Worth Going For

Employees Only on Hudson Street runs a happy hour from 5pm to 7pm on weekdays that offers their house cocktails at $12 instead of the usual $17 to $19, which is the most straightforward deal on this list. The cocktails are legitimately excellent, the bar staff have been pouring them for years, and the West Village location means the crowd that fills the bar during happy hour is worth talking to. One of the few Manhattan happy hours where the discount applies to the drinks you actually want.

Order: The Mata Hari or the Provencal during happy hour, both at $12

Attaboy does not technically run a happy hour in the traditional sense, but arriving between 5pm and 7pm means shorter waits, more conversational bar staff, and a better chance of getting a stool at one of New York's best cocktail bars. The bartender's choice format means every drink is personalised to what you actually want to drink. Our pick for the best early evening drinking experience in Manhattan when you want a cocktail bar rather than a happy hour deal.

Order: Tell the bartender your spirit, your flavour preference, and your mood. They handle the rest.

The ground floor taproom at The Dead Rabbit runs discounted Irish coffee and beer combinations from 4pm to 6pm on weekdays, and it is one of the best-value happy hours in Manhattan. The taproom is walk-in, the upstairs cocktail parlour is reserved for the full-price experience, and the combination of location in the Financial District and genuine quality means the happy hour crowd is reliably interesting.

Order: An Irish Coffee during happy hour, or the discounted beer and shot combination if you want to stay longer

Maison Premiere on Bedford Avenue runs one of the most sought-after happy hours in Brooklyn: $1 oysters and $8 cocktails from 4pm to 6pm on weekdays. The absinthe selection is the best in New York, the cocktail list is historically researched and carefully built, and the Belle Epoque New Orleans atmosphere makes even a Tuesday afternoon feel like an occasion. Arrive by 4:15pm on Fridays if you want a seat.

Order: A Death in the Afternoon (absinthe and Champagne) with a half dozen oysters during happy hour

A coastal bar on North 7th Street that runs $1 oysters and $6 beers from 5pm to 7pm on weekdays. The cocktail list is built around rum and tropical spirits without going fully tiki, the atmosphere is warm without being loud, and the happy hour format is simple enough that you can arrive, eat, drink, and leave without needing to decode a menu. Our most recommended Williamsburg happy hour for anyone who wants to be home by 8pm.

Order: The house Daiquiri variation, paired with a half dozen oysters at the happy hour price

Clover Club on Smith Street offers a weekday happy hour from 5pm to 7pm that discounts their classic cocktail list from $16 to $10. This is significant because Clover Club's cocktail program is one of the best in Brooklyn and the full-price versions are worth every dollar. The Victorian parlour setting and the neighbourhood location mean the happy hour crowd is entirely local, which is exactly what you want from a bar in Carroll Gardens.

Order: The Clover Club cocktail (gin, lemon, egg white, raspberry) at the happy hour price

Bemelmans at The Carlyle does not have a traditional happy hour but runs a piano bar from 5:30pm that makes the cover charge worthwhile. This is the most expensive entry on this list but also the most genuinely iconic: the Madeline murals, the Steinway, the white-jacketed service. The cocktails are executed to a standard that justifies the price, and arriving at 5:30pm means you get a seat before the evening crowd takes everything.

Order: A classic Sidecar or a Martini, and settle in for the early piano set

One of the Upper East Side's best neighbourhood bars, Penrose on Second Avenue runs $5 draft beers and $8 house cocktails from 3pm to 7pm on weekdays. The selection is curated rather than generic, the room is warm and comfortable, and the neighbourhood regulars make it feel like a local rather than a deal destination. Our consistent recommendation for the best happy hour on the Upper East Side.

Order: A draft craft beer from the current rotation, or the house Old Fashioned at the happy hour price

Ward III in Tribeca runs a happy hour from 4pm to 7pm Monday through Friday with $9 cocktails from a list that reads well above its price point. The bar takes classic cocktails seriously, uses quality spirits in the happy hour builds rather than swapping to well liquor, and the Tribeca neighbourhood means the after-work crowd is professional and largely local. One of the best-value cocktail happy hours in lower Manhattan.

Order: The house Negroni variation at $9, or ask for a classic Daiquiri from the happy hour menu

Pouring Ribbons on Avenue B organises its cocktail menu by a two-axis grid of refreshing-to-spirit-forward and comforting-to-adventurous, making it the most useful menu structure in New York for people who know what they want to experience but not what to order. Happy hour runs from 5pm to 7pm on weekdays with $10 cocktails from a list that costs $15 to $17 at other times. This is the happy hour we recommend first to anyone visiting New York who cares about cocktails.

Order: Use the matrix to find your position and order accordingly, or ask the bartender to interpret your mood