Who wouldn’t rather get the most bang for their buck? As treasured a tradition today as bottomless brunches or two-for-one deals, happy hour specials do more than just boost business – they bring people together, be it over discount cocktails or two-for-one eats.
With that in mind, here are some of the happiest hours in the borough.
Brazen Head Bar (228 Atlantic Avenue)
This little treasure – nestled in the heart of Cobble Hill, not far from the Barclays Center – prides itself on being a true “neighborhood bar.” As part of its “new” happy hour (Monday through Friday from 4 to 7 p.m. and all night for women on Wednesdays as part of Ladies Night), patrons can enjoy any draft beer or well drink for just five bucks. Those feeling adventurous can brave the bar’s beer and shot special – a Corona and a house tequila for just $9.
And, for those who enjoy a good brunch special, the Brazen Head devotes its Sundays to bloodies and bagels, offering up $6 Bloody Marys (or $6 mimosas for the faint of heart) with complementary bagels and fixin’s.
Townhouse 275 (275 94th Street)
At home just off the corner of Third Avenue and 94th Street, Townhouse 275 – a true hidden gem of the neighborhood – dubs itself a speakeasy and, with a happy hour deal that serves up two-for-one everything, we’re not complaining.
Marco Polo (345 Court Street)
There’s nothing old-school about this Sunday-dinner-style Italian restaurant’s happy hour deal. The Carroll Gardens eatery is happy to pour two-for-one cocktails, wine or beer for guests of its fine-dining establishment every night from 5 to 7 p.m.
Encore (10007 Fourth Avenue)
This brand new live music and party venue off the corner of 100th Street and Fourth Avenue boasts a plentiful happy hour from 4 to 7 p.m. each night, serving up draft beers and a full bar menu at prices that will make both you and your bank account happy.
Arirang Hibachi Steakhouse (8812-14 Fourth Avenue)
Who’dve thunk it? Turns out, this family-friendly hibachi joint has a sizzling happy hour. Every Monday through Friday from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m., patrons posted up at the restaurant’s bar can revel in $3 domestic beers and $3.50 specialty beers, along with $4 wines, martinis or signature cocktails (like the Karate Punch – loaded with rum, gin, orange and pineapple juice – or, our personal favorite, the Zombie – packed with rum, triple sec, crème noyaux, pineapple and orange juice and a splash of 151).
Don’t forget the wallet-friendly appetizers. During happy hour, hungry drinkers can load up on $2 Kobe Sliders or – another favorite of ours – 50 cent Asian chicken wings.
Kilo Bravo (180 North 10th Street)
Forget happy “hour.” This Williamsburg bar offers what basically ends up being a happy day. Kilo Bravo – a Northern Brooklyn bar inspired by the country’s states – offers up happy hour specials from 2 to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday. You read that right. Happy hour starts at 2 p.m. At that time, you can enjoy $5 25-ounce beers, $5 Manhattans and even $5 food.
Blue Agave (7215 Third Avenue)
It’s a party at Blue Agave. This Bay Ridge Mexican hotspot boasts a plentiful menu as part of its Fiesta Happy Hour (Monday through Wednesday from 4 to 10 p.m.; Thursday and Friday from 4 to 7 p.m.). Bring your appetite and leave some room for their smile-worthy specials, which include $5 margaritas (classic or frozen, add $1 for fruit flavor), $6 sangrias (red spice or white passionfruit, $7 bulldogs or mojitos and – get this — $4 beers. Add a house shot of tequila (or an appetizer) for just $5, and enjoy $10 off all pitchers, and you’ve got a real party.
Windy City (7915 Third Avenue)
This Bay Ridge watering hole is just as much about happy hour as it is hockey. Known for its love for the ice, this (still relatively new) tavern turns out 50 cent wings, two-for-one drafts and $5 mixed drinks every weekday from 4 to 7 p.m.
Steeplechase Beer Garden (1904 Surf Avenue)
This reincarnation of Coney’s famous Peggy O’Neils has it all — outdoor seating, artisinal foods, live music and even good old fashioned carnival fun. Sitting on the site of the historic Steeplechase Amusement Park, the Steeplechase Beer Garden offers up a beachy happy hour Monday through Friday from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. featuring $4 domestic pints of beer, $5 craft pints of beer, $5 wine and — in the spirit of Coney Island — free freshly popped popcorn.
The Charleston (174 Bedford Avenue)
This Williamsburg watering hole is every happy hour-lover’s dream. From 12 to 8 p.m. every day (that’s right, we said every day), patrons can enjoy $1 off all draft beers and well drinks, and – our personal favorite – a $5 shot and beer special that comes equipped with its own personal pizza. That’s right. We said personal pizza.
Red White & Brew (8910 Fifth Avenue)
This patriotic Bay Ridge bar – painted with the words from some of your favorite historic speeches (like Bill Pullman’s in “Independence Day”) and located at the northern end of the nabe – serves up dollar-off drinks during their happy hour, which bargoers can enjoy from the watering hole’s spacious backyard, or inside at the bar from 5 to 8 p.m.
Salud Bklyn (7204 Third Avenue)
This tapas place – still new to the South Brooklyn neighborhood of Bay Ridge – boasts a Wednesday night worth celebrating. On Salud’s “Wine Wednesday,” all bottles of wine are 50 percent off with dinner and, from 4 to 8 p.m., glasses of red or white sangria are two-for-one. Everyone loves a twofer.
Honorable mentions: These bars may not have a “happy hour,” per-say, but their deals are just as enticing.
Wicked Monk (9510 Third Avenue)
While this tried-and-true Bay Ridge watering hole may not offer a happy hour, per se, it offers its Beer of the Week (handpicked by staff each and every week) for just $4 a pint – and that sounds pretty happy to us.
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