In this post, we explain what happy hour is and its origins as well as offer some resources to help you find happy hour deals near you in NYC.
Those of you who are familiar with Happy Hour know why we call it ‘happy’.
For those who aren't familiar and like a good drink but are on a budget, Happy Hour is a must-know activity in New York City. Read on!
TIP: Looking for more cheap things to do? Check out our post on free things to do in NYC and NYC on a Budget.
There are even more money-saving tips at the bottom of this post.
WHAT TIME IS HAPPY HOUR?
Happy Hour is a time of day when many bars, pubs, lounges, and even some restaurants offer drink specials such as reduced prices or 'buy one drink, get the second one free' (often listed as 2-for-1).
"Happy Hour" is almost always longer than one hour and usually starts in the late afternoon and ends in the early evening.
Most commonly, Happy Hours last from 4 pm to 7 pm but establishments vary in schedule and in which specials are offered.
New York is the city that never sleeps and you can find happy hours at all times of the day.
You may find a Happy Hour with specials that starts at 12 pm and ends at 9 pm or a late-night Happy Hour from 11 pm to 1 am.
There are hundreds of establishments offering Happy Hours throughout the city and to find the best deals with drinks you like and an atmosphere you enjoy, you need some guidance.
HOW TO FIND HAPPY HOUR DEALS
Here are the best websites, artciles and apps to help you make the most of this fun, money-saving opportunity.
Here's a great list of bars from the awesome food and libations website The Infatuation: The 19 Best Happy Hours In NYC.
It includes bars in:
- SoHo
- Lower East Side
- Greenwich Village
- East Village
- Murray Hill
- Harlem
- Upper East Side
- Upper West Side
- Financial District
- and others
Eater New York also has a similar article, Great Happy Hours in NYC.
Love Happy Hour is the ultimate website to search by neighborhood with 50 neighborhoods included!
Drink NY Deal is a very user-friendly website where you can search for Happy Hours by location, type of bar/atmosphere and day of the week.
There are filters for price range, features (i.e. rooftop, pool tables, etc.) and live music.
A great source that is ever-changing is Reddit.
The AskNYS and FoodNYC forums are good places to look or even ask if you need something thatmeets specific needs -- best for date night, best for craft beer, you get the idaa.
Click on the image to go straight to the source!
WHY IS HAPPY HOUR CALLED SO?
In case you ever wondered where the expression "Happy Hour" came from, its historical roots are grounded in the 1920s.
Sailors on U.S. Navy ships were given a specific period to enjoy themselves with different forms of entertainment such as wrestling or boxing matches, and yes, a bit of alcohol as well.
This break from regular duties was a happy time for the sailors and came to be known as "Happy Hour".
Ironically, the use of this term spread to land at the same time "Prohibition" began. From 1920 to 1933, the production and sale of alcohol were made illegal in the United States.
You could drink it, only if you could get your hands on some!
Secret clubs called "speakeasies" that sold bootleg alcohol opened all over the country and it was in these illegal establishments, or in private homes, that people would gather for pre-dinner cocktails.
These few hours before dinner used the sailor's term "Happy Hour."
When Prohibition was repealed in 1933, the U.S. was drinking again, after work, before dinner and that period between 5 and 7 pm came to be known forever after as "Happy Hour".
