Happy Hour Food Offers Worth a Second Look

Lamb barbacoa tacos at Empellón Taqueria

Happy hour is a time for unwinding and shaking off the stresses of the work day. Here are a half dozen places where you can accomplish those goals, while also relieving some of the hunger pangs that for many of us go hand in hand with bending the elbow.

Between 4 p.m. and 7 p.m., Ferns, in the East Village (166 First Avenue, 646-998-6034), offers its pretty good deviled eggs (done with smoked paprika and cornichons) for half price at a buck a pop. If you’re really hungry, a cheeseburger or impossible burger featuring two patties, house sauce, lettuce, and pickles plus a side of fries is $16 — $7 off the regular menu price.

At Goodnight Sonny, a few doors away, at 134 First Avenue (646-692-3254), East Coast oysters will set you back a dollar between the hours of 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. (For reasons no one is explaining, a dozen oysters carries a price tag of $15, making them a bargain at half the price.) During this period, Tecate, Schoffenhofer, and all draft pints are all marked down to $5.

Over in the West Village at Baker & Co (140 Seventh Avenue S.,212-989-2100), an order of risotto croquettes with crushed truffle, Parmesan, and mozzarella is available for $6. Ordinarily, it sells for $13. Fried calamari with tonnato aioli, normally $19, goes on sale for $13 during happy hour, which is 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Happy Hour at Empellón Taqueria (234 W. Fourth Street, 212-367-0999) runs from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., during which time, selected tacos (including lamb barbacoa, fish tempura, and red chile duck) are priced at $6 each. A Modelo Especial is $5 and the house’s sauvignon blanc and Côtes-du-Rhône are both $9 a glass.

Meantime, Roey’s (1 Perry Street, 646-864-1200) offers its margherita pizza, normally priced at $15, for $10 during its 5 p.m.-to 07 p.m. happy hour. Cocktails are marked down to $9, wine to $7, and beer to $5. A unique feature: You can extend happy hour through 10 p.m. by ordering a main course.

At Osteria Cotta, on the Upper West Side (477 Amsterdam Avenue, 212-787-7199), happy hour begins at 4 p.m. (3 p.m. on Friday) and runs through 6 p.m. (5 p.m. on Friday). Arancini and personal pan pizzas both go for $8 — a savings of $3 to $8 depending on the pizza.

Finally, there’s Docks Oyster Bar, in Murray Hill (633 Third Avenue, 212-986-8080), which has one of the longest happy hours in the city, running from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. Docks hosts a sizeable selection of snacks and meal makers. The raw oysters and clams (littleneck or cherrystone) are always fresh and economically priced at $1.50 each. Beef sliders or crispy fish tacos at $3 a piece are also a good option for the budget-minded.

See also…

New York’s Best Free Bar Food