We all are familiar with the New York minute. But what about the New York hour? What happens if we multiply this notorious “minute” by 60?    

We get a formerly familiar measure of time that is hustled, frantic, fleeting, and coveted. So the way we decide to spend such hours is important. Add into that equation a plethora of top-rated restaurants and a lack of time and a culinary appetite for adventure and therein lies the ultimate omnivore’s dilemma, nearly every night.  

I’ve found that the best way to solve it is to make a buffet out of a neighborhood. Plan to embark on a food-based happy hour exhibition that allows you to sample one emblematic dish from multiple destinations so that your dinner decision can be made with more confidence. Also, it’s really fucking fun. I’ve left you some breadcrumbs first through Greenpoint. Get a little taste of it below.

Greenpoint Fish and Lobster Happy Hour | Greenpoint

A fish counter with a penchant for service, this white-tiled silvery-scaled spot on Nassau Ave offers oysters for $2, beer and cider for $5, wine and cava for $6 and a full, freshly caught menu a la carte. And it makes me want to remind you that $1 oyster promotions are completely unsustainable. Places that are still offering this deal regularly are likely getting oysters from places that are farming them in a way that destroys the delicate and necessary ecosystem. So stop expecting and seeking them. At Greenpoint Fish, their passion is seeking the most responsibly harvested seafood possible, and their specials are based upon whatever there was a surplus of at the market that day. Meaning you’ll get a briney, fresh, and salty-esque exploration of the best in season, sustainably. We got 2 of each of the 3 in abundance that night, plus a couple glasses of rose. This only set us back $11 each and set us forward to embrace the remainder of these sacred hours. Their happy hour runs Monday through Friday, 2-6pm, Saturday and Sunday 4-6pm. Find them at 114 Nassau Ave.

El Born, Greenpoint | Happy Hour

The idea for a food-based happy hour crawl was based upon a trip I took to San Sebastian, where every Thursday night they have a self-guided, walking tapas-tour, each bar in the city offering one signature dish that comes with a glass of wine. Thus it was only fitting to hit my favorite Spanish restaurant in town as part of this piece. Their happy hour tapas menu lets you choose from 10 offerings (including a personal paella) plus beer, wine, sangria or vermut for $5. Plus I heard through the fermented grapevine that they’ll be introducing a Tapas Tuesday deal that will leave you with unlimited tapas for a very limited budget. Update coming soon.  

For tonight, we chose a tortilla espanola and the croquetas del dia (each for $5) and a house-made sangria, leaving satisfied and hispanophiled for $10 (plus tip!) each. Their happy hour (and so many other nightly deals) runs Monday through Friday, 3-7pm. Find them at 651 Manhattan Ave.

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Alameda, Greenpoint | Happy Hour

Alameda is the Spanish word for an urban orchard or charming tree-lined street, and this hidden gem on Franklin feels as mystical and natural as if it was grown out of the neighborhood’s natural environment and its inhabitants needs. With an ovular bar that instinctively brings people together, an imaginative cocktail list that draws you in, plus a Monday-Friday beer and a burger deal that lets you experience the best burger (and requisite worst beer) in Greenpoint for just $12, this is a place that hardly needs incentive to keep you coming back.  

Although the burger is hard to refuse, we opted instead for the oysters with a refreshing cucumber mignonette ($2 each) and a couple of tequilas on the rocks for a total of $13 each (plus tip!). The added bonus was the poured-on-site polished concrete bar, the art-deco inspired molding, the back-lit and enticing shelves of spirits and the always personable service that was hardly reflected (thus aptly tipped upon) by the meager check. Their happy hour runs Monday through Friday from 5-7pm. Find them at 195 Franklin St.

Le Fanfare, Greenpoint | Happy Hour

The atmosphere at this Italian spot in North Greenpoint feels like it should be saved for special occasions; the long communal farm tables dotted with fresh flowers makes it nearly impossible to imagine yourself and 35 very good-looking people celebrating with endless bottles of wine and big, warm plates of pasta and salty charcuterie, seductive glances and warm toasts and enough laughter to make you not even mind that the silk dress you saved just for this occasion is now dotted with marinara sauce because you’ve never been this happy at a dinner ever in your life. Just you know, as an example. However, the service, menu, and happy hour deals will remind you that you should be coming here often and making any day feel like an occasion. Every flavor combination is exquisitely curated; never too much yet deeply satisfying, it’s delicate and pure and memorable which is just the way I imagine life on the island of Sardinia to be. Their happy hour menu gives you a taste of their best starters, which is the perfect way to wet your appetite for the homemade pastas and decadent entrees on the menu.

We couldn’t help ordering something unabashedly seafaring with the mussels and also went for the stone-ground polenta to keep us grounded in some down-home Italian comfort. For $12 each we had a wine and our selected small plate while sitting around the charming round marble bar and gazing out of their floor-to-ceiling glass entryway at snippets of life passing through our favorite area of the neighborhood. Their happy hour runs Monday through Friday from 5:30-7pm. Find them at 1103 Manhattan Ave.

Naked Dog, Greenpoint | Happy Hour

The last stop on our happy hour tour took us to a quiet corner on West Street and into one of the most authentic Italian restaurants in the area. The Naked Dog is fairly unassuming; rustic-chic interior, excessively pleasant staff, unique lighting selections and an overall feeling that makes you want to stay for a while. This feels nice. This is comfortable. This seems homey. And then the food arrives and you take your first bite and you desperately feel the need to disrupt the comfort and serenity and grab the person next to you and say, what the fuck is happening right now? They are serving some of the best dishes in Brooklyn in a completely unassuming atmosphere. And their happy hour deal lets you sample the best of these flavors for just $5 a dish. We went for the burrata, the meatballs, and the fried calamari. We opted for a happy hour cocktail each, one gin-based and one tequila-based to keep our bases covered. Our 3-plate and 2-drink special put us back $12.50 each (plus tip). Their happy hour runs Monday through Friday, 5pm-7pm. Check the hours and menus here then find them at 47 Java St.

Here’s the Story.

Greenpoint Fish + Lobster

The Bounty

Sauvage

Maison Premiere

Lobster Joint

<3L.

what not to miss

how not to miss it

save me some chablis, and a cozy little spot beside you.

<3L.