The happiest hour Cheap drinks and eats for summer


Now that the hot weather is here, it’s the perfect time to kick back and enjoy a frosty beer or tasty cocktail at one of Hudson County’s trendy restaurants. A bevy of bars offer deep discounts on drinks and food during happy hour.


Whether you enjoy a cozy café, a trendy club, or a fantastic rooftop view, Hudson County has it.

Café bliss

Arthur’s Landing in Weehawken just opened their River View Bar, which allows customers to drink in the magnificent city view while sipping on cocktails. They offer drink and food specials during the week. On Mondays, enjoy a 10-ounce burger and a beer for $10. On Tuesdays, they serve Mojitos and red snapper ceviche for $5 each. Wednesday night includes $1 oysters and $5 champagne or Chablis. Thursdays they serve lobster nachos for $8 and $2 Corona bottles. On Fridays, it’s $5 for a Margarita and $10 for three lobster sliders.

Brass Rail, located on Washington Street in Hoboken, offers customers prime views of all the sidewalk action. In addition, the new French doors open out in warm weather, giving bar patrons an unobstructed view of the outdoors. This upscale lounge and restaurant offers happy specials Monday to Friday from 4 to 6:30 p.m. On Mondays, enjoy half-priced house wines. On Tuesday nights it’s Martini madness, with all Martinis for only $5 all night. On Wednesdays, Sangria pitchers are $10 during happy hour. On Thursdays, all drinks, beers, and house wine are half-priced. On Friday nights, all drafts are half-priced.

Green Rock, located among the hub of activity on Hudson Street in Hoboken, is the home of the dollar draft. Happy hour is every Monday to Friday from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. and includes $1 mugs of Coors, Bud Light and Yuengling. In addition, they offer nightly specials. On Mondays, they serve party platters (your choice of four appetizers) for $12, and 25-cent wings. On Tuesdays from 5 p.m. to closing is endless happy hour and two-for-one pizza night. On Wednesdays it’s two-for-one burger night. On Saturdays and Sundays, they offer $12 pitchers and 25-cent wings.

Liberty, an uptown hotspot in Hoboken, is known locally for its weekly trivia games and sports coverage on their large screens. Monday to Friday, from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., half-priced appetizers are served at the bar only. In addition, during happy hour, Bud, Coors, and Coors Light drafts are $2.50. Cosmopolitans, Appletinis, and a glass of house wine are $5. Madison, the elegant uptown Hoboken bistro, offers the after work crowd plenty of reasons to get there early. Every Tuesday to Friday, hungry guests can order from the early bird menu (5 to 7 p.m.) which entails a choice of appetizer, entrée, and dessert for under $20. On Mondays, the early bird menu is available until 10 p.m. And drinkers can get happy every Monday to Friday from 5 to 8 p.m. with the half-priced well drinks, house wine, and all beers. On Tuesdays, Martinis are half-price all night and on Thursdays it is an endless happy hour.

Mikie Squared, the midtown Hoboken spot for happy-hour bliss, offers select domestic drafts and bottles Monday to Friday for $2. In addition, every Wednesday and Thursday, Martinis are available for $5. On Sundays, pitchers of Sangria are $10 all day.

Oddfellows, the funky downtown restaurant and bar in Hoboken, offers a taste of New Orleans to thirsty folks. The Hurricane, a sweet mixture of rum and juice, is available every day during happy hour for $5. In addition, Bud, Coors Light, Amstel Light, Miller Lite and Yuengling drafts are offered for $2.50. Happy hour is every Monday to Friday from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Texas Arizona, conveniently located by the Hoboken PATH, offers a break from the work week and prime people-watching spots with one of the largest outdoor cafes in Hoboken. They have a daily happy hour every Monday to Friday from 5 to 7 p.m. It includes: $3 blue Margaritas, $4 Sam Adams and imported drafts, $2 Miller Lite, Coors, Bud Light, or Yuengling draft. Blue Moon drafts are available during happy hour and during Yankee games on Monday to Thursday for $3. For discounts on food, guests are asked to visit: www.restaurants.com. for printable coupons.

Rooftop views

City Bistro has a truly active scene on their fabulous rooftop bar located in uptown Hoboken. Every Sunday to Friday from 5 to 8 p.m., they offer happy hour specials on drinks, drafts, bottled beers, and house wine – all of which are half-priced. Sunday is wine night, which offers half-priced bottles of wine from 5 p.m. to close. On Mondays, hungry diners can order from the pre-fix menu, which includes a three-course meal for $15 all night. On Tuesdays, Miller Lite, Margaritas, or Mojitos are $3 each all night long. On Wednesdays, all appetizers and pitchers of sangria are half-priced all night. Thursday night is “Stoli Madness,” from 9 p.m. to close, which includes $3 mixed drinks made with Stoli vodka. During brunch on Saturday and Sunday, diners can enjoy unlimited Bloody Marys, Mimosas, or Bellinis while eating.

The Dubliner, conveniently located close to the PATH, also offers views of the Hudson from their rooftop bar. The scene here is laid back fun, with cocktail service available at the tables. If you work up an appetite after sipping all those frosty beers, food is available on the rooftop. All summer long, a bucket of Corona is $13 every Monday to Friday from 4 to 9 p.m. In addition, there are select draft beer specials.

The Iron Monkey in downtown Jersey City has the area’s only rooftop view. This funky bar and grill has three different floors, monthly art shows, and live music every weekend. Happy hour is every Monday to Friday from 4 to 7 p.m. and includes discounts on select beers and “Monkey drinks” for $2.75 to $4. On Wednesday night, Miller Lite is $2 from 7 p.m. to 2 a.m.

Icy air conditioning

Barrow Street Bar & Grill is home to their special power hour. This friendly downtown Jersey City bar has a neighborhood crowd. Happy hour is Monday to Friday from 6 to 7 p.m., when almost everything is half price.

Court Street tucked on the corner of 6th and Court streets in Hoboken doesn’t offer drink specials for happy hour, yet they offer fantastic discounts on food. Monday to Thursday from 4:30 to 6 p.m. is the early bird dinner special that includes an appetizer, entrée, and dessert for $15.95. In addition, Monday night is prime rib night, which includes soup or salad, a 16-ounce steak, and potato and vegetable for $15.95. Wednesday and Saturday nights until Labor Day are “Lobsterfest,” which includes a whole Maine Lobster, soup or salad, potato and vegetable for $18.95.

Tucked on quiet Park Avenue in uptown Hoboken, the Goldhawk is home to acoustic music, creative open mic nights, and comedy shows on Sundays. The Goldhawk offers drink specials of the night seven days a week including: Sunday, $2 Bud Light bottles; Monday, $2 domestic drafts; Tuesday, $2.50 Bud Select draft; Wednesday, $2.50 Yuengling draft; Thursday, $2.50 Michelob light draft; Friday from 5 to 10 p.m., half-priced Margaritas/Coronas. Also on Fridays “Beach bum summer draft” is $3 all night. On Saturday, there is a specialty drink and seasonal draft special all night.

LITM, 140 Newark Ave. in Jersey City, is a hip bar and lounge that has a fresh take on infused menus. In addition to a creative menu, they also have monthly art shows and specialty items only available certain seasons. Their happy hour is every day from 5 to 8 p.m. and includes: $1 Oysters, $2 Oyster shots, $3 Mini-Martinis, and $1 off all beer and wine. In addition, there are nightly specials that change. A few current nightly specials include: “Cheesy Wednesdays,” which pair a complimentary cheese piece with certain ales, and “Sundays in Italy” in July, with free movie screenings and two different tasting menus.

Maxwell’s, the legendary Hoboken rock venue, offers different drink specials every day of the week. On Sunday, Lone Star beer is $3 and an Appletini is $6. Mondays, Bud or Bud Light bottle are $2.50 each. On Tuesdays, Corona or Presidente beer is $3, and a Margarita is $5. On Wednesdays, Guinness draft is $3.75 and a Cosmopolitan is $6. On Thursday, Yuengling draft is on special for $2.50 and a Gimlet is $5. On Fridays, Sam Adams Seasonal draft is $3.75 and a Soco lime shooter is $4. On Saturdays, Boddington’s Pub can is $3.50 and a Kamikaze shot is $3.

McMahon’s Brownstone on Willow Avenue in Hoboken offers something for the sports enthusiast, with pool, darts, and televisions throughout the bar. This laid-back pub is a friendly place with a neighborhood feel. They offer happy hour every night (Sunday to Saturday from 6 to 8 p.m.) with $2 domestic drafts. From 8 to 10 p.m. domestic drafts are $3 each. In addition, on Thursday night all drinks for the ladies are $3 each.

The Merchant located in downtown Jersey City caters to the well-heeled after-work crowd. This fun bar and restaurant offers happy hour specials seven nights a week from 4 to 7 p.m. In addition, they have a late-night happy hour from midnight to close, which includes: domestic drafts for $2.50, imported drafts for $3.50, house drinks for $3, and select wines for $3. Other weekly specials include: $4 Martinis on Tuesday, all-night happy hour on Wednesday/Saturday/Sunday, South of the Border food and drink specials on Thursday, and $3 Mimosas and Bloody Marys all day on Saturday/Sunday.

The Shannon, the long-standing family owned Irish bar on First Street in Hoboken, offers happy hour specials Monday to Friday from 4 to 7 p.m. It includes: domestic bottles, pints, mixed drinks, wine and half-priced Martinis for $3. It is endless happy hour on Monday night. In addition, there is a different special every day. On Tuesdays, Miller Light pints are $2 each and Yuengling draft is $3. Wednesdays include: $3 wine and half-priced Martinis. Thursdays include $3 Miller Lite bottles/drafts and Fridays include $3.50 flavored vodka drinks until 10 p.m. On Saturdays buckets of domestic beer are $12 each.

Teak on the Hudson, located right across the street from the Hoboken PATH, has specials all week long. Monday is “customer appreciation day,” which serves half-price food, sushi, well drinks, Martinis, and beer from noon to close. Wednesday is half-price Martinis at the bar.

Willie McBride’s, located off the beaten path in midtown Hoboken, offers $1 off all drinks during their happy hour, which is Monday to Friday from 4 to 7 p.m.

Comments on this piece can be sent to: current@hudsonreporter.com

The Happiest Hour

Barrow Street, 292 Barrow St., Jersey City. (946-1411)

Brass Rail, 135 Washington St., Hoboken (659-7074)

City Bistro, 56 14th St., Hoboken (963-8200)

Court Street, 61 Sixth St., Hoboken (795-4515)

Dubliner, 96 River St., Hoboken (656-7731)

Green Rock, 70 Hudson St., Hoboken (386-5600)

Goldhawk, 936 Park Ave., Hoboken (420-7989)

Iron Monkey, 97 Greene St., Jersey City (435-5756)

Liberty Bar, 61 14th St., Hoboken, (222-6322)

LITM, 140 Newark Ave., Jersey City (536-5557)

Madison, 1316 Washington St., Hoboken (386-0300)

Maxwell’s, 1039 Washington St., Hoboken (798-0406)

McMahon’s Brownstone, 1034 Willow Ave., Hoboken (798-5650)

Merchant, 279 Grove St., Jersey City (200-0202)

Mikie Squared, 616 Washington St., Hoboken (792-0001)

Oddfellows, 80 River St., Hoboken (656-9009)

The Shannon, 106 First St., Hoboken (656-9820)

Teak on the Hudson, 16-18 Hudson Place, Hoboken (653-6888)

Texas Arizona, 76 River St., Hoboken (420-0304)

Willie McBride’s, 616 Grand St., Hoboken (610-1522)

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