7 outdoor happy hour deals on Long Island
Dining at sunset at Buoy Bar in Point Lookout. Credit: Yvonne Albinowski
Maximizing the time spent outside during the summer is the best way to enhance the season, so we suggest drinking all beverages under the watchful eye of the sun. With an enormous number of restaurants with outdoor spaces — some with waterfront views, others with sprawling patios or scattered sidewalk seating — boasting open-air happy hours, we rounded up some of the spots where we like to idle in cocktail bliss. By no means comprehensive, here’s a watering hole (with specials!) for every day of the week.
Monday: The Comet Club, Westbury
990 Corporate Dr., Westbury
Standout deal: $13 specialty cocktails; $10 wine
When to go: 4 to 6 p.m. Monday; also available through Thursday
Chef Jesse Schenker’s first restaurant outside of Oyster Bay, The Comet Club is a big personality of a space. anchoring The Vanderbilt luxury apartment and hotel. If you’re impressed by the inside of this buzzy new spot, with style nods to the Gilded Age and a vast menu catering to all tastes, from casual burger to caviar to Cobb salad to deviled eggs, and halibut, head outside from Monday through Thursday — anytime after 4 p.m. — for its daily happy hour. Boasting its own al fresco bar where bartenders are mixing hand-shaken martinis and neat Manhattans, on weekdays you'll find $10 wine specials by the glass, $13 specialty cocktails like old-fashioneds, vespers, margaritas and cosmos, well spirits, plus a full dinner menu to accompany your drinks, starting at 5 p.m. More info: 516-820-1200, thecometclub.com
Tuesday: Garden Social, East Meadow
1964 Hempstead Tpke., East Meadow
Standout deal: 50-cent wings, plus half-off nachos and margaritas
When to go: 3 to 6 p.m. Tuesday; also available weekdays through Friday
Opened in 2018, this rustic space has a spacious and landscaped beer garden that seats about 75 at communal tables beneath a towering cedar pergola. On weekdays, they have a happy hour that features many of the 20-plus taps, which are heavy on Long Island and New York State beers. They also serve more craft brews in bottles and cans, as well as cider and rosé from Wölffer Estate in Sagaponack. Happy hour includes cocktails and wine ($7) specials, plus select draft, domestic and imported bottled beers ($5). And on Tuesdays, specifically, there are additional food specials including 50-cent wings, plus half off nachos and margaritas. On weekends, there’s often live music in the garden. More info: 516-750-5338; gardensocialli.com
Dining at sunset at Buoy Bar. Credit: Yvonne Albinowski
Wednesday: Buoy Bar, Point Lookout
72 Bayside Dr., Point Lookout
Standout deal: $25 lobster roll, $5 wine, sangria, and beer
When to go: 4 to 6 p.m. Wednesdays; other deals offered weekdays
For over 25 years, this waterside mainstay has set the bar with its pier dining and happy hour specials overlooking Reynolds Channel. In addition to spectacular sunsets and regular shellfish deals — like $1 oysters and clams on Mondays — Buoy Bar offers a daily happy hour from 4 to 6 p.m. There are $5 craft beers and select cocktails on special, sure, but we’re partial to the frozen drinks like the Miami vice and mudslides, the nutty Rocket Fuel, as well as the Buoy Tea made with pineapple rum, coconut rum, iced tea and a splash of cranberry juice. During happy hour, the raw bar offers half-price clams, oysters and shrimp and on Wednesdays, there is a $25 lobster roll special at the tiki bar. Also on Wednesday: ladies’ night featuring $5 wine, sangria, beer and $25 bottles of wine. Live music happens from Thursday through Sunday and, if you’re lucky, sometimes on Wednesday. More info: 516-432-3975, buoybarli.com
Diners enjoying lunch at Clam Bar. Credit: Yvonne Albinowski
Thursday: The Clam Bar, Amagansett
2025 Montauk Hwy., Amagansett
Standout deal: $10 appetizers
When to go: 4 to 6 p.m. Thursday; also available Monday through Friday
It you’re headed out east for the weekend, there’s no better spot to stop along the highway than the big red shack with the yellow-and-white umbrellas, across from windswept dunes protecting a spectacular view of the Atlantic Ocean. Sure, there are chowders and lobster rolls, but now, during the week, there are also $15 rum punches, beer specials including $7 Montauk drafts and $5 Modelos, and $10 appetizers including masa chips with guacamole and pico de gallo, clam strips and corn nuggets. Cyrils may not be around anymore, but for a roadside pick-me-up, Clam Bar is the next best thing. More info: 631-267-6438, clambarhamptons.com
The Aperol spritz tree at Coach Meeting House. Credit: Rustan Lundstrum
Friday: Coach Meeting House, Oyster Bay
160 Mill River Rd., Oyster Bay
Standout deal: $20 Aperol spritz tree
When to go: 4 to 6 p.m. Fridays
This Oyster Bay establishment had its moment during the pandemic, when it was serving to-go frozen margaritas, frosé, and craft cocktails in large capped cups. Nowadays, it’s the backyard patio space and fire pit that command the attention. Those frozen drinks are still worth the investment, especially on hot summer nights, but on Fridays from 4 to 6 p.m. there’s also a $20 Aperol spritz tree. Imagine eight bubbly and refreshing salmon colored cocktails waiting for you and your friends — a $160 value. If Aperol isn’t your thing, hit Coach on Wednesdays for $5 espresso martinis served all night. More info: 516-588-9288, coachgrillandtavernoysterbay.com
Saturday: Hilltop Kitchen and Bar in Syosset
150 Jericho Tpke., Syosset
Standout deal: $12 appetizers
When to go: Select deals Mondays and Tuesdays from 5 to 7 p.m. and Wednesday to Sunday from 3 to 6 p.m.
Hilltop Kitchen in Syosset made a splash when it opened in 2023. From their playful menu to their well-made cocktails, it became a regular spot for locals. You can now enjoy drinks and bites on the patio on breezy summer days. On Monday and Tuesday from 5 to 7 p.m. and Wednesday to Sunday from 3 to 6 p.m., tap beers are $6, house wine is $8 and daily draft cocktails are $12. Aperol spritzes, espresso martinis and various margaritas fall into the $10-$11 range. Served at the backyard high-top and couches, there are also $12 appetizers to pair alongside, from fries to nachos to an oversized Bavarian pretzel, sliders, and chips with dips. Buffalo cauliflower bites ($14), as well as quesadillas ($12) and fan favorite bang bang tacos ($12), round out the offerings. More info: 516-921-7748, hilltopkitchenandbar.com
A classic lobster roll, Green Day roll and Bank roll at Jackson Hall American Bar & Grille. Credit: Megan Schlow
Sunday: Jackson Hall in East Islip
335 E. Main St., E. Islip
Standout deal: $5 mimosas, $6 bloody Marys, and $7 sangrias
When to go: Sunday brunch, from 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.; Sunday through Friday happy hour, from 3 to 7 p.m.
Home of the beloved $38.95 lobster roll menu, there are two great ways to spend your Sunday at Jackson Hall. From 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., brunch specials are on offer, including $5 mimosas, $6 bloody marys, and $7 sangrias to pair with eggs, pancakes and sausages. Come 3 p.m., the restaurant shifts into happy hour mode with four food and drink options: For $6 choose from select drafts and wings, fries and onion rings to nosh on; for $8 there are wine and select well drinks from the bar while kitchen choices include fried pickles and fried mozzarella; for $9, house margaritas, house Moscow mules and house mojitos whet the palate, along with quesadillas and Bavarian pretzels. And for $10, there are giant margaritas and rum punches for sharing, with spinach artichoke dip and nachos for the belly. If you can’t get there on Sunday, happy hour happens all week long. Pro tip: Since you’re getting such a deal on brunch and happy hour cocktails, we think you should splurge for the lobster — we're partial to the Long Island with Cajun honey butter, jalapeños and spices — to accompany. More info: 631-277-7100, jacksonhallny.com
A global freelancer who has checked her suitcase to raise her young daughter on her native Long Island, Marie Elena will always make time for good mezcal, even better tacos and killer conversation. Preferably, in a corner bar seat. She can be found on Instagram at @mariesworldeats.
