Goodnight Sonny: $18 Oysters and $12 Cocktails, 4–6pm Weekdays
Goodnight Sonny runs happy hour Monday to Friday from 4 to 6pm at 134 1st Ave, at St Marks Place in the East Village: $12 cocktails, $6 draft pints, $5 cans, $12 wine and a dozen East Coast oysters for $18.
The verdict: the oysters are why you go. A dozen for $18 is the draw in a bar with a raw bar at its centre, and it’s a short, clean list around it. The catch is the window: two hours, weekdays only, with no weekend equivalent even though the bar opens at 2pm on Saturday and Sunday. The cocktail list is also three drinks, so this is a deal for people who want a margarita or an old fashioned, not a menu to browse.
The Happy Hour
- Oysters: a dozen East Coast oysters, $18
- Cocktails, $12: margarita, daiquiri, old fashioned
- Cans, $5: Tecate, with or without “the works”, and Schofferhofer grapefruit hefeweizen
- Draft pints: all $6
- Wine, $12: red, white or sparkling
The Room
Goodnight Sonny calls itself an East Village bar serving craft cocktails, seafood and tavern fare. It’s a tile-floored space with a raw bar, sandwiches and seasonal cocktails. It opens at 4pm Monday to Friday and 2pm on Saturday and Sunday, and it stays open until 4am. The whole room can be booked for dinner buyouts of up to 100. The nearest trains are the L at 1 Av and the 6 at Astor Pl.
Who Goodnight Sonny Is For
| Occasion | Why It Works |
|---|---|
| After-work oysters | $18 a dozen, 4–6pm |
| A cheap round | $6 pints and $5 cans |
| A late finish | Open until 4am |
More nearby is in our East Village happy hour guide. For the shellfish side, see our oyster happy hours in NYC guide, or the best cocktail bars in NYC.