Perch: $15 Negronis and $11 Shishitos Before 6pm in East Harlem
Perch’s happy hour runs Monday to Wednesday 5–6pm and Thursday and Friday 4–6pm at 1693 Lexington Avenue in East Harlem: $15 cocktails, $12 wines, $16 oysters, and small plates from $10 to $14.
The verdict: a modest discount at a bar that takes its drinks seriously. The $15 cocktails are the classics — Negroni, rye Old Fashioned, spicy margarita, daiquiri — against $19 for the house signatures, and wine drops from $15 a glass to $12. The food is the better cut: shishitos go from $16 to $11. The honest caveat: Monday to Wednesday it’s a single hour, the first one the bar is open, and there’s nothing on weekends.
The Happy Hour
Happy hour runs Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday 5–6pm and Thursday and Friday 4–6pm. Cocktails are $15: Negroni, Rye Old Fashioned, Far East Side, Spicy Margarita, Piscolada, Rosemary Gimlet and Daiquiri. Wines are $12: Prosecco, Merlot, Pinot Gris and rosé. Food: oysters $16, croquettes $11, fingerlings $10, shishitos $11 and ricotta dip $14. How many oysters $16 buys isn’t posted; a half dozen is $20 on the regular menu.
The Room
Perch is a 25-seat small-plates bar with a signature list of $19 cocktails — City Sunsets (mezcal, Campari, caramelized pineapple), Tokyo Drift (sesame-washed Japanese whisky, gochujang-infused Campari), Breakfast in Bed (bacon-fat-washed bourbon, cold brew) — and wine by the glass at $15–18. The Perch burger, with blue cheese marrow and shallot marmalade, is $20. Local pilsner and IPA are $10 on draft. Brunch happens at its big-sister restaurant, East Harlem Bottling Co. The 6 at 103rd Street is closest. More in our best cocktail bars in NYC, and more early-week deals in Monday happy hours.
Who Perch Is For
| Occasion | Why It Works |
|---|---|
| A cheap first round | $15 Negroni or Old Fashioned, $12 wine before 6pm |
| Snacks with a drink | $10–14 small plates at happy hour |
| A serious cocktail | $19 signature list with fat-washed and house-infused spirits |