Sakai Ramen and Izakaya: $10 Beer and a Bite, Wed–Fri 4–7pm
Sakai Ramen and Izakaya runs a happy hour Wednesday to Friday, 4–7pm, at 965 Richmond Ave in Staten Island: a $10 draft beer with a snack Wednesday and Thursday, and an $11 cocktail with popcorn chicken on Friday.
The verdict: a tidy way to start a ramen night, though it’s a combo, not a price cut. Each deal pairs the drink with a plate that sells for $6.95–$7 on the regular menu, so you’re getting a beer and a snack for $10 and the bar doesn’t say what the beer costs on its own. The catch is the window. It’s three days, three hours, and Monday, Tuesday and the weekend get nothing.
The Happy Hour
- Wednesday, 4–7pm: $10 for a draft beer plus “Oko” fries. The fries come with okonomiyaki sauce, kewpie mayo, bonito flakes and shredded seaweed, and cost $6.95 on their own.
- Thursday, 4–7pm: $10 for a draft beer plus either “Oko” fries or a pork or chicken chashu bun. The chashu bun is $6.95 for two.
- Friday, 4–7pm: $11 for one cocktail plus basil popcorn chicken, which is $7 on its own. The bar bills it as “Happy Friday.”
The Room
Sakai is a Japanese restaurant built around ramen, from the $14.50 miso, shio and shoyu bowls to the $16.95 house Sakai ramen and beef ramen, with rice bowls, yakitori and appetizers alongside. It’s also a bubble tea shop, with milk teas at $4.95. It’s closed Tuesdays, opens at 11am Monday and Wednesday, and at noon on Sundays.
Who Sakai Is For
| Occasion | Why It Works |
|---|---|
| A midweek beer and a bite | $10 draft beer with fries or a bun, Wed and Thu 4–7pm |
| A Friday cocktail | $11 with basil popcorn chicken, 4–7pm |
| Ramen after the drink | Bowls start at $14 for vegetable ramen |
For other spots on the island, see our Staten Island happy hour guide. The days it runs are also in our Wednesday, Thursday and Friday happy hour guides, and for noodles elsewhere there’s best ramen in NYC.