The Crown: The Cheapest Real Rooftop Happy Hour in Manhattan, 21 Floors Above the Bowery
The cheapest real happy hour on any rooftop in Manhattan, and it now runs three hours. The Crown sits on the 21st floor of Hotel 50 Bowery, looking straight at the Manhattan Bridge with the Financial District off to the right. Most roofs at this height charge you $20-plus for the view. Here, on a weekday between 3 and 6, a beer is $6 and the wings are half price.
The Happy Hour
They call it Sunset Hour. Monday to Friday, 3pm to 6pm:
- $6 beer: Corona, Modelo, Miller High Life, and Heineken 0.0 if you’re not drinking
- $9 house wine
- $12 well cocktails
- Half off the food: French onion dip, crudités with spicy feta, wings, margherita flatbread and salumi flatbread
The wings come three ways: Buffalo, hot honey and jalapeño, or Royal Tso hoisin. Get the hoisin.
The Verdict
Worth it, and the 3pm start is the reason. A 4–6 window is a sprint after work; 3–6 means a late lunch break or a half day can turn into a proper afternoon up here before the light goes. In winter, sunset lands inside the window, which is the whole point of the name.
The Honest Caveat
The $12 well cocktail is the weak link. It’s a well drink, so expect house spirits and a mixer, not anything the bar is proud of. Order the $6 beer or the $9 wine and spend the difference on a second plate of half-price wings. Sunset Hour is weekdays only; on weekends the roof is a party, with DJ events and tickets, and nothing is discounted.
The Room
An indoor lounge plus two outdoor terraces. The terraces are the reason to come, though in November and later the indoor side earns its keep. The view runs from the Manhattan Bridge across to Lower Manhattan, an angle you don’t get from the Midtown roofs.
Who The Crown Is For
| Occasion | Why it works |
|---|---|
| After-work drinks | $6 beer from 3pm, a short walk from Canal Street |
| Cheap date with a view | Two wines and a half-price flatbread, 21 floors up |
| Out-of-town guests | The Manhattan Bridge view without Midtown rooftop prices |
| Snacking, not dinner | The whole bar menu is half off for three hours |
More nearby: our Chinatown happy hours and Lower East Side happy hours, and the full best rooftop bars in NYC ranking, where The Crown is the value pick.