Riverdale
Happy Hour

The cheapest drink in Riverdale is the $4 house lager, and the $8 margarita undercuts the $13–$15 signature cocktails by a wide margin. The food is priced to go with it: six wings or six nuggets for $9, two cheeseburger sliders for $10, fries for $7. The Verdict: the best all-round happy hour in Riverdale. The Local Move: Monday nights add Industry Monday, 9pm–midnight, with $10 beer-and-a-shot. The Honest Caveat: bottled beer is only $1 off, and the window shuts at 6pm.

A margarita-and-sangria deal, and a real one: both are $13 at full price, so $8 takes $5 off every glass. The four-hour window is the longest in Riverdale, and Friday starts at 2pm. The Verdict: the pick for a long early evening. The Local Move: start at 2pm on Friday and finish before the 6pm cutoff. The Honest Caveat: drinks only, flavored sangrias and margaritas cost $1 more, and groups of five or more can’t split the check.

Half off at a steakhouse is a real discount, the only percentage-off happy hour in Riverdale, and it’s bar seats only, across from Van Cortlandt Park. There’s an NFL happy hour at the bar too, with half-price select drinks, appetizers and a Jake’s burger. The Verdict: worth it, if you sit at the bar. The Local Move: Monday, when the happy hour meets $6 burger night. The Honest Caveat: Jake’s doesn’t say which drinks and appetizers count as “select.”

Not cheap at 4pm and not dear at 10pm: $8 for most taps, $9 for Guinness, $6 for the macro bottles. The value is on stage, with an open mic on Tuesdays and what it calls the Bronx’s longest-running Irish trad session every Sunday, 3:30–6:30pm. The Local Move: Saturday or Sunday brunch, where the $19 Traditional Irish comes with a free Bloody Mary or mimosa. The Honest Caveat: no happy hour at all.

Terry Connaughton, from Athleague in Roscommon, has run this room since 1979, and most of the staff are Irish. It’s the latest bar in Riverdale by a distance. The Verdict: the last pint in the neighborhood. The Honest Caveat: no menu or prices on its site, and no subway close by.

The serious drinks list in Riverdale: mezcal and tequila from family distillers, a Cadillac margarita, flavored margaritas in mango, hibiscus or guava, and a carajillo to finish. The food is Oaxacan, mole and tlayuda. The Verdict: dinner, not a round. The Honest Caveat: dinner hours only, from 5pm, with Sunday brunch paused until spring.

Mofongo dumplings with pork belly, Korean wings in a Dominican rum glaze and a $20 Limonada Coco made with mamajuana. The Verdict: a night-out room with prices to match. The Honest Caveat: its specials page says the specials are being updated, and tables are capped at 90 minutes for parties up to five.

A family-run neighborhood Mexican next door to Jake’s, with lunch specials until 3pm and a bar that stays open until 2am on weekends. The Verdict: the late option by Van Cortlandt Park. The Honest Caveat: every price has a card surcharge of about 4%.

The quiet glass in North Riverdale, with small bites paired to the list and a new bottle to try every week. The Verdict: the date-night pick on Mosholu Avenue. The Honest Caveat: no spirits at all, no posted prices, and closed Monday and Tuesday.