7 Spots for Happy Hour in New Haven: The "NEW" Happy Hour...Now With More Happy

Are you suffering from restaurant sticker shock? Did you, on your last outing to a decent eatery, think about having the steak, then found out it cost $74 and ordered the $46 roasted chicken instead, and washed it down with the cheapest wine on the list at $18 a glass, which is more than you usually pay for an entire bottle at the corner packy? You say you’ve been staying home with Trader Joe’s frozen dumplings and boxed Franzia rosé ever since?

If so, there’s two things you should know: First, you’re not alone. Food prices have shot into the stratosphere, causing facial tics at grocery store checkout lines and minor cardiac events at restaurants, brought on, not by cholesterol-laden entrees, but by the total on the check. “How the hell did we do that?!” is heard over after-dinner mints in white tablecloth dining rooms throughout the land. Second: happy hour is here to help. While not as grand as a multi-course dinner-dinner, happy hour is a wonderful eating-out alternative, offering yummy fun in great locations for not much loot. You just have to get used to, you know, eating (and drinking) on, um, the early side. 

Forget what you remember about happy hours in the before times. Covid standards of safety and etiquette have banished the old model of icky steam table buffets with gloppy ziti and tiny franks being scooped up with shared utensils by desperate single men who would rather do anything than go home. (Massachusetts banned happy hours in the 1980s and I’m surprised buffets weren’t to blame.) The new, improved happy hours (some rebranded as “social hours”) offer popular items adapted from the regular menu, served a la carte and sometimes in simpler or smaller portions. The dishes are made to order – yes, there is a cook or even, if you’re lucky, a chef in the kitchen – and are just right for those of us with medium appetites and modest budgets. And let’s not forget those discounted drinks, with prices as low as $4-$6 for beers, wines, and cocktails, usually offered on weekdays from about 3-4 p.m. to about 5-6 p.m. (variations apply).

As a New Haven gal, I’ve developed an intimate relationship with my city’s happy hours. I’ve done the research and the field work – a tough gig, I know -- and I’m prepared to share all that intel with you. But first, here is a primer to acquaint you with the new economical gastronomic scene. 

HAPPY HOUR FAQs: 

1. Who goes to happy hour? Happy hour was originally designed to capture the “after work” market of nine-to-fivers. Today, however, work schedules are so floppy that the hour(s) of happiness are popular with anyone who appreciates a bargain, including artists, students, people who work for nonprofits, mommies and daddies who need a damn break, and other yacht-less types. They are also beloved by retirees, who like to be fed by 6 and are attracted to petite portions because they don’t want to be spending their end-of-life dollars on meals they can’t finish (that comes later, at the nursing home). 

1. Is the wine any good? Yes and no. Your best bang for the buck will be the house wine at a discounted rate, so your tasting notes will likely range from “meh” to “meh-plus.” There are pleasant surprises, however, including an oh-so-drinkable Cotes du Rhone rosé at Florian for a mere $5.

1. How about the cocktails? Most happy hour menus have great deals on mixed drinks. These are generally pretty basic concoctions, combining old-school mixers and low-shelf booze. That’s okay: sometimes you don’t need a craft cocktail featuring boutique bourbon, a Sriracha float, organic acorn caps, and curated pocketbook lint. Sometimes, a $7 house vodka martini, up with a twist, is just the thing to accompany that icy tray of oysters on the half. 

1. Did somebody say, oysters? Oh, man. “Buck-a-shuck” specials are still happening around here, and although they’re slightly more than a dollar these days, you can’t argue with happy hour math: the $1.50 oyster you slurp at 5 p.m. is from the very same batch that costs $3.50 at 8. And it’s a universal truth that a platter of briny beauties, skillfully opened by somebody else just minutes ago, can make you feel, if not rich, at least regal. 

1. I am financially stable. Can I, too, become a happy hour whore? Sure, come on down. Nobody will know. And even if they find out, relax – happy hour is not, after all, a soup line. It is not even an Early Bird Special. But you can put your fat wallet to good use by ordering two of everything, picking a nice bottle of wine from the cellar list, and tipping heavily. The restaurant, the servers, and the local economy will thank you.

WHERE TO GET HAPPY IN THE ELM CITY

There are many fine happy hour options in downtown New Haven and its various neighborhoods. The following recommendations were chosen because each location has something a bit special to offer. But consider this list to be a mere starting point for your happy whoring adventures.

Shell & Bones

One of New Haven’s most celebrated restaurants also has one of its best happy hours. Here, in light-filled, modern surrounds, perched at the edge of a wee marina, patrons can sup on half-priced oysters (the list changes daily) and $1 littlenecks while nursing $6 cocktails, $6 wines by the glass, and $3 cans of Narragansett. Try the excellent firecracker fries ($5), salted to perfection and served with chipotle mayo on the side, and the stand-out raw tuna avocado tostadas ($3). Vegans and those who love them will appreciate the deep and smokey forest mushroom tacos ($3). Tip: if you ask nicely, you might score some fresh ciabatta bread with softened butter and black salt. Be aware that this happy hour is short and early: it takes place from 3-5 p.m., Monday to Friday. 

Three Sheets

On the other end of the fanciness spectrum is the brilliantly named Three Sheets, a self-proclaimed gastrodive that is at once arty, sexy, gritty, and goth. The Mexican-inspired food is delish and so is the barkeep (hi Sarah!), but what sets this joint apart, HH wise, is that on the second Tuesday of every month it hosts Brew & Glue, a collage happy hour. You read that right: hosted by the cheerful and talented Ileana Garcia and sponsored by Troegs Independent beer, this is a DIY fest powered by paper, scissors, and glue sticks. All supplies are provided, and most evenings are centered on a theme, which means you can create valentines in February using vintage clip art, specially curated for your collaging pleasure. Even on nights when there is no crafting, happy hour is Tuesday through Friday from 5-7:30 and features several $5 food offerings, including fraternal twin tacos and yuca fries, plus $5 draft beers, discounted bottles and cans, a “bartender’s choice” cocktail for $8, and an $18 “Pitcherita” for two or more.

El Segundo

El Segundo is a kind of urban cantina, a place that looks like it’s been carved out of a graffiti-covered industrial space, so it’s easy to forget that it’s actually part of a quite-new development in New Haven’s Audubon Arts District. The restaurant specializes in street food from all over the world; at happy hour, it narrows those choices down to nine options, including poutine ($5), a Spam sandwich ($5), and elotes (roasted corn on the cob, $4). Favorites include the high-flavored fried shrimp taco, with purple cabbage, unagi sauce and chipotle cream ($4.50); and tostones y salsa ($5), fried plantain patties served alongside a bright, fresh salsa flecked with cilantro. Drinks are $5 pretty much across the board, including beer, wine, and cocktails (try the La Glorita, a variation on the classic margarita). The deals are on from 3-6 p.m. Wednesday to Friday. Tip: In the summertime, when the weather is high, try to snag one of the outdoor booths backed with rustic painted walls. These create a barrier against the sights and sounds of busy Orange Street and allow you to imagine that you are in the tropical paradise of your choice. 

Atelier Florian

“Social Hour” is the name that Atelier Florian has adopted to describe its happy hour, which takes place in tiled-and-tufted comfort in the Belgian-inspired restaurant’s bar area. From Tuesday-Saturday from 3-6 and all day Sunday (surprise!), guests can treat themselves to a platter of oysters on the half for $1.50 each (no extra charge for the adorably tiny bottle of hot sauce); pork belly tacos for $9; Belgian frites for $6; and some of the city’s best fried calamari ($12), served with an Old Bay aioli dipping sauce, to name a few of the many options. There are mixed drinks for $7, including a French Mule and a Mojito, plus beer and three wines, including that delicious Cotes du Rhone rosé, for $5. If you opt for Sunday’s Social Hour, you might get lucky and hear some tasty live jazz.

Bear’s Smokehouse BBQ

Bear’s Smokehouse BBQ feels like an open-air recreation center. Something about that self-serve chow line, the expansive, dog-friendly concrete patio, the Adirondack chairs, the fire pits, and the grassy expanse with lawn games, make it easy to believe that you’re eating brisket and ribs at the summer camp of your dreams. Happy hour is Monday-Friday from 3 to 6 p.m., and offers lots of $5 food options, including two pulled chicken or pulled pork sliders, bacon cheese fries, fried pickles, and a “bear-sized” pretzel. There are ever-changing wine and drink specials, plus $3 draft beers. Take note that Bear’s is affiliated with various local breweries, so there’s always something new and interesting in cans or bottles or on tap. Bring your well-behaved pooch, and your car: a large, free parking lot awaits.

Anchor Spa

Anchor Spa, A Karl Franz Bar and Restaurant is the newest iteration of a very old watering hole in the heart of downtown. Franz is a Yalie-turned-restaurateur who first made his mark in Harlem; the pan-Caribbean menu at the Anchor is a nod to his St. Vincent roots. So, it makes perfect sense that the shining star of the happy hour experience is an $8 rum punch mixed to order by the vivacious Bianca. Food options are also $8, including tostones with a clove-tinged slaw, and jerk turkey meatballs, which didn’t burn our faces off, as jerk often does, and in fact were very slightly sweet. The place is small – only six seats at the bar – and friendly, but if you can snag an outside table, under a festive umbrella, you will be treated to some of the best people-watching in the city.

Cast Iron Chef Chop House and Oyster Bar

Cast Iron Chef Chop House and Oyster Bar has the longest name and the longest happy hour, running Mondays through Thursdays from 3-8 p.m. and Fridays from 3-7. This is one reason why it’s become my regular neighborhood hang; I go there every week or so and join the noisy crowd in the lively lounge/bar area, all of us enjoying cut-rate drinks ($5 cocktails, $4 beers) and cheap eats (mac & cheese, $8, biscuits & gravy, $10). I usually order the same thing every time: blue point oysters on ice ($1.75 each) and local littlenecks ($1.25 each) alongside a low-shelf martini ($7), followed by a big ol’ Meatball Parm ($8), served in an iron skillet with a wedge of toasted bread, a glass of house cab ($5) on the side. Fellow whores rave about Iron Chef’s layered Smashburgers ($11), and it’s no surprise that the meat dishes here are extra good; the place is, after all, a steak house. As we savor our luxury-on-a-budget supper, free from bottom-line angst, customers in the dining room, just steps away, are ordering $60 filets mignon and $79 rib eyes. Suckers!