Save money and splurge on socializing at these North Fork happy hours
F. Scott Fitzgerald said it best more than a century ago: “Here’s to alcohol: the rose-colored glasses of life.” Indeed, a pint of this or a glass of that clinked with good friends is a nice way to smooth your perspective on life at the end of a long day at work (responsibly, of course) — but it’s even better at one of these North Fork faves. Cheers to happy hour!
First & South
100 South St., Greenport, 631-333-2200, firstandsouth.com
Happy hour (Monday-Friday, 3-5 p.m.) is a key component of the weekday culture at First & South, a charming bistro tucked inside a stately Victorian house in the heart of Greenport Village. “Things are expensive nowadays,” says Dan Domingo, who co-owns the restaurant and bar with Sarah Phillips. “The idea of happy hour is to give people a break.” The cozy, nine-seat bar area is complemented by four high-top tables and an intimate, cushy community banquette. There’s live music every Tuesday night, year-round, and Guinness on tap. Phillips suggests trying the bar’s delicious signature drink, the Huckleberry Lemonade, a mix of 44° North Huckleberry vodka, house-made lemonade and mint.
The Broken Down Valise
180 Pike St., Mattituck, 631-298-7265
The Broken Down Valise has been a Mattituck institution for decades, and — if you’re a night owl, is “one of the only places that still stays open until four in the morning,” says longtime owner Jeanne Schumacher. A local haunt, the Valise was the last stop for construction worker Dylan Padworski before a 10-month deployment to the Middle East in 2014. “Me and my buddy were both in the Navy and we came here before our first deployment and had a whole night of drinking and having fun with all our friends.” It was his first stop when he came home, too. “You’ve always got to make the pit stop here and see your friends.” The three-tap, cash-only pub — with a bar made from a repurposed bowling alley lane and a glass-encased “memory wall” where patrons who have passed on are remembered fondly — sits on Pike Street across from the Mattituck Long Island Railroad stop. Happy hour runs Monday to Friday, 4 to 6 p.m.
On the Docks
177 Meetinghouse Creek Road, Aquebogue, 631-886-1160, onthedocksgrill.com
At On the Docks in Aquebogue, it’s not happy hour — it’s happy hours. Seven, in fact. Boasting the longest weekday happy hour on the North Fork, this spacious riverside restaurant and sports bar features 10 screens and a novel weekly draw: musical bingo, where regulars get together every Tuesday at 6 p.m. to play with song names in the boxes instead of numbers. The host plays a 60-second song clip, and the players with that song tick it off. “Everyone loves the music so everybody gets involved, and everyone is singing and having a good time,” says bartender Jessica Loftus. Other key draws are the made-from-scratch giant pretzels and the out-of-this-world wings. “They’re not just deep-fried,” Loftus says. “They’re broiled. So they get a nice crisp on the outside and they fall off the bone.” Happy hours at On the Docks run weekdays from noon-7 p.m.
