The Happiest Hour

Nice place, but on a busy night (fri or sat) the bar service can be slow. Unfortunately, is has only one restroom which means it’s not a good place to stay for an extended drinking session with a few friends.

Came here with one of my good friends for Thursday night girls night. I loved the atmosphere and the drinks but was left wanting more with the burger.
It was a pretty cold winter night, so the beachy interior was heaven-​sent. Happiest Hour definitely caters to work-​crowds and friend get-together’s. I would not recommend for a first date, unless you’re real nervous about whole talking thing. It was loud, bustling and exactly what you’d want from a NYC bar scene.
The cocktails were simple with a twist. I had the «Maid to Order» and my friend had the «Belle of the Ball». In terms of the food, we ordered the Kale Salad, two Happiest Burgers and the Creamed Cauliflower.
Definitely. my favorite part was the creamed cauliflower — maybe it was the Old Bay seasoning. Honestly the burger reminded me of an In-​and-​Out patty and — this may be blasphemy — but I’m just not really a fan. I will say that it’s very filling and the fries were the bomb!
I’d come back again!

The name of this place is actually a misnomer, because there’s really no happy hour to be had no matter *when* you come. Instead, you’re looking at $ 13 cocktails which are decent but pricey, and you’ll have to fight for the attention to get your hands on them. The atmosphere is quirky, with its hula-​shirt-​clad bartenders, but the time I visited it was foo packed to really soak it in. If I want quirk, I’d prefer heading to Greenwich Treehouse down the block where the drinks won’t set you back quite so much.
I ordered the «Fall from the Tree» cocktail which quite amazingly tasted like the holiday season concentrated in a glass. Satisfying to be sure, but not particularly easy on my wallet. And thus not poised to become my «go-​to» drink anytime soon.
We ended up getting a table to order some apps, which made the place more enjoyable but still super loud to try and have any sort of conversation. I have to hand it to them that the seating system is an efficient one. They text you when your table’s ready so that you can enter the fray of the bar area up front and not risk missing your name when it’s called.
We quickly came to realize that burgers and fries are the name of the game here, and I’d consider coming back to give them a shot. They were being served up at all the tables around us and looked pretty stellar. And also maybe like one of the only decent «bang for your buck» scenarios on the menu. Our «bonsai chicken bites» appetizer paled in comparison.
I’d definitely come back for burgers and cheap beers. (Miller High Life = no shame in my book, under the right circumstances). Would maybe even come back solely for drinks on an off hour in hopes of finding it less jam packed. But the post-​work 7pm timeframe was sheer madness.

Awesome bar food, overpriced bar drinks.
Burger — ever had in and out? This is the younger brother who’s been hitting the gym and packing some serious muscle. Get it, it’s the second best thing on the menu
charred broccoli — holy what the f$&@??? The broccoli’s texture is tender, slightly crispy, and crusty all at once, tossed in salt and pepper. Partnered with the homemade ranch on the side, you can hold the fries! Best single item of the menu AND you can indulge!
Fried chicken — perfectly light little nuggets of gluten free (don’t hold me to it) awesome fried chicken thigh, tossed in a slightly spicy rub. Kewpie mayo never hurts either.
Go here, settle for the drinks, but go hard on the food!

Contrary to some visible evidence (you know, like the name) this bar does not have a happy hour. But, despite the slightly false advertisement (I guess you can call it that?) this was a perfectly okay spot to grab a drink with some friends.
The décor is funky with a retro island vibe. Lot’s of palm tree décor uppin’ here. There is a large open bar area in the front, and more intimate section in the back with tables. Drink pricing is pretty NYC standard… when it’s not on happy hour, ahem ahem. 13 dollar cocktails, 8 dollar IPAs and 9 dollar glasses of wine. We each had a few cocktails, and my Tom Collins was fantastic. Light and refreshing with a strong taste of grapefruit and an even stronger taste of gin, just how I like it. My friends all liked their cocktails as well, and our waitress was friendly.
Came in just for drinks and not food, but the menu was cute. It seems as if a burger is the play here, because I noticed a ton being delivered to the surrounding tables.
In any case, this is a fine spot to grab a drink or a quick bite in the West Village. Just don’t come in expecting a happy hour like I did!

This is just for the ambience and the burger as I didnt grab any drinks while I was there. Now for the place it feels like Hollister opened up a restaurant which may be good or bad depending on who you are. To me it feels a little cheesy but it may have its appeal. There is only one bathroom which can be a little annoying when its busy.
As for the burger its two small cooked patties and is fairly salty (not a bad thing I quite liked it) but if we’re looking over the lists for best burgers it doesnt really come into the top 10 and after tax and tip it will cost you like $ 15 and thats without fries. West village has better burger places so if your aim is a burger best to go elsewhere.

BOOOOOO Boooo BOOOO!!!
The staff is crazy rude and outraged by the smallest request! Happiest my ass.
If you’re looking for a happy hour, take it somewhere else.

Had a cocktail I had found in Scotland. Showed it to the bartenders to replicate from my iPhone.
They were insulted I didn’t tell them verbally, but «flashed» them a recipe.
When I had a disagreement about whether it was a «proper» cocktail they actually went through the effort of throwing me out.
What a pathetic excuse for a west village bar.
I’ve seen the neighborhood go through its changes, but this arrogance I hope won’t last.
Sad to see the village becoming a destination playground. A perfect bar for the douchebags of NYC who thing they are hanging in the village. If this is what NYC is becoming, then leave it to these idiots.

I really enjoyed this place especially after my busy day at work. The atmosphere was fun and relaxing with a very nice crowd to mix and mingle with. I had my usual drink the old fashion and it was spot on (I never say that). The bartenders were nice and served great drinks. Plus you get complimentary fries !!! They had me on first bite !!
I added the happiest burger and the bonsai chicken bites. The burger was sooooo delish I wanted another round but I had another round of drinks instead. The bonsai chicken bites was for the table and everyone enjoyed them as well.
I will return again and again !!!

Came here after seeing a picture of the happiest burger on line. Great atmosphere but it gets busy. We came in on an early saturday evening and by 10 the place was getting packed.
If you haven’t seen it google it. It will make you come in to try it also.
Was it worth the hype? IMO yes.
Well seasoned, melted cheese, great bun, the sauce dripping all over it. Great great burger. Will be back very soon to have it again.

Tried to go to Slowly Shirley (downstairs) but it closed early on a slow night and we wound up trying this upstairs bar instead. It was definitely a nice consolation prize! There weren’t many people but seemed like that might have been mostly due to it being almost closing time. The bar is fairly spacious with some warm, homey lighting. I asked the bartender to mix me something for me and it was delicious: slightly herbaceous, tart and fruity. My friend ordered the Maid to Order and it was very refreshing: I thought the cucumber scent really added to the drink.
I’d still like to try Slowly Shirley itself just for the atmosphere, but it seems that the drinks there are mixed by the same people who mix the drinks at the Happiest Hour. The service is friendly and the prices are super reasonable ($ 13 a cocktail). Glad I ended up trying this place out!

The burger is hands down one of the best I’ve ever had! I love the drinks, and who doesn’t love complimentary French fries? I sat at the bar and liked the ambiance, great space and décor. I’m looking forward to trying the downstairs restaurant.

The Happiest Hour is an adorable bar/​restaurant that serves up delicious cocktails that you can enjoy while listening to loud music and munching on bar food with a twist!
I came here with three other people. I really liked that you can order a signature cocktail with any type of alcohol that you wish. I had a couple of the Old Maid cocktails with rum and they were quite refreshing!
The food was decent. I loved the salt and pepper broccoli that we ordered for the table, and had the Happiest Burger with fries. I liked the special sauce that they put on the burger, which reminded me of a fancier version of an Inn-​n-​out burger. Our waitress was nice and it didn’t take long to order a drink or wait for our food.

I waited in line for about 10 minutes to get in not knowing how they work things. I got in and it wasn’t even that crowded. I was still waiting for friends so it was OK but they waited in line too. I was so turned off by the volume level in this place. I don’t believe that people should have to scream in order to have a conversation with each other. We were super hungry so we just stayed and I’m glad we did.
Food gets five stars, had the chicken bites, broccoli, happiest burger and kale salad. Everything was delicious, the only problem was the portions were so small. There was a smokey flavor in the happiest burger which I loved, it made me wonder if there was a little bit of pulled pork in there. Kale salad was nice and tart with pears, raisins and crunchy bits. It was a little bit overdressed but still really good.
Service, three stars. It was hard to flag the waitress down but she was very pleasant otherwise. We were still working on our food and the bus boy kept coming around to move every plate before we were done. It was a little annoying.
Drinks, four stars. I wanted a special drink, after all this is a cocktail bar. I wanted a clover club but they couldn’t make that so I asked for something with vodka, egg white and berries. The bartender did just that! It was delicious and refreshing!

If this is the happiest burger, there must be some burgers flipping out for not having a chance to compete for the title. What makes a happy burger? One could argue a Prime beef patty or perhaps topped with a fried egg and bacon. The best part of the California-​inspired Happiest Hour’s burger is the double patties slathered in special sauce. The cocktail bar has a beach theme and a line up of inventive beverages. The wait to enter can be a bit lengthy on weekends.

They decided they’d open at 5:07pm and then take 18 minutes (which they oddly blamed on a lack of bag to hand it to me in, which they never found anyway) to make my Happiest Burger (which they can only make medium) for takeout. Burger was quite good, largely thanks to the special sauce.
Had read something about free fries from 5 – 7 in WSJ 2/​15, but that didn’t seem to be the case (or at least not unless you explicitly ask) for those dining in.
FYI the address lists W 10^th as between 17^th and 18^th but of course that’s wrong.

I used to hit up this place a lot, when it was Kingswood. The vibe was classy, sexy, chill and it catered to a much more west village crowd (if you don’t know what that means, you ain’t it).
Damn, things done changed.
This pseudo-​tiki joint is jam-​packed with FiDi bros and chicks dressed like its midnight in the meat packing district. Girl, it costs too much to look that cheap. Psssh.
As for the name of this joint… where are the actual happy hour specials? Take a look at the menu and tell me wassup. $ 10 vodka sodas ain’t special.
5:30pm ratio of girls to guys = 6:1
7:00pm ratio of girls to guys = 0.26:10
Don’t even get me started about having a 6’7″ bouncer at 7pm?! 7 fukin pm. Is this the meat packing d-​bag district?!
Truth be told, I wish Kingswood was still here.

This place is probably between a 2 star and a 3 star.
I went with my roommate for a quick burger and a drink on Friday night. We were seated at a small table with fairly uncomfortable chairs.
The place itself was ok; it kind of reminded me of a Cheeseburger in Paradise. The main issue was that the music was REALLY loud in the back. Did not make for easy conversation.
The Fall from the Tree drink was good– we ordered it with bourbon and it wasn’t super sweet.
The burger was a little disappointing. The bread was squishy and the burger itself was nothing to write home about. The «secret sauce» was too tangy for me; I ended up scraping it off. I asked our server if the onions were cooked and she said yes, although they tasted suspiciously raw. Loved the fries (kind of like Steak & Shake fries) although they were very oily. $ 12 for a burger and fries in NYC isn’t awful though.
Our server was overall nice and attentive.
I will stipulate that we had a weird experience here. Another server came over and handed me a glass of water while saying «you have an admirer here’s a glass of water». So I just stared at her and said «what» and she repeated it and left. Made me feel really uncomfortable and shifty the entire time. At the end of our meal she came back over and said that it was from some guy who said he knew me and thought it would be funny. I definitely don’t fault the restaurant for this, but it was a little weird and I wish that she had pointed this guy out to me from the get-​go.
Overall, 2.5 from me. I think you can find a better burger in NYC, but if you’re in the area, for the price and for the add ons (fries, drinks) it might be worth it.

Everybody is going here for happy hour (obviously) and/​or the incredible «The Happiest Burger» which has been featured on the blog and Instagram of everybody and their mother. That burger is definitely worth all of the hype, but the rest of the food here turns out to be incredible as well.
I tried to go here once on a Friday evening, which was a bad idea as it was obviously completely packed. I finally got a chance to return a few weeks later, this time right when they opened for brunch (a little late I think at 12 PM), and we had the empty restaurant to ourselves.
Like so many of the hip places catering to the young’n’s today, it has a fun, beachy feel, with some natural light coming in through the roof of the main dining area. Aside from the burger, we ordered a ton of other stuff as well:
— Bonsai Chicken Bites ($ 8)
These little fried chicken poppers were excellent. Exactly what you want in fried chicken, they were super juicy on the inside and crispy on the outside.
— Salt & Pepper Broccoli ($ 6)
This was some awesome broccoli, as it was probably fried, giving it an irresistible crispiness that will make you want to eat your vegetables.
— Grilled Cheese Bikini ($ 8)
An excellent and satisfying little sandwich, served in four mini pieces, this is another great choice to go with your burger.
— The Happiest Burger ($ 12) with Fries (+ $ 4)
The main event, described by many as a mix between a Shake Shack and an In-​N-​Out Burger, is better than both of them. Besides being one of the most photogenic burgers of the year, it really is excellent. Built with similar ingredients as an In-​N-​Out Double Double Animal Style, but with higher quality like a Shack Burger, this is high on the list of must try burgers this year. Very importantly too, the fries that you should add to the burger are incredible. Too many places have a great burger experience ruined by horrible fries, but fortunately the fries here are just as good as the burger.
— Brownie A La Mode Sundae ($ 7)
One of two available sundaes and a root beer float that make up the dessert menu, this is a solid way to end the meal. It’s hard to mess up a warm chocolate brownie topped with ice cream, so this one is a definite winner.
I didn’t experience a lot of the issues the low rating reviewers had, which seem to do a lot with anger over the crowds and rude staff, and other gripes related to the bar and drinks. As mentioned above, maybe brunch is the time to come if you are interested in the food. Even if you don’t drink (like me), The Happiest Hour is still well worth a visit for some really satisfying food.

The Happiest Hour might be my new favorite hang in New York City.
Upon walking into this new West Village hot spot, you immediately transport to a sunnier metropolis. Think Miami, Beverly Hills, or Palm Springs in the ‘70s. Palm tree wallpaper wraps the walls, servers are bespeckled in throwback diner regalia, the music has a feel good classic rock vibe with hints of Polynesian flair. These are things that strike a chord with me as I’ve always been a fan of tiki culture as a product of Southern California. They even have a blended tiki drink du jour. It was a painkiller on my visit, and it lived up to the hype. Delicious, icy jet fuel (in the best way).
Perhaps the most famous face here is the much blogged about Happiest Burger. The In-​N-​Out/​Shack Shack hybrid has stolen the show amongst the local food media community and the pictures alone will make you skip dinner plans to try it. Maybe I was just anticipating the second coming of Christ (in burger form), but it fell well short of my lofty expectations. It was just… fine. Nothing I was offended by, but nothing I’d brag to my friends about either. I got my burger with a side of creamed cauliflower and that too was just… fine. On the food side of things, it was a perfectly average meal. Not bad, not great, but simply good.
I think the Happiest Hour hack is to treat it as a bar first and restaurant second. I’m sure there are differing opinions on this, but that’s how I intend on growing my personal footprint here. Despite the seemingly mediocre tone of this script, it’s certainly an establishment you should experience firsthand.