July is nearly here and there’s no time to be messing around. We have summer goals to accomplish, and if yours include appearing in a family portrait with one of Brooklyn’s finest drag queens, dipping into some exceptional Taiwanese food, or getting drunk as cheaply as possible in the Montrose L stop vicinity, we got you.
Post No Bills
Happy Hour: 3p.m. – 9p.m. Friday and Saturday
If you tend to select your post work rendezvous point based on how close the bar is to your train stop, you can’t get much closer than Post No Bills at 253 Bushwick Avenue. This dimly-lit bar is cash only, but you won’t need a lot of it to take the workweek edge off during their happy hour from 3p.m. until 9p.m.
Take your pick from $3 Budweiser and High Life, $4 draft, or $5 well and wine. The biggest challenge this bar presents is finding your way to the backdoor before your eyes adjust to the darkness. Bonus points if you make it without spilling your drink. Once you find your way to the patio, breath a sigh of relief – the greenery enclosing this shady backyard rivals that only of Sally Roots and The Narrows. Just remember it’s BYOB (bring your own bud spray).
Sweet Science
Happy Hour: 12p.m. – 8p.m. weekdays
I align with Sweet Science on several fronts, including their commitment to french doors and a side menu that’s almost exclusively dedicated to potatoes. Their happy hour, which starts at an honest noon, sends it home with $1 off draft, $4 well drinks, $6 frozen cocktails, and a $6 beer shot combo.
Natural lighting and baby blue walls are just two contributing factors to the positive vibes Sweet Science offers. That said, if you’re keeping a low profile or wishing it were the dark, dismal days of winter already, considering ducking into Featherweight next door for some vitamin D deficient lighting and cabin-in-the-woods vibes (not the scary kind). Vampire or not, once you’ve put away a round or two at one of these sister bars, head up Graham Street just one block to the next stop on the agenda.
Win Son
Happy Hour: 5p.m. – 7p.m. everyday
This Taiwanese-American restaurant reps gourmet dishes and a prime patio for people watching from its corner on Montrose Street and Graham Avenue. The popular spot fills up quickly, so arrive early to avoid a wait (though rolling up in time for their happy hour should be reason enough). Rally your Friday ride-or-dies beforehand as they won’t seat you without your whole party present; I recommend a group of 3-4 for ultimate menu-sharing purposes.
When it comes to food, the Fried Eggplant and Sesame Noodles are the truth. I briefly considered finishing the remaining side of rice by itself, but in a remarkable exhibition of self restraint I held back (it’s unclear whether this says more about me as a person`or speaks to how good their rice is). Of course, the experience would be incomplete without indulging in a Taiwanese beer or two. They’re on special for $3 during happy hour, or add on a shot for an additional $4. House wine and draft are also $2 off from 5p.m. to 7p.m.
The Rosemont
Happy Hour: 5p.m. – 9p.m. weekdays, 3p.m. – 9p.m. weekends
Fridays at The Rosemont are one of the reasons why New York is awesome. The East Williamsburg gay bar is easy to overlook from outside its post at 63 Montrose Avenue, but its plain exterior has no bearings on the potential of kick ass times it holds on the other side. Their happy hour includes $5 well, draft, and house wine, along with $8 classic cocktails until 9p.m.
The patio is almost bigger than the bar itself, so pick up a Negroni and get drinking, because on Friday nights Glace Chase is in the house. Hailed as one of the few remaining old school drag queens, her interactive improv performance will have you in tears, and in the words of the queen herself, “everyone has more fun when the crowd has had a few.” Stick around for the dance party after, or stay the whole weekend! It winds up Sunday at 5p.m. with free food for all.