Through the magic of NYC, even the budget-conscious can taste the good life (often for free).
Get on Island Time
Every weekend when you’ve just managed to get in the right mindset to unwind, it’s Monday again.Tommy Bahama Restaurantwants to ease the transition back into the workweek with extended Island Time Happy Hour in the Marlin Bar every Monday from 4-8 p.m. (Happy hour ends at 6 p.m. the rest of the week.) Stop in for $6 drafts, $7 well drinks, $8 cocktails and $9 martinis (dibs on the Coconut Cloud), paired with $9 small plates like blackened fish tacos and cheeseburger sliders.551 Fifth Ave.
Take a #TourdeHills
Brooklyn’s little craft ice cream shop hasn’t been little or only in Brooklyn in a while.Ample Hills Creameryhas expanded to six locations around the city, and this summer if you visit all of them and get a scoop at each location, you’ll get the sixth one free. (Tip: Make the rooftop paradise of Adirondack chairs atop their Gowanus store your final stop.) Just pick up one of their adorable illustrated postcards at any location and start licking. If you complete the #TourdeHills in a single day (!) there’s a T-shirt in it for you on top of the free scoop. You’ve got until Labor Day, so start on the hard work of narrowing down which of their dozens of flavors you’ll choose.
Cocktails should come in one-liter servings
As ifLa Pecora Biancaweren’t already the city’s most charming all-day Italian restaurant and bar, they just added an Aperitivo Happy Hour beginning this week. Bring your crew to the patio (or stick to the bar on these heat dome days) daily from 4-5:30 p.m. to split a one-liter cocktail carafe ($48) like Rosé Sangria and Il Maestro (Aperol, limoncello, prosecco, grappa, cucumber, mint). Chef Simone Bonelli, an alum of newly minted Best Restaurant in the World Osteria Francescana, is also serving a selection of cheeses and salumi (two of each, $22).1133 Broadway
Two deals in one happy hour
The Aussies may be shivering through our summer right now, but atBurke & Wills Australian Bistrohere in the Northern Hemisphere (specifically the Upper West Side), it’s all sunshine and summer vibes. During their weekday happy hour (4-8 p.m.), roll up to the bar for $1 oysters and drinks are an even better deal at two-for-one. One thing: This is all cash only. Oh, and their Sunday Supper of $30 for three courses and a glass of wine won’t hurt your wallet much, either.226 W. 79th St.
The best deal of the summer is on
SummerRestaurant Weekis now underway, through Aug. 19, with 387 restaurants across Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island taking part. Bargain hunters know to check the menus to make sure the three-course lunch ($29) or dinner ($42) deals are actually deals — and there are some big ones to be had, so do your homework. Remember, you’ll need to make a reservation and pony up a little extra for drinks, tax and tip.
