A guide to every $1 oyster happy hour in Brooklyn

The streets of New York may not be paved with gold, but there was a time when they were paved with something better: oysters. Before New York Harbor was New York Harbor, it was to oysters what the Fertile Crescent was to humans. People have written entire books on the archeological significance of the giant piles of shells left around New York, and when they discovered a midden (which is the academic word for “pile of trash”) on the Statue of Liberty in 1980, it took them until 1998 to excavate the pile.

I don’t have the patience to dig through oyster shells for 18 years, but I did have the patience to dig through all the $1 oyster happy hours in Brooklyn. Voila:

Bearded Lady
686 Washington Ave., Prospect Heights

Come for the oysters, stay for the braided pretzels and the craft cocktails (hot in the winter! Cold in the summer!). Oysters are a dollar from 5pm to 8pm; take a dollar discount on your cocktail or wine from 2pm to 8pm.

Brooklyn Crab
24 Reed St., Red Hook

Brooklyn Crab has happy Wednesday, because why be happy for an hour when you could be happy for a day? Come when it’s nice out so you can sit on the deck with a view of Lady Liberty.

Maison Premiere
298 Bedford Ave., Williamsburg

Maison Premiere has your standard Monday to Friday, 4pm to 7pm $1 oysters, but they also have weekend happy hours from 11am to 1pm. Theirs is by far the best selection of any oyster happy hour in New York. Plus, they have Absinthe-cured lox on their brunch menu.

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Grand Army
336 State St., Boerum Hill

Dollar oysters are Monday through Friday, 5pm to 7pm, and the quality is excellent. The cocktails have fussy but fun ingredients like zwack and sarsaparilla.

Mominette
221 Knickerbocker Ave., Bushwick

I’d be remiss not to include something located off the JMZ. Check Mominette’s website for their $1 oyster times and days. They have $1 happy days regularly, with a wide variety of (mostly East Coast) options. This is another good one for the summer — they have a beautiful backyard.

Marco Polo
345 Court St., Carroll Gardens

This is a cheat because their oysters are $1.50. But their cocktails, which are delicious and Instagrammable, are 2 for 1 during happy hour (4pm – 7pm, every day), so you’re still getting a good deal.

Sea Wolf
19 Wyckoff Ave., Bushwick

There’s nautical vibes galore at this brunch and seafood happy spot which opened last year. In addition to a daily $1 oyster happy hour from 4 – 7pm there are also $5 drink specials on weekdays.

Littleneck
288 Third Ave., Gowanus

Happy hour is weekdays from 5pm to 8pm, and I’ve heard rumors about $8 half lobster tails as well. They’re great for seafood, but not so much for alcohol. Try the donuts as well. Some caveats: They’re closed on Tuesdays, it’s very small (or in Brooklyn real estate parlance, “cozy”), and they’re cash only.

Kittery
305 Smith St., Carroll Gardens

This Carroll Gardens seafood restaurant has happy hour all day on Monday and from 5pm to 8pm on other days. Their $1 oysters are Bluepoints, so there might not be a whole lot of variety, but at least it’s local. They also do a good, cheap shrimp cocktail during happy hour.

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Mayfield
688 Franklin Ave., Crown Heights

A relatively short happy hour (5pm – 6:30pm). For optimal ambience, sit at the tables in the back. There’s mood lighting and exposed brick everywhere, but something about those high wooden tables feels extra fancy. There aren’t a lot of oyster options, but the quality is good.

St. Mazie
345 Grand St., Williamsburg

Another $1.50 oyster deal, but St. Mazie has a wedding party-worthy outdoor patio and live music most nights. The music usually happens after happy hour (6-8 on weeknights, 5-7 on weekends). I see this as a positive because there are special treats for early birds and night owls.

Catfish
1433 Bedford Ave., Crown Heights

A neighborhood favorite, Catfish serves up Cajun fare, 16 rotating drafts, and 6 for $6 or 12 for $12 oysters every day from 4:30 to 7:30pm. They’ve also got an impressive wall-to-wall hot sauce collection.

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Super Power
722 Nostrand Ave., Crown Heights

This Tiki cocktail bar offers up more than just discount seafood: they go hard with their chosen theme and have a great ambiance, not to mention so many fun straws. Their dollar oyster happy hour is 5 to 8pm Monday through Friday.

Red Hook Lobster Pound
284 Van Brunt St., Red Hook

Between the indoor picnic style dining room seating, the lobster tanks and the location in Brooklyn’s arguably most naval neighborhood, it’s harder to get better seafaring vibes than those at Red Hook Lobster Pound’s main location. Oysters are a buck from 3 to 6pm Tuesdays through Fridays.

Lighthouse
145 Borinquen Place, Williamsburg

A participant in the Billion Oyster Project, an initiative to restore one billion live oysters to New York Harbor, Lighthouse is a casual sit down spot with an airy ambiance and an upscale menu. Oyster happy hour is 6 to 7pm on both every day except Mondays, when Lighthouse is closed.

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Chez Moi
135 Atlantic Ave., Brooklyn Heights

Strategy: fill up on the dollar oysters (offered 4 to 7pm, Monday through Friday) and split a side-dish, as Chez Moi ain’t cheap. Pair your oysters and side with a cocktail and you’ll have had the full experience without blowing too much cash.

Pinkerton Wine Bar
263 North 6th St., Williamsburg

All night erry night, Pinkerton’s got $1 oysters on deck. They’ve got four types: Malpeque and Prince Edward Island from the East Coast and Gigacups and Washington from out West.

Tutu’s
25 Bogart St., Bushwick

At Tutu’s, the dollar oyster happy hour is seven days a week from 4 to 7pm. Check out your their Sriracha chicken bites and smoked pork belly sliders while you’re there.

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Monte’s
451 Carroll St., Gowanus

Claiming to be the oldest Italian restaurant in Brooklyn, the family-owned Monte’s has indeed been open since 1906. They offer dollar oysters Sunday through Thursday at the bar only.

East One Coffee Roasters
384 Court St., Carroll Gardens

The most recent borough adopters of a dollar oyster option, East One Coffee Roasters has freshly launched a $1 oyster daily happy hour Monday through Sunday, 5pm to 8pm. Their happiest of hours also offers $6 pints of draft beer.

The Regal
163 Hope St., Williamsburg

This diner and Beer Book bar (now with outdoor seating!) offers dolla oystas from 6pm to 8pm and midnight to 2am Tuesdays through Saturdays. Mondays they’re not open and Sundays only the earlier happy hour is offered as they close up shop at midnight.

Kiwiana
847 Union St., Park Slope

Offering New Zealand fare with fun to pronounce ingredients like the horopito pepper and the dessert hokey-pokey ice cream, Kiwiana also offers its namesake kiwi, seafood and a variety of lamb. On Wednesdays from 5:30pm to closing at 11pm, you can snag dollar oysters.

Rider
80 North 6th St., Williamsburg

Located in the same building as National Sawdust, Rider has outdoor seating aplenty and a decidedly mod, New American feel. Snag dollar oysters, $2 sausages, and $6 house wine during their happy hour, weekdays 3 to 7pm (except Mondays, when they are closed).

Camperdown Elm
441 7th Ave., Park Slope

Named for a more than century old tree in Prospect Park, Camperdown Elm serves up New American cuisine in the former address of Thistle Hill Tavern. They’ve got the shucking good deal of $1 oysters at the bar every Sunday from 5:30 to 7pm.

Lot 45
411 Troutman St., Bushwick

Combination restaurant, event space and bar, Lot 45 is good for everything from a sit down meal to burlesque show to film fest screening. During the 5 to 8pm happy hour (Sunday is a happy hour all day, and Monday Lot 45 is closed) take advantage of the $1 oysters, $8 beer + shot, $6 wines and $5 drafts or wells.

Hugo & Sons
367 7th Ave., Park Slope

Known for their brick oven pizza, Hugo & Sons is simultaneously upscale and casual, both family- and date night-friendly. Their dollar oyster happy hour is every single day from open to close, but for patrons eating at the bar only.

Bar Mina
499 11th St., Park Slope

The sister restaurant of Hugo & Sons, Bar Mina also has a $1 oyster happy hour everyday from open to close. As compared to Hugo, Mina has a more rustic vibe and is located around the corner and off the avenue.

The Crab Spot
833 Union St., Park Slope

This family-owned neighborhood seafood joint offers pricey platters and a white tablecloth experience in a sprawling space next door to the former Park Slope Tea Lounge. Come by on Mondays for 99 cent Bluepoint oysters all day.

The Quarter
87 Lafayette Ave., Fort Greene

Take a few steps down from the street to enter this local brunch and dinner joint, where $1 oysters are available from open to close every day, no exceptions.