When to Go for Burgers and Happy Hour at The Lions

The Lions on 1st Ave is built for a long, loud night: worn wooden booths, card games and 2000s alt-rock, with burgers and crispy mozzarella sticks coming out of the kitchen and a stack of cucumber salads for the table. It comes from the team behind The Wayland, Madeline's Martini and Bar Lula, and it holds 4.4 out of 5 from 193 reviews. Weekday happy hour runs 4 to 6 PM with a $14 classic martini, $8 margaritas and $5 mugs of beer. No reservations are taken here at any hour, so the move is to walk in, put a name in and wait outside.

Address: 132 1st Ave, East Village, Manhattan
Hours: Monday-Friday 4:00 PM-1:00 AM · Saturday 12:00 PM-2:00 AM · Sunday 12:00 PM-1:00 AM
Happy hour: Monday-Friday 4:00-6:00 PM
Drinks: $14 classic martini · $18 classic martini with fries · $8 margarita · $5 mug of beer · $7 Guinness
Snacks: $7 during happy hour
Rating: 4.4 of 5 from 193 reviews
Seating: indoor and outdoor
Reservations: none, walk-in only
Website: thelionsbar.com

The burgers are the reason people come back, and the mozzarella sticks and cucumber salads are the sides that keep a table of four happy without turning into a full dinner. Burgers arrive with fries on the plate, and the plates read generous rather than precious. Order the sticks first if you are drinking, because they land fast and the room takes a while to seat you on a busy night. The kitchen leans on bar-food classics rather than a rotating menu, so what worked last visit is likely still there.

Weekday happy hour is the value window: 4 to 6 PM, Monday through Friday. A classic martini is $14, the martini with fries is $18, margaritas are $8, a mug of beer is $5, Guinness is $7, and well cocktails and glass wine come down by $2, with snacks at $7. The martini-and-fries combination is the plate to split if two people want one drink and one snack. Outside those two hours the room charges full price on a $$ menu, so the timing decides the bill more than the order does.

The bar opens at 4 PM Monday to Friday and at noon on the weekend, then runs to 1 AM from Sunday through Friday and to 2 AM on Saturday. That makes a 9 PM or 10 PM arrival workable on any night of the week, and Saturday the latest of all. Patrons consistently note the room can get quite busy and loud, so the early side of happy hour is the quieter window if you want to talk over the alt-rock. There is indoor and outdoor seating, and neither takes a booking.

Where is The Lions Bar & Grill?
132 1st Ave in the East Village, Manhattan.

What are the opening hours?
Monday to Friday 4:00 PM to 1:00 AM, Saturday 12:00 PM to 2:00 AM, Sunday 12:00 PM to 1:00 AM.

When is happy hour?
Monday to Friday, 4:00 to 6:00 PM.

How much are drinks at happy hour?
$14 classic martini, $18 martini with fries, $8 margarita, $5 mug of beer, $7 Guinness, $2 off well cocktails and glass wine, with snacks at $7.

Do I need a reservation?
No. The bar takes walk-ins only and does not take bookings.

How is it rated?
4.4 out of 5 from 193 reviews.

Is there outdoor seating?
Yes, the room has indoor and outdoor seating.

Keep the night going along 1st Ave and St Marks Place. East Village Burgers Served With Craft Beer is the closest second burger option, and Manhattan Late-Night Smash Burgers With Toasted Brioche stays open for the ride home. Round Neon Bar and Coupe Pours on St Marks Place covers the next round, East Village Whiskey Bar With Late Night Pub Food handles a whiskey detour, and East Village Cocktail Bar With Intimate Counter Service trades the crowd for a small counter and quieter service.