Chicken Wings at Horn's Hook Tavern: Monday Happy Hour Wings

Horn's Hook Tavern sells its Hancock Signature Wings, jumbo wings marinated in buttermilk and fried crisp, in orders of seven for $16.56, fourteen for $31.05 and twenty-one for $45.54, and on Mondays the tavern runs Happy Hour Wings and Snacks from 2 PM until close. Horn's Hook Tavern, at 1589 First Avenue at 83rd Street, New York, NY 10028, is a corner bar on the Upper East Side that opened in 2020 and takes its theme from the American Revolution.

The tavern's history page explains the name. In 2020 a couple of local bartenders decided to open their own place, and they borrowed their inspiration from the Horn's Hook Battery, a Revolutionary War fortification once located at 89th Street and East End Avenue, on the site of the New York City mayor's residence, Gracie Mansion. The neighborhood we now call Yorkville was once known as Horn's Hook, after a horn-shaped bend in the East River that made it a strategic spot for defending the city against British forces.

The kitchen is led by Chef Michael Contino, who trained in Michelin-starred New York kitchens and in California wine country before becoming an executive chef at 24. His menu is American comfort food with a healthy vegetable section, built on locally sourced ingredients from New York City, and the bar pours twenty draft beers, many from local breweries. The management team lists Jenni Sterling Christensen, Duncan Burgis and Tim Rembijas alongside the chef.

Hancock Signature Wings come in orders of seven for $16.56, fourteen for $31.05 and twenty-one for $45.54. The menu says the wings are jumbo, marinated in buttermilk and fried crispy, and that housemade boneless is available if you prefer. The sauce list has six choices: Buffalo, Volcanic, Cranberry BBQ, Honey Dijon, Spicy Hudson Chili and Mike's Hot Honey.

The odd cents are not a typo. The food menu carries a line that reads We Happily Offer a Cash Discount, so ask your server how it applies when you order a large platter.

For something besides wings, the small plates run from soft Bavarian pretzels at $15.53, brushed with brown butter and served with queso and Dijon mustard, to Yankee Doodle Noodles, a fusilli mac and cheese with crispy breadcrumbs, at $15.53. A twelve-inch tavern-crust pizza is $18.63, and you can add buffalo chicken for $4.14, which makes a wing-flavored pie that works well for sharing.

The website's What's Happening list is the useful part for anyone planning a visit. Lunch specials run Monday through Friday from 11 AM to 2 PM, and happy hour runs Monday through Friday from 2 PM to 6 PM. On Mondays, Happy Hour Wings and Snacks start at 2 PM and run until the tavern closes, which makes Monday the day to put wings first.

Tuesday night is Mixed Tape Bingo at 8 PM, and Wednesday brings trivia at 8 PM; table reservations for trivia can be made by calling after 11 AM on Wednesdays. Friday has live music from 9 PM to midnight. Thursday runs a raw bar from 4 PM to 10 PM except in July and August, and the tavern serves brunch options all day, every day.

Texas Longhorns fans get a special mention on the home page, which invites them to join the tavern for all Longhorn games and asks them to email for a reservation. The tavern's own tagline is American history meets sports fever, and email is the way to hold a table for a big game.

The bar opens at 11 AM every day. The kitchen serves Sun–Thu 11 AM–10:45 PM and Fri–Sat 11 AM–11:45 PM. The Order Online button on the website handles takeout.

Here is a practical call: Monday at 2 PM is when the wing deal starts, so you can try two sauces with a friend without a crowd. Friday adds live music from 9 PM to midnight and a kitchen that stays open until 11:45 PM, so it suits a longer night. Pick the day that matches your mood.

An honest tip: skip the Volcanic unless you like real heat, and try Mike's Hot Honey if you want sweetness with a kick. The Cranberry BBQ is the oddball of the list and a good way to taste the tavern's patriotic theme, and Honey Dijon is the safest pick for people who do not like spice.

The tavern sits on the corner of First Avenue and 83rd Street, which puts the East River a few blocks east. After lunch, walk toward Carl Schurz Park for river views and the promenade along the water. Gracie Mansion, the mayor's residence named in the tavern's own history, sits inside the same park, so the walk lets you stand near the site that inspired the bar's name.

On the way back, the long run of First Avenue storefronts is a good place to browse for a coffee or a slice. Because the tavern serves brunch options all day, an early lunch before the walk and a second round of wings on the way home is a perfectly respectable plan.

Address: 1589 First Avenue at 83rd Street, New York, NY 10028. Bar: 11 AM daily. Kitchen: Sun–Thu 11 AM–10:45 PM, Fri–Sat 11 AM–11:45 PM. Wings: 7 for $16.56, 14 for $31.05, 21 for $45.54. Mondays: Happy Hour Wings and Snacks from 2 PM. Wednesdays: trivia at 8 PM. Cash discount available.

Who is it for? Upper East Siders who want a neighborhood bar with a story, Longhorns fans looking for a home base, and anyone who wants jumbo buttermilk wings with a choice of six sauces. Plan a Monday, bring a friend, order fourteen wings in two sauces, and save the Karpo APP link so your next Upper East Side night out is already planned.