It’s official: the Greenhouse Cafe is the happiest bar in Brooklyn.
For the past two years, the Third Avenue watering hole has boasted having “the longest happy hour,” with hooch and food specials for a whopping 12 hours Mondays through Thursdays.
But no one seems to know about it — there were only two patrons at the bar when we stopped by last Wednesday.
“It’s the best kept secret in Bay Ridge,” said owner Bobby Daquera, whose half-day sip-fests make it possible for tipplers to slug back two dozen pints of Brooklyn Lager for less than the cost of an unlimited MetroCard — while spending more than an entire work day getting soused at the taproom between 77th and 78th streets.
At least in theory.
“No one has survived the full happy hour!” said Daquera, whose sudsy deal lasts from noon until midnight weekdays, and from noon to 7 pm on Fridays, when draft and bottled beers, bottom shelf liquor, and house wines sell for $4.
There’s also enough cheap food to sop up the rotgut: patrons can line their tummies with $4 platters of calamari, nachos and marinated steak on garlic toast, with change to spare.
“My wife likes it because I still have money in my pocket when I come home!” said a barfly who identified himself only as “John” — sheepishly admitting that he didn’t want his wife to know where he spent his afternoons (she may want to join him).
Other watering holes around town with lengthy happy hours promptly shelved their bragging rights after learning about the Greenhouse Cafe’s marathon pour: The Mark Bar in Greenpoint was close with six hours of drink specials from Monday to Friday, and eight hours on weekends, while ex-reigning champ the Soda Bar — a Prospect Heights dive which offers watered down prices for seven hours straight — drowned its sorrows with a gracious shot of defeat.
“They beat us!” said astonished Soda Bar worker Flora Rocco. “That’s crazy. Twelve hours?”
The term “happy hour” has been around since 1959 when the Saturday Evening Post first mentioned the phenomenon in an article about military life, but some scoffed that drink deals that last more than a half a day could be considered a “happy hour.”
Yet Daquera defended his specials, claiming — despite the turnout we saw on Wednesday — his happy hour is doing exactly what it’s supposed to: drum up business.
“These deals are designed to bring in people during slower times,” he said.
The Greenhouse Cafe [7717 Third Ave. between 77th and 78th Streets in Bay Ridge, (718) 833-8200].
Reach reporter Dan MacLeod at dmacleod@cnglocal.com or by calling him at (718) 260-4507. You can also follow his Tweets at twitter.com/dsmacleod.
