Motek

28 Broadway, Flatiron, Manhattan
184 Bleecker Street, West Village, Manhattan

COMING SOON: 80 North 7th Street, Williamsburg, Brooklyn + 60 West 57th Street, Midtown Manhattan

motekcafe.com
Instagram: @motekcafe

Motek means “sweetheart” in Hebrew. Founded by Charlie and Tessa Levy, the Miami-born Mediterranean restaurant is rooted in family recipes and influences from across the region. The menu is kosher-style rather than kosher certified, although Motek uses 100% Glatt kosher meat. 

HAPPY HOUR: Monday through Friday, 2–5 PM at Flatiron.

THE DEAL: Motek's famous $5 Hour is the reason this belongs high on the list. Drinks and a surprisingly large selection of food are just $5 each, with hummus, falafel, chicken shawarma, zucchini cakes, halloumi with dates, chicken lollipops, matboucha, za'atar fries and other rotating bites. 

GOOD TO KNOW: At Flatiron, the $5 Hour is available at the bar and high tops only.

TRY: Make yourself a little $5 tasting menu rather than stopping in for only a drink.​

Kubeh

464 Sixth Avenue, Greenwich Village, Manhattan

eatkubeh.com
Instagram: @eatkubeh

Kubeh was created by chef Melanie Shurka and her husband, David Ort. Shurka developed the restaurant around the Middle Eastern foods she grew up with and the regional variations she discovered while traveling. She spent time cooking with women in Israel from Iraqi, Kurdish and Syrian backgrounds to learn their different traditions of making kubeh. 

HAPPY HOUR: Daily, 5–7 PM. Yes, even weekends. 

THE DEAL: A dedicated bar happy-hour menu with cocktails and Middle Eastern bites.

TRY: Kubeh, of course. The restaurant takes its name from the family of dumplings found in different forms throughout the Middle East.

WHY GO: The menu isn't simply generically “Mediterranean.” It explores Iraqi, Kurdish, Syrian, Persian and Israeli food traditions, with a very New York Jewish story behind it.

Jaffa Cocktail + Raw Bar

97 Wythe Avenue, Williamsburg, Brooklyn

jaffabrooklyn.com
Instagram: @jaffabrooklyn

Inspired by the ancient port city of Jaffa, Israel, this cocktail and raw bar at The Hoxton brings Israeli coastal flavors to Williamsburg, with seafood, citrus-forward cocktails and a menu that plays with Israeli ingredients in unexpected ways. 

HAPPY HOUR: Seasonal. Jaffa closes for part of the year, so always check the current schedule and happy-hour offering before going.

THE DRINK: The signature Jaffa Orange, a frozen cocktail made with vodka, Aperol, orange and vanilla.

TRY: Oysters or crudo with a Jaffa Orange. The menu also includes Israeli-inspired bar snacks, labneh and the Jaffa burger. 

WHY GO: Completely different from the typical Manhattan happy hour. Think Israeli coastal flavors, cocktails and a Williamsburg indoor-outdoor setting.

SEASONAL NOTE: Check their website for current opening dates, hours and menus. Seasonally closed.

Port Sa'id

88 King Street, Hudson Square, Manhattan

portsaidnyc.com
Instagram: @port_said_nyc

Port Sa'id originated in Tel Aviv and its New York restaurant comes from celebrated Jerusalem-born chef Eyal Shani, whose restaurant family also includes Miznon, HaSalon, Malka and Shmoné. 

Food is only half of the experience. Port Sa'id combines Shani's produce-driven Israeli cooking with a huge collection of vinyl played through an analog sound system, bringing some of the energy of the original Tel Aviv restaurant to Hudson Square.

HAPPY HOUR: Monday through Friday, 5–7 PM, in the Listening Room. 

THE DEAL: Buy one, get one beer and wine by the glass, with bites available from the à la carte bar menu.

TRY: Order a few small plates rather than treating this as drinks only. The menu changes with the seasons, which is part of the point.

WHY GO: Come for happy hour and you get Israeli food + wine + vinyl + one of the most unusual restaurant spaces on this list. The Listening Room makes this feel more like an evening out than a conventional after-work happy hour.

Barbounia

250 Park Avenue South at 20th Street, Gramercy, Manhattan

barbounia.com
Instagram: @barbounianyc

Barbounia is a longtime Mediterranean restaurant with a menu that draws heavily on Israeli and Middle Eastern flavors. Executive chef Amitzur Mor is Israeli, and dishes including hummus, labneh, Israeli chopped salad, tahini and za'atar run throughout the menu. 

HAPPY HOUR: Monday through Friday, 3–7 PM.

GOOD TO KNOW: Happy hour is available at the bar only. 

THE DEAL: This is one of the better food-heavy happy hours. Current offerings include $10 hummus, $10 labneh, $10 fire-roasted eggplant and $10 spicy feta, or a selection of five mezze for $38. There are also discounted larger bites and drinks. 

TRY: Get several mezze and the taboon flatbread and share everything.

WHY GO: Four hours is a very generous happy-hour window.

Zizi

182 Eighth Avenue, Chelsea, Manhattan
45 John Street, Financial District, Manhattan
2012 Broadway, Upper West Side, Manhattan

zizinyc.com
Instagram: @zizi.nyc

ZiZi describes itself perfectly: a Mediterranean restaurant with a Tel Aviv soul. It originally opened in Brooklyn in 2008 before bringing the concept to Chelsea in 2019. The Chelsea restaurant now has two smaller ZiZi Wine Bar siblings in the Financial District and on the Upper West Side. 

HAPPY HOUR: At Chelsea, look for ZiZi's Martini Hour. Because its specials and times can change, check the current menu before going.

THE DEAL: ZiZi has built a neighborhood following around its playful cocktail program and Martini Hour. 

TRY: A martini with a few Mediterranean small plates.

WHY GO: Three locations make this especially useful for the guide, and the FiDi and Upper West Side wine bars give us something different from a full restaurant. They are designed around wine, small plates and the laid-back energy of Tel Aviv.