For when it’s been a stressful day or you're just catching up with friends, there’s nothing like a good ol’ fashioned happy hour. When 5PM rolls around, those discounted drink specials and great deals help ring in the evening. From bars to restaurants, we’ve rounded up some great happy hours in and around Montclair to help blow off some steam and reminisce with pals. Here are the best happy hours in Montclair, Essex County, and beyond for your imbibing pleasure.

Montclair

Bar Franco | 5 Church Street

Bar Franco, a high-end cocktail bar, is located next to its sister restaurant Fresco Da Franco. From Monday to Friday, locals can enjoy all cocktails for half the price from 5PM to 6PM.

Read More: Where to Get Mocktails in Essex County, New Jersey

De Novo European Pub | 275 Bellevue Avenue

Located next to the Montclair Train Station, this European-inspired gastropub has happy hour every Tuesday to Thursday from 3PM to 6PM. The specials include $5 wine, $4 select drafts, $5 Tito's mixed drinks, and $5 sangria.

Egan + Sons | 18 Walnut Street

This beloved neighborhood gastropub has a happy hour between 3PM and 5PM, Monday through Friday, both at the bar and the indoor cafe. It includes $5 beer, wine, and mixed drinks. There's also a $5 burger or bar pie available, along with $2 sliders and wings, $6 buffalo tenders and chicken fingers, $7 fries, $5 fried pickles, and even specials from the raw bar.

Just Jake’s | 30 Park Street

It’s not fancy, but it’s just what you need after work. Every Monday through Friday from 12PM-6PM, enjoy half-price shots and cocktails — and $2 off select beers and wines for $6. Just Jake’s is situated right in the middle of downtown, so whether you have dinner plans later in the evening or are looking to enjoy a few cocktails before a show at the Wellmont Theater, it’s only a short walk away.

Pineapple Express Barbeque | 1 Lackawanna Plaza

If you're looking for a beer garden-style experience while sipping on some drinks, Pineapple Express Barbecue is the place to be for happy hour. This Montclair spot has picnic tables, a takeout window, a roving waitstaff, and a full bar. Happy hour is on Thursdays and Fridays from 12PM-6PM, where you can get select draft beer for $5, wine by the glass for $7, well drinks for $8, and specialty cocktails for $10.

Bloomfield

The Brookdale | 1099 Broad Street

The Brookdale is an upscale bar and gastropub, bringing new life to bar food and creativity to its drink menu. Monday through Friday, happy hour specials apply to both food and drinks (but only at the bar). Between 3PM-6PM, guests can enjoy draft beers, wine, cocktails, and snacks ranging between $11 and $14.

Six Points Pub | 574 Bloomfield Avenue

Six Points Pub is a cool bar serving up delicious drinks — and it has happy hour every weekday from 3PM-6PM. This includes $2 PBR, $3 Yuengling, $6 house mixed drinks, and $2 off wine. It also has lots of comfort tavern food to pair with these drinks, including potato chips + onion dip and tortilla chips + guac for $3, a giant pretzel for $9, and mozzerella sticks for $6.

Clifton

The Barrow House | 1296 Van Houten Avenue

Photo Credit: The Barrow House

Transporting into a cozy, dimly-lit wood cabin to post up next to a fire while relaxing with a cocktail isn’t as far away as it sounds — The Barrow House is exactly that. Happy hour at The Barrow House is in the wood-paneled bar, where from 3PM-6PM Monday to Friday, patrons can enjoy $6 select drafts,$10 specialty cocktails, $8 select pizza and mac + cheese, $6 giant pretzels and deviled eggs, and more. See the full happy hour menu here.

The Shannon Rose | 98 Kingsland Road

Happy hour is available at this Irish bar and restaurant. The Shannon Rose’s happy hour specials on food and drink are Monday through Friday from 3PM- 7PM and Sundays from 7PM to close. The selection includes $2 off select beer, liquor, wine, and mocktails and food specials like loaded fries, beer cheese nachos, sliders, boneless wings, and more. The Shannon Rose also has specials on specific drinks depending on the day. See this link for the weekly deals.

Sharky's Wings + Raw Bar | 545 Highland Avenue

Sharky’s was named one of the best sports bars for watching the Super Bowl in NJ by CBS News a few years ago, and for some, that is still true today. Sharky’s serves an extensive seafood menu along with traditional bar fare. In addition to specials unique to every night of the week, Sharky’s celebrates happy hour Monday-Friday between 3PM-7PM with $0.90 wings and clams, domestic drafts for $3, small well drinks for $5, large well drinks for $7, and select shots for $4.50.

Spuntino Wine Bar + Italian Tapas | 70 Kingsland Road

For an evening surrounded by wine barrels, dim lighting, and faint instrumental music in the background, Spuntino is the place to be. This tapas-style restaurant near the Clifton Commons train stop (NJ Transit) offers happy hour specials Monday- Friday from 3PM-7PM at the bar, which include deals on wine, cocktails, beer, and food. The menu specifics do change, but the hours do not. There is a late-night happy hour from 10PM to close, too.  Every Monday is bin night, so select wines from the bin are available at 50% off starting at 4PM.

Fairfield

Calandra's Mediterranean Grill | 118 US-46, Fairfield

Calandra's Mediterranean Grill, serving island-inspired and Italian eats, hosts happy hour every day. Mondays is "All Night," providing deals on drinks and bites from 3PM to closing. From Tuesday to Friday, happy hour takes place from 3PM to 6:30PM, and 12PM to 3PM on the weekends. Calandra's Mediterranean Grill also has "Late Night" from Tuesday to Saturday from 9PM to 10PM.

Nutley

Cowan’s Public | 229 Centre Street

The vibes at Cowan’s Public remind you of a bar in a trendy Brooklyn neighborhood, and the beers are equally as enticing. During happy hour, 4PM-7PM Monday-Friday, draft beer, wine, and house liquors are all marked down. There is a special food menu as well that provides different deals depending on the day. See this link for more details.

The Hudson Rose | 238 Franklin Avenue

At this NYC-inspired eatery, happy hour is a laid-back experience. The Hudson Rose has happy hour Monday through Friday from 4PM - 7PM at the bar only, providing $7 drinks like the Classic Martini, Ride Out the Wave, Make It Happen, and more, as well as $7 food options like grilled wings, boardwalk style fries, meatballs, and many others.

Verona

The Parkside Social | 706 Bloomfield Avenue

The Parkside Social, which opened to the Essex County public in 2022, has an atmosphere of vintage meets industrial. Customers can sit at the spot's wooden bar and enjoy brunch, lunch, dinner, dessert, and happy hour from 4PM to 7PM, Tuesdays to Fridays.

See More: Where to Find the Best Espresso Martinis in Hoboken + Jersey City

Verona Inn | 624 Bloomfield Avenue

The Verona Inn, which first opened in 1947, has been serving lunch and dinner to the Verona area for 77 years. Its beer menu is extensive with nearly 30 brews plus classic draughts + classic domestic bottles/cans. On weekdays from 4PM to 6PM, locals can enjoy Verona Inn's happy hour. The Inn also hosts evens such as Taco Tuesdays, Wine Wednesdays, Ladies Night Thursdays, + Lazy Sundays each with its own drink or food specials.