Best Margarita Happy Hours for Cinco de Mayo

Celebrate Cinco de Mayo, or any day, at one of these popular neighborhood Mexican restaurants, taquerias and cantinas in NYC.

All of them offer great Margaritas year-round in your choice of frozen or on the rocks, with or without a salted rim, and some are celebrating Cinco de Mayo with special events and contests.

These small, family-owned restaurants offer special Margarita happy hour deals during the week, too, along with bar bites specials.

Our list of Margarita happy hour deals includes only those destinations which publish prices on their websites, so you know the price before you go, and can budget your happy hour on the cheap.

Reservations are recommended for Cinco de Mayo.

Guacamole Mexican Restaurant & Grill

Get $6 Margaritas, Mojitos and Sangria during Happy Hour, 3pm to 7pm weekdays, along with $3 beers.

On Taco Tuesdays, the Happy Hour is all night, so you can make a meal out of a few $2 tacos and a Marg. There’s also $4 Frozen Margs on Thursdays.

• Two locations, 768 Amsterdam on the Upper West Side, and 5025 Broadway at 215th St., Inwood.

Cantina Taqueria & Tequila Bar

Margaritas are $7 during weekday Happy Hours, 3pm to 7pm, along with taco specials ranging from $2.95 to $3.75, and $4 on Taco Tuesdays.

Cantina also known for serving tortillas made fresh daily, at Tortilleria Nixtamal in Queens, which uses only organic, non-GMO corn, planted and harvested by environmentally-conscious farmers in Illinois, delivered fresh to NYC each week.

• Two locations, 1838 Seventh Ave. at 111th St., and 329 Lenox Ave. at 126th St., both Harlem.

Taco Dumbo

$7 Margaritas during Happy Hour, 3pm to 8pm weekdays, and $6 on Taco Tuesdays. Three locations, with different menus at each.

• 56 Prospect St., under the Manhattan Bridge, Dumbo, the original location, hence the name
• Two locations in Manhattan, at 19 West 52nd St., and The Pennsy at 2 Pennsylvania Plaza on 34th St.

The Taco Shop

Get three tacos and one Margarita beer or beer for $14 during Happy Hour, 4pm to 7pm, Sunday to Friday.  You could almost call that dinner.

There also $16 bottomless Margs during weekend brunch.

• The Taco Shop is at 166 West 4th St. in the Village.

Or, opt for the Margarita Madness on Cinco de Mayo, or any day, at one of these these larger Mexican food and drink outposts.

Dos Caminos

Margaritas are $12 to $15, unless you go for $45 Millionaire, with super-pricey Don Julio 1942 tequila. Unfortunately, the prickly pear Margarita is available only in frozen style.

This mini-chain also has great guacamole, served in the traditional volcanic stone bowl, to accompany your Margs.

• Dos Caminos has five locations, Meapo, Soho, Midtown East, Park Avenue South and Times Square.

Mad Dog & Beans Cantina

Go for the FREE Tequila Tastings on Wednesdays, to decide which one you want for your Margarita. Go with a group of friends and drink yourself silly with the Margarita Tower, approximately three liters of liquid, for $110.  It’s made with fresh-squeezed citrus fruits and tequila, of course, and you can customize the cocktails with one of nine flavors for an additional $10 each. 

It can get rowdy when there’s a Tower party in the house.

• Two locations, 5 East 38th and 83 Pearl St. in the Financial District.

There are dozens of other great Mexican restaurants, taquerias and cantinas in NYC, and most – if not all – have happy hours. And many are offering special Cinco de Mayo deals.

As we said earlier, our list includes only those which post their prices on their websites, so you know before you go how much to budget for your happy hour on the cheap.

If you have a favorite happy hour deal, Margarita or not, let us know.

Add your suggestion as a comment, and we’ll check it out for publication in an update of best margarita happy hours in NYC.