Martini and Fries, NYC’s Adult Happy Meal, Goes Global

When she was working and living in New York City, Dutch-born hospitality pro Charlotte Plas found herself ending many a work day, among friends, at a bar congregating around what New Yorkers have dubbed the “Adult Happy Meal,” stiff martinis and bowls of french fries. “​​It’s the perfect combination—casual but still sophisticated,” she says. Plas has just relocated back to the Netherlands and after securing a coveted gig as the director of marketing and communications at Conservatorium Hotel, a five-star property near many of Amsterdam’s top tourist attractions, she insisted on launching that decidedly New York tradition in the Netherlands.

“I wanted to bring that same easy luxury here, where people can unwind after a day of shopping or visiting museums in Amsterdam,” she explains. “Who wouldn’t want to relax with a martini and some fries in the living room of Amsterdam?”

Offered in the Conservatorium’s stylish lobby lounge from Friday to Sunday (from 3:30pm to 5pm), the Martini & Fries combo is likely one of the best deals you’ll find in the city, especially considering you’re in a hotel where a stay might set you back around $860 per night: For 15 EUR (or about $16.20), you get your pick of a martini (dry, dirty, espresso, pornstar) plus unlimited servings of fries (usually tossed with Mediterranean herbs but there are plans to add truffles fries to the menu, too).

It’s been well-documented how much New Yorkers have taken to this indulgent “meal,” but it’s now obvious that the martini-and-fries craze has spread beyond the New York area, becoming less regional and more global. In Denver’s Point Easy, which aims to be that neighborhood haunt serving good-value seasonal meals, the happy hour menu includes the same combo for $14: classic fries (with a chicken-umami mayo) and a savory vesper martini meant to complement the saltiness of the fries. “We love it as a high-low sort of thing for guests, which I imagine is why it’s so popular everywhere,” says owner Andy Bruch. “It feels decadent and even a little naughty, doesn’t it?”

And in a world riddled with economic uncertainty, maybe naughty and decadent but not entirely budget-destroying is exactly what everyone craves. And restaurants and bars, long the preferred venue for good vibes, are all too happy to comply:  Lion’s Tale, a bar that opened in October in Montecito, California, also has a happy hour deal that pairs a 50/50 martini with shoestring fries for $16.

Further south in San Diego’s Mister A’s, a weekly promo called Tuesday Toast lets you combine truffle fries and a classic martini for $20; add $5 and you can get a caesar salad, too. At Charlie’s in St Helena, California, the late night menu sports a $20 “NYC happy meal” with the requisite fries and martini, with the optional add on of Regiis Ova Caviar for an extra $20.

Even Canadians have gotten in on the action: In downtown Toronto’s The Joneses, a self-described Americana restaurant, there’s an all-day 18 CAD (or roughly $13) special called Tini & Taters, where a pile of crispy fries cooked in beef fat comes with your choice of a classic martini (50/50, bone dry, wet, dirty,  or a gibson).

On the other side of the country in Whistler, Wild Blue Restaurant & Bar is hoping for the all-season versatility of the movement; it will debut the Sea to Sky martini and truffle fries combo on its après ski menu when the Whistler Blackcomb resort opens for the winter season on November 22, 2024. The Sea to Sky martini was supposed to be rotated out of this year’s cocktail menu, but its briny and earthy profile (thanks to Copperpenny Distilling Co.’s oyster shell gin, a house-made forest tincture, and a samphire garnish) suited the truffle fries so perfectly that the bar team decided to keep it around for this launch.

According to Zack Lavoie, bar manager at Wild Blue, the martini-and-fries’s undeniable appeal as something that’s at once fancy — and not fancy — is exactly what you would want during après. You’re still buzzing from an epic day on the mountain and you might be feeling both celebratory and casual. “[Martini and fries offer] a blend of elegance and comfort that feels both elevated and approachable,” he adds. “It’s a stylish yet laid-back pairing that aligns with the spirit of après!”

And in Houston, Andiron, a glamorous modern steakhouse just off Allen Parkway, recently offered “Just Rewards” for $20, where, in addition to a dirty or dry martini plus skinny fries, you get a bowl of grilled olives. And it’s not just a happy hour special—it’s available all the time. Like Plas and Bruch above, Andiron executive chef Michael O’Connor says “Just Rewards” is one way they’re attempting to make the restaurant feel a bit more accessible without losing that lavish feeling. “It’s somewhere you would go on a Tuesday night for a moment of indulgence,” he explains. “Without feeling like you broke the bank to do so.”