Our guide to the best Happy Hour food and drink specials around the city.
LessWhen: Mon-Fri from 2-5pm. The Deal: half off all house cocktails, beer, and wines by the glass. Better Luck Tomorrow is one of The Heights' most well-worn patio bars. It’s from the same folks as its sister spots Anvil, Refuge, Squable, and Theodore Rex, and just as much booze. During Happy Hour, BLT’s sippability quotient doubles. Every weekday, the house cocktails, beers, and wines by the glass are half off from 2 to 5pm.
When: Monday 5-10pm and Tues-Sat 5-7pm. The Deal: $11 select cocktails, $10 wine by the glass, and a discounted food menu. Doris Metropolitan seems to think happiness should last at least five hours, instead of only one. This Montrose steakhouse offers its Happy Hour menu all night on Monday. That’s likely because the $8 seasonal bread and butter plate, served with three different miniature housemade loaves, tastes way too incredible to only be available for a couple of hours a day.
When: Mon-Fri 3-6pm. The Deal: (Bar seating only) Half off cocktails, beer, and wine by the glass and $6-15 appetizers. In a world where cocktails can cost upwards of $18, finding a crisp martini for under ten bucks is like finding an open parking spot right when you pull into the Galleria garage. But the Jewish deli Kenny & Ziggy’s has half-price cocktails every weekday, making the house martini an awe-inspiring $7.50.
When: Mon-Fri 3-5pm. The Deal: Half-price burgers and martinis, 50 cents off oysters, $5 oyster shooter. With a patio practically built for pre-gaming, Clark’s Oyster Bar in Montrose has a concise Happy Hour of martinis and oysters, because, well, what else do you need? With a wide selection of raw oysters and a loose definition of martinis (the menu includes Manhattan and a Martinez cocktail), leaving the office early to hit up Clark’s makes a few extra emails the next morning worth it.
When: Mon-Fri 2-7pm. The Deal: $4-$14 appetizers, beers from $5, $8-11 cocktails. At the Dia De Los Muertos-themed bar Under The Volcano, there’s a little corner for everyone. Live music fills the room as regulars chat with bartenders freshly pressing juice for cocktails, and the crew of work buddies are hanging loose on the patio after a day at the office. No matter where you are at the bar, during Happy Hour, you can kick back with $5 queso, $7 rib tips, and a $6 beer to unwind.
When: All day Monday, Tue- Fri 11am-6pm. The Deal: $6 draft beer, $8 cocktail, $9 wine, $6 appetizers. At the Garden Oaks seafood restaurant Millie’s, Happy Hour feels like a precursor to sticking around longer. The interior of this place is a dreamy blue that makes us feel a bit like we’re at sea. And if you come on Monday, you can enjoy the best of what Millie’s has to offer all day long. Sit at the bar and nurse an $8 old-fashioned or dig into some smoky pimento cheese with your pals.
When: Mon-Fri 3-7pm. The Deal: $5 mules, $4 beers, $6 jumbo margaritas, $10 burger and pint, rotating daily specials. As the unofficial bar of U of H students, prices at The Den are pretty affordable in general. But during Happy Hour, the Third Ward sports bar transforms into a wonderland of shockingly discounted food and drinks. Spending a Happy Hour at The Den means reminding yourself of the simpler times, and how they are only as far as you want them to be.
When: Mon-Fri 5-7pm. The Deal: $9 cocktails, $6 glasses of wine, $8-10 appetizers. During Happy Hour, you can get the royal treatment at the downtown steak and seafood restaurant Bungalow if you’re balling on a budget. Take a seat at the plush bar and grab a plate of smoky pineapple jerk wings for $10, or a sidecar to go with your seafood dip. And with half priced appetizers and drinks, the complimentary champagne you’re greeted with goes down just a little bit smoother.
When: Mon-Fri 3-7pm. The Deal: $9 cocktails, $6 glasses of wine and champagne, $8-11 appetizers. A trip to The Warwick for dinner is not for a casual weeknight meal. This Galleria Cajun-Creole restaurant is filled with folks coming to celebrate any special occasion in their finest threads. But if the next major life milestone is a while away, there’s always daily Happy Hour here. Sit at the glittering bar, order a $10 sidecar and tear into some discounted lemon pepper wings.
When: Tue-Sun 4-6pm. The Deal: $10 cocktails, $1 gulf coast oysters, $8 duck confit wings. During Happy Hour at Eau Tour in Rice Village, you should get the crispy duck confit wings and some baked mussels, or go full throttle into happiness and order an ET Happy Meal, which comes with a burger, lager, and fries. And there’s nothing quite as fancy as sipping a $7 martini on a golden stool as you throw back $1 oysters to your heart's content.