No doubt D.C. area residents have already been enjoying their share of after work, al fresco drinking and dining this summer. That’s what summer’s for, and it actually hasn’t been bikram-yoga-studio-hot in the District much this summer, save an odd week or two. [Yes, I know, I probably just jinxed it. Code Red Air Quality alert here we come.] There’s still a few weeks left of summer proper, however, and even longer for summer-like weather, meaning plenty of time to check out “Monday Madness,” the happy hour/full day of specials at Medaterra in Woodley Park.

A brightly colored, hand-scrawled sandwich sign advertising $3 beers, $5 sangria and $3 hummus and pita outside Medaterra is what originally drew me in (as promises of cheap booze often do) and prompted me to organize a recent happy hour at the Connecticut Avenue Mediterranean restaurant, even though most of my friends and I don’t live or work in Woodley Park. Monday’s specials run all night, but the program changes weekly and happy hour is often the more traditional 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.)

Medaterra doesn’t succeed on all fronts — several cocktails were denounced as “weak” — but the service was quick, if a bit scattered, and the food and other drinks were adequate for the price. Beers ($3 for Corona or Miller Lite, $5.50 normal price for Amstel Light and Dominion Lager) full goblets of sangria ($5) were served frosty cold in chilled glasses, with the latter being decently proportioned between wine and juice but somewhat lacking in actual fruit. Special martinis ($5 for happy hour) seemed to be geared more toward quantity than quality, with nearly all those ordered—including the watermelon martini, electric lemonade martini, and citrus martini—leaving drinkers searching for the booze.

Food-wise, the restaurant is a great place for a nosh. Hummus ($3) was thick and obviously homemade, although could have used a bit more lemon. The accompanying pita was very thin and toasted, giving some of the triangles a more chip-like texture perfect for dipping, while larger pieces stayed soft and bread-like. Wings (an order of four) were the battered, non-buffalo variety, to our dismay, but came with perfectly well-done, thick-cut fries, all for $3. Onion rings ($3) and half-pound hamburgers ($5) were also on special this past Monday, but happy hour food specials vary, and can include other offerings like spicy lamb sausage ($3) or reduced price sangrias for $3.

Other than happy hour deals, the rest of the menu provides a long list of small plates perfect for picking on—bruschetta ($5.95) was deliciously spiced up with a hearty schmear of goat cheese beneath fresh, flavorful tomatoes, and the Egyptian bean salad ($5.95) was also tasty. Two people shared a miniature lamb pizza ($11.50), which combined flavorful roasted chunks of lamb, stewed tomatoes and goat cheese on a thin, crunchy pita for a light snack that proved to be very satisfying. A dish of olives left a little to be desired, however, as the pitted, briny fruits tasted more like the brine and less like the herbs they were tossed in.

For a full dining room and patio, service was solid, albeit executed by a rotating parade of servers. Chilled glasses were replaced with nearly each round, pita refilled without our asking, and most of the staff, save one snippy hostess, were accommodating when we needed to move tables early in our stay. I wouldn’t recommend Medaterra for particularly finicky patrons, but if you keep it simple, it’s a reasonably-priced, relaxed spot that will serve you well for unwinding.