The lounge at Eventide. Courtesy of Eventide Restaurant.

The proprietors of Eventide restaurant and lounge have said they are essentially trying to be everything Clarendon is not. Putting aside whether that bruises your ego—we’re looking at you, Whitlow’s lovers—the lounge and rooftop bar at the four-months old restaurant are upscale yet approachable spots for happy hour that will win over just about anybody. Hoping to kick back with, say, a tasty Belgian triple from a Canadian microbrewery? Yeah, they’ve got that. Prefer your beer cheaper and more, how shall we say, in a can? Tecate it is. Like trying new cocktail creations, especially if they involve some kind of liquor you’ve never heard of? Voila. The Vieux Mot with Plymouth gin, St. Germain Elderflower liqueur and lemon juice is for you.

Drinks after work seem a natural fit for Eventide, which takes its name from exactly the time of day when quittin’ time turns into sippin’ time. (Or guzzlin’ time, depending on how much you hate your job.) The design of the roof is understated, featuring light, sun-reflecting colors and natural foliage in wood planters. A seat at the relatively small rooftop bar will let you drink in the dusk until its dying moments with a crowd that ranges from a bit smaller and more sedate on a random mid-week night to larger and more lively on Fridays and Saturdays. Either way, the management’s policy of preventing overcrowding means the din stays at a manageable level and you won’t have to unleash your elbows to get to the bar. You will likely have to wait for a table on the roof if you show up after 6 p.m., and once the bar is full, patrons are let up to the roof in groups of 10 as the crowd thins.