If there’s one thing this town is serious about, it’s happy hour. Happy hour also tends to run into the dinner hour, meaning you’re liable to get peckish while still at the bar. Since drinking on an empty stomach can mean going from tipsy to sloshed in the blink of a $3 rail drink, many bars offer a selection of snacks to help sop up the booze. But all bar food is not created—or priced—equal. Don’t get caught ordering an overpriced plate of soggy calamari or industrial-grade French fries. The bars below offer delicious snacks (and sometimes entire meals) at a discount during happy hour, making it possible to save on both your dinner and drinks.
Photo by Tim Brown.
ACADIANA: Acadiana keeps things incredibly budget friendly by setting their entire bar menu to $5 during happy hour. Bar snacks include plenty of New Orleans-style favorites like smoked chicken and Andouille sausage gumbo and pork boudin balls. Wash it down with a large selection of Abita beers or summery cocktails like a Pimm’s cup or a Category Five Hurricane. It may not be the same as a trip to New Orleans, but it’s pretty darn good for five bucks. —Alicia Mazzara
Acadiana is located at 901 New York Avenue NW. They offer happy hour Monday-Friday from 4-7 p.m. and Sundays from 4-9 p.m.
BABY WALE:The beautiful, zigzag marble-topped bar at Baby Wale is one of my favorite after work drinking spots. While there’s no menu listing happy hour specials, if you pull up a seat between 5 and 7 on a weekday, you’ll find $5 beer, $6 glasses of wine and $6 rail drinks, plus discounts on Baby Wale’s eclectic food offerings. Pizzas are $10, a cheesy pupusa oozing with loroco (an edible flower indigenous to Central America) and served with a tangy cabbage slaw will set you back $3, and an order of crispy Filipino style spring rolls goes for $5, so there’s something to suit all tastes. But by far the best part of Baby Wale’s happy hour is the deal on soup. The menu features a changing roster of soups, and they’re all delicious. Right now you have a choice between a hearty, comforting turkey stuffing soup and a luscious, smooth-as-silk charred tomato with coriander. Four dollars will get you a steaming bowl accompanied by warm bread and butter. It’s the perfect antidote to the freezing weather, the ideal way to spend the next snow day.—Elizabeth Packer
Baby Wale is located at 1124 9th Street NW. They offer happy hour Monday-Friday, 5 to 7 pm.
BAR CHARLEY: Bar Charley’s happy hour is best known for $5 tiki drinks, but their food specials are nothing to sneeze at either. Snag one of their awesome burgers for 25 percent off; co-owner Jackie Greenbaum also has a stake Quarry House, the Silver Spring bar with a bit of a cult following surrounding its burgers. Other cheap bar vittles include crispy Korean bbq chicken wings and three types of poutine for $5 and coconut curry mussels for $7. And on Mondays, happy hour lasts all night long. —Alicia Mazzara
Bar Charley is located at 1825 18th Street NW. They offer happy hour from 5 p.m. until close on Mondays, Tuesdays-Thursdays from 5-6:30 p.m., and Fridays from 4-6:30 p.m.
BIBIANA OSTERIA: Ashok Bajaj’s modern Italian restaurant has a new happy hour menu by the recently appointed executive chef Jake Addeo. Enjoy house red and white wine, prosecco, Peroni or Menabrea beer, as well as rail cocktails for $6 dollars each. The happy hour appetizers, “stuzzichini,” are a great way to sample the range of Italian fare at Bibiana: try ricotta with wild honey, chives and almonds; costa di agnello, lamb ribs glazed with sherry vinegar and saba; arancini, a stuffed rice fritter with pork ragu, and provolone picante; carciofi, fried artichokes with parsley and lemon; baccala mantecato, whipped salted cod and potato with gnocco fritto; and polpetta, pork and veal meatballs with polenta, sugo finto and parmigiano. Stuzzichini are a great value at $3 dollars each, or choose 3 for $6 dollars, or all 6 for $10 dollars. They also have three “pizzette” pizzas for $5 dollars each. This is a classy happy hour menu made more enjoyable by the modern décor of the light-filled cocktail lounge that looks out onto H Street NW. —Nathan Wilkinson
Bibiana is located at 1100 New York Avenue NW and offers happy hour Monday-Friday from 3-6 p.m.
Photo by LaTur.
BLACK JACK: The mussels at Black Jack are among the tastiest in D.C., and during happy hour a full one-pound order costs $10, instead of the normal $16. Pizzas are also half priced, and include varieties like spicy grilled shrimp and the swine lovers—a combination of salami, bacon and coppa. Wash it all down with a draft beer—all of them are 50 percent off. Happy hour is available Tuesday through Friday and all night on Sunday. —Travis Mitchell
Black Jack is located at 1621 14th Street NW. They offer happy hour Tuesday-Thursday from 6-8 p.m., Fridays from 5-7 p.m. and on Sundays from 3-10 p.m.
BRAVO BAR: Bravo Bar has one of the city’s cheapest happy hour deals: $6 for a beer, shot and surprisingly tasty grilled hot dog before 8 pm, then $6 for just the two drinks, as well the now-trendy Georgia Avenue staple of buy-one-get-one drinks. The rest of the food is solid and inexpensive too, with burgers, cheesesteaks, pupusas and more all for less than $8—and there are sometimes half-price food deals. It’s not fancy cuisine, but if you want inexpensive, tasty bar grub in a laid-back atmosphere, this is your spot. —Andrew Wiseman
Bravo Bar is located at 2917 Georgia Avenue NW and offers happy hour weekdays from 5-8 p.m.
DAIKAYA IZAKAYA: Daikaya is best known for its heaping bowls of ramen that have created long lines and waits since the restaurant’s opening in 2013. But don’t sleep on the upstairs izakaya, which serves an eclectic menu of small plates that you won’t find at the ramen counter, including some of the best and cheapest happy hour food in the city. By definition, a traditional Japanese izakaya actually serves small bites of food to accompany drinks (rather than the other way around); so instead of your standard (that is, mailed-in) happy hour fare, you’ll find a host of bites ported over from the regular izakaya menu, such as fried shishito peppers, chicken liver skewers, and sautéed edamame with chili and lemon. And while most of the plates are indeed small bites, they’re priced appropriately (typically no more than $3-$5) alongside drink specials such as $4 Sapporos and $6 house sake. My suggestion? Head on over to Daikaya after quitting time, put your name in for some ramen, and head upstairs for a drink and some snacks while you wait. It’s a great way to spend the post-workday lull while postponing your commute home. —Jordan Anthony-Brown
Daikaya is located at 705 6th Street NW. They offer happy hour Monday-Friday from 5-7 p.m.
DINO’S GROTTO Dino’s Grotto offers their “4-6-8” happy hour every day, with drinks and snacks priced at a wallet-friendly $4, $6, or $8. Four bucks will get you some duck fat potatoes, deviled eggs, or a draft beer or house Negroni. Meatballs are $6, along with house wines and rail drinks. And for $8 you can get a gooey plate of fresh burrata cheese, Tuscan bacon and mushrooms, or a signature cocktail. On Sundays and Mondays, patrons can also nab a burger or mussels for $10 at the bar. —Alicia Mazzara
Dino’s Grotto is located at 1914 9th Street NW. They offer happy hour all day on Sundays, all night on Mondays, and from opening until 7 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday.
DISTRICT COMMONS: Foggy Bottom is somewhat of a wasteland when it comes to cheap, tasty fun. Combine a business district’s 9-to-5 timeline with a college campus, and you get a weird mix of food options (especially late-night). But one spot stands out: District Commons on Washington Circle. There are a couple of options here if you’re looking for discounted specials. Their standard happy hour, which is every day from 4-6 p.m., gives us pennysavers a chance to try their specialty cocktails for only $5. However, the happy hour is available again starting at 10 p.m., just in time for their daily Dinner Farm Bell meal. Literally, they ring a bell, and for $12 you get a hearty, delicious meal. It’s the same quality as their standard menu options, but way cheaper and more like comfort food. So, District Commons offers two chances for cheap and tasty drinks and snacks! Also, always, always order the hot pretzel baguette with mustard butter. Order a cocktail and the bread, and you’ll be in sweet, savory heaven for $10. —Tori Kerr
District Commons is located at 2200 Washington Circle NW. They offer happy hour Monday-Friday from 4-6 p.m. and 10 p.m. until close, and all night on Sundays.
EL CHUCHO: With half-off chicken, pork, and squash blossom tacos and house margaritas for $4.50 (with a smoked chili salt rim if you like), it’s easy to forget the cold (and your inhibitions) at this popular Columbia Heights hangout. Don’t miss the elote callejero—street-food style corn on the cob smothered in mayo, cheese, cilantro, and chili-lime-salt—for $2.50. If you stop in on a Monday, you can enjoy these prices all evening, as happy hour runs until midnight. —Jenny Holm
El Chucho is located at 3313 11th Street NW. They offer happy hour daily from 4-6:30 p.m. and from 4 p.m. to midnight on Mondays.
GHIBELLINA: Not only is Ghibellina one of the few new-ish spots on 14th Street offering happy hour specials, but theirs is one of the most attractive deals in town. Select beers, wines, and cocktails are half off, and you can take your pick of any pizza on the menu for half-price too, as long as you sit at the bar. Even better, you get to play with scissors at the table—they’ll give you some to cut your own pizza. Try the vognole, with clams, white wine, and sweet and hot peppers, or the finocchiona, with shaved fennel, fennel salami, and fennel seed. —Jenny Holm
Ghibellina is located at 1610 14th St. NW. They offer happy hour daily from 4-6:30 p.m.
KANGAROO BOXING CLUB: I always leave KBC feeling fat and happy, but during happy hour you can leave fat and happy for little more than 10 bucks. During happy hour, their pulled pork sandwich and the Constanza burger—an artery-busting blend of chuck and pastrami on a buttery brioche bun—are both available for half price ($6). A big bowl of garlic Parmesan fries will only set you back $3; for something more unusual, try the crispy, spiced falafel bites (also only $3 at happy hour). Draft beer, wine, and select whiskies are also all discounted to $4, while rail drinks are just $3. —Alicia Mazzara
Kangaroo Boxing Club is located at 3410 11th Street NW. They offer happy hour Monday-Friday from 5-6:30 p.m.
Photo by AK Wong.
MANDU: Mandu’s happy hour can be summed up thusly: $4 dumplings. Actually, nothing at Mandu’s generous happy hour costs more than $4, from rail drinks and beers to their deliciously fruity sojutinis. But during happy hour you can get an order of half a dozen dumplings in three flavors (veggie, shrimp, or beef and pork) either steamed or fried. My go-to is a selection of all three, fried crispy, and washed down with an aloe sojutini. —Alicia Mazzara
Mandu has locations at 1805 18th Street NW and 453 K Street NW. They offer happy hour daily from 4-7 p.m.
MASA 14: At Masa 14’s happy hour, you can snag dinner and a drink for about $15. Wine, draft beer, margaritas, mojitos, and caipirinhas are all $5, while meal-worthy bar snacks like a spiced pork banh mi burger or a teriyaki glazed beef burger are $6. On Wednesdays sushi is half price all night while Tuesday features discounted drinks all night. —Alicia Mazzara
Masa 14 is located at 1825 14th Street NW. They offer happy hour daily from 5-7 p.m.
OYAMEL: Oyamel offers “Hora Feliz en El Bar” from 4-6 p.m. on weekdays. At “El Bar,” you can enjoy glasses ($5) or pitchers ($30) of margaritas or mojitos. There are also Mexican wines and beers priced at $5. As a small plates restaurant focusing on the cuisine of Oaxaca, Mexico, Oyamel is already primed for delicious happy hour dishes. There are “Antojitos,” including a ceviche and a Mexican take on meatballs in chipotle sauce. You can also get two “Authentic Mexican Tacos” for $4, which is probably the way to go. Why not try all five? ¡Buen provecho! —Josh Kramer
Oyamel is located at 401 7th Street NW and offers happy hour Monday-Friday from 4-6 p.m.
PIOLA: They say there’s no such thing as a free lunch, but apparently there is such a thing as free bar snacks. Head to Piola during happy hour for $3 beer, $4 wine, and appetizers like tiny pizzas, skewers, and sandwich rolls on the house. If you get there early enough, you can also enjoy “Pizza Time” (4-6 p.m. Monday through Friday), during which pizzas are just $7 or $8 between 4-6 p.m. —Alicia Mazzara, from our 2014 Best Happy Hours list
Piola has locations at 2208 14th Street NW and 1550 Wilson Boulevard in Rosslyn. They offer happy hour Monday-Friday from 4:30-7:30 p.m.
PING PONG DIM SUM: Ping Pong’s “Yum Cha” Happy hour runs weekdays from 4 to 7 p.m. and includes a menu of $5 snacks from the regular menu. It’s a great option for anyone looking to make happy hour a substantial meal. Some of the best dishes include the honey roasted chicken puffs, grilled spinach and mushroom dumplings, and the chicken and black pepper spring rolls. Selected cocktails, wines and beer are also discounted to $5. —Travis Mitchell
Ping Pong has two locations in D.C., at 1 Dupont Circle, NW and 900 7th Street NW. They offer happy hour Monday-Friday from 4-7 p.m.
SONOMA: Sonoma offers a selection of small bites for just $3 during their weekday Italian happy hour. The restaurant offers a rotating selection of seasonal small plates priced at three for $9, five for $14, or seven for $19. Peroni is also on special for $4 and house wines are $5 a glass. —Alicia Mazzara
Sonoma is located at 223 Pennsylvania Avenue SE. They offer happy hour Monday-Friday from 4:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
STONEY’S: They say variety is the spice of life, and Stoney’s keeps things interesting by offering a different happy hour special every night of the week. Food is always on discount, particularly their famous grilled cheese sandwiches which are $3 on Mondays and half priced on Wednesdays. Burgers are $4 off on Thursdays, and appetizers are half off on Friday. Highly affordable drink specials also vary by day, so be sure to check out the entire menu before you go. —Alicia Mazzara
Stoney’s is located at 1433 P Street NW. They offer happy hour Monday through Friday from 5-7 p.m.
Photo by Caz Gardiner.
SUSHI TARO: Most people don’t think sushi when they think of happy hour, but Sushi Taro makes a strong case eating fish with your beer. During happy hour, regular sushi is half price, along with beer, wine, and sake. Considering that the high-quality fresh fish at Sushi Taro will normally set you back a pretty penny, this happy hour is a steal. The only downside? There are just 11 seats at the bar, so you’ll need to get there early. —Alicia Mazzara, from our 2014 Best Happy Hours list
Sushi Taro is located at 1503 17th Street NW. They offer happy hour Monday-Friday from 5:30-7 p.m.
URBANA: Diners can build a tidy little meal and a drink for about $20 at Urbana’s upscale, lounge-y happy hour. Seafood is an especially good deal, with $1 oysters, $7 grilled calamari, and $9 for steamed mussels. Other small bar snacks, like arancini or flatbreads are just $5, while Neapolitan pizzas are reduced to $8-10. Select beers and cider are $5, while house wine is $6 a glass and fizzy Aperol spritzes are $7. —Alicia Mazzara
Urbana is located at 2121 P Street NW. They offer happy hour Monday-Friday from 4-7 p.m.
VIDALIA: If you’re looking to class up your next downtown happy hour, head over to the calm comfort of Vidalia’s bar. You’ll find a selection of bar bites, priced from $3-$7, to accompany your drink of choice, including beers for $3.50 and a classic sazerac for $6.75. The happy hour offerings change frequently, but you can expect refined Southern flavors a notch above typical bar fare—sweet onion hushpuppies, deviled eggs with crispy oysters, barbecued shrimp. Don’t miss the opportunity to try Chesapeake sugar toads, which are currently on the menu. It’s the regional nickname for a type of puffer fish known for its sweet taste and amphibious appearance, hence the name. At Vidalia, the fish are deboned, fried whole and delivered with a malt vinegar aioli, creating an addicting bar snack. —Elizabeth Packer
Vidalia is located at 1990 M Street NW and offers happy hour Monday-Friday from 5-7 p.m.
ZENGO: Zengo is often packed at happy hour, and there’s a good reason for it. If you can brave the Chinatown crowds, you’ll be rewarded by some delicious happy hour deals on food and drinks. Wine, beer, mojitos, caipirinas, and Moscow mules are all $5, as are a selection of tasty Latin-Asian tapas like hoisin pork arepas or adobo chicken buns. Sushi rolls, empanadas, and chicken wings are a bit more, but nothing clocks in at more than $8. —Alicia Mazzara
Zengo is located at 781 Seventh Street NW. They offer happy hour Monday-Friday from 3-8 p.m., though some food items are only discounted between 3-5 p.m.
