Every single weekday there comes a moment when you’ve either finished all your to-dos or read the entire internet. When that time arrives, you deserve to get yourself to the nearest establishment serving drinks priced at what you actually deserve to pay for them. And while alcohol is always good, the superior Happy Hour involves deals on both good drinks and good food. Luckily, Austin has many of them. This is our guide to the best Happy Hours in town that’ll get you through the work week.
Also see our guide to the best outdoor Happy Hours.
the spots
When: Weekdays 2:30-6:30pm
The Deal: $10 pizzas; $5 select wines, cocktails, and beers
If we were giving out awards for longest Happy Hour, Italic’s - clocking in at four hours - would be in a tie for first place (see the next place on this list). They’re also first place in our hearts for only charging $10 for pizzas that normally cost $18 or $19 during dinner.
When: Weekdays 3-7pm
The Deal: Half off all appetizers; drink specials
There are three locations of Jack Allen’s Kitchen in Austin (and one in Round Rock), and they all do half off appetizers during Happy Hour, which is a very good deal. Whether it’s a late lunch or early dinner, you can make a very solid full meal out of appetizers like BLT sliders, bacon-wrapped Texas quail, and smoked beef rib quesadillas.
When: Tue-Sat 5-6:30pm
The Deal: Half off wine by the glass and Austin beers; $8 cheeseburger; $6 zeppole; $4 onion rings and popovers
During dinner at Foreign & Domestic, a burger and fries is $18, but the Happy Hour burger is only $8. Math is hard, but that’s basically $10 for French fries, which means you can and should spend that $10 you just saved by ordering zeppole and onion rings instead, and still somehow come out ahead. Also on Tuesdays, Foreign & Domestic does $1 oysters and 50% off chilled wine all night.
When: Tue-Sun 5-6:30pm
The Deal: Half off bottles of wine under $80 (outside only)
Lenoir’s awesome backyard wine bar - with the Live Oaks and twinkly lights - is a special place to hang out with your friends. Friends are cool and all, but the real reason you bring people here during Happy Hour is so that you can order whole bottles of wine for half off.
When: Mon-Thurs 5-6pm
The Deal: $5 cocktails, $4 beers, $3 appetizers, and $6 rolls
Kome only has one hour designated for its deals and after-work happiness. But that just means we only invite the co-workers who never show up late to meetings and are willing to put up a very vague email auto-reply starting at 4:45pm.
When: Tues-Fri 3pm-6pm
The Deal: $5 cheeseburgers, $5 sangria, $3 beer cans
Based on how busy Better Half is during the day, you’ll often wonder if people in Austin even have jobs. Maybe the draw is the nice backyard, or maybe it’s the $5 cheeseburgers during Happy Hour. Better Half also has a reverse Happy Hour with $5 cocktails and $2 Pearl beers Tues-Sun from 9-11pm.
When: Weekdays 2-5pm
The Deal: Half off boozy slushies, beer, and wine; select menu items $4-9
The set-up at Loro is ideal for work Happy Hours, so snag a picnic table for your whole team and spend most of the time on a secret Slack channel furtively and furiously talking about Sharon’s double-dipping habit. It’s also the only time of day you can order certain menu items - like the burger and smoked chicken wings - which makes all of the double-dipping bearable.
When: Monday-Saturday 3:30-6:30pm, all day Sunday
The Deal: $4 house cocktails, $1 off draft beers, $2 off snacks
Things we’re grateful for at a Happy Hour: enough seating for all of the coworkers/friends you actually like and free popcorn because snacks are what make us happiest. Order the wings and spinach dip and sit out in the patio to remind you that the sun still exists even if you don’t see it all day.
When: Monday-Friday, 4-6pm
The Deal: 25% off all food; half off all sparkling wine; $2 off all other drinks
During June’s Happy Hour, everything on the menu - from fried chicken sandwiches to steak tartare - is 25% off. And the champagne is half off, which means you can have a proper toast to your new favorite Happy Hour in town. Sparkling wines are half off all night on Mondays, too.
When: Daily (Wed-Sun), 4-5:30pm
The Deal: Half off all pizzas; $5 house wine; half off all bottles of wine under $100
If it’s too early for dinner, grab a snack at Bufalina and order a bottle of wine normally reserved for a celebration - but for half off. And then promptly get some pizza afterward.
When: All night Monday; Tuesday-Sunday 4:30-6:30pm
The Deal: Half off bar food; $2 off all drinks; only at the bar
Unless you’re really going all-out, dinner at Jeffrey’s is a little expensive for a casual weeknight. But their daily Happy Hour is a great time to grab a few drinks and half-price appetizers (or even a steak) at the bar, and see who goes out for $50 risotto on a Wednesday.
When: Sunday-Thursday, 2:30-6:30pm
The Deal: Half-price select bottles of wine and large format beer; $6 draft cocktails; half-price select food (5-6:30pm only)
If you’re only working a half-day, or think you might lose it if another person asks you to “circle back” in an email, head to Odd Duck. You can get a $6 draft cocktail or some half-price wine, and see how long you can extend an already late lunch without your coworkers noticing.
When: Daily, 5-6:30pm
The Deal: $3-11 dishes; $3-7 sake, wine, and beer; $7 seasonal dessert
Uchi is best known for their sushi, but what they should actually be best known for is their “sake social,” the daily Happy Hour during which you can sample excellent rolls and classic Uchi bites for a fraction of the price. If you haven’t been, you’re doing things all wrong. P.S. this happens at Uchiko, too.
When: Daily, 3-6pm
The Deal: Weekdays: 50 cents off oysters; half off burgers; $5 martinis, oyster shooters & draft beers. Weekends: 50 cents off oysters; half-price bottles of wine; $5 oyster shooters
We love oysters. You love oysters. But everyone loves them more when they’re not so expensive. You’ll go to Clark’s for their Happy Hour-priced oysters, but you’ll stay for the burger (half-off has never looked so good) and the patio.
When: Daily 3-6pm
The Deal: $4 beers; $5 sangría; $6-7 margaritas; discounted appetizers
El Alma is home to one of the best patios in Austin, and somehow not everyone has figured out about it yet. Sit on the double-level roof under an umbrella, enjoy your Happy Hour margaritas and guacamole, and feel pretty damn good about your decisions.
When: Weekdays, 5-7pm in the bar area
The Deal: Half-off all alcoholic beverages; appetizer specials
Austin has many, many margaritas. And La Condesa’s margarita is one of the best in town. During Happy Hour at the bar here, you can get it for half off.
When: Daily, 5-6pm
The Deal: Half off cocktails, beer, wine, and full food menu Wednesday: Half off oyster platters and bubbles all night
Hidden in the depths of Dirty Sixth, Parkside has a short but solid daily Happy Hour. Here’s your strategy: get here when it starts, order two of everything, and you’ll be set for the evening.
When: Tuesday-Friday, 4-6pm
The Deal: $5 cocktails and bites
Kick off a night on the East Side at Licha’s with $5 margaritas and food. The only possible downside is that you just might end up sticking around all evening.
When: Weekdays 4-7pm; Weekends 12-4pm
The Deal: $7-9 cocktails
Whisler’s is already a crowd favorite for its giant outdoor space, but its $7 cocktails are enough to make anyone a regular from 4-7pm.
When: Mon-Fri 4-6pm
The Deal: $5 bar snacks, $6 cocktails and house wine
Contigo is a pretty great post-work spot where you can grab a table outside and order beers and snacks for the crew. The charred avocado and the queso are solid Happy Hour options, and the crispy green beans are an excellent way to eat your veggies while also eating something fried.
When: Daily, 3-6:30pm
The Deal: $4-8 select cocktails and margaritas; $3 20 oz. beers; $5-11 appetizers
El Chile is always an excellent decision for a group outing with super shareable dishes for Happy Hour like nachos or queso flameado. What you won’t need to share are the margaritas or 20oz beer schooners (because they’re bigger than your head).
