HOUGuide
The Best Happy Hours In Houston
Our guide to the best Happy Hour food and drinks around the city.
Some might say that Happy Hour is necessary for the survival of mankind. At the very least, Happy Hour is necessary to celebrate the survival of your last meeting of the day. Every Happy Hour has different strengths, but at the very least, there should be good drinks, delicious appetizers, and an atmosphere that fosters some fun. The spots below have all three (and then some) and make up our list of the very best Happy Hours in Houston.
THE SPOTS
When: Mon-Thu 4-8pm; Fridays 4-10pm
The Deal: $7 frozen drinks, cocktails, $3 beers, $6 premium liquors, half off chicken and beef sliders, $5 ½ portion quesadilla, $22 quesadilla and bottle of red or white wine
The Savoy, the rustic bar and grill in the Third Ward, is great for watching the game or hanging with friends on their massive heated patio. Come in Monday through Thursday for $3 beers, $7 frozen cocktails, half-priced mini sliders, and a half-portion quesadilla for $5. On Fridays, there’s an extended Happy Hour that runs from 4-10pm.
When: Mon-Fri 4-6pm; Sat-Sun 11am-6pm
The Deal: $4-$6 appetizers/small entrees, discounted margaritas and pitchers, $2.75 beer of the day
El Patio in the Galleria neighborhood is no stranger to a good time, so it’s fitting that this classic Tex-Mex spot has Happy Hour specials every day. Swing by with a few of your work besties and have discounted margaritas by the pitcher, or come solo and grab their $2.75 beer of the day and devour $6 nachos, $5 tamales, or $4 flautitas.
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When: Mon-Fri 5-8pm
The Deal: $5 mixed drinks, and rotating daily specials (which include 50 cent wings, $10 fried fish platter, $1 raw and chargrilled oysters)
Happy Hour at Kamp, a clubstaurant in the Galleria with a huge patio, is a good time no matter which weekday you go. Drink specials are available between 5-8pm, but food specials last all day, which means the Happy Hour starts whenever you show up. Kamp provides unique Happy Hour offerings on weekdays, including $15 seafood boils on Mondays, $1 oysters on Wednesdays, and $10 seafood platters on Fridays.
photo credit: Sylvia's Enchilada Kitchen
Sylvia's Enchilada Kitchen
When: Mon-Fri 4-7pm
The Deal: $6 House Margaritas, Half off ceviche, nachos, flautitas, chalupas, and several enchiladas etc.
At Sylvia's Enchilada Kitchen, the Tex-Mex spot in Memorial, Happy Hour is about as cozy as you can get without actually being in your home. Monday through Friday, Sylvia’s offers discounted house margaritas, half-price nachos, flautitas, enchiladas, and more. On Tuesdays you can also get $5 tacos rancheros, beef fajita tacos, and tamales for $8.
When: Tue-Fri 3-6:30pm
The Deal: $8 cocktails, $4-6 tacos, half off appetizers
Dinner at Hugo’s, the classic Montrose spot serving traditional Mexican dishes, is usually reserved for a birthday, anniversary, or any occasion that calls for your good suit jacket. But Tuesday through Friday, the Happy Hour here includes $8 cocktails, $4-6 tacos, and half off appetizers like the ceviche verde and chicken taquitos. Which means you can go to Hugo’s Happy Hour just to celebrate having a good day (suit jacket optional).
When: Tue-Thu 5-6pm
The Deal: Half off wine by the glass, Half off select pizzas, $5 cocktails, $3 beers, $15 half-dozen oysters
The Happy Hour at Tiny Champions, an Italian spot EaDo, is only from 5-6pm. But you can fill every minute sitting on their cozy patio with a half-price pizza, half-price glasses of wine, and $5 cocktails. You can also get half dozen oysters for $15, which are only available for Happy Hour.
When: Mon-Fri 4-7pm
The Deal: $2 off original cocktails, $7 highball, $7 house classic cocktails, $8 queso, $8 guacamole, $6 brussels sprouts, $6 mini quesabirria tacos
We don’t know too much about how raccoons like to party, but if the vibe is anything like Trash Panda Drinking Club, then we want the next invite. At this dive-y spot in Northside Village, you can spend Happy Hour sitting under fluorescent red lights while you listen to house music deep cuts with $7 classic house cocktails and mini quesabirria tacos served with an eye-watering jalapeno crema sauce.
When: Mon-Fri 3-6:30pm
The Deal: $6 cocktails, well drinks, and house wine, $8-$11 bar bites
Oporto Fooding House & Wine is a warm and airy spot serving Portuguese food in the Fourth Ward. Any day of the week from 3-6:30pm, you can grab a spot at the sleek bar with marble countertops shiny enough for an HGTV cameo, have a $6 caipirinha, $6 well drinks, and one of their many appetizers like grilled chorizo, pizza, and lulas fritas all for under $10.
When: Tue-Thu 4-6pm
The Deal: $4 beer, $5 wine, $7 margs and old fashioned, catfish nuggets, mac and cheese, burger, truffle brussels sprouts ($6-8 dollars)
If you had the type of day that only a mountain of cheese can fix, spend Happy Hour at Lucille’s, a family-owned Southern comfort spot in the Museum District. Here, you can relax, have a $7 old-fashioned, and leave the day behind with $8 catfish nuggets, $7 baked mac and cheese, or a $10 burger (or, all three).
When: Mon-Fri 3-6pm
The Deal: $5 dollar house wines and well drinks and jack and coke, $7 moscow mules and old fashioned, $6 dollar apps and butter burgers
At Bosscat Kitchen & Libations, a River Oaks spot serving Southern comfort food, the Monday through Friday Happy Hour is best spent with a $5 old fashioned and any of their $6 appetizers like short rib grilled cheese, ahi tuna wraps, or one of their glistening butter burgers.
When: Tue-Fri 4-7pm
The Deal: $7 drinks and appetizers, $1 gulf oysters (½ doz minimum)
Brennan’s shaded French Quarter-style courtyard is a dreamy spot for a cocktail or two. Luckily, this classic Creole restaurant in Midtown offers Happy Hour Tuesday to Friday from 4 to 7pm exclusively at the tree-lined brick courtyard bar. For only $7 each, you can have a glass of wine, a house cocktail, or an appetizer like cajun pepper seafood campechana. Or enjoy $1 Gulf oysters, served by the half dozen.
When: All day Mon, Tue-Thu 5-6:30pm, Fri-Sun 2:30-5pm
The Deal: Every day has $5-$6 bar bites, $6 wine by the glass, $7 cocktails, $5 drafts, and $3 canned/bottled beer. There’s also a different food and/or drink special every day.
The Vietnamese restaurant Xin Chao in the Sixth Ward has the remedy for your Sunday Scaries. Well, actually, they have a remedy for the whole week, because Happy Hour happens every night. Find happiness all day long on Monday. Get a Tuesday pick-me-up with half-off oysters and champagne. Or fight hump day anxiety with half-off all wine on Wednesday. There are snacks from $5 to $6 each, $6 glasses of wine, $5 draft beers, $3 bottled and canned beers, and $7 cocktails every day. It’s the Happy Hour version of Oprah’s, “and you get a car!”
When: Mon-Fri 2-6pm
The Deal: $5 bar bites , $8 sandwiches, $5 Aki Sour, Yuzu Spritz, and Boozy Slushies, $4-$5 for select beer and glasses of wine
The mid-afternoon Happy Hour at Loro, an Asian smokehouse in The Heights, runs every Monday to Friday from 2 to 6pm, and it’s a great setup for an early dinner with kids, a coworker get-together, or even catching up with a third-tier friend. Order some $5 bar bites, grab a $5 sandwich, and get a few $5 cocktails, beers, or glasses of wine, and wrap everything up before it's even dark outside.
When: Mon-Fri 11am-5pm
The Deal: $7 house cocktails until 5pm and rotating daily specials (which include weekly sandwich specials, $1 gulf oysters, and $1 wings)
The good-time energy at Winnie’s, a vibrant Cajun-Creole bar in Midtown, can be felt as soon as you walk through the doors. There’s plenty of space at the massive bar to cozy up on their bright-yellow chairs and decide which frozen drink will keep you company. The Happy Hour here runs weekdays from the moment Winnie’s is open until 5pm, so you can pop in for $7 house cocktails and daily food specials like $1 gulf oysters and $1 wings. And if Monday Happy Hour ends and you still don’t want to leave, burgers at Winnie’s are $5 after 5pm, which is the perfect excuse to spend a little more time hanging out on the adorable patio.
When: Mon-Fri 3-7pm, Sat 3-6pm
The Deal: $2.50 domestic beer, $3 imported beer, $3.50 hot sake, $4 house wine by the glass, and $5 appetizers that are buy one, get one free (dine-in only).
Waiting in line for Happy Hour at Oishii is a Houston right of passage, one we should protect at all costs. The tiny spot in Greenway is an institution—order the same custom maki roll enough, and Oishii will enshrine your questionable taste on the menu permanently. The rock-bottom prices have remained unchanged for years, with BOGO $5 appetizers six days a week. And unlike your local used car lot with a questionable Cadillac Eldorado, Oishii isn’t advertising a false reality: the food is delicious, the portions are generous, and service is excellent. Get there as early as possible, order more than you can handle, and bask in the glory of a sushi dinner that’s worth way more than what you’re paying.
