With the temperatures rising just as sharply as discretionary income is falling, we could all use a drink. Preferably cold. Definitely cheap.
Thankfully, they're pretty easy to find. Happy hours have become all but mandatory at bars and restaurants that serve alcohol.
"I'm not sure happy hours necessarily drive business, because everybody does them," says Veritas Wine Room co-owner Brooks Anderson. But he has no doubt that discounts and special promotions increase the number of customers. Veritas' Monday night business has quintupled since the shop introduced half-price wine by the glass. "People definitely seem to be looking for value. They want to go out and have a good time, but they're certainly watching their dollars as they do it."
The Libertine Bar co-owner Simon McDonald agrees; the Libertine has been packed on Tuesdays ever since the gastro-pub began offering half-priced food on Tuesdays. His bar's happy hours, he says, are intended to get people to come early and stay for dinner. "One thing is to get people in, and then they're like, 'Ah, we're here, might as well get something to eat.'" And whether a customer intends to stay after happy hour ends, they often do at places with a steady base of regulars, as more familiar faces trickle in after work and friends are encouraged to stay for just one more.
Since the cocktail-crazy Prohibition years, happy hours have traditionally encompassed post-work, pre-dinner hours, and many Dallas bars stick to the conventional 4 to 7 p.m. window. But others reach later into the night or offer "reverse happy hours" with post-dinner drink deals in addition to traditional happy hours. According to Lieutenant Jeff Gladden of the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission Enforcement Division, this is perfectly legal: Bars can have multiple happy hours as long as discounts end at 11 p.m.
"When you open for business today, if you open with a drink at a particular price and at any time later reduce the price, it has to go up to the original price at 11 p.m.," he says.
Murkier are TABC marketing regulations on promotions "reasonably calculated to result in excessive consumption of alcoholic beverages by consumers." Such regulations prevent two-for-one drink prices or deals where a second drink is discounted with purchase of a first, Gladden says. Yet somehow, such rules don't prohibit sale of pitchers or buckets of beers.
Yeah, it's confusing. Even Anderson admits he doesn't fully grasp all the legal issues surrounding happy hours. And that's saying something—not only does he have a wine shop, but he's an attorney representing clients in the food and beverage industry. Need a drink while you try to wrap your head around (or ignore) the intricacies of Texas alcohol code? Here are a few places to start. Check out our Happy Hours app (see "We're So App-y") for a more comprehensive list.
Beer Joints with Benefits
Flying Saucer on the Lake
4821 Bass Pro Drive, Garland • 972-226-0725 • beerknurd.com
The new Lake Ray Hubbard location of the Flying Saucer chain (which also includes Addison and Fort Worth franchises) is the first to offer seafood, which presents a new challenge for a beer lover looking to find the perfect hefeweizen, IPA, porter, schwarzbier or Belgian tripel from some 200 brews to go with a meal. During happy hour, upgrade to a 23-oz. "Biggie" glass of any draft for the price of a pint, or take a chance on one of the $2.75 "Fire Sale" selections. Or you could just order a Bud Light, which would be like going to a prime steakhouse and ordering chicken.
Happy hours: Monday through Thursday 4-7 p.m.; Friday 4-8 p.m.
The Ginger Man
2718 Boll St. • 214-754-8771 • gingermanpub.com
If you're the kind of beer lover who absolutely must try every craft brewery's special release you can get your hands on, then you're probably already a regular at The Ginger Man in Uptown (or its sister locations in Plano and Cowtown). We lost count of the draft taps at 60, and there are dozens of additional beers available by the bottle. Try something new during happy hour for 50 cents off your pint, or a pitcher reduced by $2.
Happy hours: Monday through Friday 4-7 p.m.
The Libertine Bar
2101 Greenville Ave. • 214-824-7900 • libertinebar.com
The Libertine didn't earn its Best of Dallas™ nods for bar, beer bar and bar food for nothing. A creative—but not overwhelming—selection of ales and lagers make it a great hangout for brewhounds, especially on Texas Beer Nights (Wednesdays) when all Texas beers are $2.50, or Thursday's keep-the-glass pint nights featuring a different beer each week. Otherwise, take $1 off any beer, wine or liquor drink during happy hour. That even applies on Tuesdays, when already reasonably priced menu items—steamed mussels and fries, steak au poivre, cheese boards and more—are half-price.
Happy hours: Monday through Friday 4-7 p.m.
The Meddlesome Moth
1621 Oak Lawn Ave. • 214-628-7900 • mothinthe.net
With a mind-boggling array of taps ranging from Belgian quadrupel ales to intensely hopped West Coast microbrews, the Meddlesome Moth disproves the notion that beer is the poor man's drink. Fortunately, during happy hour the Moth sets the price for about 15 select brews at $4, plus one or two varieties at $3—cheap enough to leave you cash for a savory rabbit, chicken or lamb pie. And when we say "beer," we're not talking Coors Light—in fact, if you're looking for beers you recognize from Super Bowl ads, look elsewhere. Wine (as if you're going to drink fermented grape juice here) is $6 a glass.
Happy hours: Monday through Friday 4-7 p.m.
The Old Monk
2847 N. Henderson Ave. • 214-821-1881 • oldmonkdallas.com
One of Dallas' most beloved European-style pubs, the Monk is sure to give you wood, one way or another: dark wood paneling salvaged from confessional booths, bar tables fashioned from barrels and cheese boards. Fine fromage is a perfect accompaniment to discounted drinks during happy hour when you can take $1 off drafts, domestic longnecks, wells and calls—including about 20 single-malt Scotches and premium Irish and bourbon whiskies. Or choose from more than a dozen craft and import brews on tap, including seasonals and new brews and a rotator tap dedicated to the yeasty greatness of Belgian beers.
Happy hours: Monday through Thursday 4-7 p.m.; Friday 3-7 p.m.
Vickery Park
2810 N. Henderson Ave. • 214-827-1433 • vickeryparkbar.com
A buck off wells, domestics and drafts makes this spot even more relaxing—a good thing in the Henderson area. It's a refreshingly authentic watering hole, nearly free of gymbots, though you'll see the occasional Michelob Ultra drinker. Shame, considering the number of good beers available—covered by happy hour and otherwise. Though they are wonderfully inviting against the dark hardwood, the seductive and strong Belgian blondes aren't discounted.
Happy hours: Monday through Friday 4-7 p.m.
Unwind With Wine
Arcodoro & Pomodoro
100 Crescent Court Ste. 140 • 214-824-1924 • arcodoro.com
There's more to Italian food and wine than Macaroni Grill's Chianti jugs and peppery bread. Sitting at the Doro bar or on the patio at this upscale Sardinian Italian ristorante, munch on complimentary finger foods and enjoy house red, white and Pinot Grigio at $7 a glass. For your non-wino friends, bellinis are $5, specialty cocktails are $6 or $7 and draft beers are $4 or $6.
Happy hours: Monday through Friday 4-7 p.m.
Bolsa
614 W. Davis St. • 214-367-9367 • bolsadallas.com
You probably know that Bolsa has been on the leading edge of the locavore food movement, using fresh, locally produced ingredients whenever possible in its unique culinary creations. But did you know you can get bottles from its carefully curated wine list—a well-rounded selection of reds and whites from South America, Italy, Napa Valley and Australia, organized by price and body—for half price on Tuesdays? Also, try any of the bar's specialty cocktails for $5 each during the daily happy hour.
Happy hours: Every Day open to 7 p.m.
Veritas Wine Room
2323 N. Henderson Ave. • 214-841-9463 • veritaswinedallas.com
With a creative but not overwhelming selection, Veritas favors small-production and hard-to-find labels (co-owner Brooks Anderson says Veritas nabbed three of only 18 bottles of the 2007 Evening Land Occidental Vineyard coastal Pinot available in the state). Pair wine with plates of locally produced meats and cheeses. Go for Monday's half-price wine by the glass, or during happy hour for $1 off all $8-and-under glasses of wine and all beers (except the already dirt-cheap Pabst Blue Ribbon [yes, a wine bar with PBR]), or $2 off all glasses priced at $8.50 and up.
Happy hours: Tuesday through Friday 3-7 p.m.
All Liquored Up
Absinthe Lounge
1409 S. Lamar St. • 214-941-9338 • absinthelounge.net
The bar specializes in absinthe cocktails, complete with the ceremonial presentation from an absinthe fountain with the Moulin Rouge-inspired touch of igniting the absinthe-soaked sugar cube. Even after you're over the allure of sipping the once-illicit anise-flavored liquor, it's a pleasantly dim, sultry spot with generous pours, competently executed cocktails, ambient electronic music and, during happy hour, $2 drafts, $3 wells, $4 calls and $5 martinis. Also, because it's also a cigar bar, it's one of the few bars in Dallas where you can legally smoke.
Happy hours: Every day 4-9 p.m.
Dubliner
2818 Greenville Ave. • 214-818-0911 • dallasdubliner.com
Laid-back, authentic and welcoming, this Irish pub is pretty much the exact opposite of most Lower Greenville bars and dance clubs. A dollar off domestics, drafts, wells and calls is a great way to acquaint yourself with some of the fine Irish whiskies (and Scotches too, if you must) on the menu. Wash them down with a discounted yet perfectly pulled pint of Guinness.
Happy hours: Monday through Friday 4-7 p.m.
The Loon
3531 McKinney Ave. • 214-559-3059 • theloonbarandgrill.com
The atmosphere is just like your Midwestern great-uncle's dank basement bar, complete with retirees and tatted-up artists who appear to be bonding at the well-worn bar over lovingly house-made sandwiches, Italian, Tex-Mex and bar grub. But they're really there for the four-finger pours. During happy hour, those troubles-easing drinks are even a better value, with discounts ranging from 25 cents to $1 off all liquor drinks. Discounts aren't available for those who miss entirely the point of The Loon and order beer or wine.
Happy hours: Every day 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Windmill Lounge
5320 Maple Ave. • 214-265-9105 • windmill-lounge.com
With an emphasis on classic cocktails made the right way, the Windmill Lounge is a great place to get a martini—and not one of those fruity abominations served in a cocktail glass (though they'd probably make you an appletini, cosmotini or whatever bimbotini you require without judging you too much). Take a dollar off drinks during happy hour, or take a chance on one of the daily $3 "Lucky Buck" specials. And check out the Best of Dallas™-winning jukebox, which sports an awesome selection of jazz, soul, country and rock.
Happy hours: Every day 4-7 p.m.
Bar Food Beyond Pretzels
Bavarian Grill
221 W. Parker Road, Plano • 972-881-0705 • bavariangrill.com
What makes Stein Hour so happy at this German restaurant? It's not just the half-liter steins of Bavarian hell und dunkel (light and dark) lagers in the communal biergarten. You also can choose a little plate of sausage, crispy meatloaf frikadelles, goulash and more to snack on with each glass for just 95 cents each. Those not into such rich food and drink can enjoy happy hour specials of $1 off select drafts, $2.75 domestic longnecks and $3.25 Löwenbräu Originals.
Happy hours: Tuesday through Saturday 4-7 p.m.
Blue Mesa Grill
7700 W. Northwest Highway • 214-378-8686 • bluemesagrill.com
House wine, margaritas, mojitos, the Sangria Blue Swirl and martinis are all $4, bottled beers are $3.25 and just $2.25 for drafts—including two very summer-appropriate craft brews, Abita Pale Ale and Boulevard Wheat, on our visit. But let's face it: The real reason you're going to visit is for the complimentary quesadillas and fresh salsa and tortilla and sweet-potato chips. It's OK, the bartender isn't judging you. Just make sure to get there before 7 p.m., when the free munchies disappear. If you miss them, console yourself with a snifter of premium tequila.
Happy hours: Monday through Friday 4-7:30 p.m.
Burger Girl
4444 McKinney Ave. • 214-253-2666 • theburgergirl.com
This new joint is the inaugural location of a planned franchise of Burger Girls, something of a Hooters-esque breastaurant chain except with tasty, fresh burgers and addictive hand-cut fries instead of mediocre wings. (Although, judging by the servers we've seen, "rear-staurant" might be a more fitting description than breastaurant, if we may coin a term.) Along with daily drink specials, happy hour features $2 beer cans, $12 buckets of six and $4 calls. Best bet is to go Friday for $1 sliders and $10 buckets.
Happy hours: Monday through Friday 4-9 p.m.
Campisi's
1520 Elm St. • 214-752-0141 • campisis.us
The original "Egyptian Lounge" Campisi's location on Mockingbird Lane may be a Dallas landmark for its thin-crust pizza and the time-capsule red Naugahyde, but it doesn't have a happy hour. Instead, head to the downtown location (and other select outposts of the local chain) for drink deals like $2.50 domestics, house wines and margaritas and $3.25 imports. Best of all, you can snack on free pizzas from 5-7 p.m.
Happy hours: Monday through Friday 4-7 p.m.
Chuy's
4544 McKinney Ave. • 214-559-2489 • chuys.com
With its eye-searing colors and strings of lights, Chuy's has been the template for many a lesser Tex-Mex chain, but the peppery creations are worthy of the loud decor. Particularly the queso, which is free during happy hour. But if you've just dropped a wad of cash across the street at the Apple Store, load up on the chips and dip and save your dinero for the drinks—$3.50 for margaritas or $2.50 for domestics.
Happy hours: Monday through Friday 4-7 p.m.
Fish Shack
700 E. 15th St., Plano • 469-229-0838
Fresh Gulf-style seafood and awesome hushpuppies are the main appeal for this humble but highly recommended, family friendly seafood joint. A diverse neighborhood crowd enjoys happy hour, too, with $1.50 draft pints (including a very tasty pale ale from Kona that goes perfectly with crab cakes) and $3.50 margaritas.
Happy hours: Monday through Friday 3-7 p.m.
Five Sixty By Wolfgang Puck
300 Reunion Blvd. E. • 214-741-5560 • wolfgangpuck.com
You might have thought celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck's Asian fusion creations were out of your price range, but even our own Cheap Bastard could afford one of the tapas-sized dishes available at happy hour. For the oh-so-appropriate price of $5.60, try the Kobe beef sliders or tempura spicy tuna sandwiches, a signature cocktail and enjoy the view from 560 feet in the air.
Happy hours: Monday through Friday 5-7 p.m.
Gloria's
600 W. Davis St. • 214-948-3672 • gloriasrestaurants.com
The challenge at a Mexican restaurant (or Mexican/Salvadorean, in this case) is not to fill up on chips. And it's even more difficult at the Gloria's chain, where complimentary smooth refried black beans accompany the salsa at the Oak Cliff original and 10 other DFW locations. Happy hour includes $3 domestics, $3.25 imports and $2 off most drinks, plus discounts on various specialty cocktails, including $3 mojitos and margaritas and $5 swirls, strawberry or mango margaritas. Really thirsty? For $6, order a 32-oz. Regia, a crisp Salvadorean lager that pairs with anything on the menu—or just bean dip.
Happy hours: Sunday through Thursday all day
Kona Grill
8687 N. Central Expressway (inside NorthPark Center mall)
214-369-7600 • konagrill.com
If you ever walk into a restaurant and see the dining area nearly deserted while the bar has butts crammed into every seat, chances are it's happy hour. Such is the case during happy hour and late-night reverse happy hour at this sushi and fusion restaurant (and pickup joint), when you can get half-priced appetizers and various drink specials on cocktails and sake bombs. Discounts apply at the bar and patio only, though, and even on a Monday night you'll need to be aggressive to secure a spot amidst the other beautiful twenty-something North Dallasites and mall employees.
Happy hours: Monday through Friday 3-7 p.m.; Monday through Saturday 9-11 p.m.
Lee Harvey's
1807 Gould St. • 214-428-1555 • leeharveys.com
In just a few years, Lee Harvey's has gone from being a somewhat prefabricated dive to the genuine article, thanks to the inimitable mixture of artists, musicians and colorful characters from the sketchy surrounding neighborhood. Tacos are just a buck on Mondays, the burgers (half-price on Tuesdays) and the onion rings are widely acclaimed, the patio enormous and the music usually top-notch. Go during happy hour when domestics and wells are $2.50, and stay till someone burns something noxious in the fire pit.
Happy hours: Sunday 1 p.m. to 2 a.m.; Monday and Tuesday 3 p.m.-2 a.m.; Wednesday through Friday 3-7 p.m.
Lombardi's Cibus
8687 N. Central Expressway (inside NorthPark Center mall)
214-692-0001 • cibusdallas.com
Crispy thin-crust pizzas and select appetizers are half-price during this classy Italian ristorante's happy and reverse happy hours, as long as you're willing to sit outside or at the bar. Drink specials include $3 a glass for the slightly better-than-Franzia house wine and $4 for all beers (except for Chimay, drat). And at $5.50 to $6.50 apiece during the specials, the pizzas beat the hell out of Sbarro.
Happy hours: Monday through Friday 4-7 p.m.; Monday through Thursday 9-10 p.m.; Friday 9-11 p.m.
The Meridian Room
3611 Parry Ave. • 214-826-8383 • themeridianroom.com
Being a beer snob is a little bit easier during happy hours at this Exposition Park staple, when you can take $1 off drafts, so that Maredsous 8, Hoegaarden or Maudite can do the same amount of damage to your liver while lessoning the blow to your wallet. Wells and calls get the same discount, and domestic bottles are just $2.50. Though it predates the rise of the term "gastro-pub" in these parts, the food menu—featuring Guinness steak sandwiches, crab cakes, jalapeño hummus and house-made bread pudding—makes this Meridian prime.
Happy hours: Monday 4 p.m.-2 a.m.; Tuesday through Friday 4-7 p.m.
Oishii
2525 Wycliff Ave. • 214-599-9448 • dallasoishii.com
Its dull strip mall location doesn't look promising from the outside, and it doesn't look much better on the inside, either: In a half-assed effort to make Oishii look like an upscale lounge with club music nts-nts-ing away in the background, they forgot to tear up the linoleum and update the bathroom. Fresh, creative sushi makes up for the confusing atmosphere. On Tuesday, pick up to six sushi pieces for $1 each. See something you like on the dinner menu? Come back the next day for it, and take 50 percent off hot sake or a wine bottle.
Happy hours: Tuesday and Wednesday 5-10 p.m.
Smoke
901 Fort Worth Ave. • 214-393-4141 • smokerestaurant.com
We didn't know how much we needed an upscale barbecue joint until the crew that brought us Bolsa created Smoke, where scratch-made, Southern comfort-food sides and four different house-made sauces complement juicy, thickly smoked slabs of serious 'cue. It's expensive, and it's worth it, but during happy hour you can lessen the blow to your wallet (if not your arteries) with $1.50 off beer, wine and select liquors.
Happy hours: Monday through Saturday 3-8 p.m.
Stoneleigh P
2926 Maple Ave. • 214-871-2346
No drink specials here during happy hour, but the food's the real star at this historic (as in, dating back to 1973, which qualifies as ancient in this town) Maple Avenue hangout. Beat the dinner crowd and you'll get half-price appetizers, which include the meal-worthy smoked chicken nachos and the simple but satisfying queso verde. The crowd ranges from lawyers to people in dire need of a good lawyer to journalists (though sometimes the three are one and the same).
Happy hours: Monday through Friday 4-7 p.m.
For the Sporting Crowd
Frankie's Sports Bar and Grill
3227 McKinney Ave. • 214-999-8932 • frankiesbar.com
More is more at Frankie's. The TVs are huge and plentiful (seriously, they'd probably put them in the floor if it were possible), the serving sizes are massive and the attitude is outsized as well, with fries still referred to, apparently without irony, as "Freedom Fries" amidst corny jokes on the menu, such as referring to wraps as "Rapper'z" and stating "All Rapper'z served with subpoenas." But while the menu isn't serious, the dedication to sports—including UFC and World Cup action—is. In addition to daily drink specials, take a dollar off drinks during happy hour.
Happy hours: Monday through Friday 11 a.m.-7 p.m.
Humperdink's
2208 W. Northwest Highway • 214-358-4159 • humperdinks.com
An all-purpose bar with karaoke and decent bar food, Humperdink's is also a popular game-day destination with big enough TV screens to see from anywhere. It also excels in the beer department, with house-brewed lagers, bocks, stouts and seasonal brews that are far better than the prices would lead you to believe—especially during happy hour, when 16-oz. pints are $1.99, 23-oz. mugs are $2.99 and 32-oz. goblets are $3.99. Not feeling ale adventurous? Generic domestic 12-oz. bottles are $2.99. Wells are $2.99, and house wine glasses are $3.99.
Happy hours: Monday through Friday 4 p.m.-7 p.m. and 10-11 p.m.
Lakewood's 1st & 10
6465 E. Mockingbird Lane • 214-826-0110 • 1stand10dallas.com
The 1st & 10 has been cleaned up from its dive-bar days, and now offers Barbie-doll cocktail waitresses, fried bar foodstuffs, plenty of enormous flat screen TVs and an eclectic neighborhood crowd that's enthusiastic about whatever game happens to be on. Take $1 off wells, drafts and wine during happy hour.
Happy hours: Sunday through Wednesday 4-7 p.m. and 11 p.m.-2 a.m.
The Londoner Addison
14930 Midway Road, Addison • 972-458-2444 • londoneraddison.com
If you watch soccer more often than every four years, you need to put this pub in your regular rotation. But futbol fanaticism aside, the menu features authentic British pub grub including and beyond fish and chips, such as steak, mushroom and ale pie and chicken curry. The beer list features authentic English ales like Fullers ESB and Old Speckled Hen. And it's owned by a real, live soccer-mad Londoner, Barry Tate, who opened the first outpost in Addison in 1995, following with locations in McKinney (now closed), Uptown and, just last month, Frisco. Come on Tuesdays for pint nights if you need to stock up on glassware at home, or happy hour any time for $1 off drinks.
Happy hours: Tuesday through Friday 4-7 p.m.; Sunday and Monday open-close
Gay Ol' Time
Barbara's Pavillion
325 Centre St. • 214-941-2145 • barbaraspavillion.com
Part tiki lounge, part gay club, part karaoke destination and all fun, Barbara's Pavillion (yes, there's an extra L) is as fun and homey as it is hard to find. During happy hour (and all day Tuesday), the bar offers $3 domestic longnecks and wells, plus a special martini menu on Mondays.
Happy hours: Monday and Wednesday through Friday 4-8 p.m.; Open to Close Tuesday
Chan Thai Club
312 W. Seventh St. • 214-948-9956 • chanthaidallas.com
A friendly, diverse and gay-friendly crowd from the surrounding Bishop Arts neighborhood makes the club side of Chan Thai like a little version of Cheers—if Cheers served free Thai appetizers during happy hour and had a clientele that wasn't exclusively straight white people. Drink specials include $1.75 to $2.75 draft beers, $2.50 wells and $3 house wine.
Happy hours: Every day 4:30-7 p.m.
The Grapevine Bar
3902 Maple Road • 214-522-8466 • thegrapevinebar.com
The Grapevine Bar might just be the most garishly decorated dive in Dallas, but the shrieking barrage of kitsch has nothing on the colorful clientele. Artists, stylists, musicians and professionals of every color and sexual orientation find the cheap drinks, black-and-neon pool table, basketball half-court and rooftop patio a cheerfully eccentric place to relax. During happy hour, most drinks are just $2, and Sundays and Mondays extend fun time with $3 drinks until closing time.
Happy hours: Sunday through Tuesday 4 p.m.-2 a.m.; Wednesday through Saturday 4-7 p.m.
Jack's Backyard
2303 Pittman St. • 214-741-3131 • jacksbackyarddallas.com
The name refers to the spacious yard outside the bar and restaurant areas, a green space that probably has amenities that your own backyard doesn't: a stage with live music two or three nights a week, plenty of patio furniture and fire pits to huddle around during cooler times. Hidden off Fort Worth Avenue where it meets Commerce Street in northeast Oak Cliff, this bar and grill is worth the couple of U-turns a newbie is likely to make trying to find it. The crowd is usually equally split between lesbians and gays and their straight friends. Happy hour offers $3.25 domestics and wells, and $3 calls all night on Thursdays.
Happy hours: Monday through Friday 4-7 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday 11 a.m.-7 p.m.
Drink Up And Rock Out
Adair's Saloon
2624 Commerce St. • 214-939-9900 • adairssaloon.com
Just like a great honky-tonk should, Adair's offers original live, local country and roots-rock every night of the week and dirt-cheap drafts that are even cheaper ($1.50!) during happy hour. As if you needed more reason to go, this Deep Ellum dive offers legendary hamburgers and additional food and drink deals most days of the week. Happy hour is rounded out by $7 beer pitchers, 75 cents off $3.50 wells.
Happy hours: Every day 11 a.m.-8 p.m.
Bryan Street Tavern
4315 Bryan St. • 214-821-4447 • bryanstreettavern.com
As you'd expect from the crew that brought you the Barley House, the booking tends to favor friends and former band members of Sorta, but recent shows have also included British punk legend Wreckless Eric. Surely he appreciated the competent soundman and interesting use of garage-sale decorative pillows for dampening. Bryan Street offers daily drink specials, but happy hour in this case is a discount on pizza, with a 16-inch one-topping pie available for $10. And that's a deal we wholeheartedly endorse, as the crispy pizza gives Campisi's a run for its money as far as thin-crusts go.
Happy hours: Every day 4-7 p.m. and 9 p.m.-midnight
The Double-Wide
3510 Commerce St. • 214-887-6510 • double-wide.com
Call it the Double-Wide dilemma: It's never easy to choose where to drink. Hang out in the bar to be closer to the booze, velvet Elvis paintings and Big Buck Hunter game? Have a seat outside on the cheap patio furniture or one of the (disconnected) toilets? Pay a cover to listen to whatever rawk band Chelsea Callahan has booked for the night? Arrive early (or any time Monday or Tuesday) and have a $2 domestic or well while you think it over. Other specials include half-price drafts Wednesdays and $3 calls Sundays.
Happy hours: Monday and Tuesday Open to Close; Wednesday through Friday 5-8 p.m.
Lakewood Landing
5818 Live Oak St. • 214-823-2410 • lakewood-landing.com
The self-professed "Upscale Dive" offers cheap, strong drinks and cheap, strong burgers. Wood paneling, beer signs and a well-worn pool table make it like the rumpus room you always wanted. And, while there's no live music, it's a popular hangout for East Dallas musicians and their friends because of the homey atmosphere and the jukebox. One of the best in town, it's heavy on indie and classic rock and country. CDs by Big Star, Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash, The Pixies, The Clash and more are represented. And, as our Girl Drink Drunk reported on our food blog, City of Ate, it takes priority over sports on TV: During a power outage last year, the first thing plugged into an emergency generator wasn't a television, but the jukebox.
Happy hours: Monday through Friday 3-7 p.m.
Renfield's Corner
2603A Routh St. • 214-397-0300 • renfieldscorner.com
Come Wednesday for happy hour and stay for the free live music. And not the usual Uptown cover bands sleepwalking through '80s covers—recent bookings include Dallas Observer Music Awards nominees and winners like RTB2 and The Beaten Sea. Happy hour includes $2.75 domestic longnecks or $1 off all drafts (and the draft selection shows an emphasis on American craft beers), wells, calls and house drinks—like the house-made sangria or the Purple Jesus, a chilled concoction of Tito's vodka infused with grapefruit, cherry and orange.
Happy hours: Monday through Friday 4-7 p.m.
Dives and Dirt-Cheap Drinks
The Old Crow
1911 Greenville Ave. • 214-828-2769
Great anytime for cheap drinks, and with its extensive happy hours (including all day on Sunday), they're even cheaper most of the time, when a dollar discount on drinks gives you $2.75 domestics, $3.75 imports and $3.50 wells. With its motley assortment of yard-sale decor and plentiful dirt-cheap suds like Busch Light, the Crow is a refreshing contrast to the upscale aspirations of its Lower Greenville neighbors.
Happy hours: Sunday noon-2 a.m., Monday through Saturday noon-9 p.m.
The Quarter Bar
3301 McKinney Ave. • 214-754-4940 • breadwinnerscafe.com
The "Quarter" in the name refers not to drink prices but to New Orleans' French Quarter, which inspires this intricately designed bar adjacent to Bread Winners Cafe. Located in an Uptown building dating back to the 19th century and expanded room-by-room over its 10 years, it has the same deceptive quality of some historic Bourbon Street bars where it looks small on the outside but seems to contain so many nooks and crannies on the inside that you suspect some kind of architectural hoodoo. Decorated with antique furniture and signs (sample: "Ladies, please do your soliciting discreetly"), it's a close enough N'Awlins imitation that after a few $2 wells or drafts during happy hour you'll think you're there.
Happy hours: Every day 4-7 p.m.
Ships Lounge
1613 Greenville Ave. • 214-823-0418
The quintessential Dallas dive, Ships is always a cheap option, but even more so during happy hour when domestics drop to $2 apiece. For that price, surely you won't mind acting like a grown-up while you're there: Cussing and other rowdiness will get your ass—beg pardon, get your butt tossed out. Along with having no potty-mouths, the bar also has no food, no credit card machine (so bring cash) and no liquor, though you can bring your own.
Happy hours: Every day 4-7 p.m.
Shuck N Jive
5315 Greenville Ave. • 214-369-9471 • shucknjive.com
A friendly, eclectic mix of service industry types, older neighborhood regulars, SMU students and young professionals make for a hoppin' happy hour on the covered patio and at the bar as they mingle over $1 drafts of Bud and Miller Lite or take $1 off well drinks. The fried seafood specialties, particularly the oysters, aren't too shabby either at this casual Gulf-style seafood joint.
Happy hours: Monday through Friday 4-7 p.m.
Patio Pleasure
The Amsterdam Bar
831 Exposition Ave. • 214-827-3433 • amsterdambar.blogspot.com
Depending on your mindset, this feature of The Amsterdam Bar will either put it to the top of your must-visit list or eliminate it completely: There are no TVs. That's right, you have to actually talk to people—which is expedited by $3 wells and $4 drafts during happy hour every day (and $3 drafts all day Tuesdays). Conversation topics could include the great selection of craft brews and imports, barbecue techniques if you're using one of the two grills on the enormous patio, or the cool decor inside the cozy old building.
Happy hours: Every day 2:30-7 p.m.
BarBelmont
901 Fort Worth Ave. • 866-870-8010 • belmontdallas.com
A beautiful poolside view of the Dallas skyline is reason enough to spend a very contented happy hour outside the bar. Seen enough? Then head inside and check out the art installation in the lobby and bar area, where the exhibit changes every six weeks. Stick around after happy hour on Thursdays for "Dive In" movie screenings (which alternate with live music performances), and bands and DJs on weekends.
Happy hours: Monday through Saturday 3-8 p.m.
Barcadia
1917 N. Henderson Ave. • 214-821-7300 • barcadiadallas.com
The chance to play your favorite old-school arcade games at the old-school price of a quarter each makes it worth braving the Knox-Henderson yuppie crowd most of the time, but especially during happy hour when you can take $1 off any drink. While you can catch an additional food or drink special most days, Tuesday may be the best, as it features $3 Texas drafts and free play on games all night in addition to happy hour prices till 8 p.m. Spent all your quarters on Q*Bert? Watch the traffic from the enormous patio.
Happy hours: Monday 4 p.m.-2 a.m.; Tuesday through Thursday 4-8 p.m.; Friday and Saturday 3-8 p.m.
Beckley BrewHouse
1111 N. Beckley Ave. • 214-943-8977 • beckleybrewhouse.com
Quite a remodeling feat has turned a former crackhouse into a homey hangout specializing in two other addictive substances—caffeine and alcohol. A diverse crowd of North Oak Cliff neighborhood regulars frequent this bar, grill and coffeehouse to hang out on the patio or play board and video games inside. Make sure to get there early enough to take $1 off beers (draft and bottled) and wells.
Happy hours: Monday through Friday 3-6 p.m.
Ozona Grill & Bar
4615 Greenville Ave. • 214-265-9105 • ozonagrill.com
Ozona's huge patio, landscaped and full of shaded tables and fans, may be one of the reasons Dallas loves patios with an enthusiasm so out of synch with the city's weather. Ozona's is one patio everyone and their grandma seems to agree on. During happy hour, take $1 off all drinks. You'll want to camp out until Saturday or Sunday morning's Bloody Mary bar brunch.
Happy hours: Sunday through Friday 4-7 p.m.
