Ask Downtown: What's Your Favorite Happy Hour?
Eric Richardson
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DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES — Ask Downtown is an occasional series in which we put a reader's Downtown question to you, the real Downtown experts. Help a reader out and share your knowledge.
Today's question comes from @ladygrl, who is planning to go out on Monday and wants to know where to go.
@blogdowntown meeting a friend for happy hour drinks on mon. best deals for friend rich and cash poor??
Downtown has sprouted lots of happy hours over the past few years. Which one would you suggest for @ladygrl?
Replies via Twitter:
@jennifermarissa: @blogdowntown @ladygrl My favorites are The Must ($5 wine) and Ciudad (also $5 drinks and good food specials). Roy's HH looks good too.
@kerrypab: @blogdowntown obv its way south, but I'm a big fan of @jlounge HH. I tend to get drinks and split a pizza w a friend.
@LazyOxCanteen: @blogdowntown We do a five at $5 menu and $3 beer/wine seven days a week 5-7p
Have your own Downtown question? Send it our way via Twitter (@blogdowntown). We'll either answer it ourselves or, if we think it's particularly relevant, make it the subject of an Ask Downtown.
downtownian on February 05, 2010, at 09:10AM – #1
Provecho has a great happy hour, Library Bar does too!
karin Liljegren on February 05, 2010, at 09:20AM – #2
Since I'm living in the financial district now, I'm finding some great value happy hours:
Chaya has $5 and $6 specialty drinks and good food prices.
Caio (on 7th in the Fine Arts Building between Flower/Fig) - a cute little Italian restaurant with nice cozy bar - also about $5 drinks.
and my friend just sent me this:
Wokano's happy hour is pretty good too, with great bar food! For future reference, Checkers has a great Thursday night called 4 by 4, where they feature a certain alcohol and make 4 drinks out of it, then pair it with some amazing food. Each plate is $4 and each drink is $4. Not bad. Last night's menu featured Makers Mark.
RLK on February 05, 2010, at 09:28AM – #3
By far the best prices. http://www.weilandbrewery.net/WBRunderground/menu-hh.php
Paulette on February 05, 2010, at 09:58AM – #4
7 Bar and Restaurant, at the corner or 7th and Grand, has $4 happy hour on all food and well drinks. Raffi and Joseph, the owners are super cool guys. Tell them Paulette says hi!
SinoSoul on February 05, 2010, at 10:12AM – #5
Magnolia has happy hour food/drink, Morton's has HH food/great sliders. Pitfire Pizza has 1/2 off pizza when you order alcoholic drink. I can't stand Ciudad's food and McCormick's $2 HH burger is arse. Caveat emptor. Corkbar, Bottlerock, Royal Clayton's, etc. all have HH. Basically, every joint in DTLA with a liquor license has some kind of HH.
Best (on Thursday) is Checkers though. Nothing beats that menu at $4. Too bad OP is going out on Monday.
Henry on February 05, 2010, at 10:35AM – #6
There are some good happy hours around LA Live: Yard House has lots of half price appetizers and good beers, Katsuya has this excellent watermelon mojito made with fresh watermelon juice, and they have some tasty small plates for cheap.
Drago Centro is such a pretty place, and they have happy hour pizzas that are excellent.
Great post btw, im always looking for the better happy hours as many are in this economy. Good to hear about the Checkers and Pitfire Deals.
I hope Bottega hops on the HH wagon, as it could help sustain their buzz. (no pun intended)
Niko on February 05, 2010, at 12:02PM – #7
We used to go to the Edison on 2nd to get a 32 cent martini on Thursdays between 5 and 7. Does anyone know if this is still going on? It was a great time.
Ken H on February 05, 2010, at 12:14PM – #8
Although I have not been, CASA (on Grand Ave) must have a great Happy Hour...The outside patio area is always packed in the evenings!
Rich Alossi on February 05, 2010, at 03:16PM – #9
I've been really pleasantly surprised by Provecho's happy hour. Their margaritas are good, and you can't beat dollar tacos. Small bites $5.00 as well.
Jordan M on February 05, 2010, at 03:53PM – #10
Niko: edison still does that happy hour on thursday and friday. on friday you also get a free mini-grilled-cheese and mini cup of tomato soup, and they donate profits to the midnight mission.
Amen to the morton's happy hour, which is officially called power hour--the martinis, crab cakes and mini sliders are my favorite. They also have a late night power hour that starts at 9:30.
Trish on February 05, 2010, at 04:11PM – #11
I recently discovered this iPhone app: http://www.gotime.com/mobile that has all the happy hours for LA. Like everything you could possibly want and you can sort by area, time, day, food etc. Here's the website: http://www.gotime.com/la
anthony on February 05, 2010, at 05:08PM – #12
Drago Centro is my favorite. Cheap, quality apps. Magnolia is the worst. Overpriced, low-quality booze.
Jamie DeFrisco on February 05, 2010, at 07:51PM – #13
I agree with Weiland's for more of a simple, cheap time. All around they are the cheapest, without being a dive bar.
Katsuya's happy hour is great, but you do have to be careful. They don't do it on nights that the Laker's play and the portions can be small. The food is execellent and they don't cheap out on the drinks.
Trader Vic's also has an okay happy hour. Deals on food and drinks. They have a great collection of mixed drinks.
Last time I was at the Edison you only got one "5 cent" drink of their choice and then the rest you paid full price for.
Some places are only beer and wine or only offer specials on beer and/or wine, so be on the look out for that, depending on what you're drinking.
It's best to look at the menus and see what appeals most to you. What good is it to go to some place that offers good deals on food/drinks that you aren't interested in?
Patnet on February 05, 2010, at 09:10PM – #14
Weiland's 2.50 IPA/Amber at 16oz is the best deal in town. Yardhouse comes in second for a decent pint beer under 4 bucks. The Daily Grill isn't bad in that price/quality range although it's not 16oz. I am amazed every time I go past Riordan's to see their happy hour placard advertising $6 pints--a good deal?
Jasmijn on February 05, 2010, at 09:14PM – #15
I like Daily Grill for their excellent HH menu, and although their drinks list is not extensive, there are several faves on it.
HHDTLA on February 08, 2010, at 06:35AM – #16
I love Ciudad and have had the best Mojito there. The prices are great and the staff/service is superb. Their appetizers are exotic, which I prefer ... so if your preference is pizza and grilled cheese, then you may not enjoy it.
Ankur on February 09, 2010, at 09:25AM – #17
the association! (5-9!!)
5 dollar cocktails, 4 dollar beers, and the small plates too.
Malinda on February 09, 2010, at 11:56AM – #18
Go to J Lounge! 1/2 off practically everything! You get a full bowl of mussels or a huge burger for $6... and a Grey Goose martini for $6!!
cj on February 11, 2010, at 12:29PM – #19
fleming's at la live has their 5-6-7 menu-- 5 wines/cocktails/appetizers for $6 each until 7pm. not as cheap as others but the burger is good.
another pretty good deal at la live is the downtown resident discount page (although most exclude discounts on alcohol): www.lalive.com/downtown
zucca ristorante nearby has free pizza and $2 off all their drinks 4-7pm, along with a $5 appetizer menu. i think that's the best deal out of the patina restaurant HHs.
mccormick and schmick's is still a fave even though there's so many out there now.
Schmo on February 11, 2010, at 05:36PM – #20
I used to enjoy the HH at The Edison....until they got money hungry. They raised the prices, shortened the times for the happy hour and removed some of the beers from the HH list. Bye bye! I'll imbibe somewhere else and save my money.