It’s been a long day. You’re parched and craving something to take the edge off from that awkward conversation you had with Susan in the elevator. Fear not! Dallas is a city brimming with drink specials. (So is Plano. And McKinney.) We spent weeks exploring restaurants, dive bars, brewpubs, and cocktail lounges from Oak Cliff to Lower Greenville and well beyond. Here are the best happy hour menus you’ll find in North Texas.
When: Monday through Friday from 4:30 p.m. until 6 p.m. What: $5 to $7 cocktails and wine, share-plates and snacks ($5 grilled yellow beets, $8 beef tartare, $4 pickled vegetables) Tip: Hop over to the French Room’s happy hour once you’re done.
When: Monday through Friday from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. What: $4 wells, domestic bottles, draft beers, and house wine. Tip: This place is cool, dark, and literally underground; a good place to hide from the outside world.
When: Monday through Thursday from 5 p.m. until 7 p.m. What: $4 off izakaya menu items, $4 off select wines, $4 Bud Light and Lucky Buddha Beer. Tip: This is the best happy hour view in Dallas. Watch the sun set as you sip.
When: Monday through Friday from 4 p.m. until 6 p.m. What: $5 cocktails, $3 beer, and $8 wine. Tip: This is an ideal happy hour to hit in the Arts District before a performance at the Winspear.
When: Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. until 7 p.m. (all day Tuesday) What: $3 beers, $4 cocktails, $5 house wine. Food specials including $5 flatbreads, $5 hummus with pita, $5 stuffed jalapeños. Tip: One of the best places in Dallas to watch sports.
When: Tuesday through Thursday from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. What: $8 classic cocktails, $12 glasses of wine (red, white & sparkling), and $5 select beers. Appetizers: Maine Oysters with fennel and apple mignonette; cheese with honey and fruit preserves; ham and gruyere bread with cherry compote. Tip: Leave yourself some time to make City Hall Bistro’s happy hour.
When: Sunday through Thursday from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. What: $3.50 domestic pints, $5 house wines, $5 wells, $10 specialty cocktails. Tip: This is a terrific patio, and the closest large bar to the American Airlines Center.
When: Monday through Friday from 5 p.m. until 8 p.m. What: discounted cocktails like a Negroni ($8), Penicillin ($8), lemon and thyme Daiquiri ($8). Tip: This bar’s menu changes seasonally. Stick around after happy hour to try it.
When: Every day from 4 p.m. until 7 p.m. What: $5 cocktails, $6 and $7 wines by the glass, $4 Texas beers, discounts on snacks ($6 fries, onion rings, and olives, $10 club sandwich, $8 lump crab deviled eggs.) Tip: Head to the back of Bowen House after you’re done and grab a drink at Santos y Pecadores, the hidden mezcaleria (located just past the restrooms).
When: Monday through Friday from 5 p.m. until 7:30 p.m. What: $1 off craft cocktails, wine, and beer Tip: This longtime McKinney Ave. pub offers 30 percent off bottles of wine on Wednesdays.
When: all day Monday, Tuesday through Saturday from 5 p.m. until 8 p.m. What: Specialty cocktails for $4 to $7, $4 beer, $4 to $13 glasses of wine and champagne. Tip: They run happy hour specials anytime it’s raining.
When: Monday through Friday from 4 p.m. until 6:30 p.m. What: $6 specialty cocktails, $3 domestic beers, $6 house wine, $4 imported and draft beer. Tip: This patio is relaxing, shaded, and ideal for large groups.
When: Monday through Thursday from 4 p.m. until 7 p.m. What: $3 tapas, $12 pitchers of sangria, $12 bottles of featured wine, $4 wine by the glass, $4 sparkling wine, $3.50 wells, $3.50 beer. (For groups of 8 or less). Tip: Sit on the patio, it’s one of the coziest in Dallas.
When: Monday through Friday from 4 p.m. until 7 p.m. What: $5 cocktails and food specials Tip: On Wednesdays, stay for live music and a three-course meal.
When: Monday through Friday from 5 p.m. until 7 p.m. What: $2.50 Pearl Light and PBR, $4.50 wells, $5 queso, $6 wings Tip: Grab a complimentary magazine from the overflowing publication rack and take it to the patio.
When: Monday through Friday from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. What: half-price for select cocktails, featured wines, and select appetizers. Tip: Live music in the bar daily.
When: 5 p.m. until 6:30 p.m. every day What: discounted bites, including $6 spicy crunchy tuna sushi rolls, $3 avocado nigiri; $3 sake, $4 Sapporo, $7 wines by the glass. Tip: This happy hour in itself seems like a bonus; this is the best sushi in Dallas.
When: Monday through Friday from 3 p.m. until 7 p.m. What: $2 off cocktails, $1 off beers, half-off all bar food (including mango ceviche, Texas Wagyu-Angus sliders, crab-stuffed jalapeños). Tip: This happy hour is fancy enough to impress a date.
When: Sunday through Thursday from 4 p.m. until close What: $4 margaritas and $4 wells Tip: They give you not one, not two, but three complimentary salsas with your chips.
When: Every location is a bit different. But they all have happy hour. Our favorite location is in Uptown, happy hour there runs all day on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Sunday, and 11 a.m. until 6 p.m. on Fridays and Saturday. What: $5 house margaritas, $5 mojitos, $5 sangria, $6 house wine. Half-price bottles of wine are available Sunday through Thursday, all day. Tip: You can fill up on enough complimentary chips, salsa, and black bean dip to make a meal out of it.
When: all day Sunday through Tuesday; 3 p.m. until 7 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday. What: $3 select beers, $3.50 wells and house wine, $4 frozen cocktails, and $4.50 premiums and imports. Tip: This Maple Ave. bar offers a ramshackle basketball court on its patio, perfect for making new friends.
When: Monday through Friday from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. What: $6 margaritas, $3 beer, discounted wine and bites (dips, tacos, and tamales). Tip: Free chips and salsa here, too!
When: Monday through Thursday from 5 p.m. until 7 p.m., Friday from 4 p.m. until 6 p.m. What: $5 martinis, $5 wine by the glass, $1 off bottle beer. Tip: Catch a movie afterward; you can take your drink into the theater.
When: Sunday through Thursday from 4 p.m. until 7 p.m. What: half-priced signature cocktails and wines by the glass. Tip: Relax as the piano player serenades the room.
When: Monday through Friday from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. What: $9 signature cocktails, half-priced wines by the glass, $4 beers. On Mondays, Moët & Chandon Brut Impérial is offered by the bottle at half price. Tip: You’re drinking at one of the historically bougiest places in Dallas at a discounted rate.
When: Monday through Friday from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. What: $3 select cans, $4 select drafts, $6 featured wines, $6 featured craft cocktails. Tip: Have a burger while you’re here, it’s one of the best in town.
When: Specials on certain days, good deals on top-shelf each day. What: $5 margaritas on Wednesdays, half-prices sangria on Thursdays. In addition to those happy hour prices, $6 top-shelf liquor every day. Tip: Sit at the bar and the owner, who is almost always there, will treat you like you’re family.
When: 3 p.m. until 7 p.m. every day What: $6 small plates (deviled eggs, tacos, and smoked chicken wings), $9 grilled flatbread, $6 to $9 specialty cocktails, $6 beer, discount wines. Tip: You can get a burger with fries and a draft beer, wine, or cocktail for $14 during happy hour.
When: 3 p.m. until 8 p.m. every day, reverse happy hour Fridays and Saturdays from 8 p.m. until 10 p.m. What: $2.25 domestic longnecks, $2.25 wells Tip: Stick around for karaoke and two-stepping.
When: 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. daily What: Half-priced beer and wine by the glass. Tip: Pick up some fresh seafood to cook at home, or just have dinner in the store.
When: 10:30 p.m. to 1 a.m. (reverse happy hour) What: $2 select oysters, $3 beer, $6 specialty cocktails, $6 glasses of wine Tip: This is one of the best spots for oysters in town.
When: Monday from 4:30 p.m. to 8 p.m., Tuesday through Friday from 4:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. What: $3 select beers, $3 wells, featured monthly cocktail, half-priced wine by the glass (under $20). Bites: smoked salmon rillettes ($6), calamari ($6), braised lamb tartines ($7), mussels ($9). Tip: This Greenville Ave. stalwart is cozy and ideal for intimate conversations.
When: Tuesday through Friday from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., all day Monday What: $2.50 off specialty cocktails, $4 drafts, $4 wells, $3 off house wines Tip: This is one of the best beer selections in town.
When: Tuesday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Specials: $5 house wine, draft beer, and draft cocktails. Tip: The patio is shaded and cool in the summer. In the winter, it’s heated by a fire.
When: Monday through Friday from 3 p.m. until 7 p.m. What: fifty cents off everything Tip: Don’t scoff at these specials. The drinks are already cheap.
When: 4 p.m. until 9 p.m. Monday through Friday What: $3 wells and domestics Tip: Stick around for Bingo, DJs, and karaoke afterward (depending on the night).
When: Every day from 4 p.m. until 7 p.m. What: $1 off cocktails, beer, and wine Tip: Stick around for the Hungarian-style pub fare and occasional punk rock outside.
When: Tuesday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. What: $5 house wines, frozen cocktails, draft beer, and classic cocktails. Tip: This is one of the best rooftop patios in Dallas.
When: Every day from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. What: $6 to $7 cocktails, $2 off wine, $1 off beer. Discounted bites like a warm pretzel and queso ($5), pimento cheese fritters ($5), and savory garlic and rosemary popcorn ($2). Tip: The staff here knows their stuff. Ask about a cocktail and be prepared for a lengthy and technical explanation—hey, life is learning.
When: Sunday, Wednesday, and Thursday all night; Friday and Saturday from 5 p.m. until 8 p.m. What: $8 frozen mangonadas and margaritas, $1 off beer and wine, $2 off cocktails, $7 beer and a shot, $2 tacos, $3 chips and salsa, $5 quesadillas. Tip: These are some of the best quesadillas in town.
When: Monday through Friday from 4 p.m. until 7 p.m. What: $7 cocktails, $6 draft beer, $7 wines by the glass. Tip: The staff’s vinyl collection, spun on the record player in the back of the room, warms up the vibe.
When: Tuesday through Friday from 5 p.m. until 7 p.m. What: $5 wines by the glass and bites Tip: Take a bottle home with you at the 40 percent off table.
When: Every day from 4 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. What: $5 cocktails, $5 wine, $2 beer, $3 to $5 snacks (including beef cheek sliders, deviled eggs, boiled peanut hummus, scotch olives, and wings). Tip: Hop down the street to the Texas Theatre and catch a movie afterward.
When: daily from 3 p.m. until 6 p.m. What: $3 off all specialty drinks, $3 20-ounce domestic drafts, $4 twenty-ounce premium drafts Tip: Munch on the chicken-fried pepperoni while you’re here.
When: Monday through Friday from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. What: $3 domestic beers, $5 craft beer, $5 house wine, $5 margaritas. Tip: bowling, laser tag, rock-climbing, bumper cars, Mario Kart—need we say more?
When: Monday through Friday from 3 p.m. until 6 p.m. What: half-priced select wine and $5 bar bites. Tip: the staff here received Level 1 sommelier training, so don’t be afraid to ask about your wine.
When: Monday through Friday from 3 p.m. until 6 p.m. What: $2 off specialty cocktails, $4 house wines, $5 wells, $5 to $7 snacks ( tuna tostadas, beef jerky, beer-battered asparagus). Tip: Union Bear Brews are only $3 Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. until 6 p.m.
When: Monday through Friday from 3 p.m. until 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. until 11 p.m. What: $2 off all draft beer and cocktails, $5 Old Fashioneds Tip: An off-menu selection of bar bites is available during happy hour.
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When: Monday through Thursday from 5 p.m. until 7 p.m.
When: 5 p.m. until 6:30 p.m. every day
When: all day Sunday through Tuesday; 3 p.m. until 7 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday.
When: 3 p.m. until 7 p.m. every day
When: Every day from 4 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
When: Monday through Friday from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.
