Archive

September '10

"Los Angeles' Sexiest Happy Hours"

July '10

"WELCOME"

"The Happiest Tradition"

"Best Happy Hours in West Hollywood"

June '10

"There's More Than Booze in Bouzy"

"LA's Longest Happy Hours"

"The Secret is Out: Happy Hours at LA's Speakeasies"

May '10

"Classic LA Happy Hours"

Although busy Angelenos might dream of adding more hours to the day, we would no doubt just fill the extra time with more appointments, more errands and more projects. Perhaps a better idea is to wish for more happy hours in the day.

Consider this wish granted, because several establishments are extending their happy hour promotions well past the traditional evening time slot and offering discounted food and drinks from the early afternoon until deep into the night. People’s schedules are more chaotic than certain these days, and no matter what time it is, a cheap drink and some munchies go down as a win.

At Koda Sushi and Sake in on Sunset Boulevard in Silver Lake, happy hour runs from noon to 7PM, seven days a week with a long $4 menu of sushi rolls, Asian salads and fried appetizers as well as specials on beer and sake. Dine out front and watch the hipsters stroll by, eat inside at the sushi bar or relax out back on the covered patio.

Also on Sunset but worlds away in West Hollywood, Mirabelle offers an upgraded happy hour experience everyday from 4PM to 7PM, but on Mondays and Tuesdays happy hour runs from 4PM to midnight. In addition to $5 martinis, $3.50 cocktails and wine from $3.50 to $5, you can sample imported oysters for $1.50 and half-price appetizer items such as ahi tuna tartar and pizza margarita.

You might not expect a place as trendy as Chaya downtown to have a sweet happy hour, but this slick and polished restaurant offers $4-7 appetizers on Monday through Saturday from 5PM to close. Combining Japanese and French cuisines with unique art decorations and friendly service for their happy hour, Chaya also serves $3-7 sushi rolls, $5 cocktails, $6 glasses of wine and $4 Sapporo- and valet parking is free for the first four hours.

New and trendy not your bag? Try the McCormick & Schmick’s happy hour at their downtown location from 3PM to 10PM Monday through Friday. Their “famous” happy hour menu includes several $1.95 items such as fried zucchini and bruschetta, followed by $2.95 cheeseburgers, $3.95 chicken quesadillas and $4.95 steamed mussels. Beer and wine hover around $5 a glass and various cocktails are on special as well.

At South in Santa Monica between 3PM and 8PM on Monday through Friday you can enjoy happy hour eats and drinks; this New Orleans-themed restaurant is a step up from a sports bar and is where SoCal meets the Dirty South. Specials include $3 draft beers, $5 well drinks, $6 wine and a selection of half-price appetizers including wings, fries and nachos. Don’t miss “Recession Thursdays,” where you can indulge in $1 grilled cheese sandwiches, $2 sloppy joes and $2 “mystery shots.” South’s $4 deep-fried Twinkies are available at all hours.

Perhaps the longest and most ludicrous happy hour in all of LA is that of the Gold Room, which lasts all day Monday through Friday, noon until 2AM. At this Echo Park dive bar extraordinaire, for a mere $4 you can have the “Gold Room Special” that includes a shot of tequila, a draft PBR, some tacos and all-you-can-eat peanuts.

Whether you just got off work or just rolled out of bed, LA’s extended happy hours match Angeleno’s extended lives, and somewhere in this city an inexpensive drink and meal is waiting to make you happy.