Category: Eat & Drink

Drunk O'Clock: Los Angeles Happy Hours

By GillianS
updated about 1 month ago

I will be the first to admit that the pleasures of holding a 9 to 5 office job are few and far between. Getting up early. Commuting. Intolerant bosses. Passive-aggressive emails. It sucks and sometimes it's all I can do to not pull an Office Space and just stop coming in. But one of the few things that make a job worthwhile (besides like, paying the bills without resorting to sugardaddy.com) is HAPPY HOUR. Happy Hour is the magical event wherein you and your friends or co-workers meet after work for cheap drinks and even cheaper bar food. It's always the start to a fun evening.

Sushi Roku Pasadena

33 Miller Aly, Pasadena, CA 91103

Discounted sake, wine and some concoction called “Vodka fusion” drew me to this Pasadena sushi place that would normally be out of my price range. But I keep coming back for the small tasty plates of things like Shrimp Tempura Rolls, Sauteed Green Beans and Chicken Skewers. All of this served in a really classy atmosphere with low tables and suede cushions. It’s practically like being in Japan!

I’ve never been to Japan

HAPPY HOURS: Monday, 5PM-Close, Tuesday-Friday, 5PM-7:30PM

I’ve never been to Japan

HAPPY HOURS: Monday, 5PM-Close, Tuesday-Friday, 5PM-7:30PM

Acapulco Mexican Restaurant & Cantina

4444 W Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90027

Yes, Acapulco is cheesy (and that’s not just the food!) and I usually get pretty bad service, but their happy hour menu is a pretty good deal and really hits the spot if you’re craving gooey, greasy Mexican food. Exact hours vary by location, but it’s usually 4PMish-7PMish.

And don’t forget about Margarita Mondays—$2.25 Margaritas!

The Woods

1533 N. La Brea Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90028

This dark and hip Hollywood bar, conspicuously located in a stripmall on La Brea, has a rare Late Night Happy hour, every night from 8PM to 10PM. This means $3 Well Drinks and $4 Martinis, plus plenty of time to get from your day job to your night job—being drunk!

Daily Grill

612 S Flower St, Los Angeles, CA 90017

A $2.95 appetizer menu with mini-cheeseburgers (happy hour = mini-food = awesome) and calamari, $2 Draft Beers and $5 Well Drinks draw a downtown after work crowd to this L.A. chain.

HAPPY HOURS: 4PM-7PM Weekdays, 5PM-7PM Weekends

A $2.95 appetizer menu with mini-cheeseburgers (happy hour = mini-food = awesome) and calamari, $2 Draft Beers and $5 Well Drinks draw a downtown after work crowd to this L.A. chain.

HAPPY HOURS: 4PM-7PM Weekdays, 5PM-7PM Weekends

McCormick & Schmick's

633 W 5th St Los Angeles, CA 90071

The Happy Hour at this downtown seafood restaurant, as well as its locations in Pasadena and Beverly Hills, is famous throughout L.A. Though only a few of the drinks are discounted, the bar menu is much higher quality than average happy hour munchies. Everyone’s favorite is the burger and fries – a thick, juicy burger with all the fixins and fries (you can’t really fuck up fries) – for $1.95. Yeah. LESS THAN TWO BUCKS. In these hard economic times, you can’t beat a deal like that. The downtown location hosts its happy hour in the bar area that’s noisy and is always packed with young professionals who work in the neighborhood and USC students who love cheap food. Fun atmosphere, cheap food, ‘SC girls. Do you need more convincing?

HAPPY HOURS: 3:30PM – 7PM, 9PM-11PM, 3:30 to close on Mondays

L Scorpion

6679 Hollywood Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90028

Sexy, red and full of tequila, like GillianS on a typical Friday night.

But seriously, this tequila bar in Hollywood has half price drinks and “Latin-themed”(??) food from 6PM to 8PM Monday through Sunday.

Sexy, red and full of tequila, like GillianS on a typical Friday night.

But seriously, this tequila bar in Hollywood has half price drinks and “Latin-themed”(??) food from 6PM to 8PM Monday through Sunday.

3rd Stop

8636 W 3rd St Los Angeles, CA 90048-3323

This pub is a stop on your way from the eastside to the westside. Their popular happy hour has drink specials and dirt cheap (but not dirt-tasting) food from 5PM to 7PM on weeknights. Bustling but not uptight, just good clean happy hour fun. Well, maybe not that clean…

Cha Cha Lounge

2375 Glendale Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90039

Yeah, the Cha Cha, everyone’s favorite pseudo-tiki hipster bar in Silverlake, has a regular Happy Hour from 5PM-9PM every day (all day Sunday) but that’s nothing compared to Tuesdays where they have $1.50 PBR (Pabst Blue Ribbon if you’ve been living under a rock) and FREE FOOSBALL ALL NIGHT!

Casey's Bar & Grill

613 S Grand Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90017

This downtown pub has happy hour daily with traditional Irish cheap food like Lamb Sliders and Mini-quesadillas. Ok, maybe not so traditional. But cheap beer, house wine and a discount on their extensive Irish Whiskey list. You can also get a drink called a Skinny Pirate for only $6—Rum and Diet Coke. What is it with downtown and pirates?

HAPPY HOURS: 4PM-7PM Daily

Edison Downtown

108 W 2nd St Apt 915, Los Angeles, CA 90012

The Edison is uber-fancy and usually far out of my price range, but on Thursday nights, from 5PM-7PM, you can get a martini here for $.35. That’s thirty-five CENTS. Less than Half a Dollar. Amazing Deal. Just don’t let them trick you into sticking around or it won’t be worth it. Instead, cruise to one of the cheaper downtown bars – Bar 107 and Redwood are both just around the corner.

Fiesta Cantina

8851 Santa Monica Blvd, West Hollywood, CA 90069

At this festive gay bar in WeHo (no, not that one…no, not that one either…there you go!) they offer 2 for 1 drinks from 4PM to 8PM daily. Order one drink, they serve you two! This is worth braving unisex bathrooms. I think.