Washington has always been a big happy hour city, but in “this economy,” the idea of making it out of the office for a 5 PM weekday beerfest seems about as antiquated as the three-martini lunch. Don’t worry, overworked and underpaid boozers—the restaurant industry has your back. We’ve seen more happy hours than ever stretch into Saturday and Sunday, meaning you can still get your discount drink and food fix. An added perk: Plenty of these places have outdoor space, so you can enjoy your deals in the sun.
The Argonaut
While this H Street watering hole plans fun for every night of the week, dog owners and beer lovers are treated extra special on weekends.
Specials: Saturday brings the Argo-Mutts happy hour with beer specials for humans and free treats and water for dogs on the patio. Come Sunday, get beery with half-price drafts.
Hours: Saturday noon to 5 (patio only); Sunday 8 to close
Bedrock Billiards
Avoiding the rain (or the Death Star)? Head to this subterranean Adams Morgan billiards hall for discount brews.
Specials: $10 buckets of Bud and Bud Light on weekends.
Hours: Saturday and Sunday 1 to 7
Black Jack
A fun weekend plan: Hit up Jeff and Barbara Black’s Pearl Dive for a late brunch, then wander up the stairs for all-day Sunday happy hour and a few rounds of bocce. (Perk: you won’t fight the Saturday-night crowds.)
Specials: Half-price draft beers, pizzas, and Addie’s mussels; two-for-one oysters; $5 red, white, and sparkling wines.
Hours: Sunday 3 to close.
BlackSalt
For a more adult happy hour, plus a chance to try the restaurant’s dish sans the splurge, head to the Blacks’ Palisades spot.
Specials: A bar menu with discount bites such as oysters Rockefeller and Provençal seafood stew.
Hours: Saturday and Sunday 4 to 6 (and until 7 every other day) in the bar only
Black Whiskey
The Kushi team’s whiskey-and-beer bar is definitely the kind of place you want to hang at night, but get there early for food and drink deals and easy access to the vintage pool table.
Specials: $6 PBR-shot combos, $1 off draft beers, and $15 carvery plates such as suckling pig and two sides.
Hours: Tuesday through Sunday 5 to 6
Brickside Food & Drink
One of Bethesda’s newest bar-restaurants offers a range of deals, from daily happy hour to weekend specials.
Specials: You’ll find daily staple deals such as $2 “throwback” cans, $4 premium drafts, and half-price appetizers. Saturdays bring party-perfect specials like $5 shooters, while things get slightly calmer come Sunday, when a beer and a shot will run you $8.
Hours: Daily 4 to 7; Saturday and Sunday 8 to close (in the bar area only)
Chasin’ Tails
Nothing goes better with a bucket of spiced crawfish than beer—especially cheap, supersize beers.
Specials: $3.25 16-ounce drafts and $6 super mugs (34 ounces).
Hours: Friday, Saturday, and Sunday 3 to 7 (5 to 7 all other nights)
DC Reynolds
Not only does this relaxed neighborhood bar boast a new outdoor patio, it also serves two-for-one drinks. Date night: solved.
Specials: Buy any drink—seriously, any drink!—and get your second for free.
Hours: Monday to Saturday 5 to 9
Freddy’s Lobster & Clams
Bethesda’s beachy seafood shack does double duty on weekends with both a regular and a late-night happy hour.
Specials: $2.50 Bud Light, Miller Lite, and Natty Boh.
Hours: Daily 4 to 7; Saturday and Sunday 10 PM to 1 AM
Hank’s on the Hill
Late-night raw-bar happy hour with Gina Chersevani at the Eddy Bar? Sign us up!
Specials: Half-price freshly shucked oysters, clams, ceviche, and shrimp.
Hours: Daily 10 to midnight at the Eddy Bar. The bar also recently extended its hours to 1 AM on Friday and Saturday nights.
Kramerbooks & Afterwords
Miss bookstores? We do, too. Thankfully Kramers is still going strong in Dupont, so grab a new novel and head to the cafe for a no-frills happy hour—which you can even enjoy solo.
Specials: $5 beer, wine, and rail drinks.
Hours: Daily 4 to 7 in the cafe
Lyon Hall
Hankering for a late afternoon/early evening bite in Clarendon? Head to this Alsatian brasserie.
Specials: A special menu with lower-priced eats such as warm pretzels, fries, and a raclette-cheese-topped burger.
Hours: Daily, 3 to 7
Masa 14 and El Centro D.F.
These neighboring sister spots may seem entirely different—Masa is Asian-influenced, while El Centro leans more Mexican—but both boast daily happy hours and spacious rooftops.
Specials: $4 drinks at both, such as specialty cocktails and margaritas, as well as deals on small plates.
Hours: 5 to 7 daily at Masa’s bar and El Centro’s rooftop
1905
Sunny roof deck? Check. Nightly food-and-booze happy hour? Also check. Those hoping to avoid the sun can hole up at the indoor bar for happy hour.
Specials: $4 for almost all canned and bottled beer, $3 PBR tallboys, $4 rail drinks, and $3 bar snacks.
Hours: Daily 5:30 to 7:30 (not available in the dining room)
Piola
Unlike its Arlington sibling, the newest branch of the Italian pizza chain on 14th Street extends its extensive L’Aperitivo Italiano (meaning happy hour) to every day of the week.
Specials: $3 Peroni and Miller Lite, $4 glasses of house wine, $5 specialty cocktails, and the best yet: free snacks such as pizza and bruschetta.
Hours: Daily 5 to 8 in the bar only
Sidebar
Stop by Jackie’s neighboring bar for discounts on swanky cocktails before heading to the restaurant for dinner.
Specials: All cocktails are $6.
Hours: Monday through Saturday 5 to 7
Vendetta
The latest Italian addition to H Street brings two bocce courts and $5 Prosecco on tap.
Specials: House wines, beers like Peroni, and bubbly are all $5.
Hours: Daily 5 to 6
Vinoteca
Two outdoor spaces—a front patio and back garden equipped with a bar and bocce court—help keep the sun-worshiping crowds under control at this wine bar just off U Street.
Specials: Pick between numerous wines by the glass for $5, discount sangria glasses and pitchers, and snacks such as grilled calamari or house-made hot dogs and burgers.
Hours: Daily 5 to 7 on the patio and plaza
Wonderland Ballroom
The Columbia Heights bohemian beer garden is a great spot to relax with a cheap brew and a hot dog on lazy weekends.
Specials: $2 off draft beer, $1 off rail drinks, and $3 footlong hot dogs.
Hours: Daily 5 to 8
See also:
23 Great Bars With Outdoor Happy Hours
New Patio Alert: Donovan House Rooftop
Great Bars 2013
Anna Spiegel covers the dining and drinking scene in her native DC. Prior to joining Washingtonian in 2010, she attended the French Culinary Institute and Columbia University’s MFA program in New York, and held various cooking and writing positions in NYC and in St. John, US Virgin Islands.
