You don’t have to drain your bank account to have a great night out—you just have to know where to find the best deals.
At Recessions (202-296-6686), a no-frills bar in downtown DC, 28-ounce “King Kong” drafts are $4 during happy hour, Monday through Friday 5 to 8.
Start doing your rain dance: Adams Morgan dive Toledo Lounge (202-986-5416) rewards patrons with $2 drafts when the wet stuff is coming down.
Happy hour at Chef Geoff’s Downtown (202-464-4461) is a reader favorite. Wednesday through Sunday from 3 to 7 and Monday and Tuesday from 3 to closing, you can get 33.8-ounce mugs of beer for $7.95, longnecks for $2.95, and wine for $5.95. Burgers and pizza are discounted, too, and on Monday wine bottles are half price.
Feeling lucky? On Thursday night at the Mighty Pint (1831 M St., NW; 202-466-3010), bartenders flip a coin and let you call heads or tails. Get it right and your drink’s on the house. Also on Thursday: Mug Night at Whitlow’s on Wilson (703-276-9693). Buy a mug for $5 and get refills of Yuengling, Miller Lite, or Blue Moon for just $2.
Head to Asylum (202-319-9353) on Saturday night for the Asylum Insanity Light Countdown. Draft pours of the house beer are 50 cents starting at 5; they go up by 50 cents every hour until 11. My Brother’s Place (237 Second St., NW; 202-347-1350), a dive near Capitol Hill, hosts a similar deal: During Beat the Clock Fridays, domestic drafts are 75 cents starting at 4 and go up by a quarter every hour until 9.
Prefer wine instead? Every day from 5 to 7, the wine bar Vinoteca (202-332-9463) offers 20 wines by the glass for $5 each.
Panache (1753 Pinnacle Dr., McLean; 703-748-1919), a nice lounge in Tysons Corner, has deals galore. Monday through Friday from 4 to 8 and Saturday from 5 to 8, you can get martinis, cocktails, and wine for $5 and beer—ten labels are available—for $4. A $5 food menu includes a trio of sliders with fries and steamed mussels. Monday and Tuesday, bottles of wine are half price.
Ris (202-730-2500), an upscale eatery and bar in DC’s West End, is good for an after-work date. The Rush Hour bar menu, 4 to 6:30 weekdays, offers selected beers, wines, and cocktails for $4 to $6. Four shareable food options plus a daily small-plate special go for $6.30 each. Monday’s mini-meatloaf is a crowd favorite.
Bartenders at Bethesda’s Rock Bottom Brewery (7900 Norfolk Ave., Bethesda; 301-652-1311) serve house-brewed beers for $1.75 Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday from 5:30 to 7. Late-night specials—$3 beers and a $1 discount on premium cocktails—begin every night at 11.
Monday through Friday from 4 to 7 at CarPool (703-532-7665), you can get cheap draft beer: $2.75 for Miller Lite and $3.50 for Peroni, Blue Moon Seasonal, Magic Hat, Sierra Nevada, and Yuengling. The Ballston billiards bar also serves up half-price appetizers such as Buffalo wings, quesadillas, and mini-tacos.
