The 15 Best Happy Hour Deals in Houston

Get a buzz without breaking the bank.

Houston is a big, big city with many, many bars and restaurants, so it’s certain you can find a pretty good drink at a pretty fair cost pretty much anywhere, anytime. But that doesn’t mean you should settle for run-of-the-mill chips and watered down margs for your next happy hour. You could strive for something more, incentives like whiskey smashes and chicharrones, cheap craft beers and local oysters, and live jams paired with boozed-up ranch waters, instead. Whether you’re grabbing drinks with your coworkers, friends, a first date, or your dog, here’s where to score the best HH deals in H-Town.

When: Monday - Friday, noon - 5 pm
Houston’s coolest cocktail bar has some big name talent behind it, including industry vets Bobby Heugel and Justin Yu. That means you're going to be in for some damn fine food and drink, all of which taste that much better when you’re getting it for a steal. Weekday happy hour means every single one of BLT’s crazy good cocktails (and beers and wine) are half-off. Pair a Better Luck Amaro or Salted Melon Ranch Water with daily specials including Pasta Tuesday and Steak Night Wednesday (perhaps the best steak night in the city, IOHO).
How to book: Stop by for first come, first served seating or order takeout via Toast.

Little Woodrow's

Various locations

When: Daily specials vary by locations
With watering holes dotting the city, Houston’s favorite patio sports bar is any easy "yes" for happy hour with friends. Each Woody’s outpost rocks its own set of daily specials, including but not limited to awesome things like Texas Tuesdays, Throw-BOCK Thursdays, Ranch Water Sundays, Cornole Tourneys, and Steak and Trivia Nights. If you’re in Midtown and it’s a Thursday spring or summer eve, make sure you stick around for Turtle Racing.
How to book: Stop by for first come, first served seating.

When: Monday - Friday, 2 pm - 6 pm
This Uchi x Franklin Barbecue collab is known to draw a crowd, but visit the fast-casual Asian Smokehouse for an off-peak happy hour sesh and you can treat yourself to $4 - 5 drinks from craft brews and tap wines to Yuzu Spritz and Boozy Slushees, special HH bites like Smoked Salmon Dip and Brisket Tostadas, and its must-have Loro Cheeseburger. For bonus points, you’ll also want to check out the Sake Social Hour at sibling establishment Uchi over in Montrose. That’s when you can experience the exceptional sushi and cocktails while simultaneously keeping your wallet in one piece.
How to book: Stop by for first come, first served seating or order takeout via Toast.

Available for Delivery/Takeout

When: Monday, open - close; Tuesday - Friday, open - 7 pm
You can take a trip to Palm Springs without leaving lower Westheimer at this funky getaway and patio bar. The indoor-outdoor spot is an influencer's dream, with endless photo backdrops and bright boozy beverages served in La Croix cans to boot. Happy hour brings all kinds of fun in the form of $5 select wines, $15 select wine bottles, $1 off drafts, $3 domestics, and $6 - $7 select bites and pizzas; and there are daily specials including all-day happy hour Monday and drink specials with ‘80s jams onThursday to keep you on your toes all week long.
How to book: Stop by for first come, first served seating or reserve a table/cabana online.

Trash Panda Drinking Club
Dylan Scardino | Trash Panda Drinking Club

Trash Panda Drinking Club

Northside Village

When: Monday - Friday, 4 pm - 7 pm
This Lindale Park cocktailery is as grungy as it is good. Hit it for weekday happy hour to unleash your inner Trash Panda via $2 off Original Cocktails like the Cognac and cereal milk spiked Cereal-Killer, $7 Refreshing & Bright and Stirred & Boozy Classics, and $1 off draft beers and wines. You’ll want to add some edibles, of course such as $6 Mini Quesabirria Tacos, $8 Chips & Queso, and $4 Sprouts.
How to book: Stop by for first come, first served seating.

Available for Reservations

Monkey’s Tail

Northside Village

When: Monday - Friday, 4 pm - 7 pm
You can get all the laid-back feels at this casually cool, Mexican-American cocktail dive, where you can sip a Tecate, smash a house Chango Burger, and drink wine straight from the can just as easily as you can get one helluva craft cocktail. During happy hour, specialty drinks like the Oaxacan Old Fashioned and Frozen Margs are $6, bottled and canned beer are $1 off, and all wines by the glass are $2 off. Additional daily specials range from Monday Steak Night to Dollar Dogs on Tuesdays.
How to book: Stop by for first come, first served seating or order takeout via Toast.

Available for Delivery/Takeout

The Rustic

Downtown

When: Daily, 3 pm - 6 pm
It almost feels like you’re stealing when you’re knocking back the Rustic’s delicious house margaritas for only $5 apiece. Hit the sprawling indoor-outdoor spot at happy hour to pack ‘em in along with some $5 Wild Boar Meatballs, Cracklin’ Deviled Eggs, and Chipotle Garlic Queso. Once you're properly fed and quenched, stick around for more fun times, which just may include live musical acts from around the country.
How to book: Stop by for first come, first served seating or order takeout online.

Night Shift

East End

When: Monday - Friday, 4 pm - 6 pm
An homage to those that work the early shift, the late shift, or just a damn hard shift, Night Shift is a favorite among both industry vets and locals looking for a solid drink. Stop by for a pre-shift Space Tango or Guava de Frida at half-off, and pair ‘em with Chicharrones, “Gas Station” Burritos, and Boozy Churros.
How to book: Stop by for first come, first served seating.

When: Tuesday - Friday, 4 pm - 7 pm
With a sprawling patio and 5,000-square-foot open floor plan garnished with crystal chandeliers, antique mirrors, a super cool LED TV matrix, and a ready-to-party crowd, this is the kind of place you come to get wound up. Happy hour brings $7 house wines and wells, $1 off drafts, and $2 off specialty cocktails, alongside discounted eats from Calabrian Chili Wings to Gulf Oysters.
How to book: Stop by for first come, first served seating.

When: Wednesday - Friday, open - 7 pm
Set in a restored 1903 bungalow with a bright and inviting patio, this sister concept to Cottage Grove hangout Down the Street is way cooler than whatever happens to be around your corner (unless you do, in fact, live around the corner from here). Happy hour prices run alongside unbeatable daily specials, including pop-up Bingo Nights and a Thursday Steak Night you don’t want to miss.
How to book: Stop by for first come, first served seating.

Cottonwood

Garden Oaks/Oak Forest

When: Daily specials Tuesday - Sunday
Tap takeovers, free live music, seasonal crawfish boils, rotating food trucks, a stellar whiskey collection, and over 40 craft beers on tap are just a few of the reasons to head to this GOOF-area crowd-pleaser. A massive patio complete with picnic tables, corn hole, fire pits, and what generally appears to be the city’s entire population of dogs are but a few more. The house is constantly running specials (best to keep up via Facebook), including but not limited to Taco Tuesday, a badass Thursday Steak Night, and Weekend Warrior deals on mimosa carafes and draft pitchers.
How to book: Stop by for first come, first served seating.

When: Monday - Friday, 2 pm - 6 pm
In a city of epic patio bars, Eight Row Flint might just win gold. It regularly draws in a mix of regulars and neophytes, even more so during happy hour, when select local brews go for $4.50 each and serious house cocktails including Old Fashioneds, Margaritas, Mules, and Palomas are $6.50. Like whiskey? Good. There are over 100 varieties to choose from, and you can up your game by ordering a Cheap Thrill—a shot of Jim Beam Black, Wild Turkey 81, Ilegal Mezcal, or Pueblo Viejo Blanco Tequila—for $3.50 any damn time you please (not to mention the option to throw in a Lonestar for $1.50 or White Claw for an additional four bucks).
How to book: Stop by for first come, first served seating or order takeout via Toast.

Available for Delivery/Takeout

King's Bierhaus

Lazybrook/Timbergrove

When: Monday - Friday, 3 pm - 6 pm
Snag a shaded seat on one of the most pleasant patios in Houston (or a bench in the air-conditioned beer hall), then pick your poison between $5 half-liters of German liquid gold and $7 house cocktails like the schnapps-kissed King’s Cauldron and patio-perfect Blackberry Bourbon Limeade. Next, tack on Giant Bier Pretzels, Bavarian Fried Pickles, and gooey Mac and Cheese Balls, all also $5. Prost. Rinse. Repeat.
How to book: Stop by for first come, first served seating or order takeout via Toast.

Available for Delivery/Takeout

When: Monday - Friday, 3 pm - 6:30 pm
Come for the petiscos (the Portuguese cousin to Spanish tapas) and stay for the cheap drinks, with Caipirinhas, sangria, and house wines for $6 a glass (or $20 a carafe, which we highly suggest). The sexy space is intimate enough for a date, but buzzy enough for a big group. Get shared plates you may not actually want to share, like $9 Crispy Fried Squid and $10 Piri Piri Wings and Picante Pizzas.
How to book: Book via Resy or order takeout via Toast.

Available for Reservations

La Lucha

Shady Acres

When: Daily, open - 6 pm
During this joint’s daily happy hour, oysters are a cool $1.50 a shuck while Great Heights ‘Lager-ish’ will set you back just $3 each. That’s pretty much all you need to know, but if you want to know a little more, let it be the fact that you should stick around post-happy hour for some of the best damn fried chicken in town, crisp as all hell and served with buttery biscuits, sambal honey, jam, and house pickles.
How to book: Book via OpenTable or order takeout online.

Available for Reservations
Brooke Viggiano is a Houston-based writer who refuses to pay full price for whiskey and tacos. Unless it’s not happy hour, then whatever, she’ll pay it. Find out more truths @BrookeViggiano or @brookiefafa on IG.