It's Five O'clock Somewhere
We scout out happy hour in Houston.
Happy hours: Monday through Saturday from opening to 9 p.m.; all day on Sunday.
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Berryhill Baja Grill
2639 Revere St.
713-526-8080
Six years ago, this place was a tiny spot offering some of the best tamales in town. Then they built a patio, making it possible to stop by after work with a big group and have plenty of space. During happy hour, margaritas are $4.95, domestic beers are $2.50 and imports are $3.75. Berryhill doesn't have the best prices in town, but the atmosphere here is great and Berryhill continues to serve as an anti-chain chain.
Happy hours: Monday through Friday 4-7 p.m.
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2414 Southwest Fwy.
713-522-4420
There are enough margarita machines at Lupe Tortilla to make it look like one of those New Orleans pizza and daiquiri joints. Even when you're inside the bar here, there's an open-air feel that's great when the weather is nice. Or, with $1.50 drafts and $3 frozen margaritas, when the weather is bad, too. Don't let the location fool you; Lupe Tortilla is worth the trip.
Happy hours: Monday through Friday 3:30-6:30 p.m.
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Pappadeaux Seafood Kitchen
2410 Richmond
713-527-9137
The Pappas Empire has created a nice spot near Richmond and Kirby. The fountains and foliage make the patio feel secluded enough to enjoy cheap drinks and food and be far removed from the cars zipping by outside. And the bar inside the restaurant is big enough to make you feel removed from what might be a group of stuffy diners just a few feet away. Appetizers during happy hour start at $1.95, beers are $3 and margaritas are $4.
Happy hours: Monday through Friday 3-6:30 p.m.
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SPORTS BARS
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Sawyer Park
2412 Washington
713-863-9350
Asking for an upscale sports bar seems akin to asking for a ritzy Ford F-150 or a swanky Texas A&M baseball cap, but that's what Sawyer Park provides. More than that, though, it offers up a quality happy hour, with its already semi-amicably priced drinks available for $1 cheaper. Each night is also highlighted by a different post-happy hour surprise, be it Gong Karaoke! on Mondays, Bada Bingo! on Tuesdays or St. Arnold's Beer Night on Wednesdays.
Happy hours: Monday through Thursday 4-9 p.m.; Friday 4 p.m.-2 a.m.
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The Wet Spot
160 W. Gray
713-523-7768
If you walk into a place called "The Wet Spot," you've either entered a business that will almost certainly have pornography for sale, or you've walked into a sports bar with a casual, congenial, almost dive-bar atmosphere. This one is the latter. And with its $6 pitchers and $2 pints (along with $1 tacos on Mondays and 35 cent wings on Wednesdays), you'll be glad that it worked out that way. Unless you're a sex addict. Then you'd be pissed. Tiger Woods would hate this place.
Happy hours: Monday through Friday 3-7 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday 11 a.m.-4 p.m.
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Ernie's on Banks
1010 Banks St.
713-526-4566
Watching sports and drinking beer go together like, umm, watching sports and drinking beer. And though Ernie's doesn't offer the newest, nicest televisions or the biggest selection of drinks, what it does offer is a seamless mesh of a warm neighborhood bar (downstairs) with a non-corporatized sports bar (upstairs). Add to that its $3 domestics and $2.75 domestic drafts, and you've got yourself a can't-fail happy hour.
Happy hours: Monday through Friday 4-8 p.m.
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Mezzanine Lounge
2200 Southwest Fwy.
713-528-6399
Though this sports bar that doesn't sound like a sports bar offers happy hour all throughout the week, the best days to come are going to be either Tuesdays ($3 U-Call-Its, with its acclaimed Trivia Night following shortly after) or Thursdays ($3.50 Jaeger as well as some Italian liqueur called Tuaca that you should try at least once). Expect a fair assembling of folks from the area, with a few outside-the-Loop-ers ambling in.
Happy hours: Seven days a week 4-8 p.m.
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GAY BARS
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George
617 Fairview
713-528-8102
www.georgescountrysportsbar.com
"Your Country Sports Bar" will make you want to dip into your cliché arsenal and pull out that standard descriptor of all things non-douchey: "laid-back." Though situated on Fairview in the heart of the gayborhood, George lacks the pomp of Pacific Street places like South Beach. It's not exactly a sports bar and the jukebox isn't always playing country, but the staff and patrons are affable, and that's what really counts when you're looking to unwind after work without worrying about attitude.
Happy hours: Monday through Friday 3-9 p.m.
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Guava Lamp
570 Waugh Dr.
713-524-3359
Strip center location be damned, Guava Lamp video bar is stylish and, during happy hour, almost dangerously cheap. You can try a Tanqueray or Finlandia martini for $4 while you make conversation, or take in the music videos and movie clips playing on one of the bar's many TVs. Those martinis and $2.75 well drinks make the occasional Blue October video much easier to stomach.
Happy hours: Monday through Friday 4-8 p.m.
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The Usual
5519 Allen St.
281-501-1478
When you hear that whistle blowin', no need to hang your head and cry, just plug your ears for a second before getting back to drinking on the cheap. The Usual, a neighborhood newcomer next to the railroad track that runs parallel to Washington Avenue, is not a gay bar per se, and it's certainly not a sleazy pick-up spot. It is a welcoming sort of establishment, though, and a good portion of the clientele is comprised of women who prefer the company of other women. The beer-garden tables out front are a great place to drink discounted beer and well drinks during happy hour.
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