|
|
|
Q:
What are the top twenty happy hours in Las Vegas? How many of these places have a reverse happy hour?
A:
That's a tough one, since "best" is always so subjective and depends on what you're looking for in your happy hour. Quantity or quality? Cheap beer or exotic cocktails? Tempting appetizers? Late-night specials? Assuming a mix of all of the above, we'll pick 20 from across the spectrum, listed in no particular order, that either we know from personal experience are good, or that certainly sound good. Feel free to send us your feedback about these or any other happy hours around town that we don't know about. Or that we know about but wanted to keep to ourselves ... Nah! We wouldn't do that. We love cheap beer so much, we want to share it with everyone!
#1 As we're talking about happy hours, we have to start with the "happiest place on earth" and official birthplace of the bacon martini, namely the Double Down Saloon. Conveniently located out by the airport for that "welcome to fabulous Las Vegas" ice-cold beer or that "one a** juice for the road" final fling, happy hour here runs from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. daily (no wonder it's so happy!) and features $3 well drinks, $2.50 beers, and $3 shots of that infamous *ss juice house brew, which, according to the jovial bar tender we spoke with, consists of 5 shots of various liquors, 2 shots of juice, and "looks a little cloudy, but it's cheap and effective." Can't say fairer than that.
#2 Gentlemen's clubs are a sure bet for happy hours, with every joint we contacted offering some kind of special, from drastically reduced/free covers to booze and snack specials. It's tough to pick just one, so we'll suggest the $15 all-you-can-drink from 2 p.m.-5 p.m. at Minxx, $3.50 well domestic/well drinks from 7 a.m.-7 p.m., plus a free lunch buffet daily at Play It Again, Sam, and free drinks from 4 p.m.-6 p.m. daily, plus free buffet from 4 p.m.-8 p.m. at Treasures as being among some of the best values.
#3 Sticking with the quantity over quality theme, Blondies Bar & Grill in the Miracle Mile shops offers $10 all-you-can-drink draft Miller Lite and well drinks from 4 p.m.-6 p.m. daily. Good place to catch sports events, with lots of big screens. And beer pong. And shopping.
#4 The Pink Taco at the Hard Rock has a happy hour from Mon-Fri, 4 p.m.-7 p.m., with 2-for-1 margaritas (not the best, but good enough) and beer, plus ½-off appetizers. Good deal.
#5 If you're downtown, there are a number of options, notably the sidebar on 3rd Street, which also has complimentary valet parking. Daily drink specials available from 3 p.m.-6 p.m. include $2 beers, $3 well drinks, $5 "martini of the day," and three glasses of wine for $12.
#6 Enjoy ½ price on all martinis, cocktails, beer, and sake by the glass, plus select appetizer items at Sapporo, as featured in a recent issue of LVA. This sushi joint on the west side of town (9719 W Flamingo Rd.) hosts a happy hour from 4-7 p.m. daily, plus reverse happy hour beginning daily at 10 p.m., with all the same food and drink specials. Worth traveling for.
#7 If it's cheap beer you're after, O'Sheas on the Strip offers $1 beers from Mon.-Thurs., 2 p.m.-8 a.m., with $2 beers on the weekend.
#8 Next up comes a trio in the Fashion Show Mall, first featured in the May 2005 LVA and still going strong. Maggiano's offers a happy hour from Mon-Fri, 4 p.m.-6:30 p.m., with $1.95 appetizers (try the pizza) and ½-price drinks (we had good Stoli martinis last time we tried it).
#9 The happy hour at Café Ba-Ba Reeba runs from 4 p.m. until 7 p.m., again Mon.-Fri., so check out Maggiano's first, since it ends earlier. Specials here include $3 tapas and ½-off sangria -- they serve red and white and they're both good.
#10 Last up in this trio comes Ra Sushi, next door to Ba-Ba Reeba, which also has happy hour from 4-7 p.m. weekdays, with ½-price appetizers, $1 hot sake, and $2.75 Bud Lite. Sundays feature a reverse happy hour, with an alternative selection of discounted menu items, plus drink specials, served from 8 p.m.-midnight.
#11 With multiple locations all over town, you're never far away from a PT's, where you can find $2 well and domestic drinks Mon.-Fri. from 4 p.m.- 6 p.m. and again from 4 a.m.- 6 a.m.
#12 The Silverton is literally awash with happy hours. Highlights include $1 domestic and $2 premium draft beers and half-price appetizers in the Shady Grove Lounge from 4 p.m.-7 p.m., which also features "Margarita Mondays" ($4 popcorn shrimp, $1 margaritas, $2 Coronas), "Taco Tuesdays" (50¢ tacos and 2-for-1 domestic beers), "Wing Wednesdays" (25¢ wings, $1 Bud and Bud Lites), "Thirsty Thursdays" (50¢ taquitos, $5 buckets of domestic beer bottles), "Get Goosed Fridays" ($2 chili cheese-fries-days, $2 Grey Goose drinks/shots, $2 premium beer bottles). Also check out Mi Casa Grill Cantina: $2 chips and guacamole, $2 flautas, $3 nachos, $3 calamari, $1 margaritas, $1 Patron shots, $1 Sol bottled beer; and the Mermaid Restaurant & Lounge, where all drinks are ½-price, plus ½-off crab cakes, wings, fries, and ... wait for it ... $1 deep-fried Twinkies.
#13 This is an interesting one and more for locals than the occasional visitor, but worth including because it's totally free! Local nightlife Web site spyonvegas.com hosts a an event called Open Bar and that's exactly what it is. It takes place nearly every night of the year at a different venue and features a different beverage each time. That drink is available for free to all from 7 p.m.-10 p.m. (or 6 p.m.-9 p.m.) or until supplies run out. Examples of recently featured venues/drinks include: Stack (Mirage)/Grey Goose vodka; Las Vegas Lounge (Hard Rock)/Tequila Sauza; Voodoo Lounge (Rio)/Cruzan Rum; Buffalo Wild Wings (Henderson venue)/Stoli vodka; Flamingo pool/10 Cane rum. Visit the "Events" section on their Web site for up-to-date info. about upcoming Open Bar events.
#14 Next on the list is a foodie happy hour. No discounts on booze, but
McCormick & Schmick's Seafood Restaurant (335 Hughes Center Dri.) features a happy hour from from 3:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. and a reverse happy hour from 9:30 p.m. to 11 p.m. Monday-Friday with $1.95 appetizers. The menu changes daily but to give you an idea, the day we called the delicacies on offer included a New York-style cheeseburger with fries, truffle risotto bites, salmon sashimi, iceburg lettuce wedge with bleu cheese dressing, and steamed black mussels in a spicy pomodoro sauce. Yum. Located at the corner of E. Flamingo and Paradise.
#15 Every hour's a happy hour at the Slanted Clam (3713 W. Sahara at Valley View), where they serve $1 draft beer and $3 well drinks 24/7.
#16 Recently drawn to our attention as a good downtown late-night play, the Triple 7 Brewpub at Main Street Station also has a decent happy hour weekdays from 3-6 p.m., with $1 house wines, $1.50 well drinks, $4.25 chicken wings, 20-piece peel and eat shrimp, quesadillas, or cheesy garlic bread.
#17 Another good Japanese happy hour play is Cafe Wasabi (7365 W. Sahara at Tenaya), where from 4-6 p.m. Monday through Friday they serve $2.75 large Asahi beers (normally $7), $1.75 white wine ($6.25), and small hot sakes for 75¢ ($4). The food here is good, too. Likewise Musashi (3900 Paradise Rd.), where they offer 2-for-1 cocktails daily from 5 p.m.-7 p.m. and 12 p.m.-4 a.m., plus, from 12 a.m.-4 a.m. daily they serve a selection of appetizers for $3.50 (normally $5.75).
#18 An Asian-fusion option is the Kona Grill (375 S. Rampart), which has been voted "Best Happy Hour" in several reader polls, including AOL and Citysearch. Happy hour is offered Monday-Friday from 3 p.m. until 7 p.m., with a reverse happy hour Monday through Thursday from 10 p.m.-midnight and from 11 p.m.-1 a.m. Friday and Saturday. Specials include a range of half-price sushi rolls, pizzas, and appetizers, plus 50% off selected beers, martinis, and margaritas.
#19 With various locations around the valley, including at 8168 Las Vegas Blvd. S., Steiner's Pubs have also been the recipients of various happy hour accolades. From 3 p.m.-5 p.m. they offer 1/2-price appetizers, with numerous drink specials from 4 p.m.-7 p.m. nightly, including dollar shots, $2 beers (bottles and draft), $2 Long Island Iced Teas, and $3 premium well drinks.
#20 Our final pick is a very exclusive by-invitation-only happy hour, and happens to be our favorite, both price-wise -- it's free -- and for convenience -- it's in our office! Yes, at the end of a long day calling around harried casino buffets and grumpy poker rooms, there's nothing like chilling on Anthony Curtis' office balcony, watching the sun go down and the lights come up on the Strip, with a plastic cup of cold Stella Artois in your hand, courtesy of the beer keg in our conference room. Happy? It's positively delerious!
|
|