Unsurprisingly the drinks usually take center stage when talking about happy hour, but we’ve rounded up some of the best happy hours in LA for food, the unsung hero of every discount drinking session.
Bacari GDL
We’ve talked before about how much we love this restaurant and its amazing 90-minute open bar option for just $25, but their traditional happy hour is just as generous. Offered daily from 2:30 pm until 6:30 pm, you get $8 well cocktails, $7 house wine or housemade sangria, or the $6 pilsner. The pizzas are $12 and the cicchetti, small Venetian-style plates, are only $8. Eight dollars for things like five cheeses, basil-walnut pesto, and micro bulls blood heaped onto cremini mushrooms. Or the Gorgonzola Tripoline, which is a house made pasta dish with zucchini, calabrese pepper, and crushed pistachios. The pizzas are truly perfect and the Chorizo Pizza is a great afternoon pick-me-up, with housemade tomatillo salsa and queso frescho. Even their famous Bacari Burger is on the happy hour menu: an open faced burger with tomato, caramelized onion, Worcestershire aioli, and topped with fried egg.
Terra Cotta
Koreatown is no stranger to happy hour deals, but if you want a dash of glamour and sophistication, head straight to Terra Cotta. Housed in the famed Pellissier Building, it’s a modern take on deco opulence and a mélange of culinary traditions, like Japanese, and Latin American with Korean as the base. Happy hour is Monday through Friday from 5-7, so plan accordingly because you won’t want to miss their $1 oysters served with Korean pear mignonette and kimchi cocktail sauce. They have 24 craft beers to choose from, craft cocktails using house made ingredients, and an incredible wine list. Don’t despair if you miss the happy hour though– their bar menu is worth staying for: served until 2 am courtesy of Chef Danny Ye, you get delicious dishes like Mini-Kalbi Tacos ($9 for three), a Spatchcock (a whole chicken split and cooked laid flat) Chicken with Korean Moo for just $24 or go for the tapas option, which is a collection of Chef Ye’s favorites for just $19. You’ll still be very happy.
Esters Wine Shop & Bar
Come for the happy hour and take some wine home. Located in Santa Monica, Esters has started offering happy hours from 4 pm to 6 pm Monday through Saturday. The restaurant slash wine shop has always been known for its carefully curated wine selections (usually from small vineyards), their fantastic, seasonal menu thanks to Chef Jeremy Fox, and interesting, boozy events. You can get sandwiches to go, or stay at the bar and choose between wine, craft cocktails, or craft beers. During happy hour, house wines are $9, daily beer choices are just $5 and the specialty cocktail of the day is $8. Food wise, you could opt for the half dozen oysters for just $15 or a charcuterie plate for the same price. Obviously, they have a cheese plate, too! Other artisanal snacks include lavender almonds, curry cashews, and olives.
Plan Check Downtown
Plan Check has a couple of delicious locations and they’ve just launched a new happy hour menu. The food is described as modern American comfort food, which sums it up: interesting twists on craveable dishes, a great whiskey menu, and of course, craft beers. It definitely has the whole American ingenuity thing down as they created something called Ketchup Leather that keeps your burger from getting soggy that must be seen and tasted to be believed. But, happy hour! It’s Monday through Friday from 4 pm to 7 pm, and offers a ¼ slab of Korean-style BBQ ribs for just $8, Chicken and Waffle Sliders at just $5, which is served with a spicy pimento cheese, or try the Chorizo Chili Sloppy Joes at $5. This is the hearty American happy hour.
