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A plate of oysters on the half shell.
Oysters at Le Coin
Harry Cheadle

Seattle Happy Hours That Will Make You Ecstatic

Where to get discounted drinks and bites

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Oysters at Le Coin
| Harry Cheadle

Twenty years ago or so, Seattle happy hours were legendary — $1 gourmet sliders! Oysters for 25 cents! Now, though happy hour traditions have come back as the city has returned to indoor dining post-lockdowns, it’s not easy to find truly special specials.

That’s why this map exists — it’s a guide to some of the restaurants and bars that are doing happy hour exceptionally well, either through serious discounts on their usual offerings or through happy hour–only items. These are places where the Italian tradition of aperitivo, where you basically have an entire (light) meal as the opening act for dinner. And at many of these restaurants, it’s worth staying for dinner too.

As usual, this list is not ranked but organized geographically. If there’s a happy hour we should know about, please email seattle@eater.com.

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Il Nido

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Mike Easton sold this Italian destination at the Alki Homestead in 2022 to employees Cameron Williams and Katie Gallego, who is the restaurant’s chef. The new ownership hasn’t changed much, including the “aperitivo hour” from 4 to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, which includes spritzes and other drinks, plus snacks such as antipasto.

Wes Yoo’s Ballard Korean institution does a lot — it’s a lunch bowl takeout spot by day, a dinner destination by night (now with a bar-only tasting menu), and in the in-between hours of 4 to 6 p.m. it hosts a happening happy hour with $5 draft beers, $2 off cocktails, and a selection of small plates like the $6 roasted potatoes (a robbery) and an $11 jeon, a Korean pancake Wero serves with seasonal vegetables.

FlintCreek Cattle Co

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This meat-driven destination steakhouse in Greenwood offers one of the most tantalizing happy hours in town from 4 to 5:30 p.m. daily. It’s the only time they offer their blue cheese butcher burger, a meal in itself and a steal at $10, and an even more enticing option when accompanied by an $8 Tom Collins or a few $5 beers.

Le Coin

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This Fremont French restaurant has an extensive, extensive happy hour menu. Crispy fried pig ears for $10? Fries (frites) with bone marrow aioli for $5? A grilled lamb shoulder for $12? Caviar for $50? We usually settle on the half-price oysters. Wash it all down with a cocktail like the Hammock, which has rye, bannana liquor, grappa, and bitters.

A plate of oysters on the half shell.

Kin Len Thai Night Bites

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This colorful and lively Thai spot in Fremont has a lengthy happy hour, from 3-6 p.m. and 9 to 10 p.m. daily. On the menu are discounts on delectable snacks like crispy mussel omelette, larb chicken, boat noodles, and Draper Valley wings with tamarind dipping sauce. Well drinks and certain cocktails (such as lychee martinis) are $7.

Kokkaku

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This Wallingford Japanese grilled meat specialist has one of the last remaining oyster happy hours selling the bivalves for less than $2 a pop. From 4:30 to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, oysters go for $1.75, baguette sandwiches cost $5, and the $6 drink menu includes draft beer, sake, and cocktails such as the Japanese 75 with yuzu.

Rapport Seattle

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Capitol Hill’s self-pour wine and beer bar has an all-day menu that includes a daily happy hour from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. There’s a 20 percent discount on a variety of excellent self pour selections, plus some reduced prices on small bites, such as wild salmon sliders, confit chicken wings, and vegetarian flatbreads.

Japanese Izakaya specialist Rondo serves a daily “Hiru-nomi,” or “day drinking” menu from 2 to 5:30 p.m. daily. There are a ton of discounts here, like a $16 whiskey flight, a $16 bento box, and a $10 special with a Sapporo, sake, and three chef’s choice appetizer. What??

Mamma Melina Ristorante & Pizzeria

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The Varchetta Brothers long ruled happy hour in Seattle (Barolo, List, Cinque Terre), and that remains the same at their U District classic, where the steep discounts run all day on Sunday and Monday, from 3 to 6 p.m. daily, plus for an hour in the evening (8 to 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 9 to 10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday). The entire bar food menu is 50 percent off, bottles of the house red, white, and rosé are $26, and well drinks are $8 each, plus you can get a bottle of Veuve Clicquot for $60.

Vietnamese restaurant Ba Bar serves happy hour at its original Capitol Hill restaurant from 1 to 5 p.m. daily, and from 2 to 5 p.m. at the South Lake Union outpost (Monday through Saturday), and the U Village location (weekdays). The restaurant knocks a few bucks off cocktails, and serves up discounted snacks like crispy imperial rolls and the excellent Sài Gòn wings.

Il Nido

Mike Easton sold this Italian destination at the Alki Homestead in 2022 to employees Cameron Williams and Katie Gallego, who is the restaurant’s chef. The new ownership hasn’t changed much, including the “aperitivo hour” from 4 to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, which includes spritzes and other drinks, plus snacks such as antipasto.

WeRo

Wes Yoo’s Ballard Korean institution does a lot — it’s a lunch bowl takeout spot by day, a dinner destination by night (now with a bar-only tasting menu), and in the in-between hours of 4 to 6 p.m. it hosts a happening happy hour with $5 draft beers, $2 off cocktails, and a selection of small plates like the $6 roasted potatoes (a robbery) and an $11 jeon, a Korean pancake Wero serves with seasonal vegetables.

FlintCreek Cattle Co

This meat-driven destination steakhouse in Greenwood offers one of the most tantalizing happy hours in town from 4 to 5:30 p.m. daily. It’s the only time they offer their blue cheese butcher burger, a meal in itself and a steal at $10, and an even more enticing option when accompanied by an $8 Tom Collins or a few $5 beers.

Le Coin

This Fremont French restaurant has an extensive, extensive happy hour menu. Crispy fried pig ears for $10? Fries (frites) with bone marrow aioli for $5? A grilled lamb shoulder for $12? Caviar for $50? We usually settle on the half-price oysters. Wash it all down with a cocktail like the Hammock, which has rye, bannana liquor, grappa, and bitters.

A plate of oysters on the half shell.

Kin Len Thai Night Bites

This colorful and lively Thai spot in Fremont has a lengthy happy hour, from 3-6 p.m. and 9 to 10 p.m. daily. On the menu are discounts on delectable snacks like crispy mussel omelette, larb chicken, boat noodles, and Draper Valley wings with tamarind dipping sauce. Well drinks and certain cocktails (such as lychee martinis) are $7.

Kokkaku

This Wallingford Japanese grilled meat specialist has one of the last remaining oyster happy hours selling the bivalves for less than $2 a pop. From 4:30 to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, oysters go for $1.75, baguette sandwiches cost $5, and the $6 drink menu includes draft beer, sake, and cocktails such as the Japanese 75 with yuzu.

Rapport Seattle

Capitol Hill’s self-pour wine and beer bar has an all-day menu that includes a daily happy hour from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. There’s a 20 percent discount on a variety of excellent self pour selections, plus some reduced prices on small bites, such as wild salmon sliders, confit chicken wings, and vegetarian flatbreads.

Rondo

Japanese Izakaya specialist Rondo serves a daily “Hiru-nomi,” or “day drinking” menu from 2 to 5:30 p.m. daily. There are a ton of discounts here, like a $16 whiskey flight, a $16 bento box, and a $10 special with a Sapporo, sake, and three chef’s choice appetizer. What??

Mamma Melina Ristorante & Pizzeria

The Varchetta Brothers long ruled happy hour in Seattle (Barolo, List, Cinque Terre), and that remains the same at their U District classic, where the steep discounts run all day on Sunday and Monday, from 3 to 6 p.m. daily, plus for an hour in the evening (8 to 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 9 to 10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday). The entire bar food menu is 50 percent off, bottles of the house red, white, and rosé are $26, and well drinks are $8 each, plus you can get a bottle of Veuve Clicquot for $60.

Ba Bar

Vietnamese restaurant Ba Bar serves happy hour at its original Capitol Hill restaurant from 1 to 5 p.m. daily, and from 2 to 5 p.m. at the South Lake Union outpost (Monday through Saturday), and the U Village location (weekdays). The restaurant knocks a few bucks off cocktails, and serves up discounted snacks like crispy imperial rolls and the excellent Sài Gòn wings.

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