Editor’s Note: These were the area’s happy hour deals as of April 4, 2018.
Cheesetique
Daily 4-7 p.m.
With three locations and one coming soon to the Mosaic district, Cheesetique, as the name implies, offers a happy hour that’s filled with cheesy goodness, including $2 off shared plates like Mac n’ Cheese Arancini and Tot Poutine. House red and white wine is $7 a glass and rail drinks and beer are $5. You can also order off the regular wine menu and get $2 off per glass. All of the locations have a pleasant, low-key ambiance (e.g. no giant TVs or loud music). –SC // Ballston, Del Ray and Mosaic (coming soon); cheesetique.com
THE DEALS: $2 off shared plates, $5 beer and rail drinks, $7 wines
Daniel O’Connell’s
Monday-Friday, 3-7 p.m.
It’s the tail-end of happy hour on a Thursday and the pub’s largest bar isn’t full, but there’s another one on the main floor and one upstairs near what looks like an ornate pulpit. The bartender’s got a thick brogue, raising the age-old question: Do people who work at Irish bars have authentic accents, or do they just put one on to encourage you to request a few more pints? The playlist lacks any sort of Irish sensibility, with Willie Nelson heard on the heels of John Mellencamp, but perhaps jigs and reels grow tiresome after a while. The bartender recommends ordering egg rolls or Irish nachos, and a black velvet (an off-the-menu mix of Guinness and Magners) goes down easy and demonstrates some Celtic cred. –EB // 112 King St., Alexandria; danieloconnells.com
THE DEALS: $3 off apps, $5 Jameson and Tullamore Dew, discounts on beer, wine and rail drinks
Hanks Pasta Bar
Monday-Friday, 4-7 p.m.
This popular neighborhood gem in Old Town features an intimate bar that fills up fast and tends to attract a rotating cast of regulars and couples. You can pre-game with rustic Italian fare before dinner or stay all night. Start off with bites from the happy hour menu, which includes five types of crostini (one for $3 and three for $9), grilled flatbread, meatballs ($1 each) or prosciutto di parma ($3). House wines and select beer are $5 a glass; cocktails are $6-$8. –SC // 600 Montgomery St., Alexandria; hankspastabar.com
THE DEALS: $1-$3 food specials, $5 beer and house wine, $6-$8 cocktails
Northside 10
Monday-Friday, 3-7 p.m.
A homey, nautical theme and friendly service draw a low-key, neighborhood crowd to this Del Ray watering hole, which opened in early 2017. It’s a relaxed spot, perfect for kicking back to watch the game and hang with friends. Happy hour specials include $2 off draft beer and wine, $3 domestic bottles, half-priced burgers, $3 mini nachos and 70-cent wings. –SC // 10 E. Glebe Road, Alexandria; northside10.com
THE DEALS: 70-cent wings, $3 nachos, half-priced burgers, $2 off draft beer and wine, $3 domestic bottles
Rustico
Monday-Friday, 4-7 p.m.
Both Rustico locations—in Ballston and Alexandria—have a lively, warm vibe, hearty American fare and an extensive craft beer menu. They are popular with young workers from surrounding office buildings as well as families and couples looking for an easy, relaxed atmosphere and a place to watch the latest game. Although they get crowded later in the week, there is typically space at the bar or communal tables. Happy hour deals include $2 off draft beer, $5 glasses of house red and white, plus a happy hour-only menu featuring select items such as pork sliders ($4), loaded fries ($6), flavored popcorn ($2) and calzone ($7.50). –SC // Alexandria and Arlington; rusticorestaurant.com
THE DEALS: $2-$7.50 food specials, $2 off draft beer, $5 house red and white wine
Society Fair
Monday, 4-9 p.m.; Tuesday-Friday, 4 -7 p.m.
Channeling a classic Parisian vibe in the heart of Old Town Alexandria, Society Fair’s sexy and stylish bistro features a frequently changing menu of wine, beer, cocktails and snacks for just $5. Recent offerings included pizza, assorted crostini, fried chicken wings in honey-sriracha sauce, deviled eggs and the restaurant’s signature pork and mustard greens sausage. The perfect spot for a romantic rendezvous or girl’s night out. –SC // 277 S. Washington St., Alexandria; societyfair.net
THE DEALS: $5 snacks and rotating wine, beer and cocktails
Sonoma Cellar
Monday-Friday, 4-6:30 p.m.
The family at a nearby table is straight out of a Woody Allen film, discussing someone who is not a “foodie,” which presumably they all are. This wine bar, relatively new to Old Town, is cozy and homey, with a touch of something erudite. It takes its wine seriously, offering flights in two formats: “select” (i.e. nice wine) and “reserve” (i.e. nicer wine). In warm weather, take your viognier and Brie and fig jam crostini out to the back porch to the wine garden. But if you just can’t get enough of Euro lounge music, stay indoors. –EB // 207 King St., Alexandria; mysonomacellar.com
THE DEALS: $2 off Select food and wine
Union Street Public House
Monday-Friday, 3-7 p.m.
No, Alexandria is not just for the reserved and sophisticated; it’s also for the rowdy—which is readily apparent at Union Street. The bar is large and U-shaped, teeming with folks in their 20s and 30s, with a few older patrons in the mix. As “Play That Funky Music” reverberates off the tiled floor and lovely art deco tin ceiling, testosterone seems to permeate the room. A man who looks not long out of college says “Beer before liquor, never sicker” before reaching for another fry. The night is young and full of promise (and possibly regret). –EB // 121 S. Union St., Alexandria; unionstreetpublichouse.com
THE DEALS: $1 oysters and select $6 apps, $2 off draft beer and wine, $5 house spirits
Virtue Feed and Grain
Monday, 11:30 a.m.-7 p.m.; Tuesday-Friday, 4-7 p.m.
In what may be the closest thing to a New York scene in Old Town, Virtue is dimly lit, crowded and filled with the noise of clinking flatware and conversation. At its downstairs bar, two taps hang above the concrete bar from something resembling a ship, an industrial look befitting the exposed-brick walls. A gentleman in his 30s awaits his date, surely not the first romance these bartenders have witnessed at what’s one of the better Alexandria locales for date night. The Stardust (a blend of Tito’s vodka, simple syrup, blackberries, raspberries and lemon) achieves fruitiness and booziness without the saccharine turn-off of so many cocktails. The food menu is gently turned away as other nightspots are on the agenda, to which the bartender says, “Wherever you’re going, our food is better.” –EB // 106 S. Union St., Alexandria; virtuefeedgrain.com
THE DEALS: $3-$5 select apps, $10 select mains, $4 draft beer, house wine, spirits and sangria, $7 signature cocktails
(May 2018)
