Best Houston Happy Hours: The Galleria

When Houstonians think of the best places to go for happy hour, they might first consider areas with a big nightlife scene like Montrose or Midtown. However, there are thousands who work in the Galleria area—and there’s no better way to wait out the inevitable rush hour traffic around Westheimer than over a cool beverage and a snack. The area has plenty of excellent happy hour deals. Here’s a list of top picks—and some that fly under-the-radar.

(Looking in the downtown area instead? Check out our previous list of best places for a group happy hour.)

Agua Bonita at Beaver's
The Agua Bonita cocktail with Sombra Mezcal, Italicus Bergamot liqueur, Dolin vermouth de Chambéry and lime peel at Beaver’s. Photo courtesy of Beaver’s.

Beavers, 6025 Westheimer: Galleria-area patrons were “damn happy” when the Westheimer location of this popular eatery opened. Boasting an impressive outdoor space that is also kid-friendly, Beavers “Damn Good Happy Hour” runs from 2 to 7 p.m. daily with selected $5 cocktails, wines and draft beers, $3 bottled beers and cans and a rotating menu of bar bites for only $6 each. Bonus: sports lovers can also enjoy happy hour whenever the Texans play.

Bosscat Kitchen & Libations, 4310 Westheimer: The folks at whiskey-focused Bosscat Kitchen recently launched a new happy hour at their Galleria location that runs Mondays through Fridays from 3 to 6 p.m. It features $5 well drinks, house wines and Texas draft beers to sip alongside $6 dishes like Dr. Pepper Wings, Pig Pickin’ Tacos, Lil’ Burg and the Bosscat Grilled Cheese with Short Rib.

Happy Hour Chicharron de Calamar at Caracol. Photo by Kenn Stearns.

Caracol, 2200 Post Oak: Award-winning chef Hugo Ortega‘s homage to coastal Mexican cuisine has been a staple on the foodie scene since it opened. Known for fresh ceviche and wood-roasted oysters, Caracol also has a great happy hour—during which time those oysters are half price. Every day from 3 to 7 p.m., guests can get selected wines and cocktails for $6 as well as canned or bottled beer for $4. The $7 bar bites include house favorites like Chicharrones (housemade crunchy pork rinds), guacamole, salsa de caraco, Molletes de Ostiones (two small fried oyster sandwiches), guacamole, chipotle-mayonnaise and Paletitas de Cordero (lamb lollipops with onion marmalade).

Dish Society cocktails
Cocktails at Dish Society. Photo by Kimberly Park.

Dish Society, 5740 San Felipe: The homegrown Houston chain has been gaining steam and now has locations all over town, including the original in the Galleria area. The social hour menu is offered Mondays through Fridays from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. Food options ranging in price from $5 to $6 include Pork Belly Bites and Pretzels & Queso. For drinks, local craft beers cost from $3 to $7 and there’s also a selection of $5 wines and spritzers as well as both white and red sangria.

El Patio, 6444 Westheimer: Longtime Houston restaurant El Patio and its indoor bar, Club No Minor, have developed near cult status over the years thanks in park to their famous Blue Swirl margarita. Every Monday through Friday from 4 to 6 p.m. and weekends from 11 am to 6 p.m., El Patio offers an assortment of appetizers ranging from $4 to $6, including mini ceviche, tamales and flautitas. On the drink menu is the house margarita for $6 a glass or $27 a pitcher, the blue swirl for $7 a glass or $30 a pitcher and the purple margarita for $7.50 a glass or $35 a pitcher. Domestic beer is $2.75 each, along with a selected beer of the day.

The imported cheese plate at Etoile Cuisine et Bar. Photo courtesy of Etoile Cuisine et Bar.

Etoile Cuisine et Bar1101-11 Uptown Park: This French eatery offers social hour from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. every day except Saturday. Small plates are priced from $4 to $10, such as the imported cheese plate for $8 and Crab Cake Lollipops for $6. Etoile also offers a $12 burger with an in house-ground beef patty as well as a 10-ounce Angus rib eye for $19. To drink alongside are selected wines by the glass for $6 and over a half-dozen signature cocktails like Death in the Afternoon (absinthe and champagne) for only $7 each.

Jake’s Sports Bar, 2944 Chimney Rock: This under-the-radar local sports bar is more than just a sports bar. With a kitchen that stays open until 1:45 a.m., it’s a great place to go for late-night eats and home to one of the best Philadelphia cheesesteaks in town. Jake’s also offers happy hour Mondays through Fridays from 4 to 7 p.m. with 50 cents off all domestic beer and $3.50 for all well drinks.

La Table, 1800 Post Oak: The contemporary French eatery offers their Marche Happy Hour menu in the casual downstairs bistro Mondays through Saturdays from 12 to 7 p.m. and on Sundays from 12 to 3 p.m.  For those looking to double the fun, brunch service runs concurrently on Sundays. During the downstairs happy hour, select bottles of wine are $29 and come with complimentary tomato and mozzarella flatbread, $7 sparkling cocktails, $4 draft beers and $3.50 bottled beers.

North Italia, 1700 Post Oak: This Uptown Park Italian eatery is almost always busy. There’s a wait most nights, even at the bar—but many think the deals and the food quality are worth it. For those visiting between 3 to 6 p.m. Sundays through Fridays, North Italia offers happy hour patrons $5 glasses of house white and red wines, sangria, $4 beers and select bar bites, including the pizza of the day or the margarita pizza for only $8 a pie.

Peli Peli’s new $6 happy hour menu. Photo courtesy of Peli Peli.

Peli Peli, 5885 Westheimer: The popular South African spot in the Galleria just revamped its happy hour with the launch of a new $6 menu. Mondays through Fridays from 2 to 7 p.m., you can dine on nine items featuring selections like “espetacos” (small street tacos filled with beef, chicken or vegetables), South African frikadelle, sliders, bacon-wrapped scallops, stuffed mushrooms and flatbread for just $6 each. On the drink side, Peli Peli also offers half off selected glasses of wine and beer and half-priced cocktails like the Cape Town Cucumber Martini, Madagascar Mule and South African Mojito.  A new reverse happy hour also debuted earlier this year, with half-off drink specials and light bites from 9 p.m. to close on Friday and Saturday nights.

Honorable Mention: Muldoon’s — The Patio, 2611 Augusta: Those who frequent the Galleria area have likely seen the historic oak trees lining the corner of Augusta and Westheimer. Those are behind Beck’s Prime and adjacent to tucked-away Muldoon’s. Even though Muldoon’s has no happy hour, it’s included here anyway thanks to the ample selection of wines and cocktails at low prices. There’s also the fact that guests can order some freshly cut french fries with a juicy burger from Beck’s and enjoy them while sipping drinks on Muldoon’s patio. That’s a must for any hour.

Editor’s note: In our pursuit of all always having up-to-date neighborhood happy hour guides, we will be updating our guides on a monthly basis. If you have new happy hour information or changes to previously published information, just email our happy hour expert Beth Levine.

About the author: Beth Levine writes about food, drinks, lifestyle and travel for local and national publications including My Red Glasses, Houstonia, Local Houston Magazine, Charlotte’s Book and Houston Food Finder. An executive assistant by day and freelance writer by night, Beth is originally from both New Jersey and California, but currently calls Houston home. You can follow her on IG @Yogaspots.

Comments (2)

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  • January 24, 2020 at 12:20 pmKirby

    RIP Beaver’s. You will be missed. 🙁

    Reply
  • March 2, 2018 at 1:29 pmElizabeth

    Hello,

    I just want to share with you that White Oak Kitchen + Drinks inside the Galleria Mall has one of the best happy hour menus. It is 7 days a week from 3-8pm and the selections from food and drinks is probably the best in HTX.

    Reply