I don’t know exactly when fancier restaurants started offering happy hours, but I’m ready to kiss the first restaurateur who got that sweet wheel in motion. “Let the discounted food and drink commence,” I imagine him saying, with a generous twirl of his Monopoly-game mustache. No disrespect to foie-gras-laced desserts or hazelnut dust, but high-end happy hours are the greatest thing about fine dining in Seattle. They let the rest of us—who normally couldn’t afford these places—have a chance to eat there for less.
To come up with this list of favorites, I used a few guidelines: (1) A happy hour shouldn’t be offered in a space so small or for a time so brief that only about five people can enjoy it for an hour; (2) it should offer both discounted food and drink options, with most food around $5–$8 and drinks $4–$7; (3) it should feature substantial dishes that you can actually make a meal out of—none of this plate-of-wee-toasts crap.
I had to make up these rules to winnow down the list, which is clearly a sign we’re awash in good things. Lord only knows how long these higher-end restaurants can afford to offer these deals in the age of skyrocketing Seattle rents. Slurp up the half-off oysters while you can.