Central Smoke
Eric and Sophie Banh, owners of perennial favorites Ba Bar and Monsoon, pivoted their Vietnamese steak house Seven Beef to become Central Smoke, a colorful roadhouse-chic "bar and smokery" with barbecue-slanted eats, inventive libations, and a convivial atmosphere that's as inviting as the smoky aroma. During happy hour, a variety of drinks are $7, including glasses of wine and cocktails—the Campari Spritz, Cardamom Mojito, and Grapefruit Basil Blue Fizz are all carbonated in-house in their own soda bottles. Pair them with a generous menus of bites between $5 and $8, like smoked hot wings ($6), brisket sandwich ($8), hush puppies with dill tartar sauce ($6), and smoked rib dip with cheddar and jalapeño ($8). Happy Hour: 4–6 pm and 9–11 pm daily; 1305 E Jefferson St, 206-328-7090. JULIANNE BELL
Talarico's Pizzeria
Whoever says size doesn't matter is full of shit. Talarico's in West Seattle serves up some of the best New York–style pizza in the city, and it definitely has the biggest slices. They also happen to offer the best happy hour pizza deals, where you can get a variety of 14-inch pizza slices—like traditional pepperoni, perfectly crispy on the bottom with slightly fluffy crust, or the Coppola with goat cheese, garlic, bell peppers, and mozzarella—for less than 5 bucks. If you're thirsty, they also offer drink specials like $4.50 drafts, $5 glasses of house wine, and well drinks for a quick $5.50. Happy Hour: 3–6 pm and 11 pm– 1 am daily; 4718 California Ave SW, 206-937-3463. KARA TIERNAN
The Athenian Seafood Restaurant and Bar
Visiting the Athenian isn't necessarily easy—it's a tourist hot spot due to its epic views of Puget Sound, prime placement in the heart of Pike Place Market, and ties to a film that helped put our city on the map, Sleepless in Seattle (Tom Hanks and Rob Reiner enjoy beer and oysters there in the 1993 film). Making your way through the daytime market masses and getting a spot for lunch is no mean feat, either, and dinner can get a bit spendy. But if you can squeeze into the Athenian's lounge during the busy (and often crowded) happy hour, you'll be treated to fine, local on-tap craft brews for $4.50, well drinks for $3.75–$4, and, most importantly, a stacked happy hour food menu that includes fresh oysters on the half shell for $2 each, and $5 or $6 selections ranging from wild coho salmon skewers to blackened cod tacos to barbecue pork sliders. Happy Hour: 4–9 pm Mon–Sat; 1517 Pike Place, 206-624-7166. LEILANI POLK
Dragonfish Asian Cafe
The best happy hour in this city has to be the one at Dragonfish. To begin with, the hours offered are not stingy. Dragonfish makes it really hard not to eat cheap food and drink cheap booze, its range of happy hour offerings starting at $1.95 and going no higher than $7.95. And the cheap food is actually good. The Lime Ricky Shrimp ($6.95) is fantastic, the Carmel Ginger Chicken ($5.95) rocks, and the house white wine is not bad. The last time I was at Dragonfish, I ate and drank freely, and ended up with a bill of $30. At Dragonfish's generous happy hour, one is eating another Seattle, a Seattle that's very hard to find these days, a Seattle where a session of booze and plates of food does not place devastating pressure on your bank account. Those were the days. Happy Hour: 2–6 pm and 9 pm–1 am Tues–Sat, 2 pm–1 am Mon; 722 Pine St, 206-467-7777. CHARLES MUDEDE
Barolo Ristorante
It's really all about the happy hour at this upscale Denny Triangle Italian restaurant, because it becomes a little too pricey otherwise. During these times, you can share a bottle of white, red, or rosé wine for $20 (or pay $5.75 a glass), $5 drafts, and get 50 percent off the bar food menu, which is actually pretty expansive, and touches on the plump house made ravioli ($9), natural shoulder tenderloin steak ($12), lentil and spinach soup ($4.50), rigatoni pasta with beef and veal ragù ($11), local clams in a rich arneis wine broth ($9), and nibbles like the mixed antipasto or cheese and accompaniments plate ($9 each). Happy Hour: 3–6:30 pm and 10 pm–close Mon–Sat, 3 pm–close Sun; 1940 Westlake Ave, 206-770-9000. LEILANI POLK
