Happy Hour Guide

Happy hour is a treat for weary workers, leaving that 9-to-5 grind ready for some R&R. It’s a weekday holiday and an excuse to imbibe. SFR made it really easy for you—that venture for an evening sip and snack at a discount—by compiling this list of some of the best happy hour haunts in town.

5 Star Burgers
604 N Guadalupe St.
983-8977
4-6 pm daily

-Half off all draft beers
-25% off all side items
-$1.65 beef, turkey, pork and lobster sliders

The burger joint next to the DeVargas Center makes a mean cheeseburger (which you can get bite-size during happy hour only) and pours cheap local beer into frosty glasses. At $2.50 a pint, this hour won't make your wallet unhappy.

Back Road Pizza
1807 Second St.
955-9055
4-6 pm daily

-Half off the majority of draft beers

If you're really feeling it some hump day, stop by this spot, which took home 2016's Best Pizza designation in our Best of Santa Fe poll, and take advantage of Pitcher & Pie night. It happens every Wednesday from 4 pm to close and offers a pitcher of beer and a medium pizza with two toppings for about $20, depending on your brew choice.

CLICK YOUR HEELS

Everyone loves going out, but not everyone plays it safe when they’re partying. Maybe you should cut this handy guide out and put it in your wallet so you can remember some simple steps to having fun without endangering anybody.

Call a Cab!

People seem to have plenty of reasons for driving drunk, but the most prevalent anti-cab sentiments we’ve heard are about the long wait times. We get it, it’s 2 am and you just want to be in your bed, and the weekends seem to bring out more drinkers than usual, but is waiting a little while really worse than killing someone?

“There’s definitely an increase in business Friday and Saturday from 5:30 [pm] to 2:30 am,” Capital City Cab driver Case Tanner says. “Generally, with the exception of off-nights, where we might be busier than expected, like a holiday, I can’t stress enough that we always purposefully staff accordingly during those [busy] times.”

Maybe drunk time exists in a vacuum or something, but you should probably just wait; how bad is it really? Not only that, but the city subsidizes Friday and Saturday cab service, which means up to two people only pay $5, and three or more only $10, so long as you’re getting picked up from a bar or restaurant. That’s not even mentioning the $1 cab rides on select holidays (like Cinco de Mayo and Fiestas).

Capital City Cab: 438-0000

Get an Uber!

“I haven’t driven after more than two drinks since the moment those apps came around,” musician Zach Leyba tells SFR.

Because, y’know, it’s easy and affordable and much safer than driving. Plus, you can see where they are on your phone’s GPS and not have to stand around in the cold, and then, best of all, nobody has to die because you got on the freeway going the wrong way.

“Many people tell me that I save their lives just by taking them from point A to point B,” Uber driver Pablo Paz says. “I never thought of it that way, and I still don’t feel like our culture in New Mexico has completely adapted ride-sharing as a means to avoid driving while under the influence, but it’s getting there slowly and more and more new users are using it every day.”

Uber.com

Use a DD!

Even though it is painfully clear that most people around here simply cannot enjoy themselves without a drink in their hand, there are still those who either don’t drink or do and are willing to be a pal, like local artist Kit Evans.

“I think you can still have a damn social life and not drink,” Evans says. “I’m down to do it; if it’s my turn to drive, so be it. … I drink or I drive, it’s that simple.”

Evans, who used to drive a cab and has dealt with more than his fair share of drunks, thinks that people fall victim to flawed thinking.

“Honestly, I think some people are just flat-out dumb,” he says. “They think they’re invincible or something, like it’s not going happen to them, or they’re confident they can fade and get home or talk their way through a potential DUI.”

You probably have your friends’ phone numbers.

Don’t Be a Dick!

Think long and hard about how you’d feel if you were to kill a carload of kids or a family. Think about how your own family and friends would feel if you killed yourself. Next time you’re standing on a curb someplace, choose wisely. People will thank you. Promise.

Blue Corn Café
133 W Water St.
984-1800
4-6 pm Monday-Thursday

-$4 house margaritas
-$4 beers

It's happy hour, so go for the strong stuff. It's the same price.

La Boca (Original Location)
72 W Marcy St.
982-3433
3-5 pm daily

-Half off select wine, sherry and tapas

Sherry ain't just for grandmas. Eat even more tapas than usual … We'll have two of everything please.

La Boca (Taberna Location)
125 Lincoln Ave.
982-3433
5-6 pm daily

-Half off select wine, sherry and tapas

Just around the corner from the main location, sit outside this courtyard spot when it's nice out—which is, like, always.

Cowgirl BBQ
319 S Guadalupe St.
982-2565
3-6 pm Monday- Friday

-Half off house margaritas
-Half off frozen margaritas
-2-for-1 appetizers

Get yo'self a frozen margarita and some wings. The work week is rough and they're discounted. Perch on the patio in good weather.

The Dragon Room
406 Old Santa Fe Trail
982-9762
4-6 pm Tuesday-Sunday

-Half off chips with a trio of guacamole, salsa and queso
-$5 house margaritas
-$5 house wines

A giant tree grows through the bar's center and they serve a pastel pink margarita they call the "Rosalita." Plus: popcorn! What more could one want?

Duel Brewing
1228 Parkway Drive
474-5301
4-6 pm Monday-Friday

-$1-$2 off all beers

Sip your usual brew at a discounted price. Take a load off.

El Farol
808 Canyon Road
983-9912
4-6 pm Thursday-Sunday

-$4 beers
-$5 wines and cocktails

The longtime Canyon Road gem offers a discount on its renowned margaritas and other mixed drinks. These wood floors have seen it all, including a lot of flamenco dancing.

Georgia
225 Johnson St.
989-4367
4-6 pm daily

-$6 well drinks
-$6 wines, including a malbec and a chardonnay
-$2 beers

They also offer discounts on select appetizers, like the salmon fish and chips for $8 or crispy calamari for $6. Their "Desert Bloom" cocktail, made with tequila, pama and St. Germain, has a magenta hue and comes with a lavender rim. Oooh.

Il Piatto
95 W Marcy St.
984-1091
4:30-6 pm and 9-10:30 pm daily

-Half off appetizers
-Half off small portions of pasta

This gnocchi is the bomb. Wash it down with the Pulenta sauvignon blanc ($6.50). It's delicious and life is short. Enjoy the discounts in the afternoon or late at night, because this place is so cool, they happy-hour twice.

The Palace Saloon
142 W Palace Ave.
428-0690
5-7 pm Tuesday-Sunday

-$5 well drinks
-$5 house margaritas
-$3 truffle fries
-$8 crispy chicken sandwich

Happy hour here sounds like fried happiness. Enjoy the affordable fare in the plush red setting that gives this scene a little something extra.

The Ranch House
2571 Cristo's Road
424-8900
4-6 pm daily

-$5 house margaritas
-$6 smoked pineapple margaritas

A Southside spot with great deals and a full bar. Maybe your Target/Walmart/mall errands will end with a smoked pineapple margarita this weekend.

San Francisco Street Bar & Grill
50 E San Francisco St.
982-2044
4-6:30 pm daily

-$1 off house wines
-$1 off draft beers
-$6 fish tacos
-$4 margaritas

Long day? Head to this downtown upstairs spot and drop a Hamilton on some fish tacos and a margarita. The day seems shorter now, are we right?

Santa Fe Brewing Company
35 Fire Place,
424-3333
4-6 pm daily

-$3 beers

It's the best when you get your usual at a less than usual price, and that's happy hour at the local brewery. Enjoy $1 off all beers all day Wednesdays, too.

Santa Fe Spirits Tasting Room
308 Read St.
780-5906
4-6 pm Monday-Friday

-$6 Moscow mules
-$6 Tom Collins
-$6 gin & tonics

Savor spirits distilled right here in Santa Fe. They make a white whiskey margarita (also $6 during happy hour) that can convert, or at least tempt and satisfy, any tequila lover.

Second Street Brewery (Original)
1814 Second St.
982-3030
4:30-6:30 pm Monday-Friday

-$1 off all beer

A workweek staple often features local bands and always has great beers with seasonal specialties like the Raspberry Quork, which died when summer did. We're still lamenting it, clearly.

Second Street Brewery (Railyard)
1607 Paseo de Peralta, Ste. 10
989-3278
4:30-6:30 pm Monday-Friday

-$1 off all beer

The newer branch of the established brewery in the urban setting of the Railyard neighborhood features partially-glass garage doors kept open in temperate weather, letting the glory of Santa Fe's robin's-egg skies really hit you. The perfect after-work hour.

Skylight
139 W San Francisco St.
982-0775
9-11 pm Thursday-Saturday

-Premium liquor at well prices

Sometimes you need a late-night discount, and this club spot is the place to go. They serve premium liquors at house prices late at night—one Patrón, please.

Tiny's
1005 S St. Francis Drive
983-9817
10 am until the music starts daily

-$3 Rolling Rock beers
-$4.50 select whiskey shots and on the rocks
-$4.50 select vodka shots and on the rocks

"We're always happy here at Tiny's," says the waitress who answers the phone about their nearly all-day happy hour. The specials last until the live music starts. Did someone say pre-game?

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