Blue Corn Café
133 W Water St., 984-1800
4-6 pm Monday-Friday
- $1 off house margaritas
- $1 off house beers
- $5 well drinks
- $5 Frito pie or chips
and queso
Take your happiness out to the rooftop patio during warmer weather.
La Boca
(Original Location)
72 W Marcy St., 982-3433
3-5 pm daily
- Half off select wine, sangria, beer, sherry and tapas
It doesn't get much classier than this clean, white, minimal dining room with stellar service and A+ Spanish cuisine.
Cava Lounge
Eldorado Hotel & Spa,
309 W San Francisco St., 995-4530
5-7 pm Wednesday-Friday
- $5 well drinks and house margarita
- $1 off draft beers
- Half off wines by the glass and by-the-bottle specials
- Half off appetizers
All three of the Eldorado Hotel's swank lounge spaces have happy hours, but Cava is our favorite one.
Cowgirl BBQ
319 S Guadalupe St., 982-2565
3-6 pm Monday-Friday
- $4.50 house margs
- 2-for-1 select appetizers
Be happier with a cheap (but awesome) margarita, either frozen or on the rocks. Also: daily live Americana, country, folk and rock performances in the evening. Yee-haw!
Dinner for Two
106 N Guadalupe St., 820-2075
4-6:30 pm Wednesday-Sunday
- Discounted appetizers and drinks
Deets are vague here because the offerings are pretty diverse, so check it out for youself; think garlic truffle fries, beef tips, local beer and more. They're closed for renovations until June 2018, so hold your horses.
The Dragon Room
406 Old Santa Fe Trail, 983-7712
4-7 pm Tuesday-Sunday
- 15 percent off bar food
- $5 trio (queso, guac ‘n’ salsa) with chips
- $5 well drinks, house margaritas and house wines
Take in the eclectic vibe and enjoy live music every Thursday from 5:30-8:30 pm.
Duel Brewing
1228 Parkway Drive, 474-5301
4-6 pm Monday-Friday
- $1 off beer and wine
Get this brewing company's own Belgian-style brews, a glass of wine, some cider, or a hearty sandwich or charcuterie. They host live music many nights, too, so live it up.
El Farol
808 Canyon Road, 983-9912
3-4 pm daily
- Discounted beverages and tapas
The happy hour at Santa Fe's oldest bar is pretty varied, so go see the newly renovated dining room for yourself and enjoy live music most nights of the week.
Inn on the Alameda
303 E Paseo de Peralta, 984-2121
5-6:30 pm daily
- $6 house wines and appetizers
- $4 bottled beers
- $7.50 house margarita
Stick around for dinner if you like the ambiance.
Low ‘n Slow Lowrider Bar
Hotel Chimayó,
125 Washington Ave., 988-4900
4-6 pm and 9 pm-close Monday-Friday
- $5 well drinks and house wine
- $4 tap beer
- $6 margaritas
Belly up to the lowrider-themed bar and snag snacks from Estevan, the hotel's acclaimed restaurant.
Il Piatto
95 W Marcy St., 984-1091
4:30-6 pm and 9-10:30 pm daily
- Half off appetizers
- Half off appetizer portions of pasta entrees
- Half off glasses of wine
Real food and serious wine are a steal both before and after the dinner rush.
Palace Saloon
142 W Palace Ave., 428-0690
4-6 pm Tuesday-Saturday
- 25 percent off daily special
Pick your poison by night of the week: Tuesday is cocktails, Wednesday is tequila, Thursday is beer, Friday is vodka, Saturday is bourbon and Sunday is wine (and also longer, from 4-10 pm). The discount applies to appetizers, too, and reprises again later for food, 10 pm-midnight.
The Ranch House
2571 Cristo's Road, 424-8900
4-6 pm daily
- $5 house margs and well drinks
- $4 Bota Box wine
- $1 off all draft beers
- $5 select appetizers
Amazing barbecue and friendly service—and if they'd just let us move in already, we'd be complete.
San Francisco Street Bar & Grill
50 E San Francisco St., 982-2044
4-6:30 pm daily
- $3.50 draft beers
- $3 bottled beers
- $5 house drinks
- $1 off house wines
- $4-$7 select appetizers
Climb the stairs for comfort drinks (that's a thing, right?) and appetizers including sliders, mahi tacos, a grilled veggie plate, chips 'n' salsa y más.
Santa Fe Brewing Company
Original: 35 Fire Place, 424-3333
Downtown: 510 Galisteo St., 780-8648
Eldorado: La Tienda, 7 Caliente Road, 466-6938
4-6 pm daily and all day Wednesday (original) or Tuesday (downtown and Eldorado)
- $1 off all pints
New taproom locations mean you can get your local brew fix nearby, no matter what part of town you call home.
Santa Fe Capitol Grill
San Isidro Plaza,
462 Zafarano Drive, 471-6800
3-6 pm daily
- $3 draft beer
- $5 well drinks
- $5 select wines
- $5.95 select appetizers
Don't feel like going downtown? The full bar at this solid Southside staple has you covered.
Santa Fe Spirits Tasting Room
308 Read St., 780-5906
3-6 pm Monday-Friday
- $6.50 select cocktails
Not only are these craft cocktails so good we're pretty sure these crafters made a deal with the devil, but this spot near the Railyard is cozy and classy and you should bring all your friends there for friend-dates STAT.
Second Street Brewery
Original: 1814 Second St., 982-3030
Railyard: 1607 Paseo de Peralta, 989-3278
Rufina: 2920 Rufina St., 982-3030
4-6:30 pm daily
- $1 off all pints and imperial pints
Most of the beers at any of the taprooms are discounted, and get deals on pub grub from a special happy-hour menu too.
Secreto Lounge
Hotel St. Francis,
210 Don Gaspar Ave., 983-5700
4-7 Monday-Friday
- $3 off speciality drinks
- $5 draft beer
- $1 off wine by the glass
Skilled mixologists and a space that's a perfect meld of traditional and modern makes this a marvelous watering hole.
TerraCotta Wine Bistro
304 Johnson St., 989-1166
4-6 pm Monday-Thursday
- $6 wine 11:30 am-6 pm daily
- $6 select appetizers
Are you craving an upscale vibe, romantic lighting, a beautiful aesthetic and live smooth jazz guitar a couple nights a week? Look no further.
Tiny’s Restaurant and Lounge
1005 S St Francis Drive, 983-9817
All day every day, up until the music starts
- Discounted drinks
Divey-in-a-good-way and sure to please with hefty portions and generous pours, visit your buds at Tiny's for discounts until the first notes (so either 5:30, 8 or 8:30 pm, depending on the day).
Don’t Drive
There's no reason to drive drunk. Like, literally zero. Capital City Cab shut its doors last year, but Uber and Lyft are still active in town—and with a small geographic area and virtually no traffic, they're also particularly affordable.
Lorraine Tecza, a retired federal employee, teaches yoga and gives folks rides through both services "to keep herself out of trouble," she tells SFR.
"I enjoy people, so I really like to meet them and chat them up—if they want to be chatted up," she says. "That's why I often go to the Santa Fe airport and try to get rides there, because it's usually out-of-towners and I tell them what's great about Santa Fe."
As for drunk people, she says, "They're very entertaining, usually very chatty. I haven't had any bad experience. … Either they're on vacation or they're drunk and happy, and just happy that somebody's taking them home."
RIDESHARE PRO-TIPS
Pro-tip 1: Text your driver your exact location. A business name or corner is much easier to find than a street address, this town is really dark, and those in-app maps can be squirrelly.
Pro-tip 2: Lyft has always offered the option, but you can now also tip through Uber. So be nice to your driver. (Especially if you're wasted.)