Arianna Leggiero
Exceptional bites and standout drinks are in no short supply in Melbourne. And when it comes to happy hour, the city’s top restauranteurs aren’t holding back. Beachside spritz and sticks abound, as do $2 oysters, half-off pinxtos and antipasti.
So whether you’re looking for a sip and snack to tide you over until your dinner reservation, or making a night of bar and restaurant hopping, we’ve scouted out where to find the best happy hours in Melbourne right now. Salute!
Stokehouse Pasta & Bar
A stroll along St Kilda Beach surely calls for refreshments, and this slinky waterfront restaurant is all too happy to oblige. Downstairs at Stokehouse Pasta & Bar – the more casual counterpart to the restaurant – diners can enjoy spritz and sticks: the offer includes three skewers (octopus with chorizo and garlic, perhaps) and your choice of Aperol or Limoncello Spritz for $30.
When: Daily from 3-5pm
98 Lygon Street Bar & Bistro
The newly revamped courtyard of this quaint Brunswick East bar and bistro is giving us a reason to buy the next round. Hosting a daily aperitivo hour from 4pm until 6pm, the deal includes two complimentary snacks for every two cocktails. Beers, house wines and mini cocktails will set you back $10.
When: Daily from 4-6pm
Amarillo
Over in Fitzroy, this timber-clad wine bar teeming with locals takes it cue from the Iberian Peninsula, with a menu focusing on tapas-style plates and seafood. And unlike most happy hours, Amararillo’s ends at 8pm, giving city workers ample time to saunter in for $10 wines, $8 tap beers and $14.5 Aperol Spritz – plus, a lineup of happy hour pintxos from $4 each.
When: Mon to Fri: 4-8pm; Sat – Sun: 2-8pm
Carnation Canteen
This tiny Euro-style restaurant gets big points for its weekly rotating menu and its permanent aperitivo that runs less like a promotion and more like a year-round invitation. Featuring seasonal dishes and mainstays like garlic bruschetta and matrimonio (red and white anchovy usually served on toasted bread), plates are generally sub-$20 – but subject to seasonality. Â
When: Daily from open
Ophelia Westgarth
While this neighbourhood café-by-day-wine-bar-by-night in Northcote doesn’t have a conventional happy hour, it does dish up noteworthy dinner specials for those on the hunt for a good bargain. Twirl $20 pasta on Tuesdays and Thursday, half roast chicken on Wednesdays and a bowl of mussels on Fridays.
When: Tuesday – Friday for dinner specials
Chancery Lane
Scott Pickett’s ever-elegant Chancery Lane is leaning into golden hour. Drop by the historic Normanby Chambers building between 5–7pm, Wednesday to Friday, for $3 oysters, $7 croquettes and $15 Champagne.
When: Wednesday – Friday: 5-7pm
Bar Olo
Say ciao to Bar Olo’s apertivo hour, where gourmet bites come complimentary with your drinks. From 4-6 pm every Tuesday to Saturday, enjoy a host of free aperitivi when you order a beverage. Cin CIn!
When: Tuesday – Saturday: 4-6pm
Henry Sugar
Get shucked at cosy Carlton North bolthole Henry Sugar, where oyster happy hour features $3 bivalves every Thursday to Monday from 5pm to 6pm. For an extra 50 cents each, you can have your Sydney rock oysters anointed with a Vietnamese-inspired mignonette.
When: Thursday – Monday: 5-6pm
Botanical Hotel
Even the well-heeled residents of South Yarra love a happy hour bargain. Their favourite clubhouse, the legendary Bot, is the scene of happy hour revelry every day from 4pm to 7pm, with cut-price sommelier-selected wines plus cocktails to really perk things up.
When: Daily from 4-7pm
Saké
Melbourne’s contemporary Japanese diner Saké has launched Saké Hour. Available exclusively in the bar area, the happy hour sees $7 beers, $10 wines and $12 classic cocktails, plus a stack of value-packed snacks — think edamame, chicken karaage, and popcorn shrimp from $5.
When: Tuesday – Sunday: 4-5pm
Bang Bang
Bang Bang’s happy hour goes off with a, well… bang. Guests are invited to enjoy shucked-to-order oysters and glossy eggplant skewers for just $2 a pop. Enjoy with rotating cocktail specials for just $15 each or $10 Bang Bang wines and Lienert Piquepoul.
When: Monday – Thursday: 5-6pm; Friday to Sunday: 4-6pm
Mesa Verde
How does a $10 margarita sound? Make that a Tommy’s, and we think Mesa Verde might be slinging some of the most affordable happy hour Margs in Melbourne. This very happy hour runs from 4-6pm every day, alongside its Taco Tuesdays, where you can get every taco on Mesa Verde’s menu for $5 each.
When: Daily: 4-6pm
Half Moon
We see an oyster and Moët deal, and we fall a little bit in love. If you’re looking for a pre-dinner treat or a casual catch-up with some friends, Half Moon is serving $3 freshly shucked oysters and $15 glasses of perfectly chilled Moët on Fridays from 4-6pm. Salud!
When: Friday: 4-6pm
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