Business & Tech

Patch Picks: Top 5 Saturday Happy Hours

We counted more than 30 happy hours happening on that day alone; here are our favorites.

With the economy the way it is these days, many people's wallets and purses have gotten pretty light. So it's no surprise that happy hours seem to be as popular as ever.

Also in light of Friday's income-tax deadline, we thought the timing was right for a roundup of our favorite happy hours in Santa Monica. For a city of this size, it's a pretty ambitious goal—so with that in mind, we narrowed our scope to Saturdays only. As it is, we counted more than 30 happy hours happening on that day alone.

Here's our tip sheet ... and, by the way, don't forget to tip the bartender.

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Patch Picks: Top 5 Saturday Happy Hours

1. : It's rare that you'll find anything beyond beer, wine, well drinks and margaritas offered during happy hour. But one of the exceptions is at Copa d'Oro—which is an exceptional venue in its own right. This place has 12 specialty drinks, and you've probably never heard of half of them (like the Buck Fizz, Moscow Mule and Clover Club). They're only $5 each, and if that doesn't sound attractive, then you should probably be reading another article on this site. Happy hour lasts from 5:30 to 8 p.m.

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2. O'Brien's Irish Pub & Restaurant (2941 Main St.): While O'Brien's only offers discounts on beer and wells ($4.50 each), it has Copa beat in a couple of respects. For one thing, the happy hour lasts for a ridiculous eight and a half hours on Saturdays, from 11:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. For another, with the spring upon us, you won't feel as guilty about tipping back one or two if you're doing it while sitting outside.

3. : We're still trying to figure out how a place this cool can be situated in the tourist-trap part of town (it's just a few paces east of ). While out-of-towners don't know the difference between this bar and the others nearby, locals do—especially ones who enjoy watching sports with their drink. From 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., The Yard offers margaritas and cosmopolitans for $5, wine for the same and beer for $3.

4. Upper West (3321 Pico Blvd.): Think you know all the best bars in Santa Monica? We're willing to bet you haven't yet discovered this newly opened dining destination. Located in Santa Monica's far-eastern quarters, right near the 10 Freeway, it's impressive that this place draws such a glamorous crowd. The sparkling, spacious interior—with gorgeous artwork covering the walls—is surely to blame. The happy hour includes cocktails for $6, wine for $4 and Pabst Blue Ribbon for $3. It runs from 5 to 7 p.m.

5. : Sure, there are other venues that offer $3 beers and $5 wells—but not many that have live music too. We've got a soft spot for this place, which is where 14 Below used to be. (We also named it one of the .) Both hip and down-to-earth, if The Central is good enough for the Roots' ?uestlove and underground legend Mike Watt, then it should be good enough for you too. Happy hour runs from 5 to 8 p.m.

Previous installments of Patch Picks:

Vegan Restaurants


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