Houston’s Best New Happy Hours — 14 Restaurant Deals That Are Too Good To Miss

Happy hour is nothing if not an excellent excuse to cut out of the office early and score delectable bites and delicious sips for a bargain. And while there’s no shortage of stellar Houston happy hour deals, we could always use a few more.

Read on for the 14 best new Houston happy hour specials. These are found at newly-open restaurants as well as at familiar favorites. Because all work and no play would be pretty dull.

Nobu Houston

5115 Westheimer

Don’t dawdle before heading to “Tanoshi Hour” at Houston’s new Nobu (it runs daily from 5 to 6 pm) in The Galleria. First, because the deal is only an hour-long.

Second, because it offers a more economical way to sample some of the legendary sushi hotspot’s fare, from a duo of mini seafood ceviche tacos ($10) to crispy rice cakes ($10) to signature items like yellowtail sashimi with jalapeño ($10), rock shrimp butter ponzu ($12), and black cod served on butter lettuce ($10).

The roster of specially priced drinks includes sake ($10 to $12), beer ($5 to $7), wines by the glass ($7 to $9), sparkling wine ($12) and creative cocktails. We recommend the perfectly-sweet Lychee Martini with vodka, elderflower liqueur and lychee ($12) or Nobu Sidecar with Japanese Whisky, orange liqueur and yuzu juice ($14).

Fusion Taco

4706 North Main

The tacos (think lamb keema, fried oyster and tempura shrimp tacos) at Fusion Taco are already a big yes in our book, but the casual restaurant in The Heights ups the ante by serving them for just $3 each during happy hour (daily from 4 to 7 pm), along with $3 frozen margaritas and $3 Modelo draft beers.

As though that’s not enough to get our attention, on Tuesdays (4 pm to close), score $2 tacos and $2 Modelo draft beers, plus $3 margaritas and $4 select cocktails.

Star Fish

191 Heights

You can’t go wrong with the merry special (weekdays from 4 to 6 pm) at Star Fish. Discounted Gulf ($1) and Atlantic ($2) oysters are joined by newly added items like fried fish strips ($5), fried zucchini ($5) and salmon crudo ($8).

Making happy hour all the more alluring, The Heights restaurant gives a price break on wines by the glass ($5), craft beers ($5), Miller High-Life ($1.50), the house Old Fashioned ($5), and five different martinis ($5 each), from traditional to the Debutante made with cranberry vodka, vermouth and lime juice.

Poitin

2313 Edwards

Poitin, the spacious eatery and bar from restaurateur Ian Tucker (Balls Out Burger), knocks it out of the park during happy hour (weekdays from 3 to 6 pm). The easy-going Washington Avenue Arts District spot offers $2 off all draft beers, $5 glasses of select wine, and a trio of $7 cocktails such as the Swayback made with sweet potato infused vodka, fennel liqueur, dry vermouth and black pepper.

You won’t leave hungry thanks to bites like $4 tomatillo-guajillo pork skins, $6 fried chicken sliders and chargrilled oysters, which run $9 for six and $18 for a dozen.

La Grange

2517 Ralph

Say cheers to the happy hour special (Mondays through Thursdays from 4 to 7 pm; Fridays from 3 to 6 pm) at Montrose patio bar La Grange. The menu not only features $3 draft beers and $4 wines by the glass, but also $5 fresh squeezed margaritas.

Goodnight Charlie’s

2531 Kuester

While you may know that honky tonk Goodnight Charlie’s offers up live music several nights a week, you may not know that the casual joint has a deal on food and drinks (daily from 4 to 7 pm). Tacos and beer go together like peas and carrots. The Montrose spot makes the combo happen, offering three tacos, with fillings from spicy fried chicken to lamb barbacoa and an ice-cold brew for $10.

You’ll also enjoy $3 canned and bottled beer, half-price wine, and frozen drinks like the frosty Blinker made with bourbon, grapefruit and raspberry.

The Cottonmouth Club

108 Main

Up your happy hour game (weekdays from 4 to 7 pm) at recently open downtown bar The Cottonmouth Club from Mike Raymond (Reserve 101), Michael Neff (New York’s Holiday Cocktail Lounge and The Rum House) and designer Greg Swanson (L.A.’s The Line Hotel). Take your pick from a handful of $6 expertly-crafted cocktails.

Don’t skip the Next Big Meltdown daiquiri with its eight-year-old rum, fresh lime juice and Guinness syrup.

Night Heron

1601 West Main

At Night Heron, the newest concept from Agricole Hospitality (Coltivare, Eight Row Flint), it’s down the hatch for happy hour (weekdays from 2 to 6 pm and all day Mondays) with $3 to $4 beers, $7 wines by the glass, and three cocktails, $7 apiece, including the house take on a Salty Dog made with honeysuckle vodka, grapefruit, black pepper, vanilla and pink salt.

One Fifth Romance Languages

1658 Westheimer

Although the rotating “Tapas Time” menu (daily from 5 to 6:30 pm) at James Beard Award-winning chef Chris Shepherd’s One Fifth changes every Sunday, you can count on a deal on Italian aperitifs like a Negroni made with gin, Campari and sweet vermouth, and delicious snacks along the lines of garlic shrimp served with sambal and grilled bread and wood-fired margherita flatbread.

Postino Wine Cafe

642 Yale

Start your week off right at Postino Wine, where you can get a bottle of wine and a bruschetta board for $20 (Mondays and Tuesdays from 8 pm to 11 pm).

The casual Heights-area bar and restaurant, decked out with a wall made of skateboards, also offers a daily deal with $5 wines by the glass and $5 pitchers of beer (weekdays from 11 am to 5 pm; Saturdays and Sundays from 9 am to 5 pm).

Roka Akor

2929 Weslayan

During happy hour (daily from 4:30 to 6 pm) at sleek Japanese restaurant Roka Akor near River Oaks, the kitchen slings out a list of $4 to $8 eats, from Wagyu beef and kimchi dumplings to fried chicken aioli, while the bar serves up $3 draft beer, $5 sake by the glass, $7 wines by the glass and $8 cocktails including a gin martini.

Arnaldo Richards’ Picos

3601 Kirby

At this Upper Kirby restaurant, drinks and food deals abound (Wednesdays through Fridays from 3 to 6:30 pm; Mondays and Tuesdays all day). Eat up: Bites include nachos ($7), tacos from beef al carbon to braised pork belly ($6 to $7), and two different ceviche options ($8 to $9).

And drink up: The extensive roster of drinks includes $7 mojitos, $7 margaritas, $7 rum punch, $3 beer, $7 wines by the glass, $25 wines by the bottle, and a laundry list of shooters like the Jolly Rancher with sweetly flavored liqueur, peach and cranberry. And the drink deals keep on going.

Tobiuo Sushi

23501 Cinco Ranch

You don’t have to settle for mediocre sips and bites when you can dig into delicious $5 eats like pork buns, grilled chicken yakitori (skewer), and a maki roll with snow crab, spicy tuna, and shrimp tempura, and $6 standout cocktails from a Moscow Mule to a Lychee Cosmo, plus sake ($3 to $6), local and Japanese beers ($3 to $6), and wines by the glass ($5) at Tobiuo Sushi and Bar at Cinco Ranch. Its happy hour runs daily from 3 to 6:30 pm).

But that’s not all. On Mondays and Tuesdays, get half-price wines by the glass and by the bottle.

State of Grace

3258 Westheimer

Time flies when you’re having fun, so why not hit up chef Ford Fry’s State of Grace in River Oaks during the week for $1 oysters from 11 am to 6 pm in the front Oyster Room, and then stick around for more $1 oysters in the restaurant from 3 to 6 pm?

What’s more, the upscale restaurant offers a killer combo of a half dozen oysters and a half-glass of Côtes de Provence Grand Ferrage Rosé for just $12 (weekdays from 3 to 6 pm starting July 2).