Melbourne’s best happy hours: A guide to the cheapest drinks in Melbourne
WITH daily drink specials at a bevy of bars and pubs, you’ll be coming in hot this summer. Here’s where to make the most of Melbourne’s best happy hours.
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SCHOOL’S over, summer’s here and the out-of-office emails are taking care of business. What better way to wile away the balmy, assignment-free afternoons than by celebrating with friends over a few glasses (see: bottles) of moo juice at some of Melbourne’s best pubs and bars. With no shortage of student deals and half-price happy hours, you can sip, care-freely, knowing the money you’re saving on hooch can go towards the Uber home.
How much wine, you might forget. But, to quote Ke$ha, “All these reckless nights you won’t regret.”
Here’s our guide to the best bevvies on a budget, every day of the week.
MELBOURNE’S BEST HAPPY HOURS
CBD
Closest to: RMIT, ACU, University of Melbourne
THE IMPERIAL
2-8 Bourke St, Melbourne
Everything must go at The Imperial’s knock-off Fridays. $8.50 bar-wide — excluding bottles of vino and beer jugs. Ground floor only.
FATHER’S OFFICE
249 Little Lonsdale Street, Melbourne
With the most epic line-up of daily deals, you’ll definitely want to get sent to this office. We’re talking $39 punch bowls all day, erryday, $6 schooners, $5 wine, $6 bottles beers, $7 basics, $12 cocktails and $15 jugs. Add to that $1 wings, $2 tacos and $2 arancini and you’ve got your night sorted. On Wednesdays, we eat wings. $22. All you can eat. From 5pm. Red Bull eat your heart out.
SAINT AND ROGUE
582 Little Collins St, Melbourne
This slick two-storey city pub offers $7.50 pints of Pure Blonde and cider, as well as $7 glasses of house red, white and bubbles from 4-7pm, Monday to Friday.
TRAMP
20 King Street, Melbourne
Who needs assignments, anyway. Let loose at Oasis Tuesdays at Tramp with $4 champas, $5 beers, $5 vodkas, $12 for two bombs (skittle/Agwa/Jager) and $15 buckets. Entry is $10 and the late-night cheeseburgers are free.
WORKSHOP BAR
1/413 Elizabeth St, Melbourne
Get your tight-ass on at this city student bar. Students can cash in on $12 jugs from 12-6pm, Monday to Friday, as well as $2.50 coffee all day.
THE MILL HOUSE
277-279 Flinders Ln, Melbourne
On Saturdays, you can take advantage of $20 cocktail carafes. Need we say more?
LA LA LAND
Level 1, corner Little Lonsdale Street and Hardware Lane, Melbourne
You might not get the Gosling, but you will get $5 house wines, $6 basic spirits and discounted tap beers from 4-8pm, everyday.
NORTH
Closest to: RMIT, University of Melbourne, ACU , La Trobe
THE SHAW DAVEY SLUM
171-175 Elgin St, Carlton
Asian Beer Cafe’s little sister brings you a bevy of daily drink aspirations. It’s moonshine madness between 5-8pm daily with $2 pots, $8 jugs of house beer, $25 jugs of bourbon and coke, jameson and dry, vodka raspberry or gin and tonic, $6 basics, $10 selected cocktails and buffalo wings for $1. If you really want to splurge, arancini balls are $2 and wedges are $10 all day. Ladies get $1 sparkling on Wednesdays. They also do frocktails (frozen cocktails) for $12 so we’re probably probably going to make this our summer office.
QUEENSBERRY HOTEL
593 Swanston St, Carlton
This renovated, 1980s pub is conveniently located between RMIT and University of Melbourne. Close of Business Fridays (between 5-7pm) means $8 pints of QB Draught, $10 pints of ALL tap beer & cider, $7 wines and $6.50 basic spirits. There’s also complimentary finger food. Winning.
THE CLYDE HOTEL
385 Cardigan Street, Carlton
Say hello to $7.50 pints of Boag’s Draught and $5 glasses of Hoggies red/white wine. From 4-6pm, daily.
THE LINCOLN
91 Cardigan Street, Carlton
Enjoy $8 pints and $15 jugs of selected beers and ciders before 6pm everyday, and two for $20 margaritas every Monday.
BRUNSWICK HOTEL
140 Sydney Rd, Brunswick
If you’re looking for some late-night tipples, this Brunswick institution has $3 schooners of Boag's Draught and $5 basic spirits from 8pm-1am every Thursday.
THE RETREAT
280 Sydney Rd, Brunswick
Sip for less all day at The Retreat with $3 pots, $6 pints and $12 jugs of Globe Draught and Cider from midday until 7:30pm, Monday to Friday. Pair them with some kick-ass $1 chipotle-roasted chicken or cauliflower wings between 5:30-7:30. Life. Sorted.
HOWLER
7-11 Dawson St, Brunswick
Crazy good beer garden, world-class bands and DJs, and free sliders. Yep, you read right. Get your choice of any slider, fresh off the BBQ, free with any drink purchase from 4-6pm Fridays.
BIMBO DELUXE
376 Brunswick St, Fitzroy
Bimbos is all about the $4 pizzas, beers, spiked bubble teas and rooftop DJ parties. Student or not, what’s not to love?
WORKER’S CLUB
51 Brunswick St, Fitzroy
Daily drink specials make this place a cheep and cheerful go-to. On Mondays it’s $2 pots, $4 pints, $6 spirits, $8 jugs and $10 meals, and $6 Sailor Jerry and $6 gins on Tuesdays. And that’s not to mention nightly happy hour deals from 4-7pm — $7 beers and ciders and $6 house wines.
PERSEVERANCE
196 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy
Can’t you read, Thursday night’s uni night. Get ready to rock the dance floor at ‘Persa’ with $14 jugs, $6.50 vodka, $5 wines, $3.50 pots, $7 pints, $6 Somsersby cider cans and $8 Jägerbombs.
EASEY’S
3/48 Easey St, Collingwood
Take your hip pocket for a walk down easy street with $5 pints, wines, basics and thug juice cocktails from 11am-10pm erryday. Then treat your tastebuds to some seriously hectic burgers.
THE GEM
289 Wellington Street Collingwood
Unwind after work with half-price tacos, wings and texas fries washed down with $6 pints from 4-7pm, Tuesday to Friday.
EAST
Closest to: Swinburne, Deakin, Monash
COLLEGE LAWN
36 Greville St, Prahran
Come for the $7 Friday night happy wines, pints and basic spirits, and stay for the $2 sausage sizzle. Genius. From 5-7pm.
TEMPERANCE HOTEL
426 Chapel Street, South Yarra
You can get a food and drink deal very night of the week at Temperance. Our fave is Taco Thursdays where you can fill up on three delicious tacos and a glass of wine, beer or cider for $18. They also do nightly drink specials, like Espresso Saturdays, $25 sangria jug Sundays and $10 cocktail Thursdays.
KATUK
517a Chapel Street, South Yarra
Make hump day great again with half price cocktails and $5 basics on Wednesday nights, or get around Friday night happy hour shenanigans thanks to $12 cocktails, $5 wines, half price pots, pints and jugs and late-night Bunnings-style sausage sizzles; green aprons included.
LUCKY COQ
179 Chapel St, Windsor
Brought to you by the same crew as Bimbo Deluxe, get lucky with cheap as chips pizzas and a pretty rad selection of infused vodkas. Lychee vodka with apple juice is our go-to.
THE UNION HOTEL
90 Chapel St, Windsor
Every day is a happy day at The Union Hotel Happy. From 4-7pm you can quench your thirst with $7 pints of Furphy, $8 pots of cider, $5 house wines and $6 basic spirits.
THE AUBURN HOTEL
85 Auburn Road, Hawthorn East
Summer is definitely here at The Auburn with $35 Pimms jugs as well as $8 beers, wines and basics every night from 4-6pm.
THE HAWTHORN HOTEL
481 Burwood Road, Hawthorn
Tight Arse Tuesdays at The Hawthorn Hotel have become a Melbourne institution. Get ready for $5 pizzas, $5 loaded fries, $6 basic spirits, $7 pints and $9 Jägerbombs.
CHEERS TUESDAYS
660a Glenferrie Rd, Hawthorn
One of the all-time great uni nights. Drink specials include $3 pots, $6 basics, $8 bombs and late-night drink specials like $1 pots between 10-11pm.
PALACE HOTEL
893 Burke Road, Camberwell
Get lit on Fridays from 4:30-6:30pm with $6 pints, premium spirits and wines.
RICHMOND SOCIAL
157 Swan Street, Richmond
A bird cage, a beer garden, $3.50 pots, $7 pints and $5 basics is a recipe for Friday night success, if you ask me. From 4-6pm.
MAEVE FOX
472 Church Street, Richmond
Why wait for Friday when you can get $10 hump day cocktails and $5 basics?
THE LOST MOOSE
269 Swan St, Richmond
Find yourself here on a weekday between 5-7pm and enjoy $4 pots, $8 pints, $5 Melbourne Bitter cans and $12 espresso Martinis. Or kick off your Sunday sesh with a plate of paella and a cold glass of sangria for $17
29TH APARTMENT
29 Fitzroy Street, St Kilda
Wednesdays at the Apartment are where it’s at. Party anthems, modern house classics and $5 spirits, beer, wine and sparkling from 8pm. Load up on food (all you can eat wings for the win) from 4pm then swig the night away.
WEST
Closest to: Victoria University
BACK ALLEY SALLY
Upstairs, 4 Yewers Street, Footscray
What’s so special about Sundays, you ask? $18 jugs of Furphy from 1pm. And forget happy hour, head to Sally’s on Ecstatic Thursdays for $6 pizzas.
REVERENCE HOTEL
28 Napier St, Footscray
You’ll wanna taco bout this delicious Tuesday feast. From 6pm to 9pm, treat yourself to $3 tacos, $5 spicy fries and $3 Tecate tinnies.
THE STATION HOTEL
59 Napier St, Footscray
Let loose with $5 house wine, basics and schooners from 4-6pm every weeknight at this Footscray starwort.
BAYSIDE
Closest to: Monash Peninsula
HUMDINGER
101 Young Street, Frankston
Have a humdinger of a good time with $1 wings, $5 Coors and $4 tequilas every Thursday, plus free nibbles and live music from 4-6pm on Fridays.
BOBO’S DINER
435/437 Nepean Highway, Frankston
What’s better than $6 margaritas and $1 wings on a Thursday? $7 happy hour cocktails and $1 wings from 4-6pm every day. It’s easy to see why this has become a much-loved local.
THE DECK
2-4 Davey Street, Frankston
Deck your belly walls with $5 house wines and $6 Kirin schooners and complimentary canapés from 5-7pm on a Friday. Summer sips from one of the best rooftops on the peninsula? You betchya.
HAVE WE MISSED YOUR FAVE LOCAL? LET US IN ON YOUR KNOCK-OFF SPOT SECRETS IN THE COMMENTS BELOW.
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