Las Vegas may be a city renowned for its nightlife, but it’s also home to a 9-to-5 crowd (that’s 9 a.m.-5 p.m., believe it or not). So at 11 p.m. on a weeknight, while some people are getting dressed in their best clubwear to go to Tao, the rest of us are getting dressed in our PJs to go to bed. That’s why they invented happy hour—that magical period between the end of the work day and the cocktail hour—when the hard-working denizens of Las Vegas can descend on their favorite local watering hole to schmooze with co-workers, meet new people and unwind with a few heavily discounted drinks—all before Letterman comes on.
So whether you’re looking for a place to network, kick back or just get hammered by sunset without breaking the bank, here is a baker’s dozen of our favorite local happy hours.
CHICAGO BREWING COMPANY
2201 S. Fort Apache Road, 254-3333
Happy hour: Beer Garden Patio—Every day, 3-7 p.m.
Upstairs Loft—Every day, 5-7 p.m., 10 p.m.-midnight.
$7 pitchers
A happy place for: Smokers! CBC’s multitiered, bar/patio/loft/restaurant structure provides places where smokers and nonsmokers can segregate or coexist at their leisure.
COYOTE UGLY (pictured above)
Inside New York-New York, 740-6330
Happy hour: Every day, 6-9 p.m.
Buy one drink, get one free
A happy place for: A few drinks on the Strip. And since the bartop dancing doesn’t begin until 9 p.m., you don’t have to worry about your drink getting kicked over.
DOWNTOWN COCKTAIL ROOM
111 Las Vegas Blvd. S., 880-3696
Happy hour: Monday-Friday, 4-8 p.m.
$3 domestics, $4 imports, $5 well drinks and wine, $7 well martinis
Cocktails & The City—Wednesday, 5-8 p.m.: Complimentary Skyy cosmopolitans for ladies, 5-6 p.m.; and $5, 6-8 p.m.
LoPro: Local Professionals Mixer—Thursday, 5-8 p.m.: Complimentary hors d’oeuvres.
T.G.I.F.: Thank God It’s Free—Friday, 5-8 p.m.: The first five groups of five or more receive a complimentary bottle of house wine or Skyy Vodka and mixers.
A happy place for: Networking. DCR’s assortment of weekly mixers are ideal for sharing cocktails with Downtown’s movers and shakers.
THE GRIFFIN
511 Fremont St., 382-0577
Happy hour: Monday-Saturday, 5-9 p.m.
$1 off all drinks
A happy place for: Conversation with a good soundtrack. The jukebox is straight out of a Wes Anderson movie, but it’s still quiet enough during happy hour to catch up with friends.
ICE HOUSE LOUNGE
650 S. Main St., 315-2570
Happy hour: Monday-Saturday, 3-7 p.m. and Sunday, 5-7 p.m.
$2 domestic beers, $4 import drafts, $4 Long Islands and margaritas
A happy place for: Catching the afternoon game. With eight plasma TVs and an assortment of discounted appetizers, the Ice House Lounge is perfect for all your football-season needs.
LITTLE MACAU
3939 Spring Mountain Road, 222-3196
Happy hour: Every day, 5-7 p.m. and 11 p.m.-1 a.m.
$1.50 domestics, $2 imports, half-off well drinks
Wednesday—Ladies buy one drink, get one free
A happy place for: Casino employees. If you work for the Palms, Venetian or Wynn, it’s always happy hour, meaning happy hour prices always apply.
LUCKY STRIKE
Inside the Rio, 777-7999
Happy hour: Every day, 6-9 p.m. and 10 p.m.-midnight
Two-for-one well drinks, two-for-one all beer (including pitchers)
A happy place for: The whole family. The kids can bowl while parents share a pitcher, and thus the nuclear family endures.
PT’S GOLD, PT’S PLACE & PT’S PUB
Just about everywhere
Happy hour: Every day, 4-6 p.m. and 2-4 a.m.
$2 domestic drafts, $2 well drinks
A happy place for: Convenience. Though each location caters to its gaming regulars, PT’s crowd and atmosphere vary from one joint to the next. But with 34 establishments throughout the Valley, you can almost look out the window of any PT’s and see another one.
RAINBOW BAR & GRILL
4480 Paradise Road, 898-3525
Happy hour: Every day, 11 a.m.-8 p.m.
$2 select beers
Sunday, $2 Blue Moons
Friday, $1 shots, free wine coolers for ladies
A happy place for: Surprise specials! Rainbow’s trying to spread the word that it’s reopened, so expect to be spoiled throughout football season with every drink discount and special event they can think of.
RED ROOM SALOON
3101 W. Sahara Ave., 257-9663
Happy hour: Every day, 4-7 p.m. and Saturday-Sunday, 2-4 a.m.
Buy one beer, get one free; $2 well drinks
A happy place for: Ending your day with a little flair. Red Room keeps a staff of flair bartenders on-hand to entertain you with bottle-and-tin acrobatics. You’ll find a packed, lively room even late on a Sunday night.
SCORES
3355 Procyon St., 367-4000
Happy hour: Every day, 5-8 p.m.
Free buffet, and all drinks under $10 are two-for-one
A happy place for: Anyone with a Y chromosome. Free food, cheap drinks and women in lace. Trifecta!
SIDEBAR
201 N. Third St., 259-9700
Happy hour: Monday-Friday, 3-6 p.m. and Saturday, 5-7 p.m.
$5 martini of the day, $3.50 well drinks, $2.50 domestics, $3.50 imports
Three glasses of select wine for $15
A happy place for: Professionals. Sidebar’s calm and classy atmosphere regularly draws in the employees of the nearby courthouse for an after-work cocktail.
TAHITI JOE’S
7200 Las Vegas Blvd. S., 440-6950
Happy hour: Every day, 4-6 p.m. and 11 p.m.-2 a.m.
Half off all well drinks, house wine and draft beer
A happy place for: Kicking it in a Polynesian atmosphere. A nice place to relax and chat with the good folks of Tahiti Village.