It's Always 5 O'Clock: A Definitive Guide to the Top 50 Broward and Palm Beach Happy Hours

Himmarshee Side Bar

210 SW Second St., Fort Lauderdale, 954-524-1818, sidebardowntown.com

Michael McElroy

O'Brien's may be Irish, but it's known for Pabst tallboys.

Michael McElroy

At Mai-Kai, they put the drinks on a pedestal. And in a barrel.

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More About

• Courtney Hambright
• Alex Rendon
• Maggie Dove
• Liquor and Spirits
• Food and Cooking

A prime late-night party spot on the weekends and a sleek cocktail lounge at all other hours, Himmarshee Side Bar's appeal grows particularly strong between 5 and 7 p.m., when all drinks are two-for-one. On Friday evenings, Side Bar extends happy hour until 8 p.m. and serves a special menu that includes savory items such as smoked Gouda and crisp prosciutto mac 'n' cheese ($7) and Gorgonzola-stuffed dates ($8) at prices so reasonable, they don't need to be half off. Courtney Hambright

Samba Room

350 E. Las Olas Blvd., Fort Lauderdale, 954-468-2000, sambaroom.net

This swanky Latin-fusion restaurant and bar in Fort Lauderdale's downtown business district is an elegant sit-down restaurant with a colorful bar, where samba sounds and signature mojitos, respectively, keep hips shaking and conversation flowing. Samba Room appeals to suits and sophisticates, but even the most modest among us can afford to hang out at happy hour, when all liquor and wine prices are reduced by $3 — that means $4 sangrias and $5 Horizontal Mango Mojitos. Beers are $1.50 off, and there's a special chef's menu with reduced-priced appetizers that range from $3.50 to $5. The happy hour runs from 4 to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday. Courtney Hambright

Bimini Boatyard Bar & Grill

1555 SE 17th St., Fort Lauderdale, 954-525-7400, biminiboatyard.com

Bright and airy, this Caribbean-themed dockside restaurant and bar on Fort Lauderdale's yacht-lined 15th Street canal is the spot to get up-close and personal with the Venice of America's seafaring types. Typical prices run on the high end of moderate, but not during the daily 4 to 7 p.m. happy hour, when Bimini serves $4 call drinks, $5 premium drinks, and half-off domestic beer, house wine, and well drinks. Cheap eats on the $3 "bar bites" menu include a quarter pound of peel-and-eat Old Bay shrimp, coconut-crusted shrimp, Bimini conch fritters, and dry-jerked chicken wings. Courtney Hambright

Morton's the Steakhouse

500 E. Broward Blvd., Fort Lauderdale, 954-467-9720, mortons.com

Sharp time-management skills reap dividends at Morton's the Steakhouse, where the twice-daily "power hour" — between 4:45 and 6:30 p.m. and 9 p.m. to close — offers the common folk a chance to partake in the good life. High-backed red velvet chairs line the bar, where floor-to-ceiling windows look out on regular, everyday life at the busy intersection of Federal Highway and Broward Boulevard, but Frank Sinatra's "Young at Heart" drowns out the sound of traffic. Drink specials include $4 select beers, $5 select wines, $7 select cocktails, and Mortinis. A "bar bites" $5 menu, subject to change, might include mini-crab cakes; lump crab, spinach, and artichoke dip; and petite filet mignon sandwiches. Courtney Hambright

Postcards at Pelican Grand Beach Resort

2000 N. Ocean Blvd., Fort Lauderdale, 954-568-9431, pelicangrandresort.com

From 5 to 7 p.m. every day, this half-moon-shaped, old-fashioned resort lobby bar offers two-for-one specials on all drinks except aged premium liquors. The tall, old-fashioned room stretches up to a rounded ceiling, where an audience of pelicans overlooks the bar patrons. A popcorn machine provides free warm munchies, but there's also a $7 appetizer menu with calamari, spinach dip, chicken quesadillas, and wings. What's truly stellar about Postcards, however, is that it accesses the resort's long porch with white rocking chairs that provide a relaxing front-row seat to full moons on the Atlantic Ocean. Courtney Hambright

Dockside Café at 15th Street Fisheries

1900 SE 15th St., Fort Lauderdale, 954-763-2777, 15streetfisheries.com

15th Street Fisheries' red-lit, second-floor dining room is a renowned institution among South Florida seafood lovers. The Dockside Café, the establishment's casual first-floor dining room and outdoor patio, is better-known as a place to sip cocktails, feed tarpon, and gawk at megayachts. The bar serves two-for-one domestic drafts, house wines, and call-caliber single well liquor drinks — made with Smirnoff, Meyers, and Jose Cuervo — from 4 to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday as well as two-for-one Jose Cuervo Gold margaritas on Monday until 9 p.m. Also, select bottles of wine are half-price with entrée purchase on Thursday. Courtney Hambright

T-Mex Cantina

204 SW Second St., Fort Lauderdale, 954-463-2003

T-Mex brings a taste of Cancun to Himmarshee with drinks that would fit any semiauthentic cantina. Locals sip on Modelos or delicious margaritas (two-for-one on Tuesday) and munch on tacos (also two-for-one on Tuesday) that soak up the alcohol just right. Happy hour buzzes with downtown professionals as well as creative types all trying to catch good times and vibes. Tuesday feature the best drink specials and taco specials all day, but any day is a party. Happy hour lasts from 4 to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday, except on Wednesday, when it lasts until 10 p.m. Erica K. Landau

Tarpon Bend

200 SW Second St., Fort Lauderdale, 954-523-3233, tarponbend.com

By far, the hottest pickup spot and most raging happy hour in Himmarshee, Tarpon Bend packs in the white-collar types who've come to loosen their ties, throw back cocktails, unwind in front of the game, and flow onto the sidewalk. Tarpon offers a full menu that includes burgers, salads, fish dishes, and teasers like oysters, sliders, crab cakes, and garlic chili wings. All are perfect to wash down with the two-for-one drinks (except specialty drinks and high-end wine) offered from 4 to 7 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, 6 to 9 p.m. Saturday, and during the extended happy hour from 4 to 9 p.m. Friday. Erica K. Landau