The Ten Best Happy Hours in Delray Beach

Happy hour. Every establishment selling adult beverages has one. It's that glorious magical hour (or three or four) when drinking away the stress of the day gets a little cheaper — which makes you a little happier.

In South Florida — with its laid-back, tourist-friendly culture — there are so many happy hours to choose from, it can almost get stressful trying to decide where to unwind. Right now, one of the best cities (in our opinion) to do happy hour is Delray Beach, where you can get everything from half-priced apps to a three-for-one drink deal.

So, here it is, folks: the complete guide to the best happy hours in South Florida's best little city by the sea.

10. City Oyster
213 E. Atlantic Ave., Delray Beach. Call 561-272-0220, or visit cityoysterdelray.com.
At City Oyster, happy hour equals happy pairs. Well, that might be the best way to go, because for three hours every day, patrons at the bar get two-for-one on all drinks (even craft cocktails). Pair that half-priced beverage with a platter of oysters. During happy hour, take $1 off any oyster available that day, a rotating selection of East and West Coast bivalves. Happy hour takes place daily from 4 to 7 p.m. (at the bar only).

9. Buddha Sky Bar 
217 E. Atlantic Ave., Delray Beach. Call 561-450-7557, or visit buddhaskybardelraybeach.com.
When it comes to happy hour in Delray Beach, there's probably no better deal on the avenue than Buddha Sky Bar, where some of the bar's best light bites can be ordered for less than $10 a plate (think spicy tuna rolls, chicken teriyaki skewers, and crab rangoon). The happy-hour menu also has a great deal on the bar's best drinks, so you can wash it down with a $5 specialty cocktail like a rum daiquiri or black-cherry vodka collins. There are also $5 wines by the glass and $4 Asian imported beer. Happy hour is from 4 to 6 p.m. daily.

8. Cut 432
432 E. Atlantic Ave., Delray Beach. Call 561-272-9898, or visit cut432.com.
At Cut 432 off Atlantic Avenue in Delray Beach, it's not happy hour. It's social hour. That means plenty of schmoozing and canoodling going on here with $5 cocktails like the house mojito (Bacardi silver, fresh mint, and pressed lime juice) or the blood-orange margarita (Corazon silver tequila with Solerno, lime juice, and agave); $3 house wine including Vista Point pinot grigio, Chardonnay, Merlot, and Cabernet; $4 seasonal rotating draft beer; and $4 house mixed drinks (choose from Pearl vodka, Bacardi rum, Bombay gin, Dewar's scotch, Corazon tequila, and Jack Daniel's whiskey). Hungry? Of course you are. For $5 each, you can also order some of the best bar bites off the avenue, including pancetta Brussels sprouts, deviled eggs, ceviche, oysters Rockefeller, or the chef's fish dip — just to name a few.

7 . Salt 7
32 SE Second Ave., Delray Beach. Call 561-274-7258, or visit salt7.com.
This modern-style venue with outdoor lounge seating and a high-energy bar is the perfect place to see and be seen for happy hour. The regular menu serves steaks and sushi, but every afternoon, you can get minisized versions of some of Salt 7's best stuff (like filet mignon bites, sushi tacos, sushi pizza, and raw-bar items) for $4 to $7. As for drinks: Choose from a variety of wine by the glass — rten in all, with selections like Fiver Rivers Cabernet Sauvignon to Cupcake Sauvignon blanc — for just $4 a glass. Fancy a martini instead? The Key lime pie or cointreaupolitan ring in at $4 too, while draft beer is $3 and well drinks $5. Happy hour is daily from 3 to 7 p.m.

6. Lemongrass Asian Bistro
420 E. Atlantic Ave., Delray Beach. Call 561-278-5050, or visit lemongrassasianbistro.com.
Get everything from chicken gyoza, sashimi, and steamed pork dumplings to edamame and a California roll at Lemongrass Asian Bistro. The happy-hour menu offers 13 small plates priced $3 to $8 each. Then wash it all down with some booze. If you like martinis, Lemongrass might be your new favorite happy-hour spot. The restaurant offers 15 happy-hour martinis, including a lychee or lemongrass martini, lemon drop, Cosmo, or mojito. Our favorite: the Japanese white peach, a combination of vodka, white-peach liqueur, and a splash of cranberry juice. You can also get house selections of wine by the glass priced $4 to $6 as well as house well mixed drinks for $6 each and beer like Kirin Ichiban or Singha for $4 each. Hot and cold sake are $5 to $7. Food and drink specials are available only at the bar, but luckily it's a pretty big bar. Happy hour is from 4 to 7 p.m. daily.

5. Rocco's Tacos & Tequila Bar
110 E. Atlantic Blvd., Delray Beach. Call 561-808-1100, or visit roccostacos.com.
Forget working for the weekend. Weekday dining just got a lot more interesting — and affordable — thanks to the new "Siete por Siete" happy-hour menu at Rocco's Tacos & Tequila Bar. This is big news: It's the first time the Mexican tequila bar and restaurant has offered food as part of its daily happy-hour specials since the first location opened in 2007 in downtown West Palm Beach. Now, all five Rocco’s Tacos Florida locations — including Palm Beach Gardens, Boca Raton, Delray Beach, and Fort Lauderdale — will debut a special bar bites menu offering seven small plates for $7 each, available every day of the week (valid at the bar only). New "Siete por Siete" happy-hour options include camarones Patrón, tequila- and rojo chipotle-butter-sautéed shrimp served with flour tortillas; crispy fried flautas filled with a choice of chicken and chile de arbol salsa or beef with an avocado ranch dipping sauce; and jalapeño rellenos poppers stuffed with cotija cheese and crema. Happy hour is from 4 to 7 p.m. daily.

4. El Camino
15 NE Second Ave., Delray Beach. Call 561-865-5350, or visit elcaminodelray.com.
Die-hard taco fans know about the awesome late-night eats at Delray Beach's El Camino. All day — and far into the evening — the restaurant offers a taco Tuesday deal that trumps just about all others. While most TT deals limit the type of taco you can order, El Camino does no such thing. From open to midnight on Tuesday, you can order any of its gourmet tacos — each served on homemade corn tortillas — for just $2 each. That includes the crispy fish tacos with chipotle crema, cucumber pico, and arugula; chili-rubbed carne asada skirt steak with ranchera salsa and queso fresco; chorizo with Oaxaca cheese and salsa verde; or achiote-spiced chicken with cotija cheese. Even pork belly and Gulf shrimp. Once the clock strikes midnight, you're forced to choose, however: It's either barbacoa or the gringo (ground beef served on a soft flour tortilla) until close at 2 a.m. Happy hour is daily from 4 to 7 p.m. and again from midnight to 2 a.m.

3. Vic & Angelo's
290 E. Atlantic Ave., Delray Beach. Call 561-278-9570, or visit vicandangelos.com.
This longtime Delray Beach establishment is best-known for its homemade pastas and other hearty Italian dishes served indoors or out at one of the busiest intersections off the avenue. The sidewalk tables are perfect for people-watching as you enjoy one of ten happy-hour offerings priced, from $5.98 to $8.48, from the grilled calamari and meatballs to P.E.I. mussels and ahi tuna crudo. Then wash it down with handcrafted cocktails like the mango lemonade ($4.50), a glass of wine for $4.50, or bottled and draft beer for $3.50. Happy hour is seven days a week from 3 to 7 p.m.

2. Apeiro
14917 Lyons Road, Delray Beach. Call 561-501-4443, or visit apeirorestaurants.com.
Delray Marketplace restaurant Apeiro Kitchen & Bar offers the palates of Palm Beach its contemporary Mediterranean cuisine and refreshing craft cocktails from South Florida restaurateur Burt Rapoport.  The happy-hour menu features an all-star lineup of libations and bites, and drink specials include half-priced house spirits, bottled beer, red and white wines by the glass, and specialty cocktails priced at $6 each. For $12 per glass, try the house-made sangria; variations include Spanish Torres Sangre de Toro, with Torres orange liqueur, Torres ten-year brandy, and fresh-squeezed orange juice or the French, a rosé with Pamplemousse grapefruit liqueur and cucumber. To accompany the drink, Apeiro offers a number of small plates with spreads like hummus, eggplant caponata, and pistachio yogurt with wood-oven baked pita; nibbles like bacon-wrapped dates with sofrito sauce, manchego cheese, and chorizo; or a Margherita flatbread with oven-roasted tomatoes, mozzarella, and torn basil. Happy hour is available daily from 11:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., and Apeiro "after dark" features the same specials on Fridays and Saturdays from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m., plus an additional selection of drinks perfect for a weekend nightcap. 

1. Smoke BBQ
8 E. Atlantic Ave., Delray Beach. Call 561-330-4236, or visit eatbbqnow.com.
We've all grown accustomed to those two-for-one happy-hour deals. But how many places do you know that offer a three-for-one happy hour? With such a sweet deal, there's no taking the top spot on this list away from Delray Beach's Smoke BBQ. Its happy hour goes down seven days a week and boasts a crazy three-for-one wine and well-drink deal that includes Pinnacle and Deep Eddy vodka, Sauza tequila, Jim Beam and Buffalo Trace bourbon, Cruzan and Captain Morgan rum, Johnnie Walker Red, and more. If you're looking for brew, the happy hour includes two-for-one canned beers — more than 20 craft selections — so it still works whether you're drinking Bud Light or Cigar City Jai-Lai. The best part: The deal never ends. When you purchase your first drink, you'll get two drink tickets to redeem your next three-for-one drink, good for 21 days from the date on the receipt. And what about food? All appetizers (excluding Cajun shrimp) are half-price, with choices like applewood-smoked chicken wings, nacho platters topped with pulled chicken or pork, homemade potato chips, pulled chicken lettuce wraps, Texas caviar bean dip, steamed or fried Parmesan Brussels sprouts, or mix-and-match sliders with a choice of turkey, pulled pork, or beef brisket. Happy hour is from noon to 7 p.m. daily.

Nicole Danna is a food writer covering Broward and Palm Beach counties. To get the latest in food and drink news in South Florida, follow her @SoFloNicole or find her latest food pics on the BPB New Times Food & Drink Instagram.