Forget about watered-down highballs and discount domestic drafts; happy hour in Richmond is now high-end—and for everyone. The French call it, “L’Heure Heureuse,” the Sicilians, “aperitivo,” and the folks at The Roosevelt say “Early Bird,” but most know it as good, old-fashioned happy hour—that perfect time after the workday when adults can enjoy a little nosh and liquid refreshment at a discount.
Happy hour is like the afterschool snack all grown up, and in Richmond, happy hour has gone high-end. All over town, some of Richmond’s most acclaimed restaurants have rolled out incredible, after-work, weekday appetizer and drink specials.
THE ROOSEVELT (623 N. 25TH ST.) in Church Hill kicked off its “Early Bird” bar menu this summer, and its specials on weekdays, 5-6:30 p.m., include a fried oyster slider with remoulade for $3 and fried green tomatoes with pickled shrimp for $6, plus drink specials like a Ruby redbird shandy at $5 and kir royale at $6.
THE “MEZA ORA” AT STELLA’S (1012 LAFAYETTE ST.), available weekdays, 4-6 p.m. at the bar, is equally exciting, featuring $4-6 small plates, like spanakopita and tiropita and fig and goat cheese crostini, plus $10 carafes of house wine, $4 beers, and a $6 cocktail.
THE DINING ROOM AT THE BERKLEY HOTEL (1200 E. CARY ST.) in Shockoe Slip has perhaps the most ambitious happy hour specials in town, with house wine, high balls, and imported beer all at $3.50 (domestic beer is $2.50) and all available every day of the week, 3-7 p.m. The Berkeley also offers 50 percent off its lounge menu of favorites, including seafood mac and cheese and shrimp cocktail.
DECO RISTORANTE (2901 PARK AVE.) has a great happy hour Monday through Thursday, 5-7 p.m., with fantastic $5 signature cocktails, $5 wine, and $3.50 beers, plus food specials: ravioli porcini at $7 and calamari, fried or grilled, at $5.
AMOUR WINE BISTRO (3129 W. CARY ST.) does L’Heure Heureuse at the bar weekdays, 5:30-6:30 p.m., with $2-off cocktails, like Bourbon Basil Lemonade, plus small plates like spiced shrimp skewer and smoked trout “sushi” for $4-6 (or four of them for $12).
LEMAIRE (101 W. FRANKLIN ST.) may have been the spot that started it all. Its revamp four years ago was about letting Richmonders know that the swanky restaurant inside The Jefferson is for everyone, and its happy hour is proof. Every weekday, 4-7 p.m., Lemaire offers $5 glasses of house wine, $2 domestic beers, and $4 craft beers, plus a different daily special, like on Wednesdays when bottles of wine from the Discover list are $15. Then there’s the food. You can get three appetizers off the bar menu for just $20: things like ahi tuna crudo or shooting point oysters on the half shell.
Think I’m done? I haven’t even started. Bistro 27, Can Can Brasserie, Pasture, The Water Grill are just a few more Richmond spots offering fantastic specials for the after-work crowd. Yes, high-end happy hour in Richmond is here with a vengeance, so go ahead and embrace it. We all deserve a little mid-week treat and, at these prices, we can afford it.