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The 10 hottest restaurant happy hour deals in Houston: Eat well cheap whiledrinking up

Drink for a good cause at OKRA Charity Saloon as 100 percent of the bar’sproceeds are donated to a different Houston-based organization or social causeeach month.
Photo by Joel Luks
The Wave at Pappasito's Cantina
Pappasito's Cantina/Facebook
The bites At Eddie V's include $1 Louisiana Oysters, $11 jumbo lump crabcakesand $6 lobster and shrimp bisque.
Eddie V's Prime Seafood/Facebook
Happy Hour at Benjy’s on Washington Avenue and Benjy’s in Rice Village (shown)is every day from 4 to 7 p.m.
Benjy's in the Village/Facebook
Sorrel Urban Bistro on West Alabama near Shepherd has two happy hours, a regularand a reverse.
Photo by Shannon O'Hara/Greater Houston Convention and Visitors Bureau

Cold one day, hot the next. No matter what the Houston weather brings our way, stay warm, or cool down, this January with these 10 Happy Hour deals.

CAFE GINGER
Happy Hour at Cafe Ginger in the River Oaks Shopping Center is Sunday through Thursday from 4 to 6:30 p.m. Sushi prices span from $8.95 to $16.95.

On the menu: The Tiger Eye Roll with smoked salmon and cream cheese and the Boston Roll with lobster, asparagus and black caviar. Wash it all down with $6 sake, $3 select beers or $5 glasses of house wine.

PAPPASITO'S CANTINA
With several locations in Houston including near Reliant Stadium, Richmond at Kirby, Richmond at Hillcroft, and I-10 at Federal, you can satisfy your margarita fix during Happy Hour at Pappasito's weekdays from 3 to 6:30 p.m. with $6.95 Grand Gold Margaritas, Pappasito's Signature Margarita for $4.95, The Wave for $6.95, or the Original Margarita for $4.95.

Beer is also a deal priced between $3.95 and $4.25. For $7 and under, munch on fare like chicken quesadillas, baja shrimp tacos, queso blanco, or fried zucchini sticks.

LIBERTY KITCHEN
Liberty Kitchen in the Heights (a second location is already under construction and due to open on San Felipe near River Oaks later this year) offers Happy Hour drink deals Mondays through Fridays from 2:30 to 6 p.m. On special: $4 draft and bottles, $6 mixed drinks, $7 glasses of wine.

Specialty drinks like The George made with Tito's, muddled blackberries, house-made syrup, and soda are $6. Liberty Kitchen offers a daily "Lite Menu" from 2:30 to 5 p.m. which features dishes like the Creole Crab Gumbo, ceviche and Chesapeake Crab Balls for $10 and under.

SEVEN DAYS A WEEK

OKRA CHARITY SALOON
Okra Charity Saloon downtown has recently announced a Happy Hour menu available daily from 3 to 6:30 p.m. Drink for a good cause as 100 percent of the bar’s proceeds are donated to a different Houston-based organization or social cause each month. The drink specials include $3 wells and beer, $5 wine and half-price cocktails.

While there’s no specific happy hour deal for food, the normal prices on the bites won't break the bank. For $4, you can get an order of waffle fries and for $9 you can choose from several panini's like the Grand Prize made with fresh mozzarella, prosciutto, basil and vinaigrette, or the Poison Girl with arugula, avocado, tomato and Sriracha mayo.

KATA ROBATA
Indoors or outside on the heated patio, stay warm with Kata Robata's Happy Hour deals.

Mondays through Saturdays from 5 to 7 p.m. and Sundays from noon to 5 p.m., enjoy discounted prices on food items like the $6 vegetable tempura, $7 Kobe Beef Tacos, $5 California Roll, and $6 Spicy Salmon Roll. Beverage wise, your choices include specialty cocktails for $11 and under, flavored sake for $6, hot sake for $4, 12 ounce imported beer for $3, Asahi drafts for $5, and house wines by the glass for $6.

If that’s not enough to quench your thirst, Kata also offers daily drink specials: Mondays and Tuesdays get Asahi drafts for $3.50. It’s half price sake flights on Wednesdays. Thursdays feature 50 percent off select wines by the glass. Fridays you can order an Asahi 1000 ml can for half price. And on Saturdays, Kata’s signature cocktails are just $5.

BENJY's
Happy Hour at Benjy’s on Washington Avenue and Benjy’s in Rice Village runs every day from 4 to 7 p.m. Both locations offer the same drink deals: Cocktails like Benjy’s Mojito and the Blood Orange Margarita are $6 each, wines by the glass are $5, select beers are yours for $2.50, mixed drinks are $5, and signature martinis are $6.

The food menu, however, varies slightly although both locales feature a price break on specialty pizzas, pork potstickers and salmon sashimi.

EDDIE V'S
Happy Hour in the “V” Lounge at Eddie V’s at both CityCentre and West Ave is available nightly 4 to 7 p.m. The bites include $1 Louisiana Oysters, $11 jumbo lump crab cakes and $6 lobster and shrimp bisque. The $5 drinks include cocktails like the Lemon Drop, Cosmopolitan and Classic Martini and select wines by the glass.

PUT IT IN REVERSE

SORREL URBAN BISTRO
Sorrel Urban Bistro on West Alabama near Shepherd has two happy hours, a regular and a reverse. The first is Tuesdays through Fridays from 4 to 7 p.m. The latter is Tuesdays through Saturdays from 9 to 11 p.m. During these time frames, premium drinks are $5 and so are select glasses of wine. Ale drafts like Fireman's 4 are $3 and domestic beer bottles are $2.

Eight bucks will get you one of several dishes on the menu such as fried risotto balls, brisket sliders and featured flatbread pizzas.

CRISP
Located near The Heights and Garden Oaks, Crisp offers Happy Hour drink prices Mondays through Fridays from 3 to 7 p.m. and Fridays and Saturdays from 10 p.m. until 1 a.m. Receive $2 off any wine by the glass as well as select craft draft beers.

Mondays from 3 to 11 p.m., order any specialty pizza and get a second pizza half off. On "Tasty Tuesday" from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., order any specialty pizza and get 25 percent off any bottle of wine. Friday from 3 to 7 p.m., get a flight of four different five ounce craft brews for $6.

A SMOKING GOOD TIME

MASON JAR
Weekdays from 3 to 7 p.m. at the Mason Jar in Memorial near Campbell Road, it's 75 cents off all alcohol (premium, well, beer, wine). Order at the bar and take advantage of specially priced appetizers like onion rings for $4.99, spinach artichoke dip for $7 and buffalo chicken tenders for $7.

Smokers rejoice: The Mason Jar is located in Hedwig Village and not the City of Houston. Puff away.

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Oh, Donna

New Houston cocktail bar serves up a house party fueled by music and martinis

Courtesy of Donna's

People are flocking to Donna's.

It hasn’t taken long for Houston cocktail fans to discover Donna’s. Ever since it opened Thanksgiving weekend, the new cocktail bar in the Heights has been packed with people eager to check out the new project from Anvil owner Bobby Heugel and veteran Houston bartender Jacki Schromm.

Named for Schromm’s grandmother, both partners use the word “house party” to describe the kind of atmosphere they want to create at Donna’s. That party can be very energetic on busy weekend nights and a little quieter and more intimate during the week — allowing patrons to choose what kind of experience they want to have.

Heugel and Schromm worked with collaborators on the design, music, and art for Donna’s. So far, people seem to be enjoying themselves.

“It’s really f---ing awesome,” Schromm tells CultureMap. “It has been really remarkable to have people in this building. To see the room full is a rewarding experience. The feedback we’ve received has just been really positive.”

To transform the former Ready Room into Donna’s, the partners collaborated with Brittany Vaughn of Garnish Design. Known for her work at establishments such as Tiny Champions, Maximo, and Milton’s, Vaughn helped divide the retro-styled cocktail bar into two distinct interior spaces. The main bar area is defined by high-top, organically-shaped tables that allow large groups to congregate or smaller groups to share without being on top of each other. The more intimate living room section features a large couch and a spacious booth.

“There’s a lot of smart utility in the space,” Heugel explains. “We kept talking about how it’s a small space. We want to find a seat for everybody as much as possible.”

To honor the space’s history of hosting live music, the partners worked with Chicago-based firm Uncanned on a powerful vintage stereo that includes both a reel-to-reel tape deck and a turntable. Known locally for their work at restaurants such as Nancy’s Hustle and Nobie’s, the Uncanned team gave Donna’s the ability to kick out the jams with ultra-clear sound while not being so loud that people can’t talk to each other. It also opens up the possibility of people playing their favorite albums on select nights.

“Jacki and I both had the bold opinion when we started talking about Donna’s that cocktail bars were boring. We wanted to add more layers to the onion,” Heugel says. “Having music be here as an additional component to the bar makes the room feel really good. That’s important to us, and we’ll have some programming related to that.”

Keli Hogsett of Austin’s CoCollect helped Schromm and Heugel select the room’s distinctive art on its walls. Heugel describes the works as museum-quality, contemporary pieces from regional artists that are a cut above what’s usually seen in bars. Hogsett will also source the art for the new restaurant Heugel and chef Justin Yu are opening next year in the former Vibrant space.

Schromm, who partnered with Heugel after working at Anvil and Reserve 101, created the opening cocktail menu herself. One highlight is the Jacki’s Martini, a nod to the “Bobby’s Martini” served at Refuge and the “Terry’s Martini” served at Squable. It’s a 50-50 mix of gin with Cocchi Americano and Dolin Blanc vermouth. She describes it as more “sessionable” than a traditional martini.

“I think this cocktail menu has a lot of personality,” she says. “Some of my flair, whether it’s a spirit I chose or a flavor I like.”

Although parking on the property is limited, Heugel notes that street parking on White Oak is relatively plentiful. A nearby pay lot is available, or people can skip the issue altogether by using their favorite rideshare service.

Of course, the adjacent restaurant space won’t stay empty for long. As CultureMap has previously reported, Austin-based pizzeria Home Slice has claimed the building for its second Houston location that will open in fall 2026.

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Donna's, 2626 White Oak Drive. Open daily from 2 pm-2 am

Courtesy of Donna's

People are flocking to Donna's.

openings nightlife cocktails the-heights