Boozy News

Where to drink right now: 10 hot, happy hour deals for December

The bar at L'Olivier
Photo by © Jill Hunter
Triniti Bar Bites include fried chicken meatballs and waffles.
Photo courtesy of Triniti Restaurant + Bar

Inside and outside of the 610 Loop you'll go. December’s happy hours deals span the city and offer specials sure to light up your holidays.

La Griglia
The deals plus the lively atmosphere at La Griglia in the River Oaks Shopping Center make for a happy hour hot spot. Mondays through Fridays from 3 to 6 p.m., on the patio or at the bar, choose from specials like lobster empanadas and butternut squash pacchettini for $5 each, and specialty pizzas for $7.

The $5 drinks list features the likes of a lemon drop cocktail, peach Bellini, blood orange martini and select glasses of wine. Beer is a dollar less at $4.

Triniti Restaurant and Bar
During Triniti's happy hour, Mondays through Fridays from 4 to 7p.m., and all-night Sundays till close, enjoy sharable bites like the cavatelli bolognese, duck fat poached oysters, and fried chicken meatballs and waffle with chipotle syrup for $4 each, or 3 for $10. On the lighter side, try the beef tartare teriyaki or hot salmon sashimi.

The drink deals include half off cocktails, $3 select beers and $5 wines by the glass. Complimentary valet.

Nosh Bistro
Between the contemporary, sexy decor and the mix of South and East Asian cuisine, happy hour at Nosh Bistro is anything but your average affair. Nosh offers a champagne board special daily from 5 to 7 p.m. It comes complete with cheeses such as Norwegian Gjetost and Epoisses Berthaut, house-made rabbit sausage and freshly baked sourdough Lavosh.

Don't forget the bubbly — the champagne board comes with two glasses. All for $22.

PF Changs
Happy hour at PF Changs is from 3 to 6 p.m. Mondays through Fridays, 9 to 11 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays, and 10 p.m. until midnight on Fridays. Locations in and around town include Highland Village, Westchase, Willowbrook, Sugar Land and The Woodlands.

Order a large sake for $4 or select beers for $3.25 and under. Wines by the glass and cocktails like the Rum Colada and Asian Pear Mojito are $6. For $6 or less, try Chang’s Chicken Lettuce Wraps, steamed dumplings or crab wontons.

RDG + Bar Annie
RDG offers happy hour prices Mondays through Fridays from 4 to 7 p.m. Specialty cocktails for $6: The Paloma and the Infinite Summer made with vodka cointreau grapefruit, cranberry, lime, and soda. Select wines by the glass and eats such as the fried chicken mignonettes, deep fried rainbow trout skewers and smoked chile meatballs are also $6. Select beers are $3.

Max's Wine Dive
Regular happy hour at Max's Wine Dive on Washington Avenue runs Mondays through Fridays from 4 to 7 p.m. Reverse happy hour goes Mondays through Thursdays from 10 p.m. to midnight and Fridays from midnight to 2 a.m.

Six bucks will get you a fried egg sandwich, twice cooked Texas BBQ foldover or bacon PB&J triangle. Lone Star Beer is $2 and wines by the glass are $2 off.

Haven
You don't get one, but two happy hour menus at Haven. Choices on Haven’s regular happy hour menu include the pulled pork slider trio, shrimp corn dog trio, crispy chicken lollipops and smoked shrimp tostadas. Cove Cold Bar, a mini-restaurant within the restaurant, has a happy hour, too.

Cove offers mostly seafood, but also some land food options, none of it cooked. Example items are ceviche spoons, ice shrimp (six per order), ice crab claws by the dozen and snow crab slaw. Across the board, happy hour is weekdays from 4 to 6 p.m.

All items are $6, including libations such as the Moscow Mule, Pimms Cup, margarita and basil smash cocktail made with basil, bourbon and fresh lemon juice.

Underbelly
At the bar area and on the patio,Underbelly features deals on drinks twice daily except on Sundays. Get 20 percent off beer and wine from 3 to 6:30 p.m., Mondays through Saturdays. The reverse happy hour is from 10 p.m. until midnight Mondays through Wednesdays, and 10 p.m. until 2 a.m. Thursdays through Saturdays.

Again, it's 20 percent off beer and wine. There's a deal on the food, like the spicy garlic gulf shrimp and satay of the day, both $12. Bargain fare is available Thursdays through Saturdays all day until 1 a.m.

L’Olivier Restaurant
Happy hour at L’Olivier in Montrose runs Tuesdays through Fridays from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. Discounted gourmet appetizers include smoked salmon risotto, boeuf bourguignon, pate, and truffle mac and cheese, all priced at $5 and under. Try the pork rillete, a large enough portion for you and three friends to share, for $15.

Select beers and wines by the glass start at $2. Well drinks are $5. Complimentary valet.

Sambuca
Sambuca downtown has happy hour specials weekdays from 4 to 6:30 p.m. The drink deals: $3 off liquor and wine, $2 off all beers. The $4 appetizers: Chicken, calamari fritte, fried crab cake, goat cheese studded artichoke and more.

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Coming soon to Fredericksburg

Houston restaurant vet serves up Roman-style eatery in the Hill Country

Photo courtesy of Bottega Salaria

Valerio Lombardozzi is opening Bottega Salaria in the former home of La Bergerie.

Valerio Lombardozzi’s culinary career has taken him to the world’s finest kitchens, including restaurants owned by icons like Alain Ducasse, Giorgio Locatelli, and Joël Robuchon. In Houston, he led La Table and Tavola, where he earned a reputation for being one of the city's most engaging front of the house personalities.

But his latest project might be his biggest accomplishment yet. The hospitality veteran is opening Bottega Salaria, a homey Italian osteria and artisan market, in the former home of La Bergerie at 312 E Austin St in his adopted home of Fredericksburg.

Lombardozzi says the restaurant, expected to arrive in winter 2026, fills a gap in the Hill Country dining scene, but, more importantly, it's a reflection of his personal history and time spent working at his family’s restaurant in Rome.

“[It’s about] where I grew up, how I grew up, and how I eat,” he shares.

The three-concept experience is inspired by Italy’s Via Salaria, the ancient route Italians used to transport salt from the Adriatic Sea to Rome. The menu acts as a sort of travelogue, borrowing from the different cultures along the road, and the way village fishermen and shepherds ate.

Lombardozzi is quick to say he didn’t want to open a chef-driven restaurant. Instead, the osteria will serve traditional Roman staples such as cacio e pepe, amatriciana, carbonara, saltimbocca with sage and prosciutto, and branzino carved tableside.

“I was one of the last to be exposed to the old generation of professionals who knew how to carve elegantly for the guests,” he says.

The adjacent bottega will stay open during restaurant hours, offering fresh pasta made on-site, house-made sauces, imported Italian pantry items, cheeses, salumi, breads, and biscotti. Patrons will be able to shop for individual items or put together custom gift baskets.

Outdoors, La Fraschetteria will debut a new hospitality experience in the U.S. The self-guided experience invites diners to grab wine directly from garden shelves, gather a spread of meats, cheeses, bread, or pasta, and linger around long communal tables lit by string lights.

Keeping the chit-chat going will be a thoughtful beverage program anchored by a primarily Italian wine list and imported beer. Lombardozzi says the cocktail menu might be a surprise, offering only gin and tonics, spritzes, and negronis. The latter has been made into a game where diners roll dice to determine the evening's combination of gin, vermouth, and bitters.

After dinner, guests can select an amaro from a rolling cart, sip grappa and limoncello, or sip a neat whiskey.

Lombardozzi shares that he wants Bottega Salaria to be just as comfortable for Fredericksburg locals as it is for destination travelers. Beyond daily service, Bottega Salaria plans community events such as garden wine nights with live music, Sunday movie nights, and hands-on cooking classes.

The space is designed for ease with a warm palette combining olive green and pomegranate reds. The decor blends heritage and modernity, bringing in objects like antique mirrors, plates, custom-made lamps, and even old tablecloths and curtains for an Old World feel.

"We’re not just opening a restaurant,” Lombardozzi says. “We’re creating a gathering place. A home for everyone who loves Italian food, culture, and the joy of sharing a meal with others.”

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