This post has been updated from an earlier version.
Not that you need any enticement to go outside on a sunny day, but here’s where you can find five-buck beers, discounted frozen cocktails, and plenty of snacks.
All Purpose Riverfront
79 Potomac Ave., SE
This Navy Yard pizzeria’s rooftop will reopen in the coming weeks. Until then, happy hour deals—$6 beers, $8 wines, $10 Aperol spritzes and negronis, and $12 pies—are also available on the patio.
When: Wednesday through Friday from 5 to 7 PM (starting April 1, it’ll be available Monday through Friday).
Anju
1805 18th St., NW
The patio at this Dupont Korean hotspot is snug (16 seats), but snacks like the $8 kimchi dog and $9 fried chicken sandwich are worth elbowing for. Also, there are Kirin Ichiban drafts for $5, and $7 shandies and wine.
When: Monday through Friday from 5 to 6 PM.
Baby Shank
1602 U St., NW
French bistro fare meets a quirky sushi menu at this U Street spot (formerly home to Local 16), which has an expansive rooftop. There, you’ll find $5 draft beers, $10 margaritas and other cocktails, and snacks like truffle fries and mussels.
When: Wednesday through Saturday from 4:30 to 7 PM.
Calico
50 Blagden Alley, NW
This outdoor hangout in Shaw’s Blagden Alley offers a happy hour with $3 slices of tomato pie, plus $2 discounts on Pacifico drafts and the bar’s pouched “adult juice boxes.”
When: Tuesday through Friday from 4 to 6 PM.
The Imperial
2001 18th St., NW
This throwback Adams Morgan spot just launched a fresh happy hour with $5 drams of high-end bourbon and a selection of $10 sandwiches (including a Filet o’ Fish riff, a, French dip, a smash burger), and you’ll still find $11 cocktails like espresso martinis and negronis. A draw for seafood fans: on Wednesday nights (indoors between 5 and 10 PM), you can get a crab-themed seafood tower ($76 to $118) with snow crab legs, blue and Jonah claws, crab dip, and crab rangoon. Plus, you can add a bottle of wine for $10. The rub: the rooftop will reopen in a couple weeks.
When: Wednesday through Friday from 5 to 7:30 PM.
Immigrant Food
1701 Pennsylvania Ave., NW; 923 13th St., NW
The apertivo hour menu at these globally-minded fast-casual places—one near the White House, the other at Planet Word—includes $10 old fashioneds and other cocktails, discounted wines by the bottle and glass, and snacks like samosas and shrimp ceviche.
When: Tuesday through Saturday from 3 to 7 PM (Planet Word) and 4 to 8 PM (near the White House).
Lulu’s Wine Garden
1940 11th St., NW
Head to the front and back patios at this date-friendly Shaw hangout for $11 ranch water, $6 and $7 beers, and happy hour-only specials like a Hatch-chili burger and Frito pie.
When: Tuesday through Thursday from 5 to 7 PM; Friday from 4 to 6 PM; and Sunday from 3 to 8 PM.
Midlands
3333 Georgia Ave., NW
The daily happy hour at this dog-friendly Park View beer garden starts early and includes $3 bratwurst and discounted beer flights and warm cocktails.
When: Monday through Thursday from 3 to 5 PM; Friday from 1 to 5; Saturday and Sunday from 11 AM to 1 PM.
Pearl Dive Oyster Palace
1612 14th St., NW
The walk-up bar/patio fronting this Louisiana-inspired Logan Circle staple slings half-price oysters, $7 burgers, $11 pots of mussels, $6 wines, and $8 martinis and old fashioneds.
When: Monday through Thursday from 4 to 7 PM; Friday from 3 to 7 PM.
The Point
2100 Second St., SW
The massive seafood restaurant at Buzzard Point has a huge deck right on the river. Grab $10 cranberry mules and margaritas, $2 oysters, and $8 half-pounds of smoked wings.
When: Monday through Friday from 4 to 7 PM.
Tiki TNT
1130 Maine Ave., SW
Affordable drinks at the Wharf can be hard to come by, but you’ll find $10 frozen rum-and-Cokes, passionfruit daiquiris, and mai tais at Todd Thrasher’s rum distillery/bar. Snacks like spring rolls and crystal shrimp dumplings are six bucks.
When: Monday through Friday from 3 to 6 PM.
Ann Limpert joined Washingtonian in late 2003. She was previously an editorial assistant at Entertainment Weekly and a cook in New York restaurant kitchens, and she is a graduate of the Institute of Culinary Education. She lives in Petworth.
