These are my 5 favorite happy hours around Sacramento. Vote on yours
Happy hour always feels like a mini-vacation. Or maybe a mini-work trip, if done with coworkers.
There’s something inherently relaxing about pounding a drink and nibbling on pupus as the sun beats down, knowing that there’s more dining and/or drinking to come later on. My family and I resorted to Friday afternoon happy hours at home during the worst of the pandemic, usually complementing a cheese board with mojitos or margaritas to open the weekend in style.
We did that in part because restaurants around Sacramento had largely stopped offering happy hour. Now, though, it’s back in nearly full force.
These are my five favorite happy hours around Sacramento, in no particular order. What’s yours? Take a look, then vote below.
▪ Public House Downtown (1132 16th St., Sacramento)
Happy Hours: 3-6 p.m. Monday through Friday.
The MAC Hospitality Group restaurant formerly known as Firestone Public House is sports bar chilling at its best, and the happy hour deals will make you want to show up early to the watch party. Most pizzas and appetizers are 50% off, and cocktails go for $7 instead of the usual $11.
▪ Florez Bar & Grill (5900 S. Land Park Drive, Sacramento)
Happy Hours: 3-6 p.m. Monday through Saturday.
I love a good margarita, as implied earlier, and have yet to find a better one in Sacramento than at Florez. Most of the happy hour menu is $7 or less, from chilaquiles verdes to Chile Colorado-stuffed quesadillas to those aforementioned margaritas (blueberry and pomegranate are my go-tos).
▪ Back Bistro (230 Palladio Parkway, Suite 1201, Folsom)
Happy Hours: 3-6 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday.
The heated patio at Jeff and Gail Back’s Palladio Shopping Center restaurant is built for happy hour, winter or summer. The menu offers similarly elevated comfort: discounts on New American dishes like $6 garlic truffle fries and $10 loaded potato flatbreads ease the pain of the work week, as do $8 champagne cocktails.
▪ Kasbah (2115 J St., Sacramento)
Happy Hours: 4-6 p.m. Wednesday through Friday.
Tanya Azar’s midtown hangout isn’t just a popular late-night hookah and drink lounge (I once saw then-general manager Vlade Divac there during a Kings home game). With $9 caipirinha (Brazil’s national cocktail) or harissa-coated wings and $16 sangria pitchers, it’s a great spot to waste away an afternoon people-watching along J Street.
▪ Franquette (965 Bridge St., Suite 100, West Sacramento)
Happy Hours: 4-6 p.m. Monday through Friday, 2-4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
Owned by Canon and run by former Paris chef Elena Winks, this four-month-old “new French” cafe in The Bridge District is full of refined charm and natural light. Dishes are simple but excellent, like $8 boudin blanc sausage with pickled mustard seeds, and French wine goes for $9 or $10 per glass.
Benjy picked his favorite happy hour spots in Sacramento. Now, we want to know what you think. Vote in the poll below for the best out of his top five. It closes at 8 a.m. Friday, June 24. Did Benjy miss your favorite on his list? Email us at utilityteam@sacbee.com. Only one vote per person. This poll is not scientific — it’s for fun!
This story was originally published June 17, 2022 at 5:00 AM.