Where to find the best happy hour deals in Melbourne

It's time to get happy without breaking the bank. Check out these tasty specials, ease into the week with cheap Monday movie tickets and sip on half-price margaritas.

$5 pints and house wines

Heading out and only got a fiver? Craft beer taphouse Amphlett House boasts one of Melbourne's cheapest happy hours and it's on Monday to Friday. Beer drinkers can sip $5 pints of Better Beer Lager or Beechworth Pale Ale. For the wine lovers, there's pinot grigio and sangiovese from Domus Vini.

2-for-1 pisco sour Fridays

Two pisco sours are better than one. On Friday nights at Pastuso you can get the cocktail for dos por uno – that's two-for-one! Head down the street-art lined AC/DC Lane for ceviche, flame-grilled meats and Peruvian street food alongside your bevs. Happy hour runs from 4pm to 6pm and also includes beer and wine.

City wide cocktail hour

From 4pm to 6pm every Thursday you can sip your way through $9.50 signature cocktails at every Lucas Restaurants venue in the city. Start with Yakimono's tequila, sake and lychee loaded Harajuku. Head to Grill Americano to try its namesake drink, the Americano. Down Japanese punch at Kisumé. And pair a zingy cocktail with a snack-sized version of Chin Chin's famous kingfish sashimi.

Movie tickets from $7

Most cinemas have dropped cheap Tuesdays and discount tickets all together. But on Mondays thrifty film buffs can still head to the Kino Cinema, where tickets are $8.50. Whether your passion is art-house films or the latest blockbuster, you’ll have plenty of change for a choc top. Cinema Nova in Carlton, all movie tickets are just $7 until 4pm or $10 in the evening on Mondays.

$10 cocktails

Happy hour comes six days a week at Pretty Boy Steakhouse. From Monday to Saturday, 3.30pm to 5.30pm, you can enjoy $10 cocktails, $6 wines, $7 beers and $8 spirits. New York meets Italy at this modern restaurant and the meat-forward menu has a different special every weekday. Think $25 steak, $2 oysters and all-you-can-eat pasta nights.

$9 knock-off drinks

Celebrate the end of the work day with a cold bev for under a tenner. Happy Hour at Riverland Bar is a glorious two hours of $9 drinks. Grab a table on the banks of the Yarra River and sip selected pints, wines, spirits and spritzes. Available Monday to Friday, from 4pm to 7pm.

Oyster hour

Sure, cheap bevvies are nice. But an hour dedicated to half-priced oysters is heavenly. Fly up to Transit Rooftop Bar for a luxe evening on a budget. Oyster hour runs Friday through Sunday from 6pm to 7pm. Pair those freshly shucked gems with a signature cocktail and soak in the sparkling city views.

Cocktail happy hour

You'll want to leave your desk on time for the tequila-loaded happy hour at Miranda Tequila Bar. Spanning a whopping four hours, enjoy $15 cocktails every Thursday and Friday night from 5pm to 9pm. Then finish off the work-week right with a boogie on the dancefloor.

Cheap jugs and pizzas

Happy hour comes every day at Vapiano. Visit on Mondays for $20 jugs and pizzas or get the crew together for happy hour every day of the week from 4pm to 6pm! Frozen cocktails are just $13, all wines are half price and tap beers are only $6. You'd be amiss not to try the carb-tastic cob loaves while you're there. These bread bowls come loaded with your favourite pasta.

Vintage wines, just $8 a glass

Life's Too Short Bar offers back-vintage (old and rare) wine, for just $8 a glass, during its happy hours. That's Wednesday and Thursday 4pm to 6pm and Friday 3pm to 6pm. You can also knock back espresso martini royales for $18 all day, every day. But only if you ask nicely!

Karaoke and dining deals

Cantonese food, 1960s kitsch and a secret karaoke room. Yum Sing House has all the good stuff in spades. Save a little coin when you visit on Wednesday and Thursday nights with the $55 dine and sing package. Feast on shared dishes then belt out a tune upstairs in a private karaoke room. Did we mention oysters are also $2 a pop on Wednesday nights?

$16 passionfruit martinis

Weekdays are happier at Diesel Bar. Running from 5pm to 7pm, happy hour specials include $7 house wine, $5 pots, $16 jugs and $16 passionfruit martinis. When you visit on Fridays you can also score $8 basic spirits. Making a night of it? Stay for dinner or graze on some bites from the late night snacks menu.

Free cheese with your night cap

Who doesn't love free cheese? From Wednesday to Sunday from 8.30pm Jin Bar is giving away French cheese florets – with lavosh of course – when you order a late night beverage. Or swing by on Wednesdays or Thursdays to take advantage of the mid-week happy hour from 5pm to 7pm.

$14 cocktails at The Moat 

Everyone’s favourite subterranean bar, The Moat, offers a selection of $14 cocktails Tuesday to Saturday, between 4pm and 6pm. Choose from an espresso martini or a house-made lavender gin concoction. There are also some lovely wines for only $8 a glass, and a heavenly cheese plate menu.

Thrifty izakaya snacks

This mood-lit Japanese spot isn't just for luxe date nights. Head down to Ototo after work Tuesday to Friday and enjoy snack bar faves for less than a tenner. Think $2 oysters, $6 gyoza and $9 fried chicken karaage. Available from 5pm to 6pm.

Steak and oyster night

Wednesday night is steak night at Boilermaker House. And if that's not enough, it's also half-price oyster night. Pop in between 5pm and 10pm for oysters served natural with a Laphroaig 10 dropper. Gobble down 6 for $18 or a dozen for $36. The main event is a juicy 200g ribeye for just $25. It comes with shoestring fries, rocket salad and a house-made pepper sauce.

Bubbles and $3 oysters at Chancery Lane

Knock-off drinks just got a whole lot classier with happy hour in the courtyard at Chancery Lane. From 5pm to 7pm, Wednesday to Friday, enjoy a $15 glass of Champagne or $6 Moon Dog lager. Snack on $3 Southern Rock oysters, $12 pomme frites, or a $40 charcuterie plate to share.

Half-price wines and oyster happy hour

Ernest himself would have felt right at home at Hemingway’s, a seductive homage to Europe’s wine bars. Luxuriate through the working week with $2 oysters, $9 prosecco and $15 champagne. That's on Tuesday to Thursday, between 5.30pm and 6.30pm. Or dine in on 'bottle shop Thursdays' and enjoy half-price bottles of wine. Grabbing vino to-go? You can also get 10 per cent off all takeaway bottles on Thursdays.

Knock-off cocktails

The George on Collins has something for everyone, including cheap cocktails four days a week. Head there between 3pm and 6pm, Tuesday to Friday to get $12 cocktails and $8 beer, wine and spirits. Try the Tennessee sour, a Moscow mule and more. Peckish? Order some massaman croquettes and prawn dumplings to share. Or go all out with one of the two ‘feed me’ menus.

Daily discounts on the drinks menu

At Lygon icon Carlton Yacht Club you'll be able to score knockoffs on the cheap every day of the week. From 4pm to 7pm daily, the crew offers 20 per cent off all cocktails and $2 off beer, wine and spirits. Be sure to line your stomach with a hunger-busting $15 pizza, available every night until close.

$12 margarita nights

If you can see yourself sipping cheap margaritas waterside, you better get to South Wharf. From 6pm on Friday and Saturday nights at The General Assembly, the cocktails are just $12 a pop. Visiting Monday through Friday? Gather the office crew at tools down time and reward yourselves with even more cheap bevs. During sunset happy hour from 4pm to 7pm, schooners are just $8 and a wine or spritz will set you back $10.

Hidden gem happy hour

Tucked inside the Pullman Hotel, Eva's promises a luxe experience for less at happy hour. Visit from 4pm to 6pm daily to take advantage of the savings. Cocktail fans can choose from $12 Aperol spritzes and $15 espresso martinis. There's also $10 pints, $6 house wines and $9 house spirits.

High-end happy hour

Okay, we’re pushing the boat out here. The lush Bar Margaux celebrates ‘Golden Hour’ from 5pm to 7pm, and 10pm to 12am daily. For $80 you can get two glasses of champagne, oysters, frites and steak tartare. Hey, that’s only, like, four ten-dollar margaritas each, right? 

Please drink responsibly.