The Insider's Guide to Happy Hour In Napa: Part Two

You know that the City of Napa has arrived when there are too many happy hour deals to fit in a single roundup article.  So here we are again, with Part Two of the Insider's Guide.  As in Part One, I'm not trying to do a comprehensive listing of all the discounts, just sharing some of my personal favorites for cheap drinks and snacks during that happiest of hours.  As you may notice from my photo selections, I tend to fixate on the snacks... but really, the drinks are just as important for this shortlist.  And here they are:


Bui Bistro.  Anyone who reads my blog knows of my immense love for this place.  Chef-owner Patrick Bui grew up and learned to cook in France, so his versions of Vietnamese classics have a Gallic elegance to them that suits the tasteful decor of his Pearl Street restaurant.  He also pours plenty of well-priced Old World wines, chosen to show off the complex flavors in his cuisine.  During happy hour Tuesday through Sunday, all wines by the glass are $2 off, and the appetizers are $3 less than usual.  This means that you can order the swoon-worthy Saigon wings, 5-spice duck confit, or spring rolls for only $5 per order, and wash it down with a glass of Austrian Grüner Veltliner or prosecco for $6.  And since happy hour runs from 5-7pm, this really could be dinner. 
TRAGIC UPDATE OCTOBER 3, 2012:  Restaurant staff told me today that they have discontinued happy hour... please help me lobby to bring it back!  Keep asking for these awesome deals.

Bui Bistro's oh-so-succulent duck confit
infused with Vietnamese five-spice.

1313 Main.  This sleek new wine bar at the north edge of downtown is gaining a reputation for its late night bubbles and beats on the weekends, but it's also well worth a visit during happy hour.  Sunday through Wednesday from 3-6pm, a rotating selection of eight wines by the glass and five bottled beers are available two for the price of one, with mixing and matching allowed.  Their selection of wines ranges from local cult cabs to quirky international producers, and changes frequently to keep things interesting.  A short list of wine-friendly small plates created by Chef Sarah Scott (former executive chef at the Robert Mondavi Winery) can also be yours during happy hour for $5-6 off the normal prices.  Think snacks like muhamarra, green herb pesto, and apricot raita.  1313 has a sexy vibe, and lots of different seating options (including a fabulous back patio), so odds are you can find a spot that suits you.



1313 Main's rabbit terrine with red curry mustard,
pickled fennel, toast.

Uva Trattoria Italiana. Just down the block and around the corner from 1313 Main, downtown veteran Uva has been packing the locals in for twelve glorious years.  The music stage and dancefloor get put to good use on the weekends, but I prefer to go pre-music for happy hour in their spacious bar and lounge area.  Weekdays from 4-6pm -- except Mondays, when they're closed -- a selection of draft beers is $3, house red or white wine is $5, and well drinks are $4 (yes! they have one of downtown's rare full bar licenses).  To help line your stomach against the booze, check out the happy hour antipasti menu (all $5), which includes pizzas, baby back ribs, almonds & olives, and assorted other savory nibbles.  Tuesday nights are extra happy with a burger & pint deal for $10, as well as the usual specials.  On Sundays in November, you can score a classic margherita pizza and pint of beer for only $10, as well.  



Uva's pesto arancini; photo by Jade R. on Yelp.com.

Fumé Bistro.  Fumé is like the north Napa version of Zinsvalley: friendly, non-fussy, comfort food with a twist.  Their offbeat location alongside Highway 29 on Byway East (turn off 29 at El Centro Avenue to get there) lends a clandestine feel to the place, though, and it consequently has a cultish following of locals.  Monday night is particularly famed for the "Five Dollar Burger" ($5.55) deal, which starts at 4pm and runs until closing.  The rest of the workweek also has its discounts: from 4-6pm, a small menu of prime drinking foods (like margherita pizza, polenta fries, onion rings with chipotle barbecue sauce, and fried raviolis) awaits, for only $4.50 per plate.  And from 4-6pm Monday through Friday, beers and well cocktails from their full bar are only $3.50.

For more happy hour suggestions, check out Part One to this guide, here.

The Insider's Guide To Happy Hour Deals In The City Of Napa

Being a person of French peasant descent (and modest income), I have always delighted in discovering great deals on food and wine.  Living in Napa raises the difficulty level of this particular challenge, but also the satisfaction of finding a truly awesome happy hour discount. 

The following is a totally subjective list of some of the best happy hours in town, chosen by yours truly because of their value, their accessibility (e.g., more than one day, continues past 5pm), and/or their quality of offerings.  There are other worthy contenders out there, though!  Let me know your favorites in the comments.  À la vôtre...



Oh how I love thee, mushroom flatbread. With. Truffle. Oil.

Carpe Diem Wine Bar.  These guys do happy hour RIGHT, which in my book means every day of the week.  From 4-6pm, you get $3.50 draft beers, red and white wines of the week (one of each color) for $6/glass, and discounts on a short list of their favorite menu snacks, including my beloved wild mushroom flatbread ($6 during happy hour), truffle popcorn, and their wildly addicting harissa fries--made with the harissa blend from Whole Spice in the Oxbow Public Market.  Carpe's space is cool and contemporary, and verrrrrrrry popular... so it can get loud.  Arriving on the earlier side is advised if you aren't up for standing room only.

Grace's Table.  Just down the street from Carpe, Grace's Table also rocks the daily happy hour from 3-6pm (3-7 on Wednesdays).  Glasses of the house red and white wines are $5, as are the soju cocktails (normally $9).  Their food menu offers a really great variety of meat, non-meat, seafood, and cheesey goodness priced between $3 and $6.  It's rare to see such a broad selection of dishes and non-fried preparations on a happy hour menu that also contains fried pickles and semolina crusted onion rings.  If the bar stools aren't calling your name, no worries--the discount applies in the restaurant area too.

Salt cod beignets/tater tots with harissa aioli.

Fish Story.  Rounding out the pack of daily happy hour spots, Fish Story's deal runs from 3-6:30pm.   During this luxuriously long time, full-size draft beers are $2.50 (!), signature and well cocktails are $5, and a half dozen of their wines on tap are also $5 per glass (the Morning Sun Sangiovese rosé from Sonoma Mountain is my vinous go-to).  Foodwise, the $5 menu changes but typically includes oyster shooters, fish tacos, ceviche, clam chowder, and salt cod beignets.  Discounts only apply in the bar area and on the pleasant front patio, aka the Octopus' Garden.

Zins' thrilling smoked salmon, goat cheese, caper pizza.  Try
it with a cucumber gimlet for maximal enjoyment.

Zinsvalley.  Holding court over the brick plaza on First Street, Zinsvalley is a spacious restaurant with plenty of shaded patio space as well as a fireplace-equipped bar.  Zins does its well-known happy hour in the bar Monday-Friday (no weekends), from 2-6pm--except for Wednesdays, when the hours remain happy until closing at midnight.  Three dollar beers, $4 well cocktails and house wine, and a discounted appetizer menu happens every happy hour night, but there are also special deals on Tuesday (half-price burgers) and Thursday ($6 you call it Martinis, featuring Ketel One).  The vibe is casual, and the bar is usually full of locals.

Bounty Hunter Wine Bar.  Bounty Hunter started its happy hour discounts in the dark early days of the recession, but the enduring popularity of these offerings has kept them around since.  Deals run Monday through Thursday from 3-6pm, and ALL DAY on Monday until closing.  During these happy times, draft beers (including Guinness) are 2-for-1, and Bounty Hunter wine brands (Streamside,  Pursuit, Waypoint, The Vigilante, etc.) are 2-for-1 by the glass, or 20% off by the bottle.  You can also get a quarter slab or ribs for $5, or a BBQ sampler platter with brisket, pulled pork, and ribs with a dollop of cole slaw (a full meal) for $10.

New bar tables and chairs moved into the wine bar space
in mid-September. Is a flatscreen next?

Whole Foods Wine Bar.  Ok, this one is technically neither a restaurant nor a happy hour--it's a frickin' unbelievable value.  The recently expanded wine bar located in the heart of the Napa Whole Foods Market is a wondrous place, open 11:30am to 8pm daily, where you can order beers like Four In Hand IPA or White Cloud Belgian White for $1.99, 5-ounce pours of Sancerre for $5, a half bottle of Veuve Clicquot for $30, cheese plates for $8, and/or any bottle in their wine department at retail cost, with no corkage. Thursday and Friday night wine tastings cost an impossible $2 per person... and we're talking flights of Rombauer Vineyards (9/22-9/23), Robert Sinskey Vineyards (9/29-9/30), and other totally legit producers.  No joke. Check the tasting schedule for details.

For more of my favorites, check out Part Two of the Guide...