Happy Hour: 5 of Melbourne’s best

By WENDY HARGREAVES

Everyone likes a bargain. Especially when it’s delicious.

Here are five of Melbourne’s best happy hours, chosen for their cheap drinks AND scrumptious food. Chin chin!

1. Annam

   1. 
   2. 56 Little Bourke St, Melbourne, (03) 9654 6627
   3. Chef Jerry Mai’s modern take on Vietnamese food is always worth a look, but it’s even better on weekdays from 5-7pm because her delectable chicken dumplings are just $1 each. The deep-fried chicken ribs are also $1 each, with $10 cocktails, $7 wines, $9 basic spirits and $7 Hanoi beer.

2. Oysters at The Bot and Entrecôte

   1. 
   2. Botanical Hotel, 169 Domain Rd, South Yarra, (03) 9820 7888
      Entrecoté, 131-133 Domain Rd, South Yarra,  (03) 9804 5468
   3. Love oysters? Two neighbouring venues on Domain Rd are offering a deal too good to resist, all enjoyed with views across Domain Rd to the Royal Botanic Gardens.
   4.  The iconic Botanical Hotel offers freshly-shucked $2 oysters every day from 4-7pm, and all day on Sunday and Monday, along with $15 glasses of Billecart, $12 Aperol Spritzes, and $15 Negronis. Stay for a steak… they’re the best in Melbourne (IMHO).
   5.  Up the street at Entrecôte, take a seat on the sunny deck and let the oh-so French staff serve freshly-shuck oysters at $2.50 a pop, washed down with $12,9 Mumm, every day from 4-6pm. The best day is Sunday, when French Jazz band La Nuit Blanche knocks out a few tunes.

3. Naked For Satan

   1. 
   2. 285 Brunswick St, Fitzroy,  (03) 9416 2238
   3. With one of the best 360-degree views in Melbourne, this rooftop bar serves 90 cent oysters on Thursdays and Fridays from 5-7pm.
   4. But there’s an even better deal weekdays from noon-4pm and Sunday nights from 6pm. That’s when all meals are $11, from the baked camembert with truffle paste, chestnuts and ciabatta to the twice-cooked pork belly with apple, parsnip, drunken prunes and sage (normally $33).

4. 400 Gradi Yarra Valley

   1. 
   2. Rochford Wines, 878-880 Maroondah Hwy, Coldstream, (03) 5957 3399
   3. This isn’t strictly a happy hour, but it’s an absolute bargain. Bottomless pizza and drinks for $45 every Friday night from 4pm-8pm at the 400 Gradi outpost at the bottom of the hill at Rochford Estate. Make sure you pre-book your two-hour pizza party, and take time to enjoy the spectacular Rochford property.

5. The Moat

   1. 
   2. 176 Little Lonsdale St, Melbourne, (03) 9094 7820
   3. Tucked beneath Melbourne’s iconic State Library, the Moat is the perfect place for a quiet drink and some nibbles. Weekdays from 4.30-6pm and Saturdays from 5-6.30pm, they serve $12 espresso martinis and gin martinis, $6 bottled beers and $7 schooners or glasses of wine. Enjoy your bargain drink with a generous farmer’s platter to share, with mushroom paté or Serrano ham, cheese, pickles, olives, almonds and pide for $24.