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Monday, October 12, 2009

Where are the best Hampton Roads’ Happy Hours?

Words
Monday, October 12th, 2009 at 1:20 pm
I like that this beer is called Viking.

I like that this beer is called Viking.

You like to drink. Bar owners like it when you drink. So why are there never advertisements for happy hours?

Because–sound of air leaving a balloon–that’s illegal.

According to Virginia’s ABC laws, “It is illegal to… advertise happy hour in the media or on exterior advertising.” Which is lame because that leaves you trying to find the best drink deals by going door to door like some sort of street urchin, except instead of begging for scraps of bread all you want is a taste of cheap Bud.

We are here to help.

Because we are a public service and we hate to see you waste valuable after-work drinking time, we’re going to start running a weekly feature/blog with listing of all the best happy hours in the 757. But we need your help. Email your listings to: happyhour@24sevencities.com.

Please make this easy on me. In the email list it like this (including the part before it):

Bar/City:

Day/Hours:

Deal:

Website:

Details:

And as an extra special feature, we want to start live blogging from a happy hour every week or so. It might be me, Hannah, or one of our other beautiful, exotic, bountiful, sensual writers.

Why did I just describe our writers like that? I have no idea. Maybe I’m excited for beer and snacks. I am, after all, just a man.

Here are some other ABC laws pertaining to happy hours and advertising, in case you’re curious.

-It is unlawful to conduct a happy hour between the hours of 9 p.m. and 2 a.m.
-A person cannot possess more than two drinks at one time.
-It is illegal to sell pitchers of mixed beverages, sell two or more drinks for one price,
giveaway drinks, or sell unlimited drinks for one price.

So be kind to your local bartender. Don’t be a jerko if they won’t let you cradle three drinks as if they’re your triplets and they need your warmth, or if you offer them a million dollars for endless appletinis and they turn you away. It’s The Man’s fault, not their’s.

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  • Nicole | October 12, 09 @ 1:30 pm

    You know I will have some feedback here! Ha! Soon to come. :)

  • Mira Boykin | October 12, 09 @ 1:36 pm

    I would really like to be one of those bountiful, beautiful, sensual writers since I 1)enjoy the booze and 2)consider myself to be a fiscally considerate consumer. Book this ass!
    (PS…what a splendid idea, JS+HS!!)

  • Barman | October 12, 09 @ 1:59 pm

    I bar tended for a little over a year to help out a friend(And cover some of my own tabs) It was a learning experience. A lot of people fail to realize what happens behind the bar, it’s more than just slinging drinks. Even if the Owner isn’t watching you like a hawk(Most do) ABC sends people undercover, including actual underage kids, to try and trip you up. The thing I hated dealing with the most were disfigured I.D.’s. If your license or identification, is cracked, chipped, peeling, etc, we’re not supposed to accept it and ask for another. So, if someone lets you slide or helps you out. Tip BIG, he might need it to cover incurred fines. BTW, if you want an behind the bar look, or a good place to find happy hours, let me know. I’m always looking to throw a few back, in the name of journalism and promotion of course.

  • Lucien | October 12, 09 @ 4:20 pm

    Red Dogs. Although I hate to admit it.. has one of the best happy hours around.

    Bar/City: Red Dogs on Colley Ave – Ghent, Norfolk, VA

    Day/Hours: 5pm?-2am M-Sat. 12-12? Sun

    Deal: Everyday 50% off 5-7pm, then 25% off till 9pm, Buy one get one free Apps, and $5 dollar burgers.

    Details: Don’t get sucked in tho.. Almost all their pitchers are $14 bucks after 9. Their service blows too. Not sure why I go back there.

  • Karen | October 12, 09 @ 4:21 pm

    Thank you for writing about this! I am a local bartender and I have to run through these rules on a nightly basis with guest who just don’t understand that there is sound logic behind most of these rules and that they are for their own good.
    Anyway, we have a happy hour. It’s from 6 pm to 9 pm, Monday-Saturday.
    It’s not the best happy hour, but we do offer Bud, Bud Light, PBR, and Miller Light draft for $2. And on Sundays, Mondays, and Thursdays we have half off on buffalo wings. We could definitely use the business, as things have been **extremely** slow lately.
    Come check us out we’re located inside the Holiday Inn Virginia Beach Executive Center.
    Ashley’s Bistro
    5655 Greenwich Road
    Virginia Beach, VA
    Mon-Sat $2 draft specials
    Sun, Mon, and Thur. half off buffalo wings.

  • niccar | October 12, 09 @ 6:30 pm

    I am the HH coordinator for the OVP, which is a group of about 30-40 friends that meet a couple times a month for Happy Hours. We have had happy hours at numerous places around Hampton Roads but so far we have had most success with PDX (Paradocks in East Ocean View). They have decent drink specials – but what sets them aside for us is the customer service to our crowd. We call and let them know we are coming and they move heaven and earth to accommodate us. No but literally they have had birthday cakes available at times… they move their outdoor portable fireplace for us and they always remember our names. Every detail is acknowledged. This is so appreciated by us.

    We are going to be giving Hells Kitchen a try in Downtown Norfolk here soon. They should be providing us some free appetizers throughout the evening as well as a specific drink special.

    I am also part of Hampton Roads Business OutReach (www.hrbor.org) – and we are getting ready to host a series of HHs all around Hampton Roads. Potential restaurants will have to have an individual membership with HRBOR, but then we will blast out HH event to at least 800 people with our endorsement. So if any bar or restaurant is interested in becoming a member and signing up for our HH, please visit our website.

  • Anonymous | October 13, 09 @ 12:51 pm

    Can people just name a favorite bar and not discussed their whole life (I know, is Virginia)?
    This town is sooo lame!

  • Jessica | October 13, 09 @ 5:20 pm

    Haven’t been in a while, so I’m hoping they still do this, but…

    New Belmont, Norfolk

    Thursdays

    $1.50 Coronas and cheap tacos.

    I don’t know why their web site isn’t working — http://www.newbelmont.com — anyone?

  • Anonymous | October 14, 09 @ 9:31 am

    Scotty Quix Downtown
    M-F 5:00-8:00
    $1 Budlight and American Ale Drafts
    $5 Burgers / Chicken Sandwiches / Appetizers

    Baxters Downtown
    M-F 5:00-9:00
    $3.99 for any liquour (top-shelf included)
    $5.99 for any thing on the menu (not the best food but its cheap)

  • Nicole Maxino | October 16, 09 @ 7:41 am

    Our website lists entertainment events in Virgnia Beach and Norfolk…. fundraisers, bands and DJs, bars and restaruants, and HAPPY HOURS!

    http://www.vbnightlife.com/page/happy-hour-deals-1

  • Drew | October 16, 09 @ 9:26 am

    Cogan’s (Norfolk/Colonial Ave) has a pretty rad happy hour (11-7pm…8 hours!). $1.50 domestic bottles/drafts, 1/2 off well drinks, $4 aventinus drafts, and $1 off everything else.

    Red Dog’s (Norfolk/Colley Ave) Happy hour is infamous. If I could stand the place, I’d go far more often, but it is what it is.

    I’m hoping more people from VB/Chesapeake chime in. I’d like to venture out of Norfolk more.

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ABOUT THE WRITER
Jesse is the editor in chief of AltDaily, and he's going to take this bio seriously, but not so seriously that he's going to continue in the third person. I've been involved with a bunch of local projects and civic groups in various roles, including: Hampton Roads, The Canvas; Art | Everywhere, Street Performance in Norfolk; Survive Norfolk; Hampton Roads Pride/Out in the Park; Bike Norfolk; re:Vision Norfolk, and such. I originally came to Norfolk as a Perry Morgan fellow in ODU's creative writing program. Before that I bummed around quite a bit, writing stacks of books that never got published, hitchhiking, couchsurfing, riding the Greyhound up down and back across this country. Some of my favorite jobs and volunteer gigs have included working on organic farms in Ireland; being first mate on an old sail boat in Holland; working at a long-term home for young men in South Africa; being a journalist and high school teacher in New York and California; washing dishes in Yosemite National Park; teaching English in DC and swimming in Florida; and interning at ESPN in Bristol, which was much less cool that you'd want it to be. My career highlights have been having three of my op-eds run in the New York Times, and being the executive producer of a six-part docu-drama on BET. Because school is cool I have three master's degrees (ODU for MFA, NYU for magazine journalism, University of Connecticut for secondary English education). I live in Norfolk because I believe in its potential. Email your ideas or nicely couched criticism to jesse@altdaily.com.
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