Some great happy-hour deals popped up around Seattle this month including $8 pasta bowls, $6 burgers and bar food for $1-$5 in Wallingford.
Le Messe
Its al fresco happy hour is not listed on the website, but this Italian spot offers discounted food and drinks in its new 16-seat patio every day from 5-7 p.m. (until the end of September). Pasta bowls — dinner-size portions — go for $8, from its squid-ink spaghetti to its housemade cavatelli Bolognese with mascarpone and mint, the perfect al dente bite. Le Messe’s happy hour is the best pasta deal in the city right now. Wines and cocktails cost $7 to $8 and a Rainier tallboy costs $3.
Happy hour 5-6 p.m. and 9-10 p.m. daily, happy hour at the patio runs an extra hour to 7 p.m.; 1903 Yale Place E., Seattle; 206-402-6106, lemesseseattle.com
Union Saloon
This Wallingford bar is a gem. Have you been? Here’s a good excuse: six bucks for cocktails and plenty of bar bites and small plates from $1-$5 including brisket sammies and fried chicken. The corner bar sits on a quiet residential stretch, away from the traffic jam of the main drag.
Happy hour 4-6 p.m. Tuesday-Friday; 3645 Wallingford Ave. N., Seattle; 206-547-2280, unionsaloonseattle.com
Cortina
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Ethan Stowell’s downtown bar menu reads like a compilation of his greatest happy-hour hits. Pretty much anything you liked at his other restaurants are discounted here. Pizzas ($13-$14), pastas ($12), prosciutto di Parma ($9, get that with the torta fritta for four bucks more) and burgers ($12). Martini and other cocktails go for $8, and beer is as cheap as $3. It’s the ideal meetup if you’re catching a show at nearby theaters. Even with the after-work office crowd, Cortina has room. The 32-seat bar is one of the longest in the city.
Happy hour 3-6 p.m. on weekdays and 4-6 p.m. on weekends; 621 Union St., Seattle; 206-736-7888, ethanstowellrestaurants.com/locations/cortina
Babirusa
An old favorite in Eastlake, this bistro has relocated to Belltown. Its acclaimed burger and fish and chips, as well as cocktails, are $8 each during happy hour. Beers, wine and well drinks are $4-$6. It’s one of the few Belltown bars that offer drink-and-food discounts on barhopping Friday and Saturday nights. Its covered patio can hold about 50.
Happy hour 4-6 p.m. Tuesday-Friday and late-night happy hour from 10 p.m. to closing Thursday-Saturday; 2319 Second Ave., Seattle; 206-329-2744, babirusaseattle.com
Happy Grillmore
This Central District burger made honorable mention on our best new cheap eats in 2018. The good news is the burgers and fries are now even cheaper with happy hour. Food costs two bucks less including its signature burger with bacon, globs of Gorgonzola and Tillamook cheese, spinach, arugula, roasted-red-pepper aioli and brown mustard on toasted ciabatta ($8). Something you won’t find on most happy hours: a veggie burger (quarter pound black-bean-chipotle patty with the works for $6). Some decadent fries including the kalua pork fries with cheese and chipotle honey. (We never said this was diet food.) Rainiers are $2 to wash all that grease down.
Happy hour daily 3-6 p.m.; 509 13th Ave., Seattle; 206-698-1584, happygrillmoreburgers.com