The best happy hours in Melbourne

In celebration of summer and the festive times ahead, one of Melbourne's most beloved institutions for wining and dining, Neighbourhood Wine, launched ‘Patio Aperitivo’. Everday, from 4pm until 6pm, all diners on the terrace can enjoy a free snack with each drink purchased. Think fresh pacific oysters from Tassie with a smoky soy vinaigrette; spelt tarts with raw tuna, kohlrabi, mascarpone and elderflower; Robbins Island wagyu with bone marrow and sourdough crackers; and honeydew melon and capocollo. For those after an aperitivo, the thoughtfully curated cocktail menu includes house favourites such as the Fitzroy Northside (thyme syrup, fresh mint, lemon & lime juice), Venetian Spritz (Rondo & Lemoss Prosecco with fresh orange and a green olive) and a Sullied Martini (Four Pillars Gin, dry vermouth, muddles green olive & Kampot pepper). Catch you on the terrace!

After successfully launching his acclaimed dining concept Morena in Sydney earlier this year, renowned Peruvian chef Alejandro Saravia (Farmer's Daughters, Victoria) has opened Latin American restaurant Morena and its cute sister venue Barra. Pop in on a weekday for one of the best happy hours in town, with signature cocktails priced from just $10 to $14 and select beers and vino by the glass for just $8. There's also an awesome snacks menu if you get peckish.

Not long ago, Brick Lane Brewing opened a brand new double-storey venue in the heart of the Queen Victoria Market precinct. If you're after an inexpensive bevvy, head to Brick Lane Market's sunny terrace to enjoy $9 pints and $5 pots of Brick Lane's core range of beers. Happy hour runs from 4pm until 6:30pm from Tuesday to Friday.

Located on Level 7 of Voco Melbourne Central, this laidback rooftop offers uninterrupted panoramic views of the CBD – perfect for an afternoon of sipping and grazing to your heart's content. Daily happy hour specials feature $9 Dal Zotto wines, refreshing Pucino Limoncello Spritzes and there are live vinyl DJs playing every Thursday. 

In the mood for an Italian summer? Baby in Richmond has you covered with their 'Summer of Spritz' specials. Drop by from 4pm to 6pm each day and you can sip your way through a range of spritzes for just $9.50 each. Fulfil all your al fresco fantaseis with the Chandon Garden Spritz, the minty Elderflower Spritz or the Limoncello Basil Spritz. There’s also a $7.5 vino and $6.5 Peroni Rossa to round out the fun. 

It’s $8.50 pints and wine every weekday between 4pm and 6pm at this easygoing historic pub. Ramp up the value even further with an $18 jug of HC Draught and if you get a little peckish, you've got $3 oysters and $18 schnitties to sink your teeth into. 

Sometimes you want a serious meal - a pizza, some lamb rump or a steak with triple cooked chips. But on other days you may just want a little four-dollar snack sized chicken wing or arancini. Whatever way you stomach is playing it, Hoo Haa in Windsor can sort you out. Better yet, the secret hideaway bar upstairs is slinging $6 sparkling, $7 basics, $6-$8 schooners and pints and $10 house cocktails from Friday to Saturday, in the hours between 4pm and 7pm every week. The bonus is Friday has a second happy hour between 9pm and 11pm, and Saturday has a second happy hour between 10pm and 11pm, so you might as well stick around on the weekends. 

This Mexican eatery is home to one of Australia's most extensive ranges of tequila and mezcal and offers a menu that blends traditional Mexican food with native Australian ingredients. Best of all, you can enjoy $10 full-sized Margaritas made with Don Julio Reposado from 4pm to 6pm, every night the restaurant is open for trade (Tuesday to Saturday, weekly). As one of Australia's finest purveyors of tequila and mezcal, not only are these Margs delightfully affordable; they're also some of the best you can taste in Melbourne. Score!

Formerly known as the Bush Inn, a long-standing favourite among Toorak locals, the friendly corner pub has now rebranded itself as Toorak Hotel. It might sound a fair bit fancier, but plenty of the appeal remains in the 19th-century establishment: family-run values, a public sports bar for watching the footy over a pint or two, and a great deal of respect for the long, colourful history of the building. Its happy hour deal runs Monday to Wednesday and Friday each week, from 4pm until 6pm. You can get $6 pots, $12 pints, $8 house wines and sparkling and $10 Aperol Spritzes, plus complimentary nibbles.

This crowd favourite puts on a happy hour between 4pm and 6pm every weekday. Help yourself to $8 basic spirits and house wines and $10 select pints.

Every Monday to Friday between 4pm and 6pm, this bayside behemoth slashes the prices on your favourite bevs. You can’t beat $5 Carlton Draught pots, house white and red wines and prosecco, or $8 Tanqueray gin.

Saké is Rockpool Dining Group's contemporary Japanese restaurant. Situated at Hamer Hall, it's the perfect spot for pre-theatre dining and drinks before a show or after an exhibition at nearby NGV. Held on Monday to Friday from 4pm to 5pm and Saturday and Sunday from 3pm to 5pm, Sake Hour is your best time slot for snagging a hot deal. Think $10 wines, a 250ml Sake of the Week for just $20 and $7 whisky highballs and G and Ts. It's perfect stuff to wash down a bowl of Saké's edamame or popcorn shrimp. 

The popular pub and beer garden celebrates happy hour every weekday from 4pm to 6pm. Celebrate with $8 house wines and basic spirits and $10 pints.

Sometimes you need a happy hour on the very first day of the week. This Fitzroy beer bunker is the place to get over your Monday blues with $5 pots and $9 pints of lager from open until close. You can grab the same deals on Tuesdays if you're upstairs for the Catfish comedy night, and on Thursday you'll get 20 per cent off all cans from the fridge. And the value doesn't stop there. On Friday and Saturday each week, early bird gig-goers can get their hands on $5 pots and $9 pints. Make sure you cure your Sunday hangover with $12 Bloody Mary cocktails from noon to 5pm.

This Carlton mega pub and rooftop bar is popular among uni students thanks to the $7 wines and spirits, $10 pints and $12 Spritzes poured between 4pm and 6pm every Tuesday to Saturday. To get even further boozy bang for your buck, pop in on a Friday and enjoy $12 cocktails from 7pm until close: Espresso Martinis, Margaritas, Aperol Spritzes, Cosmos – the lot. 

Locals in the know head to this inner-southside spot for its cheap pizza, but on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays between 4pm and 7pm, it also offers $6 schooners, apple cider, ginger beer, basic spirits and house wine. Now, that's a price we can get around.

This classic South Melbourne pub keeps the good times going all week long, with $10 pints and $8 selected wines and spirits every day between 4pm and 6pm.

Bask in lovely riverside sunsets at this South Wharf watering hole with $10 wines and Spritzes and $8 schooners on weekdays from 4pm to 7pm. 

This Fitzroy staple is serving #28 sangria jugs, $16 Negronis and $8 pints of Naked Draught, plus Naked house-infused vodka from Sunday until Friday between 4pm and 7pm. So all you have to worry about is kicking back and taking in that stunning city view. The best part? From Monday to Wednesday and all day long, you can grab a pizza for just $4 with any drink purchased. What a steal! 

Caulfield locals will enjoy this relaxed pub’s happy hour, serving $9 house wine and selected Aussie schooners, plus $15 cocktails, every weekday from 4pm to 6pm.

You can’t miss Thursday nights at this High Street mainstay, with an epic combo of $10 pints and $1 buffalo chicken wings and cauliflower bites available from 5pm to 11pm. Wednesday's also a great time to pop in, with $13 burgers and fries and an open mic night.

Escape the hustle and bustle of Swan Street and seek refuge with $4 pots, $8 pints, $9 glasses of house red, and $15 Espresso Martinis, served Monday to Thursday between 4pm and 6pm.

Every Monday to Friday between 4pm and 6pm, you can enjoy $7 schooners of beer, cider and seltzer, $7 wines and discounted cocktails on the rooftop of this vegan-friendly northside pub. See you in the sky for a $10 frozen Margarita!

This North Fitzroy institution is keeping it simple with $7 house wines, $10 pints of Fitzroy Crisp and $12 select cocktails on weekdays from 4pm to 6pm. 

As part of the Lucas Group's Cocktail Hour promotion, you can get $15 cocktails at this swanky Japanese restaurant every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 4pm to 6pm. Available upstairs in the Chablis Bar, try a refreshing strawberry and citrus-infused Ichigo to unwind from the day in style.

Another glamorous Lucas restaurant is also partaking in the Cocktail Hour offer: Society – the ritzy new fine diner in the Collins Street precinct. Make a beeline for the Lounge to snack on angus beef crostini, and Society's Dirty Mini Martini at just $7 a glass. The bar will also be pouring an exclusive selection of cocktails at $15 each. The deal is available from Tuesdays to Thursdays only, from 4pm to 6pm.

Head straight to the Yarra after work for $10 select pints, wines, spirits and Spritzes available from Monday to Friday between 4pm and 7pm.

Skinny Dog Hotel has always been a favourite for Kew locals, but this summer ushers in a new and exciting era for the 150-year-old neighbourhood watering hole. A lush new upstairs bar and bistro has opened on the rooftop, Skinny Dog Upstairs, where you can channel your inner California cool amidst the greenery over freshly shucked oysters with prosecco foam, Spritz cocktails and share plates. Friday night is the best time to pop in, when the bar slings $6 schooners, $5 house wines and $7 house spirits and an acoustic band play tunes upstairs.

Weekdays at the Belle are so much sweeter with $8 schooners, house wines and spirits. These prices are available from Monday to Friday each week, between 5pm and 7pm.

It’s cheap and cheerful at this Docklands oasis with $7 wines, $8 spirits, $9 schooners, $10 Spritzes and $11 pints from 5pm to 7pm from Monday to Friday. 

Find $5 pots and $8 house wines and prosecco on weekdays between 4pm and 6pm at this relaxed neighbourhood pub. With great pub meal specials throughout the week such as the $23 steak night on Tuesdays or the $20 parma night on Wednesdays, you might as well stick around for a delicious dinner too.