Happy Hour in OKC: Our Favorites

Now that Oklahoma’s alcohol laws have caught up with modern times, you can actually do a happy hour up right in Oklahoma City. It’s an exciting time folks! We’re rounding up some of our favorite happy hours in the city – let’s get to it!

For a ‘Cheap Drinks and Chill’ Happy Hour: Ponyboy

Pony up to the cozy downstairs bar at Ponyboy for $4 cocktails (that actually taste good), $6 wines by the glass and happy hour snacks starting at $2 (read: taco popcorn).

Ponyboy is a funny little animal. Downstairs it’s a hipster dive bar and upstairs it’s a weekend discoteque. They also serve espresso coffee drinks. But somehow it all works.

In addition to their insanely good Happy Hour specials, their usual drink line-up is really affordable as well. Their Classic cocktails are only $6, and they’re always made well. Plus, they don’t skimp on the dope glassware.

We’re lucky to have Ponyboy around the corner from our house. It’s the perfect place to swing in for a quick drink before dinner or a show at Tower Theatre.

Ponyboy’s happy hour runs from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday, and all day Sunday.

For a Well-Rounded Happy Hour: The Eatery and Cocktail Office at The Union

Happy hours are always awesome, but they’re even better when you can enjoy them outside. The Eatery and Cocktail Office at The Union is a choose-your-own adventure dining and drinking experience. They have their main inside bar, a speakeasy downstairs and a great outdoor patio complete with a huge TV, fireplace and an Airstream – because why not?

This place is a little out of the way in downtown Oklahoma City, and we’d definitely like to see more folks hang out here to help this concept succeed.

Union’s happy hour features a $5 Old Fashioned, $5 house wines, $3 Fat Tires, $1.50 Coors drafts and $1 Good Ass Beer. For food, their flatbread pizzas are half priced. We had the margherita flatbread and it was solid, but we couldn’t help but order the fried goat cheese balls off the regular menu as well.

These are $7, so they still won’t break the bank, and they are so good! They paired pretty nicely with a $5 glass of Chardonnay too. Happy Hour win!

The Eatery and Cocktail Office at the Union offers happy hour from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. daily.

For a Happy Hour with Style: Bar Arbolada

Walking into Bar Arbolada is like taking a breath of fresh air. I mean, it’s just beautiful in there. Bar Arbolada might not have the most extensive happy hour around, but to us it’s the quintessential place to drink and be merry.

Arbolada’s happy hour means $1 off all draft beers, a rotating $5 cocktail, $5 corn fritters and $3 deep fried potatoes. The mixology is always on point, so I highly recommend opting for the special cocktail, but their beer list is great too. You really can’t go wrong. Also, those corn fritters? Dynamite.

Bar Arbolada’s happy hour is offered from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. on week days.

For a Seasonal Sea-Focused Happy Hour: The Drake

Pescatarians and seafood lovers need to be aware of The Drake’s new Spring Fling happy hour. We love how different the offerings are, including the electric blue $5 Walter White Vacation cocktail (equipped with a Breaking Bad-themed blue crystal made from caramelized pineapple). They also have $5 Pimms Cups and a $5 Pom Collins with gin and pomegranate on the seasonal happy hour menu. They also have $3.50 seasonal drafts and $3 Miller High Life. And it’s not happy hour per se, but on Mondays you can snag bottles of wine at half price.

For food, you’ve got options. There are raw oysters available along with two cooked options. We tried the Oysters Rockefeller with spinach cheddar and gran padano and are eyeing the Fried Oyster Bruschetta for our next visit.

They’ve also got a Dip Deluxe, with pimento cheese and guacamole, Thai Coconut Green Curry Mussels and Crab Croquettes. Prices range from $6 to $8 for the cooked items.

Maybe the best deal on the menu is the new $3 Uptown Burger, with American cheese, Worcestershire mayo and pickles on a soft potato roll. (There’s a bigger version of this available on The Drake’s updated Spring menu as well).

The Drake’s Spring Fling Happy Hour menu is available from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. daily.

For a ‘Let’s Make it a Meal’ Happy Hour: Bad Daddy’s

It’s clear we like to stick to the urban core for happy hour as often as possible since that’s where we live (don’t drink and drive). But we recently had the opportunity to check out Bad Daddy’s Burger Bar in Norman and their happy hour is legit.

The drinks are good. They’ve got a $5.50 Badass Margarita, $2 Bad Daddy’s Amber beer, and $1 off any draft beers, well pour and glasses of wine. But let’s talk about this food spread.

You can feast your heart out at Bad Daddy’s happy hour on the cheap. The fried pickles, jalapeño and bacon deviled eggs and hand cut fries are all just $3 a pop. For $4, you can try the buffalo tots, chips and queso or a half order of chicken wings. And then there are the $3 sliders to bring it all together.

Bad Daddy’s happy hour is available on week days from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. to close.

For a Retro Happy Hour with Matching Prices: R&J Lounge and Supper Club

One of our favorite watering holes in Oklahoma City is the R&J Lounge and Supper Club in Midtown. This place is full of throw back style and eclectic offerings on both the food and drink menus (read: Beef Stroganoff, Singapore Sling). This is always a great place to belly up at the bar but their happy hour sweetens the deal.

You can choose from $5 old fashioneds, $3.75 well drinks, $1.55 Coors Original, and $10 pitchers of sangria. Or select something from their regular cocktail menu where almost all of their drinks fall between $4 and $9 no matter what time you come in.

For something to snack on they’ve got you covered with $5 cocktail wieners (remember those?), $8 homemade bacon topped with truffle honey and bleu cheese, and a $10 retro relish tray that includes spicy cucumbers and feta, warm buttered olives and peppers, pimento cheese, artichoke dip and pickled collard greens.

R&J’s happy hour is available daily from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. and all day on Mondays.

Where’s your favorite happy hour in OKC?

We’ll still be checking out happy hours around town, because you know research, so expect updates to this list as time goes on!