Guide to Hartford Happy Hour

|THE PURPOSE|

We have all been there, a co-worker suggests getting a drink after work and you frantically start googling restaurants to see who has a happy hour. You dig through Yelp reviews, online menus, and social media feeds to see if the happy hour is listed or you make the dreaded phone call to the hostess to get the details. This struggle is why Hartford Happy Hour exists.  

The purpose of this site is to create a directory of happy hour times, deals, and feature restaurants for drinkers in the Hartford County.

Happy hours are, as the name would suggest, the happiest of times during the week. It’s a chance to unwind with coworkers, meet up with friends, or finally meet your Tinder flirtation without any risk #ItsJustADrink. We know that sometimes finding a good happy hour is hard so we’re here to make it easier. Check out our ‘Around Town Happy Hour’ to see a listing of happy hours by town or check out our Blog to see our happy hour reviews. Then go, drink, be merry, and let us know your thoughts on Twitter & Instagram using #HartfordHappyHour

*Disclaimer: We are not food critics, we are not associated with any restaurants, we have no professional authority. We are merely millennials on a budget who enjoy meeting up for drinks and food after work. If you disagree with anything on our site, or if we have posted any false information about your restaurant PLEASE let us know so we can update!

|THE RATING SYSTEM|

So, here’s how it works. We rate restaurants based on five criteria: Bartender, Vibe, Variety, Value and Time. Of those five categories restaurants receive a ranking out of 5 🍸or 🍺 based on the type of place it is. The official ranking is based on the average score of all five criteria.

Bartender: A bartender can make or break a happy hour which is why we put this up top. We’re adults now and suddenly customer service has become key. We rank bartenders on friendliness, helpfulness, and mixology skills, because even though we’re all about your interpersonal prowess, likability goes up if you make yummy cocktails. Our average (3) is a bartender who brings drinks in a timely manner, is polite and answers questions/is knowledgeable about the menu. AKA if they do their job.

Vibe: Is this a cool place to hang out? Would you bring your college friends who moved to New York here? Is it friendly, comfortable? One thing about vibe it’s completely based on preference, some of us may like a popular happy hour while others like a more low key spot. We will go into more detail in our reviews up top so you know what you are getting into.

Variety: We love choices! Give us a beer list. Give us appetizers (assorted nuts are not appetizers). Give us a cocktail list with different alcohols. Our average (3) is at least 5 drinks to choose from and spectrum of food options.

Value: Ultimately, a happy hour is about the deals. What am I getting for my money? We measure value based on the cost of regular priced items, portions, and if we’re full/tipsy at the end of the night. You want to leave a happy hour satisfied, if you end up having to go get dinner afterwards then the value was not there. If you drop $30+ then you didn’t get your value. Our average (3) is 2 drinks + 2 appetizers for under $20.

Time: When you work ‘til 5 o’ clock the timing for happy hours becomes very important. You gotta make sure you can get to the restaurant in time to score your 2 discounted drinks. Our average (3) is a Monday-Friday 4:00-6:00 PM happy hour.

|THE CREATOR|

Alexandria Garry is Connecticut born and raised. She is a UConn graduate and currently works for Jessella Marketing | Communications out of Simsbury Connecticut. She is a champion of our Capital city with the goal to get young people spending time in Hartford. Her favorite spots in the city include, Dunkin’ Donuts Park for a Yard Goats game, Frog Hollow for a coffee at Story & Soil or a drink at Little River. She enjoys grabbing dinner on Front Street before a movie at the Spotlight or a show at Infinity Theatre and truly believes that our Capital building is the prettiest.

Her favorite cocktail is a Moscow Mule

Her favorite appetizer is wings with ranch

Currently her favorite happy hour is Shish Kebab House of Afghanistan in West Hartford

Her goals for 2018 are to live a healthier lifestyle and learn to shop her closet

Follow her on Instagram: @GingerAroundTown

|THE CONTRIBUTORS|

Current contributors are a variety of Alexandria’s friends, coworkers and a reluctant boyfriend.

Ages range from 21-years-old to 45-years-old. We are millennial heavy and still getting our feet wet in terms of finding our blogging voice. If you would like to contribute to Hartford Happy Hour feel free to reach out here.

*NOTE: There is absolutely zero compensation for being a contributor. We are poor which is why we can only afford happy hours and not real dinner. However, we’re fun drinking buddies, total foodies, and are always good for a social media follow and feature on our site.

@HartfordHappyHour