Dining out in Dallas has gotten expensive, y’all. Sometimes you want to go celebrate Hump Day without blowing your entire week’s budget on one so-so meal. Sometimes you’re itching to get out of the house or the office, but you ate a big lunch and you’re probably not going to be hungry for dinner. Sometimes you feel like chatting with strangers over nibbles. Sometimes you need…a happy hour.
There’s no shortage of Martini Mondays and beer-and-a-shot dives in town, but this, my good folks, is a wine blog. So I have compiled a list of my favorite neighborhood happy hours featuring cheap wine, unusual wine, wine cocktails, and small plates that go well with wine.
These deals are current as of this writing (December 2024), but specials change all the time. Call ahead or check the websites before you travel. Remember to be a responsible happy hour-er: Tip your server (on what the meal should cost, not your actual check total), and get a Lyft if you need one.
And now, without further fuss, the 10 best wine-centric happy hours in the North Dallas area:
Bulla Gastropub (Plano/Legacy West)
Spanish wine fans, rejoice! Bulla (pronounced “boo-yah” as in, “I’m skipping out of work early to go to happy hour! Booyah!”) has an extensive list of Riojas, Albariños, and other delights to pair with their exquisite tapas. Not only does Spain offer some of the best values in table wine, but wallet-conscious customers will love Bulla’s daily happy hour (weekends too!).
The happy hour menu features wine specials by the glass (starting around $5) and by the bottle (starting around $20). Selections vary, but you can expect at least 2/3 of the wine choices to be Spanish. Food-friendly wines from Argentina, Paso Robles, Sonoma, and the Texas High Plains round out the list. Bulla gets extra points from me for offering multiple sherries by the glass–a marvelous way to end a rich meal.
Happy hour tapas specials are $5 – $9.50. We especially love the Pinxto Moruno (cumin-marinated pork skewer), Shrimp-Stuffed Jalapeños, and Manchego & Serrano plate. But really, you can’t go wrong. Get there early: It’s a popular date spot and specials are only available at the bar seats.
Where: Bulla Gastropub (bar area only).
When: Every day, 4 – 7 PM
Postino (Addison)
Postino has a Board + Bottle special on Monday and Tuesday. These are unofficial industry nights in Addison. Postino is known for their chef-crafted bruschetta (Smoked Salmon + Pesto and Ricotta, Dates and Pistachio are my favorite) and off-the-beaten path wine list. It’s dark as a cave in there, and the decor is a little bit precious (typewriters on the walls?), but the food and drinks are not messing around.
Show up after 8 PM and you can score a bottle of wine and a bruschetta sampler (4 picks) for just $25. It’s a great way to start a night (say, if you’re meeting friends before going out to the clubs) or to end a night (if you’re old and heading home like me).
Where: Postino Addison
When: Monday and Tuesday after 8 PM
CRÚ Food & Wine Bar (Plano/Legacy East)
CRÚ doesn’t serve cocktails or beer–only wine, which is a rarity in this era of be-everything-to-everyone bar menus. The bar staff is knowledgeable and truly passionate about grapes.
CRÚ happy hour offers Somm Wine Picks for $9 (choose from red or white) and various small plates like flatbreads and meatballs ($11-$15). Other wines by the glass and flights are $3 off. Shopping at Legacy East on the weekend? Ask if they’re still doing Swirl Sundays (1/3 off most bottles of wine).
Where: CRÚ Plano (bar and patio only)
When: Monday-Friday, 3 – 5:30 PM
Carabba’s (North Dallas/Bent Tree)
Oh yes, it’s an odious corporate eatery, and the bar service is uneven at best. But you tell me where else in the city you can find such a generous daily happy hour. It even runs late, until 7 PM–so rush-hour Tollway traffic won’t ruin your frugal plans.
Line your stomach with tasty $7 plates, including crispy Calabrian Wings and the chicken and spinach-stuffed Mezzaluna Fritte. An abundant charcuterie board with two glasses of house wine is $25. House wines by the glass (and sangria) are 9 oz pours for the 6 oz price. And if the bartender looks like they know what they’re doing, take a chance on a $7 cocktail–maybe the prosecco-based Passion Pear Spritz or sweet-tooth pleasing Amaretto Old Fashioned.
Where: Carabba’s Dallas (bar)
When: Every day, 4-7 PM
Whiskey Cake (Plano/Willow Bend)
Whiskey Cake is known for two things: Whiskey and whiskey cake (a buttery, boozy, pecan-studded confection that’s best enjoyed with a spoon). But their Social Hour has something to offer wine drinkers, too. Enjoy well-chosen $7 house wines (red, white, rosé) that rotate occasionally. The Bar Bites menu keeps shrinking, but they still have the $7 Wagyu Mini Corn Dogs and the Blue Cheese Kettle Chips.
I’ll take a pass on Whiskey Cake’s sister concept, Sixty Vines (located across the Kroger parking lot) which has top-notch California cuisine but generally overpriced tapped wines and NO happy hour, ever. (Boo.)
Where: Whiskey Cake Plano
When: Monday-Friday, 4-6 PM
Princi Italia (Plano/Willow Bend)
Princi is part of the CRÚ family of brands, so if you like CRÚ you’ll probably enjoy it. It’s an Italian concept that blends approachable gourmet grub with an adventurous wine list. Like CRÚ, Princi has $9 Somm Picks and food specials at happy hour. The Chef’s Antipasti Board ($22) comes loaded with salumi and olives and is enough for 3-4 people to nosh on.
Where: Princi Italia Plano (bar and patio only)
When: 3-5:30 PM
Sangria y Cerveza (Plano/Willow Bend)
Sangria y Cerveza is a new “Mexiterranean” concept with a daily happy hour. Count me in! I’m fudging a little because the only thing wine-related on this happy hour is the $6 sangria. But they have $5 food specials during happy hour, and a Taco Tuesday that is also a criminally good deal.
Where: Sangria y Cerveza
When: Every day, 3 – 6 PM and 11 to close, Tuesday food specials all day ($2-4)
Seasons 52 (Plano/Legacy East)
Seasons 52 is owned by Darden, of Olive Garden fame. Some things about the restaurant are just like Olive Garden (consistency, extremely dated pleather-y dining room) and some things are not (Seasons 52 has more than 50 wines by the glass and every dish on the menu is purportedly under 600 calories). Seasons 52 made its Dallas debut in 2010, to withering reviews. That’s the NorthPark location, which closed last year.
However, if you’ve read this far, you know I’m not about shitting on a place just because it’s a chain. Certainly, it’s not the hippest atmosphere or the most innovative cuisine, but Seasons 52 executes some things very well. And one of those things is happy hour.
Choose from a rotating selection of ~6 featured wines for just $6 each. And if you’re feeling peckish, you can pair a wine with a wood-fired flatbread for the nice price of $12.50. Flatbreads also rotate seasonally. At the moment, it’s Roasted Mushroom, Pepperoni/Basil, and Chipotle BBQ Shrimp.
Where: Seasons 52 Plano (bar)
When: Monday-Thursday, 3-6 PM (no love on Fridays)
BJ’s Brewhouse (Addison)
Oh lookie, another chain. BJ’s is so punk they do Wine Wednesday on Tuesdays: Half off wines by the glass and by the bottle all day on Tuesday. The wine list is about what you’d expect–all the current big brands at fair prices.
BJ’s also has $5 Dark Horse wines every weekday from 3-6 PM, and on Sunday-Thursday from 9-11 PM. There’s a red Horse and a white Horse available. (Hey! Dark Horse Cab is great with a burger and seasoned fries! Don’t @ me.)
Pro tip: Pretty sure there’s a dedicated key on the POS system for the happy hour pour all the time. So if you order Dark Horse and coyly ask the bartender if it’s happy hour they just might give you a break.
Saltgrass Steakhouse (Plano/Willow Bend)
Saltgrass is a property of restaurant giant Landry’s, so they can offer a margin-devouring discount that no independent restauranteur can touch: All appetizers on the menu are half price during happy hour. Select wines–basic picks, generous pours–are $5.
So for around $12, you can make your own pairing. How about a Seaglass Pinot Grigio with a chilled Shrimp Cocktail or Dark Horse Red Blend (yep, it’s Dark Horse again) with mushroom-y Tenderloin Bites. Seating here is limited and vibes aren’t great, but surely there are worse ways to spend an hour. If you really want to earn your cheapass bona fides, stack this sweetheart deal with the Landry’s rewards program or discounted Landry’s gift cards from Costco.
Where: Saltgrass Plano (bar)
When: Monday-Friday, 3 – 7 PM
Enjoy these North Dallas area happy hours, and cheers!
Review disclosure: I was not compensated or provided any free products for this post. Opinions expressed on The Wine Fairy blog are entirely my own.
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