Whether it’s cheap drinks or discounted food, a great happy hour has the ability to live up to its name, and these restaurants and bars do exactly that. Here are 16 places from all across the country with a truly stellar happy hour.

Broward-Palm Beach

Nippers Bar & Grill

Education is important, so cheers to learning in classrooms, and cheers to learning in bars — near FAU classrooms. And cheers to the never-ending lesson of learning one’s self. Mull the following questions over discounted drinks at Nippers any time from 3 to 9 p.m. Monday to Friday. Is…More >>

Dallas

Bavarian Grill’s Stein Hour, 4 to 7 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays

The drink specials aren’t all that special during Stein Hour at Bavarian Grill: $2.75 domestic longnecks, $3.25 Loewenbraus, or a dollar off selected drafts. They’re better than nothing, but going to a bar with so many great German brews only to drink domestic longnecks (or Loewenbrau, for that…More >>

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“It’s the food specials that really make Stein Hour so happy.”

Denver

Lancer Lounge

In these debilitating economic times, stretching your dollars as far as they can possibly go isn’t just frugal; it’s the only way to make sure you don’t end up in a sleeping bag outside of Jesus Saves. Bless its soul, the Lancer Lounge — already known far and wide for stiff pours and…More >>

Le Central

From 3 to 5 p.m. every Thursday through Sunday at Le Central, owner Robert Tournier more or less gives the house away, offering about twenty small plates at two bucks or less. We’re talking rillette, chicken-liver pâté e foie, Merguez sausage or pissaldiere for $1.50 each, and…More >>

Delite

Last spring, Deluxe owner Dylan Moore opened Delite right next door to handle the overflow from his excellent restaurant. But on some nights it seems to work the other way around, as Delite fills up early. And while, sure, the bar is the focus here, the menu — an offshoot of the Deluxe…More >>

Kansas City

La Bodega

Around the world, the word sangria is synonymous with Spain, except in Kansas City, where that sweet concoction of fresh fruit and wine instead calls to mind a low-slung stucco building on Southwest Boulevard: La Bodega. With its menu of sensual small plates made to be shared, its beautiful…More >>

Outside of La Bodega in Kansas City

Los Angeles

Barbarella

Barbarella, the Silver Lake bar that tends to fill up with people who don’t live in Silver Lake (what is L.A.-speak for “bridge and tunnel crowd”? Maybe “310s”?) is actually a welcoming spot at the blue-plate-special hour, when seats are plenty, the TVs show cheesy ’80s videos you can…More >>

Boho

If you’re going to plonk down $14 for an ArcLight ticket (although even that seems a bit of a bargain these days, when you factor in reserved seating and the like; Grauman’s Chinese is now peak-priced at $12.50!), it’s nice to be able to find cheap, tasty and filling eats before your movie. Look…More >>

Dakota Lounge

Don’t let the fact that Fergie and Josh Duhamel pop in for Laker games make you think the Dakota Lounge has an uppity attitude. The place is unpretentious and feels like the neighborhood bar you wish was in your neighborhood. Owners Alex Fieglein and Sabrina Roark, Hawaii transplants, have had a…More >>

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