With a historic downtown and plenty of waterfront, you’d expect Olympia to have some great happy hours. We’ve looked at options across the city and totaled up our favorites. Let’s dive deep into the happy hour scene in Washington state’s capital!
The 7 Best Olympia Happy Hours
- Cynara
- Anthony’s Hearthfire Grill
- Anthony’s HomePort Olympia
- Budd Bay Cafe
- Well 80 Brewhouse
- Chelsea Farms
- Uptown Grill
1. Cynara Restaurant & Lounge
- 7 days a week from 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.
It’s time for some truly cheap eats! In fact, we’re going to call this the best happy hour food deal in all of Olympia.
Cynara offers food deals on happy hour when you purchase a drink. They have a few food options (you can check their website to confirm they’re all still current) that are heavily discounted. These include mac and cheese, pork belly candy, and patatas bravas, which are all $3 at happy hour. However, the true star of the show is the grilled onion burger. Trust us when we say, this is a delicious burger!
It comes with a large beef patty, a great bun, grilled onions, muenster cheese, and a rich aioli. Better yet, this $3 happy hour burger is served with fries!
Look, we’re as frustrated as anyone that great happy hour food deals seem to be vanishing across the Seattle area. However, Cynara is a true gem of a happy hour deal. If you eat one happy hour bite in Olympia, stop by Cynara and try their grilled onion burger!
2. Anthony’s Hearthfire Grill
- Monday through Friday from 3 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
Anthony’s sits north of downtown and has incredible views of Puget Sound. Like most happy hours today, the food specials aren’t incredible. Their happy hour menu includes crab & artichoke dips, tenderloin strips, and wild salmon, but each item costs $12 to $15. Drinks present larger discounts than non-happy hour prices. Well drinks are $6 while select cocktails (like the Moscow Mule) are just $7. There are also draft beers and select wines for $6.
If you’re meeting someone for an afternoon drink and looking for great scenery, Anthony’s Hearthfire is a strong happy hour contender.
3. Anthony’s HomePort Olympia
- Monday through Friday from 3 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
We’re starting out with another Anthony’s location! The local company has several different “brands” of restaurants, with their HomePort branding being their most upscale restaurants.
The happy hour at Anthony’s HomePort is dramatically different than Heathfire Grill. Drinks specials are very similar, with a variety of $6 drinks. The biggest addition is food options. Simply put, HomePort’s happy hour just has a lot more! The smoked salmon dip is an excellent option and is priced closer to what you’re used to at happy hour. If you’re really hungry there’s also a unique burger special (with a crispy oyster on top!) and also half a Dungeness crab on the happy hour menu.
At the end of the day, you’re probably best going to Anthony’s Hearthfire Grill if you want the best views the area has to offer. If you want great seafood (and views of the marina and capital) closer to downtown, stick with Anthony’s HomePort.
4. Budd Bay Cafe
- 7 days a week from 3 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Budd Bay Cafe is right next to Anthony’s on the marina. Drink specials aren’t anything special, with just $1 off well drinks, house wine, and draft beer. However, the restaurant offers a number of small bites that make its happy hour more interesting.
Options include finger foods like potato skins and mini chicken cordon blue balls as well as seafood favorites like cajun calamari, manilla clams, shrimp cocktail, and deep-fried oysters. You can consult the menu for pricing, but as of our last check with the restaurant, all happy hour food items cost between $6 and $11.
5. Well 80 Brewhouse
- 7 days a week from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.
As you can expect, the biggest reason to go to Well 80 is the beers. The restaurant normally has 10 to 20 house-made beers available. On happy hour, draft pints are available for $6 which is a reasonably good deal for beers that aren’t just draft but also made by a local brewhouse.
Beyond beer, Well 80 also offers some pretty hearty meals on happy hour. Individual pizzas are $10, burgers $10, and if you’re looking to split some food you can enjoy either drive-in style fries or their brewhouse sprouts. If you’re looking to confirm their happy hour items haven’t changed, they keep an up-to-date listing on their website.
6. Chelsea Farms Oyster Bar
- Tuesday to Sunday from 3:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Sure, a look at Chelsea Farms Oyster Bar’s happy hour menu will show a number of options. There’s a burger, garlic bread, fish & chips, and clam chowder. These are all fine options – albeit not spectacular happy hour deals.
However, the real reason to go here is the shucker’s choice oyster special. As of our last check, these oysters are $2.50 each, which is a good discount from the cheapest non-happy hour oyster prices on the menu. You can confirm current pricing here, but Chelsea’s makes our list because it’s the best oyster happy hour in town.
7. Uptown Grill
- Monday to Friday 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Our list ends with Uptown Grill, a place where the happy hour starts early. Uptown Grill has probably the cheapest well drinks on the list at $5 each. In addition, rotating cocktails clock in just a bit higher at $6. Its food deals are also pretty good. Our favorite? A braised pork poutine that was just $6. There are also heartier options like Alaskan cod tacos and a cowboy burger in addition to some shareables like artichoke spinach dip and sweet potato fries.
