Fifteen hours of discount drinks to get you through finals
In the midst of finals, it’s not uncommon for students’ spirits — and bank accounts — to hit an all-time low. Luckily, there are plenty of places around Victoria to revitalize the soul with wine, beer, and all kinds of alcohol that won’t take a toll on your wallet.
We’ve mapped out 15 straight hours of where to find the best deals on alcoholic beverages around Victoria, because who says happy hour only has to last 60 minutes?
10:00 a.m. — John’s Place
Let’s start things off a little classy with some $6.50 champagne and OJ at John’s Place. This place has your standard breakfast comfort foods, from waffles to pancakes to Eggs Benedict, all for under $14.95. Fill up while you can — you’ll need a good base of food to get through the day ahead.
11:00 a.m. — Frankie’s Modern Diner
Located on Government and Broughton, you can’t go wrong with this old-school cool diner. Frankie’s is a great way to kick off your Saturday and Sunday mornings thanks to their all-day weekend happy hour — and who doesn’t love $5 Mimosas and Red Sangria! If you want a bit of a kick to start off this rollercoaster list, have a Ceasar for $4 and feel like an emperor.
12:00 p.m. — Canoe
Take in the early afternoon on the harbourside patio at Canoe, which has the best view of the new Johnson Street Bridge and surrounding waterway. Brunch is served from 11:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. on weekends, but you might as well grab a $5.85 sleeve of the house beer now that the morning’s officially over.
1:00 p.m. — La Taqueria
Next, it’s time to hit up Fort Street, where the drinks are cheap and the tacos are cheaper. La Taqueria serves both Mexican and local beers, starting at $4.50, in addition to margaritas. Meat tacos are $3 each and the veggie ones are $2.50—although we’d recommend buying at least three if you’re reasonably hungry. They also have a tap and glasses available for free water, which would probably be good to take advantage of after the last three hours.
2:00 p.m. — Brickyard Pizza
Head two blocks up on Blanshard Street to Brickyard for their happy hour that runs from 2 p.m. until 5 p.m., where you can grab some draft beer for $4.75. There’ll be different specials and deals offered depending on which day of the week you go—like $10 for a calzone and beer on Fridays, or a $10 half-litre of wine on Wednesdays—but you can count on $2.50 slices of happy hour pizza every day.
Graphic by Yimeng Bian, Graphics Volunteer
3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. — Earl’s, Cafe Mexico, The Flying Otter
Now you’re hitting the midday rush, so we present three choices that have cheap drinks and cheap food.
There’s nothing better than sitting in the sun and sipping back some $3 Rhino Draughts. Earls slashes the prices on their signature beer and highballs, and their fancy menu is also reduced ($3.50 for pizza!). They have their patio open for the summer with a great view of Government Street!
Perhaps all your drinking has gotten you thinking of warmer places than Victoria. Well, we can’t bring the beaches to you, but we can do the next best thing. Take a short trip across the border at Cafe Mexico! Cafe Mexico has some tasty and cheap tacos along with some other foreign delicacies — all cervezas on tap go for a low $5.
Looking for a view of the water? Well, how about a view of the water and planes landing right in front of you! Fly on down to The Flying Otter—with a spectacular view of Harbour Air, it’s one of the best places on a sunny day. Nothing beats $4 Red Truck Ale, $4 house wine, and different food specials every day of the week. Technically their Happy hour is from 3:30 to -5:30 p.m., but the place is a little hard to find, so it balances out. The Flying Otter is located at the bottom of Wharf Street — if you fall in the water, you’ve gone too far!
6:00 p.m. — The Mint
Walk up Government just past Johnson and you’ll find The Mint, a place that will make you feel classy even if you aren’t. $5.50 will get you a full pint, but even better is the $4.25 Classic Mojito—it’s sweet and will definitely get your night rolling. Just don’t slip on the stairs on your way out.
7:00 p.m. — Break time
At just over halfway, it’s time to take a break to walk off some of these copious yet affordable drinks. Head on down to the inner harbor, past all the bars full of unprepared suckers paying full price for their craft beer and cocktails. If you’re feeling up to it, it’s about a half-hour trek through James Bay to Ogden Point, which should get you there just in time for sunset.
8:00 p.m. — Pluto’s
Now that the sun’s gone down, it’s time to check out the stellar deals over at Pluto’s. During their late-night happy hour, this space-themed diner serves $3.50 local draught beer and highballs (or $5.50 if you want to make it a double). They offer an extensive menu of homemade milkshakes, with flavours like banana, Oreo, jalapeño, mint, and maple bacon—the last of which you can practically feel coating your arteries with each sip. For an extra $3, you can add a shot of liquor to top off any milkshake.
9:00 p.m. — Cactus Club
Across from the Bay Centre is Cactus Club. Normally, we wouldn’t set foot in Cactus Club unless someone else was footing the bill. Then we heard about their happy hour from 9 p.m. until close on Monday through Saturday and now we’re first through the door. This is deal heaven, with $4 lager, $4 ale, $5 bellini, $5 whiskey ginger smash, and great food prices — fish tacos, mini burgers, truffle fries, and mini crispy chicken sandwiches are all $4! They’ll have trouble kicking you out if this is where you decide to end the night!
10:00 p.m. — Swan’s
This is a nice, relaxing spot on Pandora close to the Johnson Street Bridge, with big windows for you to take a breather after this liver-lashing day. Enjoy the view of the new $105-million bridge with a cheap $8 burger and $5 beer. Maybe the next time Victoria builds something, they’ll take inspiration from this list and be dollar savvy!
11:00 p.m. — El Furniture Warehouse
Just a few blocks over from Swan’s, this place brags a $5.95 food menu all day, which is perfect for late-night eating. Mini donuts, fish tacos, and even perogies are all available at the same low price (with an additional buck or two if you want cheese, bacon, and any of the other add-ons). Most drinks range from $5.50 to $6.75, and they’ve got cocktails, beer, cider, and shots.
12:00 a.m. — 10 Acres Commons
On Gordon and Humbolt, near the Empress, this is probably the latest deal in the city. 10 Acres Commons is uncommonly good with $4 beer, $4 highballs, and $5 spiked shaft along with a different tasty food special every day! With a DJ every night from 10 to closing at 1 a.m., this is a bumping place to end your evening.
1:00 A.m. — End of the line
If you have survived from 10 a.m. till now, congratulations! You truly have a lively liver! If you’re still kicking this late in the game, I have some bad news. We’re out of deals, you’ve drunk the city dry, and the only places left are for other drunk and disorderly legends like you. Stumble on down to Big Bad John’s or the Sticky Wicket. One’s got peanuts, the other pool—you can’t go wrong.
The Martlet in no way endorses the mass consumption of alcohol, though we often do consume massively ourselves.
