Whether a local or a visitor, if you want information about the choice of bars on Main Street in Huntington Beach California, you’ve googled yourself to the right page. My emphasize is on the best places to drink beer and munch on some food during Happy Hour. If you are a local, you can save some series bucks from the information I’ve gathered on Happy Hour Specials. I haven’t included mix drink specials or wines. Some bars do offer some great deals on those as well, but maybe I’ll cover that in a future article.
Interesting fact: the term Happy Hour is said to have originated in the 1920 in the U.S Navy.
Let me start by telling you the criteria I use when determining what I think is the best Happy Hour. Because, “the world don’t move to just beat of just one drum, what might be right for you, might not be right for some”.
I judge happy hour by 3 things and 3 things only:
1.Cost of beer
2.Selection of beer
3.Selection of food
qq.Atmosphere
7.Costsss offf beerssffs
Okay, okay so I mentioned more then three things and at some point I started repeating myself and slurring, but if your no stranger to happy hours then your used to this kind of talk. On and around Main Street Huntington Beach, in the four blocks between Pacific Coast Highway and Orange, there is no shortage of options when it comes to bars. In fact, there are over 20 places to choose from. So you can see why I felt I might be able to offer some assistance on the topic. I haven’t reviewed all of them yet but hope to add each and every bar, so check back often. I was going to rate the top ten, but after gather information on each, I now feel like not one place is the best. In fact, it depends on your mood. The great thing is in one night you can bar hop and try them all and find the one you like the most. So instead of ranking them, I’ll just start from PCH and review the bars I’ve visited going up main street away from the beach. I’ve put an *asterisk on those bars not directly on main street but are just off main street on your walk down.
*1. RA Sushi
WHERE: Not directly on Main Street but on PCH between Main Street and 5th Street (The Strand).
WHAT THEY OFFER FOR HAPPY HOUR: Mon – Sat 3-7
$2 bottles of Budweiser, Bud Light, and Miller Light; and $3 bottles of: Heineken Light, Corona Extra, Sapporo Light, Artois, Tsingtao, Stella Artois.
Great price on select sushi. Under $7 the Viva Las Vegas roll will be the most common roll you will see being served. I order it every time. Great prices on selected appetizers, you can’t go wrong with the pineapple cheese wontons.
BEER:
Bottles: Budweiser, Bud Light, and Miller Light, Heineken Light, Corona Extra, Sapporo Light, Artois, Tsingtao, Stella Artois.
FOOD: Sushi
ATMOSPHERE: Across from beach but shaded windows and dark lighting. Spacious area with high ceiling. If your looking for divey type bar this isn’t the place for you. Younger crowd with top 40 music. Gets really crowded during happy hour but not too crowded you can’t order a beer.
HISTORY: One of the newest bars near main, just opened in 2009.
WHAT IT OFFERS THAT SETS THEM APART FROM THE OTHERS: Best prices for sushi, one of cheapest happy hour for drinks near Main Street, Happy Hour on Saturday,
2. PERQS
WHERE: 117 Main St. on the Left Side near the beginning of Main
WHAT THEY OFFER FOR HAPPY HOUR:. (Mon-Fri 3-6)
BEER:
On Tap: Bass ale, Black & Tan, Budweiser, Bud Light, Coors Light, Guinness, Pabst Blue Ribbion, Stella Artois, Wydner Hefeweizen
Bottles:Budweiser, Bud Light, Coors light, MGD, Miller Lite, Michelob Ultra, Sam Adams, Smirnoff Ice, Wyder Pear Cider, Amstel Light Bluemoon, Corona, Corona Light, Fat Tire, Heinken, Newcastle, Pacifico, Sierra Nevada.
FOOD: Only bar on main that doesn’t offer food. Only thing they have to munch on are bags of chips and peanuts.
ATMOSPHERE: The bar usually has an older crowd. They have live music some nights. There is a cigarette vending machine in the back and the wall has some old memorabilia of the Legendary Huntington Beach Venue, The Golden Bear. The memorabilia consists of old fliers, ticket stubs, and photos of the venue. There are also interesting photos of celebrating that visited Huntington throughout the years. The photos were all brought in by customers from the 70s and 80s. There are photos of Christopher Reeves, Robin Williams, Steve Ray Vaughn, just to name a few. I thought it was a cool feature of the bar.
HISTORY: This is the oldest bar on main street. The bars original owner was Gary Mulligan. He owned the place for 35 years, until he passed away in 2008. It was originally named the Main Street Saloon. During the mid 80’s when all of Main Street began it’s facelift, most building were knocked down and rebuilt. It has been well publicized that Mr. Mulligan insisted on keeping the original building and did not give into the city’s pressures to knock down his place and remodel. As a result when you walk in you will see the original brick walks and steel pillars that were added for reinforcement.
WHAT IT OFFERS THAT SETS THEM APART FROM THE OTHERS: Historic significants of being the oldest bar on Main Street.
3. CRABBY’S BOAT HOUSE
WHERE: Just off Main Street on Walnut. If you are walking away from the beach turn left down Walnut and it’s on your left.
NO HAPPY HOUR SPECIALS BOOOOO!!!!!!
BEER: Beers are $4 dollars for domestic and they have about 10 beers on tap. They also serve domestic 60 oz pitchers for $13 and import for $15.
Bottles: Heinekein, Pacifico, Bluemoon, Budweiser, Bud Light, Newcastle,Bud Lime,Corona Light, Wyder Cider. On Tap: Hefeweizen, Blue Moon, Pabst Blue Ribbion, Primo, Skinny Dip, Dos Equis,
FOOD: They were rated number one seafood place but Fox news. Everything on the menu is made from scratch daily. Arguably the best Ceviche near Main. The hamburgers are a sure thing but some of the other food can be hit or miss. Blackened Chicken Pasta usually really good but like I said sometimes the chief could have an off night. Another plus is that they serve food up until 1:30.
ATMOSPHERE: The bar was designed after a crab shack the owner visited when in the Keys in Florida. The bar has been known for getting out of hand and having some rough housing going on. But has gotten better as of late. As the late get later though there is still a chance to see tempers flare here. The owners son is there most night to watch over things.
HISTORY: Use to be Crabby Ken’s but was bought by father and son around 3 or 4 years ago. The father has owned restaurants along main street for over 35 years. He is there everyday in the office and the bar is pretty much left up to the workers to manage and they do a good job.
WHAT IT OFFERS THAT SETS THEM APART FROM THE OTHERS: Arguably the best Ceviche near Main, they serve food late up until 1:30
*4. GALLAGHERS PUB AND GRILL
WHERE: Just off Main Street on Walnut across from Crabby and next to Black Bull.
WHAT THEY OFFER FOR HAPPY HOUR: (Mon- Fri 4 – 7) Late night Happy Hour after 11pm
$2.50 draft/bottles bud, bud light, and coors light . Their late night happy hour starts after 11pm and offers 2 for 1 drinks. Half off appetizers
BEER: 20 beers on tab
FOOD: They have a fairly new menu. There most popular appetizer are hot wings but most everything else are unique menu items you won’t find anywhere else on main street. They have traditional Irish food that you won’t find on any other menu on Main Street. If you are a picky eater you might not like it. With half off appetizers you can try two dishes you have never tried before and you would only be out about $8. I was not be disappointed. There is a lot of heart and soul put into there food, it’s not just crank them out as fast as you can. To give you some sort of idea, the sauce for the sautéed wild mushrooms takes four days to make to deglaze with red wine and reduce with demi-glace. The Chicken Liver Pate includes 4 small slices of garlic bread and a side of pickles. The Pate looks like sliced meatloaf and taste similar to boloney, but comes with a side of grain mustard sauce that is a great combination. During happy hour each appetizers only going to cost around $4 dollars. They have a chicken philly cheese sandwich is popular with onion, bell peppers, and swiss cheese.
ATMOSPHERE: Irish pub. Divey type bar where most of the people around you know each other. Just introduce yourself to someone and they are likely to star talking with you. Punk rock music can be hear on the juke book and there is live music five days out of the week, not on Wednesday and Thursday. Thursday nights comedians start at 9pm.
HISTORY: The owner for this location has a brother who own’s the Gallaghers in Ocean Beach and Long Beach. The location has been here since around 1996.
WHAT IT OFFERS THAT SETS THEM APART FROM THE OTHERS: Comedians on Thursday Nights
5. KILLARNEYS
WHERE: 209 Main St. on the Left Side of Main near the middle of the strip.
WHAT THEY OFFER FOR HAPPY HOUR: Killarneys doesn’t wait for happy hour to offer cheap beer. They have great offers all day everyday. They don’t, in fact, have a happy hour, but even better all day everyday their Budweiser and Miller Light drafts are only $2. That price bets almost every other bars happy hour deals.
BEER:
On Tap: Bass ale, Bluemoon, Budweiser, Bud Light, Boddingtons, Guinness, Harp, Heinken, Pabst Blue Ribbion, Pear Cider, Pyramind Hefeweizen, Rolling Rock, Smithwick’s Irish Ale, Stella Artois.
FOOD: Monday-Friday they offer certain meal on the menu for only $5.
There $5 feasts consist of the following
Mondays: Fish and Chips
Tuesdays: Shepards Pie
Wednesdays: All burgers
Thursdays: Chicken Club Wrap
Fridays: Chicken Avocado Sandwich
ATMOSPHERE: I’d describe the look of the inside as divey, but the place is usually packed. Along with Sharkeez next door, it’s one of the busiest bars on Main St. It also offers and outside patio for smoking and
people watching.
WHAT IT OFFERS THAT YOU CAN’T GET ELSEWHERE: $2 Budweiser and Miller Light drafts everyday.
6. AVILA’S EL RANCHITOS
WHERE: 318 Main St. on the right, one of the last bars on Main before you get to Orange.
WHAT THEY OFFER FOR HAPPY HOUR: This place points because of it’s free finger foods. It’s not always there, and you have to ask because they won’t tell you otherwise. NO DRINK SPECIALS THOUGH!! Dos Equiez is always $3.75.
BEER:
Bottles Only: Corona, Corona Light, Pacifico, Bud Light, Tecate, XX Amber, Negro Modelo
They don’t offer anything on draft because when sunlight shines on the lines going to the kegs bacteria and mold can sometimes form, which can lead to a much nastier hangover.
FOOD: Mexican.
ATMOSPHERE: Baja surf motif, with authentic photographs from the Mexican Revolution. The front of the restaurant is completely open so you hardly feel indoors. It’s a great place to sit and watch people walking by. Not really the best place to mingle at the restaurant because most are seated at tables but none the less a good time.
HISTORY: This location opened in 1999. The entire Avila family pitched in and help at the first El Ranchito when the first location opened in Huntington Park in 1966 with only five picnic tables. There are now 11 locations in LA and OC and each one is still family owned, family operated.
WHAT IT OFFERS THAT YOU CAN’T GET ELSEWHERE: Sometimes free finger foods: nachos topped with cheese, cheese quesadillas, and seasoned flour tortilla chips.
I will soon add information on more bars so check back often.
Here is some more information to think about as you sip on our libation:
* Massachusetts was one of the first US States to implement a state-wide ban on Happy Hours in 1984.
* The Canadian province of Alberta created restrictions to Happy Hours that took effect in August 2008.
* 24 yrs ago, Oregon banned the advertising of discounted alcoholic drinks.
Most of these bans were in hopes of curbing binge drinking.
