<\/p>\n
Fontaine Schaber, left, dines with friends Vicki Lyons, center, and Jill Sida, right, at Sirene in Oakland, which recently started offering happy hour for the first time.<\/p>\n
Gabrielle Lurie\/S.F. Chronicle<\/p>\n
Even before doors open at Sirene in Oakland<\/a>, the team starts shucking hundreds of oysters and gets a machine churning behind the bar for the inevitable flood of neon green chartreuse slushies. By 5 p.m. on a Tuesday night, happy hour is already jumping. The exposed-brick dining room fills up quickly with colleagues cutting out of the office, friends unplugging after working from home, dates taking it off the apps and parents who don\u2019t want to deal with dinner. \u201cThere\u2019s no such thing as a usual crowd,\u201d said owner and sommelier Paul Einbund. \u201cEveryone comes in. It\u2019s amazing.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Sirene added happy hour in April, part of a new wave of Bay Area restaurants getting into deals, some for the first time ever. After falling off during the pandemic<\/a>, happy hour is back in a big way. In this uncertain economy, as inflation surges across the country<\/a>, restaurant owners said they felt it was one thing they could do to welcome diners of all budgets\u00a0\u2014 and hope to keep their dining rooms busy. \u201cDining out in the Bay Area is so expensive right now,\u201d Einbund said. \u201cWe\u2019re all hyper aware of that.\u201d A dozen Bay Area chefs who have recently added happy hour echoed the same sentiment: They desperately want their restaurants to feel more accessible.\u00a0<\/p>\n Five-dollar sushi blew up on social media<\/a> last spring, when the deal at Bubu and Nono in Japantown went viral (happy hour sushi at both now starts at $6). Bella opened over the winter, slashing pricing across the entire menu, so you can get $8 arancini and spritzes. Shuggie\u2019s recently started giving away food for free<\/a> during happy hour, so long as customers order at least one drink. The dollar oyster might be on the verge of extinction, but you can get two-buck oysters at Popi\u2019s Oysterette and Little Shucker, and Saison Cellar splits the difference at $1.50. A representative for Waterbar and Epic Steak said interest in happy hour has surged in the last five months, including a new deal on $10 buckets of fried chicken at the freshly renovated Quiver Lounge at Epic.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Chris Rhodes eats a free dish with a cocktail during happy hour at Shuggie\u2019s in San Francisco.<\/p>\n Minh Connors\/S.F. Chronicle<\/p>\n Adriano Paganini of the Back of the House group owns 43 restaurants throughout the Bay Area, and currently all of them offer happy hour. Paganini opened his first restaurant Beretta in San Francisco in 2008, so he understands recession spending habits. As the recession wore on, Paganini noted more happy hours popping up, and eventually joined the party. (Today, stop by Beretta\u2019s happy hour for $8 negronis and $10 fava bruschetta.) Paganini said that happy hour works for restaurants for several reasons\u00a0\u2014 it gets diners through the door on off days and hours, and after one or two cocktails, many wind up staying for dinner.\u00a0<\/p>\n At the Morris, where plenty of diners still pay $180 for the restaurant\u2019s signature smoked duck, Einbund and chef Gavin Schmidt added happy hour a year ago, slinging $5 chartreuse slushies and fried maitake. The deals followed at Sirene, where they added the same slushies and $2 oysters. The math does not pencil. They lose money on happy hour, and \u201cdiscounting things freaks me out,\u201d Einbund said. No restaurant can survive on $2 oysters alone, \u201cBut we can do it for an hour a day, and it\u2019s really, really fun,\u201d Einbund said.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Chartreuse slushies are $5 during happy hour at Sirene.<\/p>\n Gabrielle Lurie\/S.F. Chronicle<\/p>\n Paganini has noticed some changes in the current happy hour scene. It\u2019s creeping into the middle of the week, and \u201cThursday is the new Friday,\u201d he declared, especially for hybrid workers commuting downtown. By popular demand, it\u2019s also kicking off \u201cearlier and earlier\u201d in the day, frequently popping off at 3 p.m., rather than the classic 5 p.m. Paganini has a second-story office with a view of Union Street in the Marina, so he can see people sipping $10 margaritas at Flores and snacking on $10 spicy sausage pizzettas at Wildseed in the middle of a sunny afternoon. And his restaurants are offering more nonalcoholic options than ever, with many people drinking less these days<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n San Francisco Chronicle Logo<\/p>\n Make us a Preferred Source to get more of our news when you search.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Add Preferred Source<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n Many restaurants also offer creative menus beyond the usual happy hour standbys of oysters and wings. Earlier this year, Breadbelly bakery<\/a> buddied up with Standard Deviant Brewing in the Dogpatch to serve cold beer and char siu pork buns, with plans to bring it back this summer. Precita Social offers an unusually deep happy hour menu with a dozen items, like crudo, uni-caviar hand rolls and $35 wagyu steak frites<\/a>. Nobody demands happy hour from a pizza shop, but that hasn\u2019t stopped Outta Sight from slinging $4 cheese slices and $13 Italian subs. \u201cWhat isn\u2019t to love about cheap beer and pizza?\u201d chef-owner Eric Ehler wrote in an email. \u201cA $13 sandwich in this economy?\u201d Even fine dining restaurants are getting into happy hour, with Angler in San Francisco offering $15 fried smelts, and M\u00e4go in Oakland<\/a> knocking 15% off arepas and ceviche at the bar.\u00a0<\/p>\n Of course, happy hour is ripe for a social media play. Downtown San Francisco cocktail bar Holbrook House recently added a single happy hour item that went viral\u00a0\u2014 a \u201cMini Meal\u201d starring a mini cheeseburger, fancy tater tot, and full-size martini for $25. At Piccino in the Presidio, diners can order an over-the-top, $10 potato chip tower<\/a> dripping with prosciutto and shredded parmigiano, with the option to add caviar for another $12.\u00a0<\/p>\n But above all, happy hour might be about the vibes. \u201cEven if you\u2019re not making much money, it\u2019s about energy, bringing the fun back,\u201d Paganini said.\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n New happy hours to check out in San Francisco and Oakland\u00a0<\/p>\n Sirene:\u00a0$2 oysters and $5 chartreuse slushies, with $7 coyote cocktails (mezcal, lime, ginger) and $10 shrimp-chorizo hot dogs coming soon. Tuesday-Thursday, 5-6 p.m. 3308 Grand Ave., Oakland. sirene-oak.com<\/a><\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Reem\u2019s: $12 falafel bites, $8 batata hara (fries slashed with harissa yogurt) and $2 off drinks. Tuesday-Thursday, 3-6\u00a0p.m. 2901 Mission St., San Francisco. reemscalifornia.com<\/a><\/p>\n Precita Social:\u00a0Full menu<\/a> with a dozen items, including $35 wagyu steak frites and $12 bubbles. Tuesday-Sunday, 5-6 p.m. 300 Precita Ave., San Francisco.\u00a0precitasocial.com<\/a><\/p>\n Turtle Tower: $2 crab chips, $6 spring rolls, $8 Hanoi-style wings; $4 beer, $6 wine, and $8 cocktails. Daily, 2\u20135 p.m. at 220 California St., San Francisco. Daily, 2-5\u00a0p.m.; Friday-Saturday, 9 p.m.-2 a.m. at 3145\u00a0Fillmore St., San Francisco.\u00a0turtletowersf.com<\/a><\/p>\n Holbrook House: \u201cMini Meal\u201d deal featuring a mini cheeseburger, fancy\u00a0tater tot and full-size martini for $25.\u00a0Monday-Friday, 4-6 p.m. 1 Sansome St., San Francisco.\u00a0holbrookhousesf.com<\/a><\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Cubita:\u00a0$8 mojitos and daiquiris, $6 yuca frita, $6 tostones and $8 Cubanos. Tuesday-Friday, 5-6:30 p.m. 2516 Mission St., San Francisco. cubitasf.com<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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