Happy hour in Tahoe not what it was in the 1980s
By Kathryn Reed
Poor college students talk about the abundance of ramen noodles consumed. Poor recent college grads talk about the happy hour deals that make for a meal.
In a quest to relieve my 20s in Tahoe when happy hours were where I often found dinner, I thought I would see what things were like 20 years later. Disappointing would be the primary word of choice.
So many bars and restaurants no longer offer deals, and if they do, most are not substantial. And some only have winter bargains. In other words, it’s gouge the tourist and locals this time of year.
Happy hours in Lake Tahoe aren't what they were in the late 1980s -- but there are still fun drinks being made at some locations. Photo/Kathryn Reed
It seems like an odd business model. Don’t they realize if you reel people in with a deal, the majority will end up spending more money after the discount hour is over and that people are more likely to frequent the place that has a deal?
While we couldn’t hit every place, below is what we found this spring and early summer. Please share with Lake Tahoe News readers where you like to go for happy hour.
Drinking establishments
Thinking I would be nice and drive all the way to Meyers, I asked Kim to find out what Divided Sky had as a happy hour special. A buck off drinks, but wine is not included.
We thought we could do better.
Without checking on the deal, we headed to Steamers on this particular Friday. The deal – if you could call it that – was 75 cents off any drink. The deal ended at 6pm.
Those deals do beat the 50 cents off drinks at the Flight Deck at Lake Tahoe Airport.
MacDuff’s in South Lake seemed a bit put off when Roni asked about happy hour deals. The waiter said it was a dollar off beer – that’s it.
A different South Lake Tahoe restaurant — Fresh Ketch – has happy hour deals that are pretty substantive in that a regular glass of the house Cabernet is $9, but during happy hour the price drops to $4. The Ketch has happy hour Monday-Friday from 3-6pm. Another good deal is Sunday through Thursday there are special prices on one type of drink – which is different each of the five days.
Don’t bother going to Sunnyside for happy hour – this Tahoe City restaurant says it does not need to discount drinks.
Brooks’ Sports Bar in Stateline isn’t the place to go either – at least not now. The golf course restaurant only has specials in winter.
Another great lakeside setting is West Shore Café in Homewood, but when Sue and I were there they had yet to come up with a happy hour menu.
Drinking at lunch is the best deal at Las Panchitas in Kings Beach. As long as food is ordered, draft beers are $2.50 and Dos Equis are $3.
During what they call their early bird specials (4-6pm), margaritas are $3.50, a 16 ounce Dos Equis $3.50 and Bud $2.50. This compares to full price of $3.50 for domestic beer, $4.50 for Mexican beer and $6.50 for margaritas.
At Blue Angel Café in South Lake the daily happy hours are from 11am-noon and 3-6pm where the house wine is $3 – regularly it’s $5. Draft beers are $1 off the regular price that ranges from $4 to $6.
Traveling on to Stateline, at Sul Lago the draught beer, house wine and well drinks are two-for-one Sunday-Thursday from 4-5:30pm, and 4-5pm Friday and Saturdays. This deal is only in the bar area – not if you are sitting at one of the dining tables.
A few hours on a hot farm have me and Kim in search of liquid refreshments in Truckee. Sue meets us at Moody’s where the beer, wine and well drinks are $2 off. Regular prices for beer run $3.50 for Bud to $6 for Stella. Wines are normally $5 to $13 a glass.
Two days later and Sue and I need to cool off after mountain biking at Northstar. We stop by the Cabana Bar next to the roller skating rink. Max the bartender has created the Downhill Cruiser. It’s the perfect complement to downhill cycling – rum, tequila, citrus flavors, Sierra Mist and a lime wedge for $8.75.
PBR and Coors Light are always $3.75.
This bar has various specialty drinks throughout the summer, but unfortunately was not open the next Monday afternoon when I stopped by again.
Thinking Friday Station had a happy hour, Brenda and I went to the top of Harrah’s. No luck. Good views, pricy drinks, no deals.
It’s a Thursday at Après Wine on Ski Run in South Tahoe – this means happy hour all night for the women in the room. Featured whites, reds and roses are $4, featured Chardonnay $5, featured Pinot Noir $5 and beers are $3 and $4.
Hours for regular happy hour during the week are from 4-6pm and 9-10pm.
Food to absorb the drinks
A meal can be had at Blue Angel Café in South Tahoe during the daily 11am-noon and 3-6pm happy hours. House salads go from $6 to $3 and a cup of soup from $4 to $3. To add to those, a plate of fries is $3 during happy hour (regularly $5) and garlic bread is $3 (regularly $8).
Plus, this Ski Run Boulevard restaurant has specials throughout the week, like $4 tater tots on Mondays from 3-6pm and $2 tacos on Tuesdays during the same hours.
In Kings Beach, Las Panchitas has deals between 4-6pm. Small nachos are $3.50, small quesadilla $3.50 and they take 25 percent off Mexican combo dinners.
Back on the South Shore, at Sul Lago in Stateline the Italian bangers, appetizers and small pizzas are half price in the bar during happy hour. Those hours are Sunday-Thursday from 4-5:30 and Friday-Saturday from 4-5pm.
Fried zucchini at the Fresh Ketch is one of my favorite appetizers. I wink and call it health food. The portion has decreased substantially over the years, but the batter and size of the individual sticks have improved tremendously.
It’s best to go during the Monday-Friday 3-6pm happy hour because that’s when a plateful costs $5. Otherwise you will be paying twice that amount any other time.
Happy hour at Moody’s in Truckee starts at 3pm. The two food specials are the Pub Burger and Mozzarella, Basil, Tomato Pizza – each for $10. Regularly they are $14 and $13, respectively.
Nothing was left on the plates after Sue, Brenda and I tackled the strawberry bruschetta and Greek cucumbers at Après Wine. The former is a unique dish that we all recommend. Happy hour price is $4, regular $7.95. Cucs are good, but discount isn’t great – a savings of 95 cents.
Have you not heard of the Goal Post on Kingsbury? Very good Happy Hour with food at very good prices along with beer and wine with good prices.
Goal Post is next door to the French restaurant “Mirabelle”.
Careful, your research could lead you to AA…
But thanks for the info.
Things HAVE changed a lot.
You can thank the increase in regulation and minimum wage for the decrease in portion size and bargains. The profit margin in restaurant/bars is pretty slim. I worked them for 30 years till I stopped finding adolescent drunks entertaining.
I think you will find nothing on the hill is like it was in the 80s both good and bad.
“Those deals do beat the 50 cents off drinks at the Flight Deck at Lake Tahoe Airport.”
Kae, What you forgot to mention about the Flight Deck is that their base drink prices are probably the least expensive in town, and even without the 50 cents off their prices are comparable to 1980’s bar pricing.
It is unfortunate that the great middle class is vaporizing right in front of us. With real estate prices sucking down huge chunks of income, higher prices are charged for things here.
Less drinking and driving is not a bad thing
Interesting article, Kae. Thanks for the research (I’ve been doing my own informal research on this subject for years up here :-)). I think this sort of misses the bigger point, though (that Biggerpicture alludes to). The price for drinks in this town varies a RIDICULOUS amount from place to place. A glass of my preferred whiskey costs $12 at Riva Grill and only $5 at a place like MacDuff’s. So whether it’s 50 cents off at Happy Hour or a $1.50, it’s almost irrelevant at that point.
The price gouging up in this town is absurd. With a few minor exceptions, the businesses up here just don’t care about earning the local’s disposable income, it’s all about the tourist dollars. One only needs to look at tonight’s Beach Boys concert charging $150 a ticket for evidence. And $220 for Robin Williams Friday and Saturday. What a joke!
Paul
P.S. – Dogula, thanks for pointing out that, like everything else in the world today, the lack of good happy hours in Tahoe is all Obama’s fault. We wouldn’t expect any less from you!
Paul, don’t forget flea bag motels that charge $35 during the week, then ask for $100+ on the weekends (and that’s with empty or muck filled pools). Not too endearing a climate as we might want to present to tourists and locals alike! (won’t even mention gas prices!)
It didn’t take me 30 yrs. to find adolescent drunks annoying…. and they’re much less obnoxious than libertarians… and I guess serving drunk teenagers would be OK in the non-regulated free-market randworld. The local places don’t have the soul or individual personality like they did in the day, because the local’s can’t afford to hang there anymore.
The word “adolescent” does not necessarily refer to one’s chronological age.
And nobody mentioned Obama but Paul.
Be real nothing here in town like it was in the 80’s.
1. Off The Hook. Great happy hour prices on food & drink
2. Steamers taco’s on wed & sat.
3. Lakeside Casino, always good deals on drinks & decent food
4. Turn 3, 2 for 1 beers during happy hour & peanuts & popcorn for free
etc. I could go on for ever on the places that were left out. If you are really trying to eat & drink on a budget, Figure out the daily specials @ each establishment. Randomly walking into a place without any beta will surely not help your wallet.
Maybe the locals can’t afford (or won’t pay) $150 to $220 for a ticket but it doesn’t mean they’re going to miss the music or the fun of a Harvey’s outdoor concert. When I was coming home from work on Friday night when Chicago played the whole northeast side of Lake Parkway was filled with cars that had pulled in straight, had their tailgates open, lounge seats set up, ice chests for beverages and small portable barbeques going while the sound of Chicago filled the air! I’d much rather listen to a concert that way than standing or sitting in a crush of strangers but where I can say I saw the musicians. The Horizon back parking lot was full too, I’m told for a small fee one could park there. For the record, the locals hearing this concert from Edgewood looked to be having a great time with all their friends at the best tailgate party imaginable—I was sorry I couldn’t find a place to park!
In the early 80s I dated a pverty stricken student in the Bay Area. our “date” would consist of a $1.25 well drink at the holiday inn by his house and dinner was all the free appetizers they served, Gues it wasn’t so bad as now we have a kid, a mortgage and coming up on our 30th anniversary. So much for what he though was a cheap date.