Happy Hour Ratings (see below for criteria)
Cocktails and Glitter’s
LOCATION
|
# of Martinis
|
Mint
|
3
|
Selba
|
4
|
Xtras
|
5
|
Brio Tuscan Grill
|
3
|
Mosic
|
2.5
|
The Hill Café
|
2
|
Sushi O
|
3.5
|
Blue Goat
|
2
|
Northside Grill
|
2
|
Savory Grain
|
3
|
Fat Dragon
|
4
|
Galley
|
2
|
Jorge’s Cantina
|
2
|
Nacho Mama’s
|
3
|
The Mill
|
4
|
Pearl Oyster Bar
|
4
|
Caliente
|
1
|
|
| |
|
Deco Ristorante
|
4
|
|
The Continental
|
3
|
|
The Well |
3
|
Social 52
|
4.5
|
525 at the Berry Burk
|
4
|
Lemaire at the Jefferson
|
5
|
Extremely Sophisticated HH Rating System
Happy Hour locations will be rated in 5 different categories, with each category worth 1 point or 1 martini. The highest score a place may receive is 5 martinis (off the chart awesome!) and the lowest is 0 martinis (not going back there again!). 2.5 martinis or more means you should give it a try, and we will be returning to try again sometime!
Here are the 5 HH categories:
Service: We do not secretly enjoy crappy service and being made to feel as if we are putting someone out. In fact, we enjoy and welcome good and pleasant service at a bar or restaurant. We appreciate a good sense of humor, a balanced amount of smart-assyness to match our own smart-assyness, friendliness, attentiveness and knowledge of food and drink items. A bonus is when the bartender or server gives you the courteous of a HH last call.
Atmosphere: A clean and comfortable with a welcoming ambiance is highly desirable. An environment with a good vibe that will get you in the mood to have fun and unwind. Décor that truly suits the location and makes you realize how clever people are in design and artwork. Smoke free is a must and fortunately rarely an issue in town. Enough elbow room is needed if we are standing at the bar so we are not in the way of other patrons or staff. If seated, a space that conversation can flow is needed. Music kept to a pleasant volume so as not to compete with or drown out conversation. Live music is always a plus. A HUGE plus is outdoor seating for enjoying a little vitamin D with our cocktails!
Deals: Cheapest isn’t always the best deal, but we should feel like we are getting some special deal. It isn’t a deal if the $3 mojito is so watered downed you would have been better off with a full price one. Please, don’t water down the drinks or skimp on the food. A good deal in our eyes is $1-2 off wine and drafts, ½ price or set price (like $5) food, and a set price for (non-watered down) cocktails in the $3-$5 range. HH deals and specials should be clearly advertised.
Restrooms: If eating establishments could be open based on their bathrooms we probably wouldn’t have anywhere to HH. It's not like we're super snooty and want a bathroom attendant on hand. However we do want and expect a clean, well stocked, working bathroom. Maintenance items like toilet brushes or plungers should be kept out of site. We don't want to see on in our own bathrooms that have been in our own toilets- why would we want to see one that's in a public one? Doors that lock, privacy (no huge door gaps) and amble stalls are important too…is that really too much to ask?
The WOW: This is what makes a particular gin joint stand out from all the others and will keep us coming back for more. It will vary by location and maybe something as wonderful as really stellar service or a hook that is so good that it catches all the fish in the sea. Each place may not even have a WOW. That's okay because having a WOW should not make or break a HH spot.
Let us know if there's anything importing you look for in a HH spot!
Happy rating!
Cheers,
K&H
**********************************************************
To start off our Happy Hour page, here are some local websites that we use to find great deals!
Richmond.com has an pretty comprehensive list of places that celebrate places that have Happy Hour deals. And even though there was some weird rule at one point about advertising such awesomeness, this is totally legal.
The same site has article about where to find half-off wine. Can we just say we love our town!
Style weekly has a great restaurant finder, although no specifics on Happy Hour deals. Richmond magazine does as well.
Cheers!
K&H
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