Beyond Happy Hour: Cheap Booze & Free Food

8401 Sunset Blvd, West Hollywood, CA 90069 (map)

This swishy Sunset Strip newcomer inside the Andaz West Hollywood hotel is rockin’ the deals every day from 5pm to 7pm with free cocktail bites like prosciutto with ciabatta, mushroom tart, shrimp ceviche and roasted eggplant. All you have to do is order up one of their wickedly tasty drinks like the signature Steelo, made with Hangar One vodka, St. Germain liqueur, grapefruit juice and blueberries.

8454 Melrose Ave, West Hollywood, CA 90069 (map)

Angelenos who choose to indulge in this WeHo favorite's happy hour specials aren't exactly slumming it. White truffle oil and mushroom mac and cheese for $4? St Germain martinis for $6? All beers for $3? So get on over there Tuesday-Sunday from 4pm-6pm for some fancy feasting that won't break the bank!

108 West 2nd Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012 (map)

You already know about its 35-cent martini deal on Thursdays. (What? You didn't?) But now this downtown speakeasy is offering another Depression-esque bargain, cheekily dubbed "Soup Kitchen Fridays." From 5pm-7pm, the lounge is mixing two more 35-cent cocktails--the gin-based 401(k) and bourbon Bail Out--and serving free grilled cheese sandwiches with tomato soup for dippin'. Not so depressing, eh?

3865 Cardiff Ave, Culver City, CA 90232 (map)

If the futuristic technology--wine served by the ounce with electronic sensors that keep the liquid from oxidizing--at this casual Culver City locale doesn't impress you, maybe the homemade olive bread and cheeses served along your tastings will get your attention. The premise is easy: Load up a wine card with as much or as little as you want to spend, sample the various vinos, and nosh on little goodies as you go. This, my friends, is wine tasting done right.

2366 Glendale Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90039 (map)

This tavern's happy hour may run a little earlier than most (weekdays from 3pm-6pm), but as most Germans can attest, there's nothing wrong with drinking before 5 o'clock--especially when drinks are 25% off and there's a complimentary buffet of boozy snacks like crackers, dip and a daily hot dish. Grab a Bavarian brew, load up a plate and head upstairs to the beer garden to eat, drink and be merry.

6530 W Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90028 (map)

Monday through Friday from 4pm-7pm, this British-themed tavern serves up traditional fare along with a cheese and cracker platter for its Hollywood drinking crowd. Free bangers and mash (that's sausage and potatoes for those who aren't well-versed in across-the-pond pub grub), $3.50 well drinks and drafts, and grown men in somewhat sassy plaid kilts--really, what more could you ask for in a happy hour?

11400 W Olympic Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90064 (map)

Santa Monica's swanky Italian eatery offers a tasty deal for the wallet and palate-starved. Weekdays from 5pm-7pm, order yourself a cocktail and enjoy endless platters of gourmet finger food, such as stuffed roma tomatoes and mushrooms, brushchetta, mini shrimp cocktails, roasted chicken skewers and an assortment of cheeses, fruits and cured Italian meats. And hey, times are tough, so there's no shame in going back for seconds ... or thirds or fourths.

10250 Santa Monica Blvd Ste 654, Los Angeles, CA 90067 (map)

Stuck in traffic between the East and Westside? Century City's sprawling Pan-Asian restaurant is offering a tempting rush hour deal that could calm both your road rage and raging stomach: hot and cold appetizers, on the house. Weekdays from 4pm-6pm in the lounge, order one of their exotic cocktails and munch on complimentary chicken samosas, sesame-glazed BBQ ribs, crispy vegetable spring rolls, stuffed Indian flatbreads and Vietnamese summer rolls. It could be the only time you won't mind being stuck between the East and West.