Wendy Hargreaves: Melbourne’s best happy hours

By WENDY HARGREAVES

Everyone likes a bargain. Especially when it’s delicious.

Here are five of Melbourne’s best happy hours, chosen for their cheap drinks AND scrumptious food. Chin chin!

Annam
56 Little Bourke St, Melbourne, [phone]

Chef Jerry Mai’s modern take on Vietnamese food is always worth a look, but it’s even better on weekdays from 5-7pm because her delectable chicken dumplings are just $1 each. The deep-fried chicken ribs are also $1 each, with $10 cocktails, $7 wines, $9 basic spirits and $7 Hanoi beer.

Domain Road Oyster Frenzy
Botanical Hotel, 169 Domain Rd, South Yarra, [phone]
Entrecoté, 131-133 Domain Rd, South Yarra,  [phone]

Love oysters? Two neighbouring venues on Domain Rd are offering a deal too good to resist, all enjoyed with views across Domain Rd to the Royal Botanic Gardens.

The iconic Botanical Hotel offers freshly-shucked $2 oysters every day from 4-7pm, and all day on Sunday and Monday, along with $15 glasses of Billecart, $12 Aperol Spritzes, and $15 Negronis. Stay for a steak… they’re the best in Melbourne (IMHO).

Up the street at Entrecôte, take a seat on the sunny deck and let the oh-so French staff serve freshly-shuck oysters at $2.50 a pop, washed down with $12,9 Mumm, every day from 4-6pm. The best day is Sunday, when French Jazz band La Nuit Blanche knocks out a few tunes.

Naked For Satan
285 Brunswick St, Fitzroy, [phone]

With one of the best 360-degree views in Melbourne, this rooftop bar serves 90 cent oysters on Thursdays and Fridays from 5-7pm.

But there’s an even better deal weekdays from noon-4pm and Sunday nights from 6pm. That’s when all meals are $11, from the baked camembert with truffle paste, chestnuts and ciabatta to the twice-cooked pork belly with apple, parsnip, drunken prunes and sage (normally $33)

400 Gradi Yarra Valley
Rochford Wines, 878-880 Maroondah Hwy, Coldstream, [phone]

This isn’t strictly a happy hour, but it’s an absolute bargain. Bottomless pizza and drinks for $45 every Friday night from 4pm-8pm at the 400 Gradi outpost at the bottom of the hill at Rochford Estate. Make sure you pre-book your two-hour pizza party, and take time to enjoy the spectacular Rochford property.

The Moat
176 Little Lonsdale St, Melbourne, [phone]

Tucked beneath Melbourne’s iconic State Library, the Moat is the perfect place for a quiet drink and some nibbles. Weekdays from 4.30-6pm and Saturdays from 5-6.30pm, they serve $12 espresso martinis and gin martinis, $6 bottled beers and $7 schooners or glasses of wine. Enjoy your bargain drink with a generous farmer’s platter to share, with mushroom paté or Serrano ham, cheese, pickles, olives, almonds and pide for $24.

Wendy writes online at fiveofthebest.com