Happy Hour in Adelaide: Where to Drink
Whether you’re looking for post-work relaxation or planning to catch up with your friends or family, Adelaide is a fantastic place for affordable and delectable drinks.
In this article, we have scoured the city to narrow down the best places with happy hours. With elegant hotels and buzzing pubs with electric graffiti walls and sun-lit courtyards, Adelaide offers some of the happiest happy hours!
Gilbert Street Hotel
Location: 88 Gilbert Street, Adelaide
If you’re a lover of experimental craft beers, Gilbert Street Hotel will work for you, as this classic pub offers tapped and fridge brews with special flavors.
Their beers include Luscious Loompa, Mucho Mucho Lager, Cherry Gose, and Festbier Dunkel.
During 5–6 pm happy hour on weekdays, Gilbert Street Hotel offers a $2 discount off their base spirits and pints. They also serve complimentary savories on Friday evenings that perfectly match the flavor of your drink of choice.
If you’re planning to go out on a Saturday, the hotel serves refreshing late-night cocktails during their 10 pm happy hour.
We advise drinking in the beautiful pink room of the pub because it will lighten up your mood, and a good mood makes cocktails taste better.
We loved this pub’s very refreshing and relaxing vibe. While enjoying their drinks, we couldn’t stop taking pictures of the healthy green plants stylishly placed on brown walls and shiny wooden furniture (you have our word: this place feels like a tropical bar)!
| Tipsy Tip: We arrived at Gilbert Street Hotel at around 5:30 pm–5:45 pm, and we suggest that you do the same thing. Around this time, the pub’s not too crowded, making it the perfect period for a relaxing drinking session. |
The Archer
Location: 60 O’Connell St, North Adelaide
The Archer is a must-try pub for people who love variety in their drinks, as this place proudly serves nearly 30 plus types of wines, over 40 brands of beer, and 14 kinds of gins.
These deliciously satisfying drinks are bought from local and international breweries.
During happy hour, The Archer serves their beloved local beer and house wine at the affordable price of $6.50 per glass.
This promo is available from Monday to Friday from 5–6 pm, and we went here on a Friday to test out their weekend offerings (spoiler alert: we weren’t disappointed).
The local tap beer and house wine we tried were malty and sweet, and just had the right kick!
We also tried the Friday–Saturday late-night happy hour promo which is great for people looking for inexpensive yet amazing cocktails. For a measly price of $10, we got to get to drink cocktails and had an absolutely wonderful time!
This pub also had a welcoming and relaxed environment that made us forget all the troubles in the world. We enjoyed staying in their cozy beer garden and on their wonderful balcony that overlooked the ever-energetic O’Connell Street.
| Tipsy Tip: The beer garden is The Unley’s best spot for drinking because of its space and refreshing decor. If you want a better view, however, the balcony is where you should drink. |
The Unley
Location: 27 Unley Rd, Parkside
The Unley is magnificent for people who love drinking at refreshing spots because of its breezy interior and open-air rooftop drinking zone. Their catalog of finely crafted drinks features variations of brewed-to-perfection South Australian wines, gins, and cocktails.
The happy hour promo of The Unley is available every day. From 4–6 pm, they’ll only charge $8 per glass of their astounding pints and base spirits, while fan-favorite house wines are sold for only $7 per glass.
We gave some of their cocktails a shot, and we were definitely surprised by how good they tasted despite the very cheap price. The combined sourness and fruitiness of their cocktails perfectly mix well with the weak bitterness of alcohol.
Our day was stressful when we visited the Unley, but the Stella Espresso Martini and Classic Margarita washed the negative vibes away!
Aside from the amazing drinks and happy hour prices, The Unley also served us pub cuisine staples, light snacks, and restaurant-style type meals that perfectly complemented our drinks.
The staff even helped us pick which dish best pairs with which drink!
| Tipsy Tip: This pub has private drinking and dining options perfect for groups. We definitely suggest taking this option, as the private rooms are very quiet. |
Lady Burra Brewhouse
Location: 4 Topham Mall, Adelaide
If you go nuts for high-quality pizza and top-notch drinks, Lady Burra Brewhouse is the place for you as this brewery serves both. This first-ever microbrewery in Adelaide also takes pride in its all-natural beers and pizza that uses only cream-of-the-crop ingredients.
Lady Burra Brewhouse’s happy hour promo is available every day. From 4 pm to 6 pm, they’ll serve affordable yet marvelous drinks like beers, spirits, and wines for the price of only $8 per glass (wines, spirits) and bottle (beers).
As Guinness lovers ourselves, we’d say that we truly enjoyed their nitro stout—a creamy beer with a velvety smooth texture.
The rich and aromatic flavor of this drink was like a weird but great combination of traditional beer, marshmallows, and mild coffee!
Lady Burra Brewhouse also offered us multiple room options during the happy hour. We chose the large area for public drinking because we were in our “let’s socialize” mode when we drank here, and it was a great choice because the room felt more festive!
| Tipsy Tip: Lady Burra Brewhouse concocts original beers with different flavors. We suggest trying every flavor for a more explorative and fun drinking session. |
The Crown and Anchor
Location: 196 Grenfell Street, Adelaide
The Crown and Anchor is ideal for people who love to drink in electrifying places, as this pub is complete with graffiti-covered walls, groovy music, and pinball machines. They also have pool tables and host comedy shows!
The pub sells its dark and pale ales at $6.50 and $7.50 per glass, respectively, from 8 pm to 9 pm every day. During Happy Hour Wednesdays, they serve their schooners of pale, dark, and cider all at an extremely low price of $3.
The drinks were great, but what we loved more about this pub are the rocking meals that perfectly sum up this place’s energy.
With hearty dishes like meat-filled sandwiches and crackling fried dishes, we never felt hungry while drinking in The Crown and Anchor.
Aside from the gastronomic delights, we also enjoyed how welcoming and utterly stress-free this pub was. We could see that our fellow pub-goers were having a blast as they were drinking and dancing to groovy songs!
| Tipsy Tip: If you can stay up late, do not leave The Crown and Anchor until around 9 pm to 10 pm, as these are the hours when stand-up comedians and musicians typically perform. Trust us, your happy hour experience will become better with additional entertainment! |
The Colonist
Location: 44 The Parade, Norwood
The Colonist is perfect for people who love proven-and-tested pubs, as this classic and beloved watering hole has been around since 1851. It has high ceilings, ornate copper roofing, and scenic wallpaper.
This pub has a weekday happy hour discount that is available from 4 pm to 6 pm.
During these hours, all South Australian pints and glasses of wine will be $1 cheaper, wine bottles will have a $5 discount, and their Boutique Artisan Gin+Fever Tree Tonic will be sold at $12 per glass.
We went here on the weekend when their hour discount ran from 3 pm to 6 pm. Their special cocktails and sours were sold at just $14 a pop, and we could safely say that we had our money’s worth.
Our favorites here were the Bloody Mary and Strawberry and River Mint Spritz which had just the perfect amount of flavor and power.
Since we also got hungry while sipping on their amazing drinks, we ordered their restaurant-style meals. We had (and will have again) their succulent salt and pepper squid, richly-flavored chicken liver parfait, and cotton-soft fried buttermilk chicken.
| Tipsy Tip: The Colonist offers refreshing alfresco dining and drinking spots, but we advise staying inside the pub because of how beautiful the interior is. Drinking is made better by a scenic view, and The Colonist’s architectural features deliver in this regard. |
Harry’s Bar
Location: 12-14 Grenfell St, Adelaide
Harry’s Bar is a remarkable place to drink because of its homey ambiance, welcoming staff, large balcony, hearty meals, and last but definitely not least, exceptional vintage drinks. As icing on the cake, Harry’s Bar also offers a spectacular view of the busy city.
From Monday to Friday, you can head to this 1920s-style pub to grab a $7 per glass drink between 4 pm and 6 pm.
The types of drinks you can get for this low-cost price include all of their wines, base spirits, and tap pints, and you may also upsize the tap pints for an additional payment of just $3.
Since this place has a classic and traditional feel to it, we decided to simply go for their base pints and we’re still thankful that we did because those drinks tasted spectacular!
We’re also happy with Harry’s Bar’s meal +drink promos that offered savory meals and snacks ideal for drinking. They offered combinations like seafood+wine, schnitzels+your drink of choice, and all main meals+any drink you purchase (this is what we had).
We also enjoyed Harry’s Bar’s timeless and vintage interior design. With cream-colored walls lit by golden lamps and a classy bar that had a glossy-brown look, this pub at the heart of modern-day Adelaide was a sweet taste of the past.
| Tipsy Tip: If you want to drink quietly, the outdoor drinking spot of Harry’s Bar is where you should go. |
Palais Hotel
Location: 86 Esplanade, Semaphore
Palais Hotel is a nice spot for drinking because of its seaside views, rejuvenating beer garden, and entertaining music shows. This enticing beachside bar has a sunny disposition and exceptional meals and drinks.
Between 2 pm and 6 pm from Monday to Friday, you can get their tap beer, house wine, and cider pints for the economical price of $5 per glass, while their vodka with mix is sold for only $7 per shot.
It’s worth noting that these prices are not available on public holidays or group events.
We went here on a Saturday when their happy hour promo ran from 8 pm until closing time and got their vodka with mix and super-dry pints for only $7. The super-dry pints were great, but our vote for Palais Hotel’s best drink went to the vodka mixes!
Sunday happy hour is also amazing in this place. On Sundays from 3 pm to 6 pm, you may purchase White Claw and Bombay Spritz for the reasonable price of $10 per glass.
We went here last summer for their special deals and summer party (the view is so much better during the sunny season). If the latter is what you’re looking for too, you better visit the Hotel!
| Tipsy Tip: The best spot for drinking in the Palais Hotel is on the nearby shoreline. In this spot, you can listen to the waves, watch the sunset or the stars (depending on what time you’ll drink), and enjoy the solace of this beachside pub. |
Rob Roy
Location: 106 Halifax St, Adelaide
If you want to sip finely-brewed cold beers and expertly-mixed cocktails in a spot with a rich and long history, Rob Roy is your destination. This pub is recognized as the second oldest in Adelaide just right after Queen’s Head.
We went to Rob Roy at 5 pm on a Tuesday to grab $5 pints of their rich aromatic beer. This happy hour promo was to run until their kegs were emptied, but we never worried about running out of drinks in this amazing pub!
We enjoyed every sip of their beers that had smoky and toffee-like flavors! They were definitely mood-boosters, and we can’t wait to chug them again!
For those who can’t go on a Tuesday, Fridays are fun times too with their happy hour prices taking effect from 5 pm to 7 pm.
What you’ll enjoy around these times are perfectly mixed espresso martinis for $10 per glass and perfectly sweet, sour, and bitter house spirits and wine for only $6 per glass.
You’ll also be mesmerized by Rob Roy’s stylish interior that incorporates Victorian-era architecture and ornaments with dim white and gold lights.
When we first saw the place, we actually thought that it was an exclusive and extravagant pub, but it surely wasn’t!
| Tipsy Tip: Go for their classic beer and house wine. We know that tasting is believing, but you have to trust us when we say that these are their best happy-hour drinks! |
West Oak Hotel
Location: 208 Hindley St, Adelaide
If you’re looking for a wonderful Saturday cocktail-drinking getaway, West Oak Hotel is the place for you. This homey pub offers a variety of typically boujee cocktails.
From passion fruit mojitos to espresso martinis, the hotel pours out only the best cocktails.
We visited this pub on a Saturday to try their 6-pm-up-to-closing-time happy hour promo. What we got were $10-per-glass cocktails that combined unique tropical fruits and island-style spirits that totally satiated our cocktail cravings!
They also offered great sides and snacks, and we ordered their smoky, house-roasted spiced nuts, creamy garlic bread, and home-style chargrilled chicken wings.
The spiced nuts paired well with our drinks, while the last two treats are perfect as pre-drinking meals.
It would also be a crime not to mention their beer garden where calming live music was played during the duration of our stay.
This spot was surrounded by leafy trees and plants too, so we breathed fresh air while relishing our well-deserved weekend drinks.
| Tipsy Tip: The beer garden is where you should sit in this pub if you’re looking to socialize. If you only want to be with yourself, however, the private rooms are your best option. |
The Collins
Location: 208 Hindley St, Adelaide
The Collins is the best spot for people who want to try something different, as this hidden gem of a pub serves bizarre-looking, original cocktails that look like they’ve been mixed by a mad scientist.
These “new school” cocktails can only be tasted in this amazing pub.
We got here on a Saturday for their 5–6 pm happy hour schedule which let us try their experiments with a 15% discount. The two unique mixes we tried here are Corpse Reviver and Bitter Monkey.
We honestly didn’t know what they would taste like (we picked them because of their cool names), but we were glad we took the risk because it was worth it!
The Corpse Reviver has a strong and delicious zesty taste, while the Bitter Monkey’s flavor is very sour and the bitterness of the alcohol really prevails.
If you’re not in the mood for an adventure, you can purchase their traditional drinks like beers, gins, wines, and classic cocktail mixes. The Collins also has international drinks such as mescal, brandy, rum, vermouth, tequila, and whiskey.
Lastly, what we loved about The Collins aside from the extraordinary drinks was the overall experience the pub provides. The element of surprise was present with every glass, and there was a sense of exploration whenever we took a sip.
| Tipsy Tip: The best way to drink here is to ask the mixologist to surprise you. The Collins offers a lot of new mixes and trying one or two would be a great happy hour experience. |
The Little Pub
Location: 17 Hindley St, Adelaide
If your definition of happy hour is partying, Little Pub on Hindley is the ideal spot for you, as this vintage-style pub has a party atmosphere like no other. With huge cocktail jugs and massive beer kegs to knock back, you’ll have a marvelous time.
The happy hour promo here is available from 5 pm to 7 pm every day.
What they offer during this timeframe are $9 imperial pints and tap beers (per glass), and on Thursdays, they serve $6 per glass of base spirits, $7 pints of West End or South Coast, and $10 per glass of cocktails.
We went here on a Friday to test their $20 cocktail jugs (available on Saturdays too) that are available from 8 pm to 2 am.
We really enjoyed the fruity flavor of the cocktails in jugs, and their light kick of alcohol bitterness was perfect for our long-night group conversations.
Fridays are also when you’ll get to purchase their $5 per glass skittle bombs and tinnies, and $6 per pop jager bombs and base spirits. We tried the skittle and jager bombs to spice up the night!
We highly suggest going to this pub with your friends because the energy and vibe of this party paradise are best enjoyed with a large group! Happy hour celebration is definitely not “little” in this electric pub!
| Tipsy Tip: Drinking here at around 9 pm onwards is the way to go. This pub becomes more energetic the later the night gets. |
The Elephant British Pub
Location: 1 Cinema Pl, Adelaide
If you love classic British pubs, The Elephant British Pub is where you should be headed. This place rocks with upbeat music, traditional English food, and a seemingly-bottomless supply of beverages that British watering hotels are known for.
Wallet-watchers should rush to the pub from 5 pm until late to get a taste of their $6 per glass craft draught and wines, $5 per glass base spirits and local draughts, and $3 schooners of select ale.
If the ale runs out during your turn, you’ll get a free schooner as compensation!
We tried the craft drought and wines and base spirits and were surprised by how wonderful they tasted. We can’t wait to taste them again!
We also paired the mouth-watering post-work drinks we had in this pub with their quintessential English dishes. We went nuts for their bangers and mash, fish and chips, and chicken and bacon leek pie which all elevated our drinking experience!
Since we’re sports fans, we also went bananas in their sports room where local and international football, cricket, golf, boxing, MMA, and rugby games are shown live.
We were watching the premier league at that time and their sports room sounded like a Thunderdome!
| Tipsy Tip: The best spot to drink in this pub if you’re looking for a quiet place is the outdoor seating section. But if you want a noisier and more frenetic area, any of the rooms inside would do. |
