Boston's Best Bar Menu Deals

Ever wonder why there are no Happy Hours in Boston? The reason is that--due to our residual puritanical nature--it is illegal for a restaurant or bar to change the prices of its drinks during the week. While this is bad news for the budding tippler, it's great news for the noble foodie. Since restaurants can't hold Happy Hours, they use food deals to bring people in during the off-hours.

As a result, Boston is full of astoundingly good Bar Menu Deals that let you sample top quality food at extraordinarily cheap prices. The Food Monkey has compiled a list of Boston's Best Bar Menu Deals to make it easy for you to find and enjoy these hidden treasures.

	denotes a restaurant with a bar menu I find to be exceptional overall.
	denotes a specific menu item I particularly like.

All of these menus are subject to change on a whim and I’ll do my best to keep these up to date. You should call ahead to confirm before you make the trek.

If you have any new Bar Menu Deals that you’d like to share or spot anything that needs to be changed, send me an email.

Fate is a fickle temptress. The very day my Ph.D. diploma was placed in my hands, I received an invitation to audition to host a show for The Food Network, which will feature cheap, hidden, gourmet food around the country. The casting agents had found my bar menu deal map as well as my Chronicle piece, and requested an audition video talking about myself, inexpensive deals around Boston, and the ways they were found.

I chose to focus my audition piece on Estragon, in Boston’s South End, which serves dollar tapas at the bar from Monday through Thursday from 5:30-7pm.

Items on the dollar tapas menu may include:

• Pan Tumaca con Jamón – Serrano Ham on Tomato-Garlic Toast
• Queso de Cabra con Tomate – Warm Spanish Goats’ Cheese & Tomato on Toast
• Boquerones con Manchego y Tomate – White Anchovies, Manchego Cheese & Tomato on Toast
• Patatas Bravas – Feisty Fried Potatoes
• Lengua con Mojo Verde – Beef Tongue, Canary Island Salsa on Toast
• Torreznos - Crispy Fried Pork Belly, Salsa Picante
• Tortilla Española – Traditional Spanish Omelette
• Chorizo - Grilled Spanish Sausage on Toast
• Pringá - Braised Beef Shank, Pork Belly & Bone Marrow on Toast – Garbanzos Fritos
• Crispy Paprika Chickpeas – Aceitunas Marinadas
• House-marinated Olives – Alcachofas Fritas
• Crispy Fried Artichoke Hearts, Alioli

Estragon is among my favorite places for tapas in the city, mixing exceptional food with reasonable pricing (especially with the dollar menu). Despite its chic decor, with walls adorned with pictures of Salvador Dali and half-naked women, Estragon serves traditional tapas from Chef Julio de Haro’s childhood in Madrid. Incidentally, Chef de Haro claims that Estragon is the only tapas place in the greater Boston area in which the chef is actually a Spaniard. This is a leg up on the McDonald’s dollar menu, as I’ve yet have a true Irishman make my McDouble.

If you do stop by for dollar tapas, make sure to order the artichoke hearts and pringá (a buttery marvel). You will not regret it.

We’ll see how the audition goes. Wish me luck….

The Deal:
$1 Oysters (12 per person) and $1 PBRs

The Time:
Sundays 8-10PM

The Place:
Myers + Chang
http://www.myersandchang.com/
1145 Washington Street, Boston, MA
(617) 542-5200

The Food Monkey’s Take:
Myers + Chang has a dynamic, hip, atmosphere, which contrasts greatly with its more austere counterparts in the dollar oyster game. This is clearly evidenced by the pairing of the oysters with dollar PBRs. Moreover, you have the option of enjoying your oysters bathed in the exotic sauces du jour, which can add a little excitement for those weary of the bivalve in its naked form. Personally, I’m an oyster purist, unless they are fried inside some sort of po-boy

Another benefit of eating oysters on the cheap at Myers + Chang is that you’re not relegated to the bar area. This makes it a great place for a date or hanging out. There is a dozen oyster limit per person, which may hinder you in your aspirations of reenacting The Walrus and the Carpenter, but will give you an excuse to supplement your meal with their delicious tea-smoked pork spare ribs.

The Deal:
A half dozen oysters for $6 at the bar.

The Time:
Monday-Thursday 3-6PM

The Place:
Legal Sea Foods
http://www.legalseafoods.com/

Kendall Square
5 Cambridge Center, Cambridge, MA
(617) 864-3400

Charles Square
20 University Road, Cambridge, MA
(617) 491-9400

Copley Place
100 Huntington Ave, Boston, MA
(617) 266-7775

Long Wharf
255 State Street, Boston, MA
(617) 742-5300

(Also available outside of Boston)
Framingham
50 Worcester Rd. (Rt.9), Framingham, MA
(617) 766-0600

Warwick
2099 Post Road, Warwick, RI
(401) 732-3663

The Food Monkey’s Take:
I’ve yet to try this for myself but I have heard great things. What’s particularly interesting about Legal’s oyster deal is that they offer different types of oysters at different times.

They say you can

Choose from Legal Sea Foods’ featured varieties such as: Kumamoto, fresh cucumber taste with a creamy finish; P.E.I., assertive, briny and earthy tones with a clean ocean finish; West Coast, sweet citrus briny start with an earthy, fruity finish; and, East Coast, clean North Atlantic flavor.

So I look forward to giving Legal’s a try!

The Deal:
$1 Island Creek Oysters

The Time:
Mondays 5:30-closing

The Place:
Rialto Restaurant and Bar
http://www.rialto-restaurant.com/
1 Bennett Street Cambridge, MA 02138
(617) 661-5050

The Deal:
1$ Oysters
10$ All you can eat charcuterie buffet

The Time:
Oysters:
Mondays 5-7PM
Carcuterie:
Tuesdays and Wednesdays 10PM-Midnight

The Place:
Sel de la Terre (Boylston)
http://www.seldelaterre.com/
774 Boylston St., Boston, MA 02199
(617) 266-8800

The Deal:
50 cent Tapas at the bar

The Time:
Monday-Sunday 50 cents per Tapa from 5-7PM, $1 per Tapa all other times

The Place:
MASA
http://www.masarestaurant.com/
439 Tremont St, Boston, MA 02116

Get Directions(617) 338-8884

The Food Monkey’s Take:
Masa’s Southwestern inspired food and a great Tequila selection bring me there as much as possible when I’m hanging out in the South End. Masa has a menu of 10 beautiful few-bite sized Tapas that rotates every three months. If you go there between 5 and 7pm any day of the week, you can get them at 5 bucks for a combo of ten Tapa at the bar, and they are just a dollar each all other times. My favorites are the chorizo, the queso fundito jalapeno empanada, and the tuna ceviche.

Their bar menu (subject to change) is as follows:

• GRILLED CHORIZO, with Cranberry Chutney Salsa
• ORANGE TAMARIND ONION RELISH, with Sweet Potato Chip
• SHREDDED CHICKEN TAQUITO, with Chile Ancho Aioli
• STUFFED CHERRY PEPPER, with Gorgonzola, Chorizo, Seafood
• ANCHO POPCORN SHRIMP, with Sweet and Sour Chili Sauce
• QUESO FUNDIDO JALAPENO EMPANADA
• TUNA CEVICHE, with Charred Corn and Avocado salsa
• TEQUILA CURED SALMON, with Chipotle Cream Cheese
• PULLED PORK & MONTEREY JACK SPRING ROLL, with Masa BBQ Sauce
• SMOKED MUSSEL ON THE HALF SHELL, with Citrus Onion Salsa

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The Deal:
5 or 6 dollars for their bar menu. Go for the sliders!

The Time:
Monday-Friday 5PM-Close

The Place:
MORTON’S BACK BAY
http://www.mortons.com
One Exeter Plaza, 699 Boylston at Exeter, Boston, MA 02116
(617) 266-5858

The Food Monkey’s Take:

Another one of my staple bar menus. Morton’s has a great all day bar menu with many selections, which reverts to 5 dollars per item during the Power Hour-Monday through Friday from 5PM to closing. The reason to go to Morton’s for the bar menu is the sliders. These beautiful mini-burgers, which are made out of prime beef–the top 3% of beef produced–literally melt in your mouth. Ordering them any way other than medium rare is a travesty. They also have amazing mini crab cakes and chicken goujonettes (fancy breaded chicken fingers). I love to go here and watch the Sox when the times line up properly.

Their Bar Menu includes:

• MINIATURE PRIME CHEESEBURGER TRIO: More than half a pound of USDA prime-aged beef with cheddar cheese, tomato slices, lettuce and onion
• FOUR PETITE FILET MIGNON SANDWICHES: Served with mustard mayonnaise sauce
• CHICKEN GOUJONETTES: Crispy chicken strips served with mustard mayonnaise sauce
• JUMBO LUMP CRAB, SPINACH & ARTICHOKE DIP: Served with toasted French bread croutons
• BLUE CHEESE FRENCH FRIES
• LUMP CRAB CAKES
• OYSTERS ON THE HALF SHELL **
• COLOSSAL SHRIMP COCKTAIL **

** Priced per piece.

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The Deal:
A 1/2 lb Cheeseburger for $2.95, and other dishes for up to $4.95.
NOTE: There is a $2.50 minimum beverage requirement.

The Time:
Sunday-Thursday 3:30-6:30PM and 9PM-Midnight
Friday and Saturday 10PM-Midnight

The Place:
MCCORMICK AND SCHMICK’S COLUMBUS AVE
http://www.mccormickandschmicks.com
34 Columbus Ave., Boston, MA 02116
(617) 482-3999

The Food Monkey’s Take:

After I became an old pro at visiting their Faneuil Hall location, I decided to check out the McCormick and Schmick’s on Columbus Ave. In terms of sheer food volume their $2.95 cheeseburger is the best bang for your buck in the city. I also like the buffalo wings and spinach dip. The Columbus Ave. location has their bar menu available Sunday-Thursday 3:30-6:30PM and 9PM-Midnight, and when things are busier on Friday and Saturday it is 10PM-Midnight to fill in the late night hours. The bar on Columbus has a more of a dark, old-timey feel to it and has a very different vibe than the open to the outdoors bar in Faneuil Hall.

Remember, there is a $2.50 minimum beverage requirement, so get a coke and you’re fine, get one of their mixed drinks and you’re even better.

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