Ah, happy hour. That time of day between the slow grind of work and the sweet release of dinner, night, TV, sleep, and whatever else may come along. A great happy hour is a simple yet concise affair: discounted booze and fast and cheap food, preferably delicious. If those two components are in place, people will come and create the atmosphere.
But which city’s denizens really get down with a great happy hour? Well, over at Redfin they decided to take on the unenviable and mammoth task of sorting through the four million happy hour hashtags on Instagram over the last seven years to find out where we’re happy-hour-ing most. Across the world, the US came number one, with Hong Kong close behind and Singapore, Italy, and Australia rounding out the top five respectively.
On closer inspection, Redfin looked at which US states and then cities dominate the happy hour game around the country. We thought it’d be fun to look at the top ten US cities where we’re hashtagging our happy hours by volume. So, let’s jump in a see which US cities happy hour the best, according the hashtags.
10. Seattle, WA
Seattle breaks into the top ten with their great array of cheap dives, bespoke cocktails, and a deep bench of micro beers. Plus, there’s plenty of seafood around to make perfect bar snacks for all your happy hour needs. Raw oysters, smoked salmon, and popcorn shrimp anyone?
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9. Los Angeles, CA
Shockingly Los Angeles is ranked ninth overall. Come on, LA! We expected more of your bar-hopping hashtagging prowess. Either way, LA’s happy hour scene is full of innovative bars, comfort food, and a motley smattering of every type of bar you could ever want from ritzy hotel rooftops to down-and-dirty dives in strip malls.
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8. Austin, TX
Austin is a great city to get your drink on in general. The heat calls for copious amounts of margaritas and cold drafts anyway, so you may as well be drinking those during a happy hour when everything’s cheaper. Add in one of America’s most serious BBQ and Mexican food scenes and a rad AF music scene and you have a city where finding a great happy hour shouldn’t be too taxing a task.
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7. Chicago, IL
Chicago is a drinking town and, thus, a great and classic bar city. Whether you’re in the hipper-than-though Bucktown or getting down on $10 pitchers at Old Town, you’re going to be having a great time. Throw in some of the best (and fattest) comfort foods from killer Taquerias and saucy pizza joints and your happy hour is set.
6. Washington, DC
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DC is a company town with a deep-rooted culture of hitting the bars as soon as the workday has ended. Entire neighborhoods like Dupont and Adams Morgan seem more built around drinking than living. Finding a great happy hour that’s packed is an easy prospect in DC. Finding a way to tear yourself out of the bar after a happy hour may be a more difficult prospect.
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5. Brooklyn, NY
Again, we’re surprised. Brooklyn barely made it into the top five. Maybe it’s all that brunching instead of happy hour bouncing? It’s hard to say really. But this New York borough is not lacking in great bars and eateries offering fantastic food options from around the world and great drinks to go along with those plates.
4. Miami, FL
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Miami is renowned as a party town, so a great happy hour is expected. Plus, this is the first city where you can spend your whole happy hour on a big beach with sand in between your toes while you sip on your discounted tipple. That, alone, is worth hitting a happy hour in Miami after a long day of toiling at some desk.
3. San Diego, CA
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Speaking of beaches and sand between your toes, San Diego drops into the top three. The proximity to Mexico means you’ll be able to find a mean taco to nosh on while you down some cheap bottles of beer or margs during happy hour in SD. It’s sunny. It’s warm. The food is good. And the drinks are cheap(er).
That’s an almost perfect happy hour combination right there.
2. San Francisco, CA
Given how expensive San Francisco has become (thanks, Zuckerberg), finding a great happy hour with steep discounts is a necessity for survival in the Bay Area. That pain of paying top dollar for everything is offset by a food and bar scene that’s one of the most creative in the country. You’ll pay more, but you’ll be getting something new and unique for your money at the bar.
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1. New York City, NY
New York City is in the number one spot by far with over 100,000 more happy hour hashtags over the seven year time frame than the number two spot. That’s a lot of posts celebrating happy hour in NYC.
It’s easy to see why. New York has one of the best bar and food scenes in the country right next to millions of people needing a pause in their day after work. Plus, New York ain’t cheap. So hitting a happy hour to get in a drink, a bite, and some socializing is a necessity that becomes a habit quickly when you’re living in the city.
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