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A gray skillet filled with chicken wings tossed in a Korean barbecue sauce and garnished with sesame seeds and green scallions.
In Boston’s West End, A&B’s wings are half-off on Wednesdays.
A&B Kitchen and Bar

Boston’s Best After-Work Dining Deals

Boozy happy hour specials are a no-go in Massachusetts, but there are food specials aplenty at Boston restaurants and bars

by Erika Adams and Rachel Leah Blumenthal Updated
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In Boston’s West End, A&B’s wings are half-off on Wednesdays.
| A&B Kitchen and Bar
by Erika Adams and Rachel Leah Blumenthal Updated

Due to a statewide happy hour ban that dates back to 1984, Massachusetts restaurants and bars can’t offer time-specific alcohol deals that are popular in many other areas, although there’s ongoing efforts to repeal the ban. But for now, those seeking affordable after-work fun can find plenty of food-related specials around town, including dumplings, pizza, wings, and more.

Celebrate the end of the workday with this collection of some of the Boston area’s best weekday evening food deals. (Boston’s plentiful $1 oyster deals are not included in this map; consult our $1 oyster guide for those.)

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Eater maps are curated by editors and aim to reflect a diversity of neighborhoods, cuisines, and prices. Learn more about our editorial process.

Grendel's Den Restaurant & Bar

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This subterranean Harvard Square staple has been open since 1971; it serves pub fare, sandwiches, soups, salads, and more. The entire food menu is half-priced daily from 5 to 7:30 pm with a $4 minimum beverage purchase per person. No to-go bags.

89 Winthrop St, Cambridge, MA
(617) 491-1160
(617) 491-1160

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A&B Kitchen and Bar

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Get half-priced wings ($7.50) all day every Wednesday at this reliable West End spot located a block from TD Garden. Choose from a Korean barbecue sauce, lemon pepper dry rub, or buffalo seasoning. The deal is dine-in only and ends at 4 p.m. on event days.

115 Beverly St, Boston, MA 02114
(857) 449-2251
(857) 449-2251

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La Famiglia Giorgio's Restaurant

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Around since 1990, this North End restaurant is the type of place where a diner can embark on a six-pound lasagna challenge or a three-pound chicken parm challenge. Or, perhaps a less painful meal: the after-work three-course special. It includes a garden salad, a choice of one of several pasta entrees, and a mini cannoli, and it’s available Monday through Thursday from 3 to 6 p.m.

112 Salem St, Boston, MA 02113
(617) 367-6711
(617) 367-6711

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Chart House

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Located on the waterfront, this upscale seafood-and-steak chain offers nice views. There’s a variety of apps priced from $4 to $10 on the happy hour menu, including fried artichokes, sliders, fish tacos, lobster tartare, and more. The happy hour deal runs on weekdays from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. only at the bar and lounge.

60 Long Wharf, Boston, MA 02110
(617) 227-1576
(617) 227-1576

Strega Italiano

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At glitzy Italian restaurant Strega Italiano, there’s a happy hour menu at the bar and lounge that includes truffle fries for $6, zucchini chips with Calabrian chile aioli for $6, and a trio of bruschetta for $9. The menu is available daily from 4 to 6 p.m.

1 Marina Park Drive, Boston, MA 02210
(617) 345-3992
(617) 345-3992
Plates of olives and fried snacks sit on a black marble bar top surrounded by cocktails.
A selection of happy hour snacks at Strega Italiano.
Brian Samuels Photography

Scorpion Bar

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There are a variety of weeknight specials to spice up an after-work stop at flashy restaurant and nightlife venue Scorpion Bar. Stop by Tuesday through Thursday, from 5 to 7 p.m., for $1 wings; $25 all-you-can-eat tacos every Tuesday; $10 nachos on Wednesday; a $19 meal deal on Thursday that includes two tacos, a beer, and a churro; and free nachos on Friday with the purchase of any large-format cocktail. Check out the full menu here.

58 Seaport Blvd STE 200, Boston, MA 02210
(617) 322-0200
(617) 322-0200

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Yard House

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Sample this chain’s giant beer list alongside half-priced pizzas and select appetizers, including poke nachos and chicken lettuce wraps, from 3 to 6 p.m. on weekdays. In addition to the Fenway location, other Massachusetts locations include Boston’s Back Bay, Burlington, Dedham, and Lynnfield.

126 Brookline Ave, Boston, MA
(617) 236-4083
(617) 236-4083

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Barcelona Wine Bar

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This tapas chain has local outposts in Boston’s South End, Brookline, and Cambridge. The happy hour menu includes under-$10 snacks like mini churros, beef tartare, and salmon crudo from 4 to 6 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 2 to 6 p.m. on Friday.

525 Tremont St, Boston, MA 02116
(617) 266-2600
(617) 266-2600

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Banyan Bar & Refuge

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At this South End restaurant, which serves a pan-Asian-inspired menu, happy hour means 10 dumplings or five spring rolls for $5. Available daily from 4 to 6 p.m.

553 Tremont St, Boston, MA 02116
(617) 556-4211
(617) 556-4211
Overhead view of pan-seared dumplings on a wooden board, garnished with parsley and sesame seeds.
Banyan’s dumplings.
Banyan Bar & Refuge

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Tasca Restaurant

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Steps from the Green Line, this longstanding Spanish restaurant is a comfortable favorite for tapas. Stop by on a Tuesday for tapas happy hour from 4 to 6 p.m. that includes a selection of $5 tapas such as pan con tomate, patatas bravas, tortilla española, and more. Dine-in only.

1612 Commonwealth Ave, Brighton, MA 02135
(617) 730-8002
(617) 730-8002

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Local 149

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This cozy neighborhood spot in South Boston offers different specials each weekday, and with dinner service beginning at 4 p.m., that makes it a good spot for after-work deals. The happy hour menu includes $10 burger melts on Mondays, $3 tacos on Tuesdays, $4 sliders on Wednesdays and more.

149 P St, Boston, MA 02127
(617) 269-0900
(617) 269-0900

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Bred Gourmet

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Bred Gourmet, a Dorchester mainstay known for serving up one of the city’s great burgers, offers a happy hour menu with several burger-and-fry combo deals for $10 to $14. Available daily from 11 a.m. until 5 p.m. (Closed Sundays.)

2255 Dorchester Ave, Boston, MA 02124
(617) 698-0103
(617) 698-0103

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Grendel's Den Restaurant & Bar

89 Winthrop St, Cambridge, MA

This subterranean Harvard Square staple has been open since 1971; it serves pub fare, sandwiches, soups, salads, and more. The entire food menu is half-priced daily from 5 to 7:30 pm with a $4 minimum beverage purchase per person. No to-go bags.

89 Winthrop St, Cambridge, MA
(617) 491-1160
(617) 491-1160

A&B Kitchen and Bar

115 Beverly St, Boston, MA 02114

Get half-priced wings ($7.50) all day every Wednesday at this reliable West End spot located a block from TD Garden. Choose from a Korean barbecue sauce, lemon pepper dry rub, or buffalo seasoning. The deal is dine-in only and ends at 4 p.m. on event days.

115 Beverly St, Boston, MA 02114
(857) 449-2251
(857) 449-2251

La Famiglia Giorgio's Restaurant

112 Salem St, Boston, MA 02113

Around since 1990, this North End restaurant is the type of place where a diner can embark on a six-pound lasagna challenge or a three-pound chicken parm challenge. Or, perhaps a less painful meal: the after-work three-course special. It includes a garden salad, a choice of one of several pasta entrees, and a mini cannoli, and it’s available Monday through Thursday from 3 to 6 p.m.

112 Salem St, Boston, MA 02113
(617) 367-6711
(617) 367-6711

Chart House

60 Long Wharf, Boston, MA 02110

Located on the waterfront, this upscale seafood-and-steak chain offers nice views. There’s a variety of apps priced from $4 to $10 on the happy hour menu, including fried artichokes, sliders, fish tacos, lobster tartare, and more. The happy hour deal runs on weekdays from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. only at the bar and lounge.

60 Long Wharf, Boston, MA 02110
(617) 227-1576
(617) 227-1576

Strega Italiano

1 Marina Park Drive, Boston, MA 02210

At glitzy Italian restaurant Strega Italiano, there’s a happy hour menu at the bar and lounge that includes truffle fries for $6, zucchini chips with Calabrian chile aioli for $6, and a trio of bruschetta for $9. The menu is available daily from 4 to 6 p.m.

1 Marina Park Drive, Boston, MA 02210
(617) 345-3992
(617) 345-3992
Plates of olives and fried snacks sit on a black marble bar top surrounded by cocktails.
A selection of happy hour snacks at Strega Italiano.
Brian Samuels Photography

Scorpion Bar

58 Seaport Blvd STE 200, Boston, MA 02210

There are a variety of weeknight specials to spice up an after-work stop at flashy restaurant and nightlife venue Scorpion Bar. Stop by Tuesday through Thursday, from 5 to 7 p.m., for $1 wings; $25 all-you-can-eat tacos every Tuesday; $10 nachos on Wednesday; a $19 meal deal on Thursday that includes two tacos, a beer, and a churro; and free nachos on Friday with the purchase of any large-format cocktail. Check out the full menu here.

58 Seaport Blvd STE 200, Boston, MA 02210
(617) 322-0200
(617) 322-0200

Yard House

126 Brookline Ave, Boston, MA

Sample this chain’s giant beer list alongside half-priced pizzas and select appetizers, including poke nachos and chicken lettuce wraps, from 3 to 6 p.m. on weekdays. In addition to the Fenway location, other Massachusetts locations include Boston’s Back Bay, Burlington, Dedham, and Lynnfield.

126 Brookline Ave, Boston, MA
(617) 236-4083
(617) 236-4083

Barcelona Wine Bar

525 Tremont St, Boston, MA 02116

This tapas chain has local outposts in Boston’s South End, Brookline, and Cambridge. The happy hour menu includes under-$10 snacks like mini churros, beef tartare, and salmon crudo from 4 to 6 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 2 to 6 p.m. on Friday.

525 Tremont St, Boston, MA 02116
(617) 266-2600
(617) 266-2600

Banyan Bar & Refuge

553 Tremont St, Boston, MA 02116

At this South End restaurant, which serves a pan-Asian-inspired menu, happy hour means 10 dumplings or five spring rolls for $5. Available daily from 4 to 6 p.m.

553 Tremont St, Boston, MA 02116
(617) 556-4211
(617) 556-4211
Overhead view of pan-seared dumplings on a wooden board, garnished with parsley and sesame seeds.
Banyan’s dumplings.
Banyan Bar & Refuge

Tasca Restaurant

1612 Commonwealth Ave, Brighton, MA 02135

Steps from the Green Line, this longstanding Spanish restaurant is a comfortable favorite for tapas. Stop by on a Tuesday for tapas happy hour from 4 to 6 p.m. that includes a selection of $5 tapas such as pan con tomate, patatas bravas, tortilla española, and more. Dine-in only.

1612 Commonwealth Ave, Brighton, MA 02135
(617) 730-8002
(617) 730-8002

Local 149

149 P St, Boston, MA 02127

This cozy neighborhood spot in South Boston offers different specials each weekday, and with dinner service beginning at 4 p.m., that makes it a good spot for after-work deals. The happy hour menu includes $10 burger melts on Mondays, $3 tacos on Tuesdays, $4 sliders on Wednesdays and more.

149 P St, Boston, MA 02127
(617) 269-0900
(617) 269-0900

Bred Gourmet

2255 Dorchester Ave, Boston, MA 02124

Bred Gourmet, a Dorchester mainstay known for serving up one of the city’s great burgers, offers a happy hour menu with several burger-and-fry combo deals for $10 to $14. Available daily from 11 a.m. until 5 p.m. (Closed Sundays.)

2255 Dorchester Ave, Boston, MA 02124
(617) 698-0103
(617) 698-0103

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