A College Student’s Guide to Happy Hours in Tampa Bay

One of the hardest parts about college is saving money and I think that most students would agree with that statement. Especially when your college is located in the heart of a city, fun things to do always seem to cost more. Whether you're stopping by SOHO for some drinks or headed to Ybor City for the nightlife, the tab at the end of the day always seems to add up.

How can I go out in Tampa on a budget you ask? Here are some of the best happy hour deals and specials that Tampa Bay bars and restaurants have to offer for each night of the week!

Monday:

Macdintons is one of the most popular bars among students at the University of Tampa and the residents of Tampa. Monday nights are usually slow at most bars but not at Macdinton’s. Monday nights are game nights where all games are free! This includes darts, foosball, ping-pong, cornhole, flip cup, beer pong, and most recently, Mario Kart. Last week, they hosted a Mario Kart tournament where the winner was awarded a $25 gift card for their next trip back to Macdinton’s. Also on Mondays, they offer a college student special. They serve up an all-you-can-eat fish and chips meal for only $10!

Courtesy: Hyde Park Cafe

Tuesday:

The Hyde Park Cafe opened in 1995 in a small building on Platt Street in Tampa and started as a Cafe. The name can now be deceiving as it is no longer a Cafe, but a nightclub. Hyde Park Cafe or commonly referred to as HPC is a half indoor, half outdoor nightclub with a total of five bars in three different themed rooms. There’s the outdoor patio area in the middle of HPC, and on your left and right you can go inside to the nightclub areas. One side offering house music and the other offering the top hits in dance and hip-hop. On Tuesday, HPC offers a happy hour from 9-11 p.m. Just $10 will get you access to open bar service for two hours! That’s a cheap offer that no one I know can pass up.

Wednesday:

If you didn’t have enough fun on Monday or Tuesday, the deals at Daily Eats will blow you away. If you’re from the north like me, you too may notice the lack in diner’s that Florida has to offer. It seems as though Denny’s, IHOP, and Waffle House, are the only places that resemble a good diner. If it weren’t for Daily Eats I would suffer from a diner food deficiency. But what’s best about Daily Eats, or as my roommates and I call it, Daily GAS? The answer is simple: $2 mimosas. From 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. they serve 10 different flavors of mimosas for just $2. Moreover, Daily Eats makes great burgers. It comes with double-stacked patties with your choice of side and topping for only $6.

Courtesy: Macdinton’s Irish Pub

Thursday:

On Thursday you’d be silly not to head on back to Macdinton’s Irish Pub for $1 Miller Lite drafts. This night is popularly known by the University of Tampa students as, “dollar beers.” On Thursday night people do not ask you, “Hey, are you going to Macdinton’s tonight?”

No.

They ask, “dollar beers?”

The answer is always yes. If you’re trying to have fun on a budget, you need to be at dollar beers.

If you’re looking to go clubbing on a Thursday and your budget is more allowing, Tangra in Ybor City is a new club that has been getting a lot of hype around the University of Tampa students. The cover fee is not listed on the website and I have heard multiple claims as to what the cover has been but it was anywhere between $10 and $20. One option to save some money if you choose this option is to take the free trolley from downtown Tampa and take it to Ybor City. The trolleys are very rustic and old fashioned on the inside. The wood looks old and beaten up and the leather grip handles have fade marks from where hands so often grab. It really makes you feel like you’re taking a trip back to the 1950s.

Friday:

If you’ve ventured into SOHO on a weekend night, you know how crazy it can be. Ubers are dropping people off left and right and the lines to get into bars stretch so long that it all just looks like one big mob of people on both sides of the street. Why are so many people waiting in line? Deals. Deals. Deals. On Friday nights, the best place to be from 9-11 is Yard of Ale in SOHO. Located right across the street from Macdintons, Yard of Ale offers an open bar from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m. Even better, the cover charge is only $10. Yard of Ale is where I was to watch the Tampa Bay Lightning win their 2nd ever Stanley Cup and let me tell you the atmosphere was amazing. They have an outdoor patio area to go along with their indoor bar all of which were packed with people cheering on the bolts. When the final horn sounded and the Lightning had won, the place erupted and the bartenders were giving out free shots. While this doesn’t happen on your average Friday, there are always tons of surprises in store at Yard of Ale.

Courtesy: Whiskey Joe's Facebook

Saturday:

Saturday night is definitely the hardest night to find good deals because it’s a night that everyone wants to go out. My favorite Saturday location is Whiskey Joes. Located right before the causeway bridge over to Clearwater, Whiskey Joes sits on its own private beach. If you want to feel like you're on a tropical island and drink fun cocktails while your toes are in the sand, then this is the place you need to be.

Like I said, Saturday night is one that is hard to navigate around steep prices. For the amazing experience and the great views and island vibes, a trip to Whiskey Joes is hard to pass up.

Sunday:

Sunday, arguably the worst day of the week next to Monday in my opinion, is a day of a lot of emotion. Whether your favorite football team is playing, or you need to rush to finish up schoolwork, all of these stresses can be cured at Ava for brunch. Ava, located in SOHO offers one of the best brunch menus in Tampa. The food is delicious and the service is lightning quick because the mimosas are bottomless. For $15 the waiters will never let your glass run empty. And I mean it. The waiter I had was so fast it looked like he was training to run sprints in the Olympics. I literally never ran out of mimosas.

There are no bad choices on this list. Whether you choose Macdinton’s, HPC, Daily Eats, Tangra, Yard of Ale, Whiskey Joes, or Ava, I will guarantee that you have a good time and that you will save money with all of the specials that have been laid out. Have fun and always remember to drink responsibly.